April 30, 2002: Changing Of The Imperial Guard
Steve Jackson Games is pleased to announce that Loren Wiseman has been named Senior Line Editor for GURPS Traveller. Succeeding him in the position of GURPS Traveller Line Editor is Jon F. Zeigler, author of GURPS Traveller: First In, GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire, and the forthcoming GURPS Traveller: Grand Frontier. Zeigler will be taking over the day-to-day management of the line, supervised by and in consultation with Wiseman.
"Jon is one of our most reliable and popular authors," said Steve Jackson, President of SJ Games, "and he'll be good for Traveller. And this gets Loren away from managing for a while, and back to writing."
Taking over as editor of the Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society
(JTAS) is Graeme Davis, long-time SJ Games author. "Graeme has been helping out with JTAS for a while now, and he was the logical choice to step into Loren's shoes," said Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor. "We know JTAS is in good hands, and Loren's just down the hall whenever we need his input."
Wiseman will continue to write his editorial column for JTAS. He will be taking on other writing projects after he completes GURPS Traveller: Nobles. He will also be exercising his historical side, both with GURPS WWII projects and with a new (and as yet unannounced) SJ Games product line.
For more information, please contact Andrew Hackard at (512)447-7866
or andrew@sjgames.com.
Warehouse 23 News: The City of Tolkeen Fights Back
Rifts Aftermath chronicles the continued Coalition Army occupation of Tolkeen, the resistance to the occupation, and the worldwide consequences of Tolkeen's fall.
April 29, 2002: George Alec Effinger
George Alec Effinger, author of When Gravity Fails and its sequels, as well as many science fiction short stories, is dead. Born in 1947, he had been in extremely poor health for several years.
This is a great loss to science fiction. Harlan Ellison had said of George, ". . . you people are cheating yourselves if you don't forgo food and rent to pick up Effinger's work." It's a loss for me as well. George was a friend.
He was also a gamer and game fan. He authorized R. Talsorian Games to create a Cyberpunk supplement based on When Gravity Fails. He also wrote The Zork Chronicles, based on the classic text adventure game.
He was interested in writing actual game material, too. We had talked about several projects, and he had a standing invitation to create a GURPS Traveller Planetary Survey . . . and it would have been great, like everything else he did . . . but he wasn't able to pull the time to do it out of the personal and medical chaos that was the last few years of his life.
George's life shows just how hard it is to be a writer. He was nominated a dozen times for the biggest awards science fiction has to offer: seven Nebula nominations (voted on by his fellow authors) and five times for the Hugos (voted on by the fan community). Two of those nominations turned into awards: Schrodinger's Kitten (1988) won both the Hugo and Nebula for Best Novelette. With all that, he was never a financial success. Between medical and legal problems that fed on each other, this prolific, popular, and award-winning writer, like many others, couldn't make a living.
Here are a few good links about George:
- A Wired interview with several of his author friends taking turns asking questions.
- An online bibliography - these things are fan-maintained and there is no guarantee of completeness, but this one looks good to me.
- The ISFDB (Internet Speculative Fiction DataBase). Not pretty, but comprehensive. This link goes to the front page; you'll have to enter his full name in the search engine to pull up the bibliographical material. There are also links here to two more interviews.
- The Locus Magazine website, which has a short obit online now and promises to add details as they become available.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: One Riot, One Ranger!
New for the Deadlands roleplaying game, Lone Stars: The Texas Rangers contains expanded information about the Texas Rangers, a new arcane gunfighting school, new maneuvers, new fear, and a primer on the less-friendly residents of the Weird West.
April 28, 2002: See Our Breasts!
If you found that title offensive because it included the word "breasts" . . . or if, on the other hand, you find the comic-book depiction of the female form to be natural and normal . . . you absolutely don't want to click on this link to a side-splitting Disney parody in Sequential Tart.
And it goes on . . . and on . . . and on . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Return of the Inca Empire
Palladium takes you south of the equator in Rifts South America 2, with new O.C.C.s and R.C.C.s, Nazca line magic, undead beings of pure evil, Arkhon aliens, and more world information.
April 27, 2002: Austin-Area Quark Merc Wanted
This is not a regularly posted opening . . . we'll start by seeing whether any of our readers are interested.
Occasionally and unpredictably we need extra skilled Quark help in our production department. It would be most convenient to find somebody local who wanted to work an irregular part-time job for a (fnord) game company.
If you are interested, contact Heather Oliver, heather@sjgames.com.
The new Magi-Nation expansion, Nightmare's Dawn, features swampy Bograth and jungle-like Paradwyn.
April 26, 2002: Eating Of The Minds
The Internet makes shopping for anything easier and more convenient.
Don't misunderstand - that's not a good thing. See Brains4zombies.com for proof.
-- Suggested by David Evans
Warehouse 23 News: A Criminal Mastermind's Best Friend
All the tools a game master needs to run the ultimate spy game are conveniently collected in the Spycraft Game Control Screen, including tables, charts, and specialized record sheets for characters, mastermind, chases, and serial/season design.
April 25, 2002: GURPS Prime Directive
Roleplaying in the Star Fleet Universe!
This project - a Powered By GURPS release from Amarillo Design Bureau - is moving steadily forward. No ETA yet, but it shouldn't be long. Check out the GURPS Prime Directive web page for more details.
Warehouse 23 News: One Book to Burn Them All
Knights of the Dinner Table, Issue 66 and KODT: Illustrated, Issue 12 are now available.
April 24, 2002: GURPS Conspiracy X
is out and initial reactions are good; our agents tell us sales are going better than expected fnord. If you want to check out this thick, classy "Powered by GURPS" release from Eden Productions, shake down your friendly local game store . . . or, if you are not blessed with a FLGS, we most certainly have it in stock in Warehouse 23.
Warehouse 23 News: Cause Global Destruction
Flying Buffalo's classic card games, Nuclear War and Nuclear Proliferation, are again available. Fast and funny, these two games, playable separately or combined, allow you to negotiate, threaten, and, of course, nuke your opponents.
April 23, 2002: Hellboy Playtest
Pyramid readers can now access the playtest draft of selected portions of the Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game. This won't be up long, so if you want to read and comment, start now!
Warehouse 23 News: More Than Just a GM Screen
A new release for the Gear Krieg roleplaying game, Riddle of the Sphinx includes not only a gamemaster's screen and a block of character sheets, but also a four-act pulp adventure set in Egypt, complete with maps, encounters, subplots and pregenerated characters.
April 22, 2002: Computer Security In 2002 And 2052
GURPS Cyberpunk is out of print right now, but it won't stay out of print forever. And when we bring it back, we want to make sure that our purely fictional hacking hasn't been overtaken by the real world.
If you're reading this, you're probably interested in games. If you're also an active computer security professional, or a system administrator actively concerned with security, we'd be very interested in your input . . . contact me at sj@io.com.
And yes, I will also want to get some input from computer security hobbyists (as it were) of the "l33t" variety. But not at this stage, and not in a way that invites another visit from those nice people at the Secret Service. Once was enough.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Weird Wars Double Feature
For Pinnacle's alternate WWII setting, Dead From Above provides bombing, strafing, and dogfighting rules, while Afrika Korpse details the Weird Wars version of Africa.
April 21, 2002: It's Just Neat, That's All
I really like this thing. It won't feed the hungry, cure the sick, or get the spam off your computer. But it's neat.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Utopia Under Siege
The second Southern leaguebook for the Heavy Gear RPG, Humanist Alliance details everything needed to set scenarios in this dark utopia about to crack under Southern domination.
April 20, 2002: Help Out Your Local Retailer
The new Car Wars releases go to distributors in packages of six, cleverly named "Six-Packs," to save them and us from doing accounting on a huge number of $5.95 books. The distributors sell them to the retailers this way.
It has come to our attention that some retailers don't realize that the Six-Pack should be opened before the books go on the shelf. Therefore, at a few stores, there are no Car Wars books visible . . . just shrinkwrapped blocks with a plain paper label and, in some cases, a retail price of around $30. And anybody buying this would get TWO of each Starter Set.
If you see something like this in your retail store, please do the retailer (and us!) a favor and explain to him that the books are intended to be individually priced and sold. Thanks . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: A Little Something for the Computer Geeks
Spend too much time playing computer games and surfing the internet? Then Dork Storm Press's PvP comic is for you!
April 19, 2002: IllSotW: Its Millennia Come 'Round At Last
Lonely for another apocalypse? There's another one on the way. The errant
and mysterious Planet X - apparently all those old movie serials weren't kidding - is making another pass too close for comfort. Heralding all manner of weather changes, earthquakes, and upheavals, the world's governments are hushing the whole thing up. Sadly it doesn't look like X is on its own; there are all kinds of super-secret space junk threatening our home.
-- Suggested by Clark D. Rodeffer
Warehouse 23 News: Compendium of Mystic Lore
The definitive d20 resource for spellcasters, Spells & Spellcraft includes new spells, rituals and ceremonies, expanded familiar rules, types of magic, magical items, and much more.
April 18, 2002: Ambulance Chasers With Style
That was the title of the note from the Irish spy who alerted me to this site . . . and I can't improve on it. Just watch . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Explore the Universe in Twenty Minutes
Mix budget minded Cheapass Games with computer game developer Digital Eel and the result is Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, a fast-playing space exploration computer game that provides tons of fun without costing tons of cash.
April 17, 2002: First The Eurodollar, Now The Euroant
Researchers have discovered that the Argentine ants in colonies stretching over an area 3,600 miles long, are effectively one supercolony. In other words, ants from the Italian Riviera can be carried 3,600 miles and dropped into a hill there, and will get along just fine. Read the CNN story However, you won't find a hint of speculation there about what sort of chemical or other cues might be operating across that distance to keep all those anthills "in synch" . . . or a guess about the sheer number of ants involved.
So, Game Masters, inventing the details is up to you . . .
A double dose of gaming humor goodness as both Dork Tower #16 and Dork Tower #17 arrive.
April 16, 2002: Medical Privacy Threatened
I was very impressed by an opinion piece that appeared in our Austin paper. It was written by Deborah C. Peel, an Austin native who happens to be president of the National Coalition of Mental Health Professionals and Consumers. I know nothing about Ms. Peel or the group, but her words speak eloquently for themselves.
In a nutshell: The Bush administration is trying to change the law to eliminate the requirement that you consent before your medical records are released. Doctor-patient confidentiality will be replaced by, in all effect, government ownership of your medical records.
I've read the government "fact sheet" that explains how they claim to be strengthening protections. What it boils down to is that they're REMOVING your protections, and adding to the number of ways the health care provider has to tell you that if you get treatment, your information won't be private . . .
Read the article - and then, if you feel there's a problem here, send your comments to the Department of Health and Human Services right away. There's only about a week left in the comment period.
Warehouse 23 News: In the Myriad Realms of Imagination
The core rulebook for the popular anime/mange roleplaying game, Big Eyes, Small Mouth, is back in print, in a new revised version (Revised Second Edition, specifically).
April 15, 2002: Up And Running
Our scheduled Saturday maintenance went all right. Longer than expected, of course; that's what always happens. Work slid well over into Sunday morning. And then into Sunday afternoon. And then Sunday evening.
And that, children, is why there was no Daily Illuminator dated yesterday. But the system is all happy now.
April 13, 2002: Ogre Lite!
It's not . . . quite . . . Ogre Miniatures in one page. But it's a very handy reference, great for teaching the game to new players. Download "Ogre Lite" with our compliments. Thanks to Paul Chapman for creating this great resource!
Warehouse 23 News: A Superhero Roleplaying Game Unlike Any Other
A superheroes game set amidst the fires of World War II, Godlike melds together the two popular genres to form a setting that captures the best of both.
April 12, 2002: You, Too, Can Include A Zippy Dance Number
What's better than reversing the effects of aging with human growth hormones, investing in stocks that will skyrocket, and getting millions of dollars from the Bank of Nigeria? Why, putting it all to music. Spamradio takes all the Internet's greatest hits and makes beautiful music. Unlike recording outfits, they even parse the sexy ones into their own section, which is good. You know these kids today; the sensational stuff always hits the top of the charts.
-- Suggested by Brett Slocum
Warehouse 23 News: Acquire That Target!
The interstellar invasions of the C.E.F. could never have been possible without their massive fleets. Ships of the C.E.F., for Heavy Gear, takes a look at the invaders' ships and the infrastructure that supports them.
April 11, 2002: Star Munchkin Playtest
William Toporek will be previewing/playtesting Star Munchkin tonight at Dragon's Lair in Austin. If you don't live near Austin, you have our permission to be jealous.
Net bonus: Anyone who says to William, "I want to fire the bobaser," gets a free bumper sticker. Note: the O is long. This has nothing to do with "Bob" (Praise "Bob"!).
-- Steve Jackson
April 10, 2002: Another State Navy
Texas has its own navy, with its own battleship. Sure, it doesn't float, but it's a battleship all the same.
Now the sovereign state of Kentucky wants to get into the act . . . check out this proposed bill . . .
Our two new Munchkin t-shirts are now available for pre-order. Munchkin T-shirt (Male) features the Super Munchkin (as seen on the cover of the Munchkin card game), while Munchkin T-shirt (Female) has the Munchkin Babe (from Munchkin 2: Unnatural Axe).
April 9, 2002: Scheduled Downtime This Weekend
Some of you (Pyramidians especially) may have noticed the recent server troubles we've had, with unexpected downtime and various other problems. Unfortunately, it's not over yet... we're looking at having to take the server offline for some maintenance and TLC this weekend (she just needs a little "me time"). The server will probably be unreachable starting early Saturday morning. If all goes well, we'll be back up and running at full speed before the weekend is over. I'm hoping to get these problems resolved with a little care and patience.
And if that doesn't work, I have a hammer.
- Sage
Warehouse 23 News: Back and Better Than Ever
The long awaited fifth edition of the Hero System RPG has finally arrived! This huge tome (384 pages!) is the ultimate gamer's toolkit, providing all the rules, options, and examples you need to exercise your creativity without hinderance.
April 8, 2002: Plague Rats
This is a bad time to be reading Stephen King's The Stand. Entirely too many of our staff have been down recently with various coughs, colds, and sore throats. So if we've been a bit slow to respond to you on something, that might be why.
On the other hand, the weather in Austin is lovely right now. Spring is definitely THE time of year here . . . mild air, wildflowers . . . Too bad it seems to last an average of two weeks!
-- Steve Jackson
April 7, 2002: Quote Of The Day
Richard Kerr, while playtesting Star Munchkin . . .
"I don't know what I am, but I've got a gun."
Warehouse 23 News: The Elder Horrors Expand Into New Markets
What happens with Cthulhu takes over the staff at Wizards of the Coast? Call of Cthulhu d20! Experience one of the original horror roleplaying games, redone for d20!
April 6, 2002: Coolest RPG?
Slashdot's running a poll . . . if you're interested, you can go here and vote. The poll is in the column on the right.
If you don't know what Slashdot is, hang around the site and find out . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Bond Never Had It This Good
The new espionage roleplaying game, Spycraft, backs its superagents up with new races, classes, skills, feats, equipment, and a unique chase system.
April 5, 2002: They Beat The Tar Out Of Crop Circles
What Is It? couldn't be any more to the point: Someone is leaving messages embedded in the streets of major cities, most of them making oblique references to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. What does the message really mean? Who is leaving these missives? And will we find an obelisk if we dig up the road? It should surprise no one that potholes are part of the conspiracy.
-- Suggested by Eric Rossing
Warehouse 23 News: There Is No Good or Evil
An expandable, random tile, monster generating game, Ultra Vilelence is fast paced and easy to learn, with multiple ways to play.
April 4, 2002: GURPS Conspiracy X -- It's Almost Here!
George Vasilakos of Eden Studios dropped us a line saying that GURPS Conspiracy X will be back from the printer Friday, and shipping to distributors early next week!
So look for it in a friendly local game store near you, and soon!
Navigate the river of night that separates the tiny islands of rock and oxygen inhabited by Mankind with Tactical Space Support, for the Heavy Gear tactical game.
April 3, 2002: Famous Last Words
No doubt we've pointed to the Canonical List of Famous Last Words page before. Well, we're pointing to it again. Go look.
Warehouse 23 News: Wendols and Goblins and Franks, Oh My!
Set in the world of Rune, Enter the Viking contains thirteen earth shattering encounters.
April 2, 2002: Alexandria Redux
You've seen the button: "They got the Library at Alexandria. They're not getting mine."
And now the Library returns . . .
-- Steve Jackson
April 1, 2002: Couch Potatoes Rejoice!
We are one step closer to a channel-changer and joystick that you can implant in your head so you never have to get up at all. See the New York Times story.
WizKids Correction
Thanks to the more than a few folks who advised me that WizKids is at wizkidsgames.com. I still don't know what is at wizkids.com; the ornate 404 page seems designed to avoid giving any actual information.
The next question would be "Why does the WizKids page start with a whole bunch of blue text links on a blue background?" But scroll down and it gets very much better.
-- Steve Jackson
Check out Warehouse 23's best selling items for March on the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
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