July 31, 2002: Real-Life Mad Cat
What started as a treehouse for his kids became a massive construction project that resulted in a 38% scale replica of a BattleTech Mad Cat. You gotta see this.
-- Scott Haring
Warehouse 23 News: Three Days to Download
In print for the first time, PvP: Striptease collects three years of selected strips from the PvPonline.com archives.
July 30, 2002: Convention Plans
In late August, I'll be going to Dragonflight in Seattle. Good game con; I was there once, years ago, and had a fine time. Lots of game demos planned . . . I hope that if you're anywhere in the area you'll make plans to attend the con and come play Munchkin or Star Munchkin or X-Bugs or whatever with me.
I had been planning to go straight from Dragonflight to Worldcon in San Jose, but those plans have (sadly) changed. As a result, I have a couple of Worldcon memberships which I will cheerfully sell for $150 each, which is $30 under the going rate. Drop me e-mail if you want one or both.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Thousands Have Felt the Touch of the Supernatural
The supernatural sourcebook for Conspiracy X, Forsaken Rites includes descriptions of supernatural beings, an extensive grimoire, a history of magic, new magical organizations, rules for using rituals, and a full adventure.
July 29, 2002: Frag Winner
The winner of our Frag tournament for the second quarter of 2002 was Willie Stampley with 14 frags! He get a $50 certificate from Warehouse 23 as his prize.
If you want to get in the act for this quarter, visit the Frag High Scores Page for more information.
Warehouse 23 News: The Missles Start Flying!
Nuclear Escalation is a comical card game of nuclear confrontation involving nervous world powers and jittery diplomats.
July 28, 2002: Sees All, Knows All
DARPA's new Information Awareness Office is working on some pretty scary surveillance technologies to "protect our freedoms." Let's hope they'll be used by wiser heads than the ones who create color-coded warning schemes. Or the ones who body-search grandmothers and Al Gore to show they're not doing any of that nasty profiling stuff.
So when they designed the logo, were they demonstrating an illuminated sense of humor, or were they just telling us what they're up to and daring us to do anything about it?
Or both?
Warehouse 23 News: Asteroids, Androids, & Trunks - Oh My!
It's back-to-back martial arts mayhem as three new sagas bring new challenges and dangers for the Dragon Ball fighters in Dragon Ball Z : The Garlic Jr., Trunks, & Android Sagas.
July 27, 2002: The Spamdemic Map
You know those "Diagrams of the Conspiracy" that we inflict on you every so often? Well, here's another one, except it's real. Cluelessmailers.com has created The Spamdemic Map . . . documenting, as you might guess, the epidemic of spam. It shows who's sending it and how. The point of the "cluelessmailers" name is that some of these companies clearly don't even realize that they're paying spammers and annoying potential customers.
I thought this was very interesting. I saw several companies on here that I've done business with. I'll think twice before I give them any more money . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: It's a Good Day to Be Undead
A supplement for the All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG, Enter the Zombie includes rules for martial arts mayhem, special chi powers, zombie player characters, and background for Hong Kong, San Francisco, and ancient China.
July 26, 2002: Mail Delays
A DNS hiccup caused e-mail to addresses at sjgames.com to be undeliverable for around 24 hours. It's fixed now. Most or all of the mail should now flood into our boxes, but if you wrote us in the last 24 hours and don't get a timely answer, just try again . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Lions, And Tigers, And Bears . . . And Dragons . . . And Unicorns . . . And Harpies . . .
No matter what genre, time period, or setting your campaign takes place in, the Hero System Bestiary has creatures and monsters for you to use! Each one comes with notes about how to adapt it for different types of games and player characters.
July 25, 2002: Hellboy Movie!
The Hellboy RPG is at the printer, and will be out in time for San Diego Comic Con, and woo hoo! Look at the neat Hellboy film website!
Okay, just a (good!) animation right now. There will be more.
Warehouse 23 News: Welcome to Poseidon, 2199 AD
Prepare for a compelling journey into humanity's future on a distant planet where life is hard and dying is easy. The Blue Planet Player's Guide contains everything you need to survive on the new frontier.
July 24, 2002: D20 T-Shirt T-Shirt
The brain child of our own Steven Marsh, this spiffy new T-shirt includes its own stats in the d20 system . . . and to make it all legal and everything, it has the Open Gaming License on the back. And for open gaming content: the Detect T-Shirt spell!
This is a Warehouse 23 exclusive . . . you want it, you know you do . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Creatures Lost To Science
Cryptozoology is the study of unknown terrestrial lifeforms. We know them as Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, the Lock Ness Monster, and the Chupacabras. All are revealed herein, including the information needed to integrate cryptozoological phenomena into your Conspiracy X campaign.
July 23, 2002: Shipping Now!
The following wonderful items have left our warehouse and should be in your Friendly Local Game Store in a matter of days . . .
GURPS WWII: Iron Cross
In Depression-era Germany, civilization went wrong. Explore the inner workings of the Third Reich in GURPS WWII: Iron Cross, the first
full-sized supplement in the GURPS WWII line.
From the Berlin councils that launched Germany's armies, to the snow-swept Russian plains where they bled dry . . . with details on weaponry, organization, tactics, and training . . . GURPS WWII: Iron Cross will let Allied players know their foe.
Written by GURPS WWII author Gene Seabolt, GURPS WWII: Iron Cross is a valuable supplement for any WWII gaming group . . . RPG, tabletop, or online.
128 pages.
Stock #8003,
ISBN 1-55634-593-3.
$22.95.
Ogre Miniatures: Combine Set 11 - Ogre Mk. I & II
Before there was the Ogre Mk. V, before even the Mk. III, there was the Ogre Mk. I, the first cybertank. Soon after came the Mk. II, the first to sport a varied weapons array. Although these units were overshadowed by their larger descendants, they never went out of production, and could be found in nearly every order of battle during the Last War. This set includes one Mk. I and one Mk. II units, and adds 75 points to your force.
Boxed set.
Stock #10-2111,
ISBN 1-55634-498-8.
$19.95.
Car Wars Division 5 Vehicle Guide
They're small but deadly! A dozen hot new Division 5 cars . . . with plenty of variant versions, and scenarios to use them. This book includes two different counters for each car - 24 in all - plus obstacles and other bonuses.
16 pages.
Stock #40-1004,
ISBN 1-55634-616-6.
$7.95.
Car Wars Arena Book 1
In the arena, you'll show your stuff before thousands of cheering duel fans . . . You might become an ace. You might leave in a box.
Eleven different arena diagrams, with scenarios for each one. The centerfold contains dozens of full-color 2-sided counters for obstacles and special arena features.
16 pages.
Stock #40-2001,
ISBN 1-55634-617-4.
$7.95.
The Art of Matthew Stawicki
This beautiful hardcover book collects the finest works of Matthew Stawicki, a modern fantasy artist best known for his paintings for The Franklin Mint, Bantam, Wizards of the Coast, and others. With a foreword by Margaret Weis and descriptive notes by Stawicki, this book is not only a visual feast but also an intelligent, entertaining inside look at the world of one of today's top visual fantasists.
Hardcover, 112 pages, full color.
Stock #60-1006,
ISBN 1-55634-579-8.
$29.95.
The Combine Hovertruck and Combine Light Artillery Drone for Ogre are now available as individual miniatures.
July 22, 2002: Art Guidelines Updated
We have just updated our Artists' Guidelines. If you have ever wondered what it takes to become a game illustrator . . . well, it takes talent. But if you have the talent and wonder how to best use it to help us achieve our evil ends, hit that page and read it.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Book of Beasts
Totally compatible with all d20 System materials, the Liber Bestarius provides a horde of new creatures for any campaign.
July 21, 2002: Mice And Alien Interference
Check out the Cheapass Games page for the best "But it's an honor to be nominated" speech I've ever seen.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Traveller Universe Unfolds
Classic Traveller: The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society Issues 13-24 is seventh in a series of reprints of the first edition of Traveller.
July 20, 2002: Mouse Uplift
Better mousetraps may soon be mandatory if this project is a success, because they may very well be building a better mouse. Read the MSNBC story, and wonder if GURPS Uplift isn't really in our future.
Conspiracy X takes place in a world of dark secrets and hidden agendas where the only certainty is nothing is what it seems.
July 19, 2002: Nothing To Fear But Phobophobia
If you're ready to face your fears - and everyone else's - check out The Phobia List. Good for Call of Cthulhu games (unless you have teratophobia), impassioned political speeches (barring politicophobia), and relationships (which doubtless leads to soceraphobia). Unless you have logizomechanophobia.
-- Suggested by Robin
Warehouse 23 News: Futuristic Fraggers
The six individual Frag miniatures are now available.
July 18, 2002: D20 Weekly Rolls On
If you are a d20 enthusiast, and you haven't seen Pyramid's new sister publication d20 Weekly, please come check it out. There are now three complete issues up, and you can read them all for free. Number 4 will also be free. After that, we think/hope/trust you'll think it's worth paying for . . . We're getting good participation from a variety of d20 publishers, and things are off to a good start.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Where Man Meets Magic & Machine
The year is 2060 and magic is as real as the mean streets of the mega-sprawls. Shadowrun is a complete rulebook for gamemasters and players.
July 17, 2002: Does This Look Familiar?
Check out GM's new experimental car. Electric power. Motors in each wheel. Configurable body. This looks so much like Car Wars it isn't even funny. They're not showing weapon mountings, though . . . yet.
July 16, 2002: Mining The Moon
If you've been reading Transhuman
Space, you know that the big power source for David Pulver's
future is helium-3, obtained from (among other places) the Moon. If you
thought that was fantasy, check out this story from the Sydney Morning Herald. Harrison Schmitt, the geologist who was the last man to step onto the Moon, is talking about a real-world business case for a return to our satellite . . . to mine helium-3.
-- Steve Jackson
The brand-new Deadlands supplement, The Way of the Dead, features the Harrowed and their incredible new powers, as well as rules for Harrowed Hindrances, a casket-full of advice, and a full-length adventure.
July 15, 2002: Another Cool Thing You Can't Afford
Unless you have $40,000 to throw around, you won't be picking up one of Actuality's new no-goggles-required domed 3D displays. Not this year, at least. But isn't it NEAT?
This is not a hologram; it's a rotating screen that tricks the eye. That rushing sound you hear is the future getting closer.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: For Those About To Hack
Knights of the Dinner Table, Issue 69 is now available.
July 14, 2002: New GURPS Volunteers
Stephane Theriault, stephane.theriault2@sympatico.ca, is our new GURPS FAQ Keeper, maintaining the extensive FAQ pages for the whole line. With 12 years as a GURPS player and GM, not to mentions extensive playtesting experience, he will be a valuable addition to the team.
Greg Henle, greghenle@lightwavesgraphics.com, is our new GURPS Online
Assistant Editor, helping maintain all the other GURPS pages. A GURPS player since 1991, Greg has already been GURPS OAE once before, but once again falls into our clutches.
We're evaluating applications for an assortment of Online Assistant Editors and other volunteer positions, but it's not too late to apply. Contact the Volunteer
Coordinator, Mark A. Schmidt, for more information.
Warehouse 23 News: What Will You Risk To Change The World?
Unknown Armies is a roleplaying game of power and consequences. This second edition rulebook is reorganized and rewritten to better serve new players and to build stronger campaigns. It includes new schools of magick, new avatars, and much more.
July 13, 2002: Two New Pyramid Playtests!
That's right, we've got two new playtests started in Pyramid: the Car Wars Vehicle Design System and GURPS Magic Items 3! If you're not already a Pyramid subscriber, maybe now is the time . . .
-- Sage
Warehouse 23 News: Inexpensive Medieval Adventure
For Chivalry & Sorcery, Where Heroes Fear To Tread and Under the Castle Gates pack a lot of adventure into a small package.
July 12, 2002: The Facts In Question
What's the Australian version of Bigfoot? Who gave rise to the legend of Mr. Hyde? And whatever became of spellcheckers? Some of these questions and more are answered at Did You Know?
Useless Information For Your Brain!
-- Suggested by Peter Rivera
The Venus Planet Sourcebook is a Jovian Chronicles game manual covering the wealthy and secretive nation of Venus, whose colonists have risen from poverty and starvation to form the most respected economic power in the Solar System of the 23rd century.
July 11, 2002: Better Late Than Never
It took a bit longer than we expected, but the Munchkin T-shirts are finally here.
This particular shirt comes in two flavors: the Munchkin T-shirt (Female) features the fearsome Munchkin Babe from the Unnatural Axe cover, while the Munchkin T-shirt (Male) immortalizes the gleeful Super Munchkin from the original Munchkin cover.
Both shirts are beige in color, unisex in styling, available in Medium-XXXL, and include special rules to give the wearer a munchkinly bonus in tournament play.
-- Michelle Barrett
And they don't come any cooler than Icehouse. The line includes nine colors of
pyramids in three sizes, a highly portable chessboard bandana, and a book of twelve games.
July 10, 2002: Coolest. Mouse. Ever.
Courtesy of soon-to-be-ex-über game designer John Tynes, check out this link to the coolest mouse ever, aka Project Cryo.
Warning: Even thinking too hard about this one may violate your mouse's warranty.
Warehouse 23 News: Begin a Career in Star Fleet
The newest Powered by GURPS title, GURPS Prime Directive, is now available from Warehouse 23. It is a standalone game published by Amarillo Design Bureau.
July 9, 2002: Scheduled Downtime Tonight
I have to do some physical work on the server tonight. It will start at midnight (which is technically tomorrow morning, but it all amounts to the same thing if you stay up late), and will probably last two or three hours. The server will be down during that time, which means Pyramid, JTAS, and d20 Weekly will also be inaccessible. Thanks for your patience while I work these kinks out. :)
-- Sage
Warehouse 23 News: The Edge of Fantasy
Arrowflight contains everything you need to create a fantastic character to guide through adventure, exploration, and political intrigue, in a land of magical beasts and supernatural terror.
July 8, 2002: Dell: New Frontiers In Spam
Of course, if King George II were still alive, he might very well be interested in Dell's web hosting services. So it was worth a try. You are now saying "Huh?" Read the story on the Columbia University site.
Warehouse 23 News: For Gamers with Class
Java's Crypt manufactures several lines of sterling silver jewelry designed specifically for gamers, including pieces for In Nomine, Illuminati, Legend of the Five Rings, and Call of Cthulhu, plus Beltaine's Fire, which is inspired by Celtic knotwork.
July 7, 2002: Munchkins In Chains!
Not what you're thinking! Not, not, not!
The Origins Award-winning Munchkin will soon be in the big book chains - Waldenbooks and Hastings (probably just the biggest and/or most game-friendly stores) on a trial basis. If it goes well, more of our games will be picked up.
So . . . please do NOT run and shop at the chains instead of your local game store. But if you were going to buy an Origins Award-winning Munchkin for a friend (because YOU already have one, right?) and figured you'd have to order from Warehouse 23 or something, give your book chain store a chance, first. And if you don't find the Origins Award-winning Munchkin there, ask them for it!
This has been Steve, munchkining the system. (rolls dice) Will it work?
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: In Secrecy, They Operate
Sub Rosa, the conspiracy creation sourcebook for Conspiracy X, details the nature of conspiracies and provides both complete rules for creating conspiratorial organizations and several fully detailed sample groups.
July 6, 2002: Origins Status Report (And Mine Too)
The local news first. I'm much better. Still emitting the occasional horrible cough, but overall, much improved. And our part of Austin is NOT under water . . . we had one bit of excitement a few days ago, but nothing really serious.
Now for the word from Origins. I am advised that Munchkin won Best Traditional Card Game. Woot!
Now for the rumor from Origins. I am advised that WotC was demonstrating but not selling from their booth, that the buzz is that a sale is about to be announced, and that the rumor, I repeat RUMOR, on the floor was that media mogul Ted Turner has bought D&D. Remember, you heard it here first, unless it's not true.
-- Steve Jackson
No Fudge game is complete without a set of highly intuitive and brightly colored Fudge Dice.
July 5, 2002: Heart Failures Are Up, Insurance Rates Are Down
Crime statistics are shocking, but if anyone tries to lay finger to your ride, the Auto Taser, much like the Air Taser, will send a few thousand volts through potential car thieves.
-- Suggested by Timothy McDowell
Warehouse 23 News: A Dieselpunk Fantasy Roleplaying Game
Forge a new destiny for the Children of the Sun, the brand new roleplaying game from Misguided Games.
July 4, 2002: Robot Sea Monsters Spotted
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum publishes The Daybook, a quarterly magazine about naval history. The Robot Sea Monster from INWO made an (authorized) appearance in the last issue. How did THAT happen? Well, you'll just have to read it . . . you can download a PDF from their website, or, if you'd like hardcopy, you can get a free subscription.
Warehouse 23 News: Hellboy Limited Edition Hardcover
Warehouse 23 is now accepting preorders for the Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game Hardcover.
July 3, 2002: SJ Games Launches Online D20 Magazine - First Four Issues Free!
On July 3, just in time for Origins, the publisher of the award-winning Pyramid will launch another online zine . . . d20 Weekly.
d20 Weekly is the only professional online magazine for the d20 System. Edited by Dale Donovan (former editor of Dragon Magazine), with the help of Pyramid editor Steven Marsh and a staff of industry pros, this is the hobby's source for d20 news and reviews, advance material from lots of different publishers, "how-to" articles, and lots of characters, gadgets, magic items, and situations. Our industry news is updated immediately, whenever a d20-related story breaks, and new reviews and articles are posted every Wednesday.
The new zine will feature:
- News – find out what's coming for d20.
- Previews and Designer Articles – from the d20 publishers themselves!
- Reviews – what's hot and what's not, and why!
- Comics – a special edition of “Absurd Notions,” by Kevin Pease, with a new strip every week.
- Articles and adventures – lots of features every gaming group can use.
- Archives – every article and review from Issue 1 onward will remain online and searchable.
- Community – discussion boards and a live chat area.
- And best of all . . . playtest! Subscribers will get an advance look at upcoming d20 releases from top publishers . . . and will get to comment and help shape their final form!
The site is at www.d20weekly.com. A trial subscription, covering the first four issues, is FREE. After the July 24 issue, a subscription is $20 per year for 52 weekly issues – about 6 cents a day.
The first issue will feature:
- On Cities, Part One, by Matt Forbeck. How to create everything from a tiny village to a metropolis.
- An Introduction to African Adventure, by Christopher W. Dolunt. The author of Atlas Games' upcoming Nyambe campaign setting book looks at the ways an African-based adventure differs from a classic scenario.
- Alternate Views: Cairo by Gaslight, by Andrew Hind. A visit to a city of magic, ancient gods, and back-alley thuggery.
- Review of Afrika Korpse (for Weird Wars), by Andrew Hind
- Review of The Divine and the Defeated (for Scarred Lands), by Justin Mohareb
- Review of Armies of the Abyss, by Joe G. Kushner
- Review of The Shaman's Handbook, by Joe G. Kushner
- Playtesting for the Munchkin Player's Handbook (SJ Games). And coming very soon . . . playtesting for Eden Studios' Fields of Blood (The Book of War).
Warehouse 23 News: Truth in Advertising
In a shameless attempt to ride the coattails of d20 Weekly's premiere, here's a list of the d20 products carried by Warehouse 23.
July 2, 2002: Hellboy Goes To Print
The Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game went to print today. This is going to rival In Nomine as the most beautiful book we have ever done . . . full color throughout, and all that lovely Mignola art.
It'll be back in time for the San Diego Comic Con and, of course, GenCon.
The Hellboy RPG is the biggest licensed project we've ever done, and I'm very happy with the way it's turned out. Big thanks go to several people . . .
- Phil Reed, for conceiving the idea, talking me into it, talking Dark Horse into it, and spearheading it the whole way;
- Mike Mignola, for creating Hellboy in the first place and for being so enthusiastic and helpful as the book came together;
- Dark Horse, for being very flexible licensors yet knowing enough about what they wanted to give clear guidance - and believe me, that's important, and rarer than you think!
- And the books' authors, Phil Masters and Jonathan Woodward, for making Hellboy really live as a game world.
I expect that all our GURPS fans will really enjoy this newest and shiniest of the Powered By GURPS books. I'm assured that the Hellboy fans will be fighting for copies, and I'm good with that too. Hellboy is a great story, and if you've never read it, I encourage you to pick up the comic and check it out.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Is Your Mind Your Own?
Inside Shadows of the Mind, for Conspiracy X, you will discover the secrets behind the horrific experiments conducted by governments searching for the perfect means to control our thoughts and the programs Aegis has created to develop and utilize psychic powers.
July 1, 2002: Plague Rat City
The creeping crud has claimed its sixth victim at our office, though the first couple are now up and about. I seem to have gotten a very good dose of it. I'm still coughing. Euw.
This has led me to an unhappy decision. I'm not going to make Origins. Which means no Pirate Game, among other things. I'm very sorry about this, but I come back from conventions used-up enough, as it is. I don't want to set myself up for another week of illness; I don't want to meet a lot of people while I have my tired, grumpy face on . . . and I REALLY don't want to share this crud with anybody else.
Like most sensible decisions, this is very painful, and again, I apologize both to the fans and to the very hard-working Origins committee. It is shaping up to be a good show, and I hope YOU go and have a great time.
-- Steve Jackson
Check out Warehouse 23's best selling items for June on the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
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