Daily Illuminator Archive for November 2020

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November 1, 2020:
Would you like to receive information on new games, special events, and important news? Subscribe to our newsletter and you will start receiving a few emails every month where we highlight the latest games and expansions, and (at times) direct you to our crowdfunding campaigns. The newsletter is just one way to stay in touch with us . . . read article

November 2, 2020:
Our old-school zine for The Fantasy Trip, Hexagram, launched in early 2019 as a part of Kickstarter's Zine Quest event. So far, Steve and the team have created and shipped a total of five different issues; that's over 150 pages of content for TFT! . . . read article

November 3, 2020:
That is all. But that is enough . . . read article

November 4, 2020:
Illustrated by Dyson Logos and colored by Ben Williams, the new Skarg's Tavern Playmat is the largest TFT playmat we've made so far! This 36" square cloth and neoprene playmat is a perfect battlefield for GMs wishing to run encounters in and near the tavern . . . read article

November 5, 2020:
Another month down, and it is time for a new round of information on our active and upcoming Kickstarter campaigns. At the moment, we have two active projects, and one of them is shifting to the fulfillment stage later this month as our warehouse starts shipping thousands of copies of Random Fun Generator and tens of thousands of dice! Hexagram #6, an Old-School RPG Zine for The Fantasy Trip November 17 to December 1 (Scheduled, dates may change) Our next issue of Hexagram is ready for crowdfunding! . . . read article

November 6, 2020:
Long-lost treasures revived for a new era of dungeon-delvers! The Pyramid Dungeon Collection brings together a trove of material from the earliest eras of Pyramid magazine – much of it unavailable for over a decade – updated for GURPS Fourth Edition and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy! . . . read article

November 7, 2020:
Our business office has crunched the numbers for another month, and here we have the company's top sellers for September 2020 by units sold. As always, Munchkin and Zombie Dice steal the top spots, this time in a bit of a different way as Zombie Dice, the reprint of the Zombie Dice Horde Edition, and the new 2020 edition -- Zombie Dice Deluxe -- fill about a third of our top ten . . . read article

November 8, 2020:
We're no stranger to zines. The company has published a handful of zines and magazines in the past, and even today we create new issues of Hexagram, a zine for The Fantasy Trip, a few times during the year . . . read article

November 9, 2020:
The new die-cut Megahex Erasable Tiles – for use with The Fantasy Trip, GURPS, or any game that uses hexes – have arrived! That means the Warehouse 23 crew will shift the title from pre-order to available this month, at which point all the pre-orders will be shipped out so that everyone can start using the tiles in their next game session . . . read article

November 10, 2020:
First published in 1982, the Illuminati game has seen several editions over the years . . . and now is your chance at three of them! Pocket Box Bundle. This box set includes near-exact retro reprints of the original Illuminati Pocket Box game as well as the 1980s expansions. Do you want to see where it all started? . . . read article

November 11, 2020:
I remember the first time I heard "Weather With You," by Crowded House (probably best known for "Don't Dream It's Over"). It was in Dublin in 1993, in a cab from Gaelcon to the airport . . . read article

November 12, 2020:
A new analysis of the fossil originally named Brontosaurus suggests that it really was unique, not a mislabeled Apatosaurus, and that would mean that the beloved name Brontosaurus really is a valid dinosaur species. As a dino-loving little boy who grew up to become a dino-loving older boy, I think this is great news . . . read article

November 13, 2020:
Set for release in the next few weeks is The Zodiac Die, a new d12 plus small booklet that gives some advice on how to incorporate the die into your fantasy roleplaying game. Using this large die and the included booklet, you can quickly generate personalities for the PCs and NPCs in your campaign . . . read article

November 14, 2020:
We post to the Daily Illuminator every day, and have for over two decades . . . but we know you can't always make a visit to sjgames.com a part of your routine. Fortunately, in today's world, there are other ways to keep in touch with us and stay up-to-date on our latest projects . . . read article

November 15, 2020:
Now available at Warehouse 23, the printed deck of GURPS Combat Cards! This updated and expanded deck is a great tool when it is time to teach GURPS to your friends. Designed by Sean Punch Inspired by the original GURPS Combat Cards, by Robert L . . . read article

November 16, 2020:
Our Weather Dice project -- now funding on Indiegogo -- includes a Munchkin bonus for those who join in at the $18 or higher level: The Official Munchkin Bookmark of Catastrophic Climate Change! This bookmark allows you to use the Weather Dice in your Munchkin games, giving you one more way to brutalize your foes and (maybe?) win the game. For now, the bookmark is only available as a part of the Weather Dice rewards; we'll decide in the future if we distribute the bookmark in some other way.  Of course, gamemasters of almost any RPG will find the dice useful when it comes time to answer the inevitable question: what's the weather like in your campaign world? . . . read article

November 17, 2020:
The latest issue in the Hexagram series launches on Kickstarter later today, giving GMs and players of The Fantasy Trip another chance to show their support for the game.  This time around, we're offering two new hardcovers as a part of the project, though both are not officially a part of the crowdfunding campaign and both are already at print. If we're not crowdfunding Old School Monsters and Adventures 2 then why are they in the campaign? . . . read article

November 18, 2020:
While reviewing the first half of 2021 and our distribution schedule, it became clear that I am a very lucky fellow. Thanks to the hard work of the Steve Jackson Games crew, all of our planned distribution releases for the first five months of the year are already at the factory . . . read article

November 19, 2020:
If you buy a publisher you no longer have to pay royalties on the works you acquire. Sounds crazy, no? But it's apparently the Disney position now . . . read article

November 20, 2020:
March releases, featuring a mound of Munchkin, as well as some dice bag accessories. Enhance your year with these upcoming releases! Munchkin Enhancers Enhance your game!   Flavor up your Munchkin games with these 30 new monster, Treasure, Class, and Race enhancers! . . . read article

November 21, 2020:
When we launched the Hexagram zine for The Fantasy Trip in 2019, we took the print job to Mixam . . . and they blew us away with their quality, speed, and service. Their work was so reliably great that we went back to them again and again, printing each issue of Hexagram through their service.  If you've wanted to produce a zine (I have no inside info, but I suspect that Kickstarter will run a Zine Quest event in early 2021), then you must take a look at the Mixam website and review their selection of papers, sizes, and bindings . . . read article

November 22, 2020:
This 1988 Grenadier model has been sitting on my shelf for lo these many years. Ben painted it, added flames to the hands, added reflections from the flames, and lo and behold . . . read article

November 23, 2020:
We've got a little over a week left in our latest project for The Fantasy Trip – Hexagram #6. The new issue of Hexagram features 13 new articles, from guides to fencing to guides for Infinite Arenas . . . read article

November 24, 2020:
With one month to go until Christmas, it's time to start your holiday shopping so that all of the kids on your list, no matter their true age, can enjoy playing new games with the family. While our catalog is overflowing with games of all shapes and sizes, we want to direct your attention to a fast, explosive dice game that fits in almost any stocking. Le Boomb! -- available now at your local game store or our online store, Warehouse 23 -- was first released over a decade ago by our friends at Mayfair Games . . . read article

November 25, 2020:
If ever there was a year that your favorite local game store could use your support, this is it. The global pandemic has not been kind to many of the game stores, and your favorite local game store would very much appreciate your holiday business this year . . . read article

November 26, 2020:
We are launching a new line of roleplaying adventures: Quick Quests. These are a single sheet, tri-folded – they are statted for The Fantasy Trip, but easily adaptable to whatever you like. The first one, Tipping the Scales by Henry J . . . read article

November 27, 2020:
It's been a pretty dark year, but it's time to go fully black – Black Friday is here, and we have the deals for you on Warehouse 23! We've got multiple deals for folks this year, like huge discounts on Munchkin mini-expansions and select games, as well other classics. Not only that, we've got tons of freebies for different spending tiers . . . read article

November 28, 2020:
We've created several playmats for use with Ogre and The Fantasy Trip (playmats listed here), and now we're asking you to demonstrate your scenario writing skills in our ongoing playmat contest. First announced last month (details here), the contest asks you to assemble a scenario for either Ogre or The Fantasy Trip, using one of the existing playmats as your battlemap . . . read article

November 29, 2020:
Is there a gamer on your shopping list who was playing boardgames, card games, and RPGs in the eighties? Well, we've got the perfect instant shopping list for you with our retro-style Pocket Box games! . . . read article

November 30, 2020:
Because neither one will wait . . . Illuminati Confirmed Video Game To Be Exposed On Cyber Monday!   Officially licensed by Steve Jackson Games! Check out the new Kickstarter for Illuminati Confirmed, the first video game based on Steve's classic, award-winning Illuminati line, including Illuminati: New World Order and Illuminati 2nd Ed.   Some backer rewards have limited supplies, including an early bird special: For ONE DAY ONLY, all pledges will receive a limited-edition "Black Friday" card to use in the game—see artwork . . . read article

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