e23 News Archive: January 2008

( oldest first | newest first )

January 31, 2008: Get Wasted By A Terrible Mind

And by a terrible joke. Sorry about that one, folks, it'll be better next time. I promise.

Who doesn't love the idea of stabbing someone else using your mind? Nobody, I'd say. Nobody. No, not even you Bobby Mulligan of Westford, Indiana! Nope, we all would love to make a "brain shank," if you will, because such a thing is cool beyond description.

Huh? Oh. I guess someone did describe it. In The Mind Unveiled: Mind Blade Feats. Convenient and it satiates the public's bloodlust. Win-win!

January 30, 2008: Lean, Mean, Pulpy Machine

Ow! Ow! Ow! Help! Two-Fisted Tales won't stop - ow! - won't stop hitting me! Ow! Quit it, you!

Help a guy out and buy this thing, will ya? Ow! Ow! It's so action packed that its pulp-powered two-fists are pummeling the staff! Ow! My eye! Back, you! Back!

No, uh, no rush on that order or anything. Ow!

January 29, 2008: The Earth Is Dead, Long Live The Earth

Stop me if you've heard this one.

The Earth walks into a bar. It goes up to the bartender and says, "I think I've got an infection." So the bartender hits it with a few nuclear weapons and wipes mankind from the face of the planet.

Wait, I think I screwed up the punchline . . .

Um, anyway, what I'm trying to say is: "buy EarthAD 2."

January 28, 2008: Space: The Last Big Thingie

Space, it is popularly believed, is quite large. Infinite, even. So if Space is infinite, then there's an infinite amount of room for Stuff. Space will always be greater than Stuff.

Yes, I have a point, just bear with me.

Now, this means that it doesn't matter how many space-based sci-fi RPGs we have. There's room for all of them! Thus, you have room for HardNova 2! So go buy a copy.

January 27, 2008: Brave Countrymen Defend Their Homeland!

You, however, sit back here and wonder why there's a crashed German airplane where your kitchen used to be.

Home Front takes an unusual approach to World War II by casting players as civilians in England. It's weird. Not bad weird, but . . . weird. Think you're ready to try something very different?

January 26, 2008: Hyaaah!

Buy it up, load it down, load it up, print it out!

Coyote Trail is a wild west roleplaying game that's so easy even the tenderest of foots can play. Light on rules but heavy on atmosphere, it might just be the perfect distraction for your gaming group the next time someone snaps after doing some "simple math."

Y'know, like calculating the to-hit modifier for someone shooting a jury-rigged zipgun whilst floating unprotected in a vacuum while their target does a jig on a spinning asteroid (from behind partial cover, no less). I hate when that happens.

January 25, 2008: Fantasy - The Dungeoning

Places to go, monsters to stab.

Just to prove he's not sleeping on the job, your friend and mine Dr. Kromm has whipped up a little something called GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons. Hot on the heels of Dungeon Fantasy 1, this book covers the actual running-the-dungeon bit of your subterranean foray.

So go ye forth, brave adventurer! Kromm, He Who Floats Upon The Clouds of Awesome, Bringer of Cool, Keeper of the Sacred Texts of Gee Yoo Arr Pee Ess, and Lord of a Thousand Internets commands it!

Plus, y'know, the book's pretty dang sweet.

January 24, 2008: Less Film, More Noir

If the 1940s had one thing it was . . . um, war, actually. But, putting mankind's greatest conflict aside for the moment, the other thing the '40s had was guys in fedoras chasing down the bad guys while a voiceover explained how grim everything was.

Really. I'm tellin' ya, the place was lousy with voiceovers.

Anyway, Mean Streets is a roleplaying game that brings this noir-powered genre to your gaming table and lets your players see how much cooler life is when you wear a fedora and smoke constantly.

January 23, 2008: Abracadabra, Y'all

"You got wizards in my gunslingers!"

"You got gunslingers in my wizards!"

". . . cool, let's make a game about it."

And thus was Wizards & Gunslingers born. At least, that's what this one guy told me. Then again, he also told me Martin Van Buren was a robot from the future. Regardless, I'm a sucker for the old west, so I'm gonna get me a copy. You're invited to purchase one as well, if you happen to like Things That Are Really Cool.

January 22, 2008: The More Things Change . . .

. . . the more they get updated for the new edition! Transhuman Space players that GMs are looking to drag, kicking and screaming, into the world of Fourth will benefit from a handy (and dandy) little guide we like to call GURPS Transhuman Space: Changing Times. Well, okay, we like to call it "meal ticket," but that doesn't move as many copies.

Within its digital binding you'll find notes on what changed, what stayed the same, and what we broke just to annoy the fans. We also included an introduction to the setting, so you'll be able to tell a cybershell from a microbot in no time.

So it's sorta like a 74-page hail and farewell. Only with less food.

-- Fox Barrett

January 21, 2008: Enjoy: Hard Vacuum

Some of us don't have a problem with dramatic pressure changes, solar radiation, and extreme cold. For those of us who don't enjoy being pushed into space, there's GURPS Spaceships.

Seventy pages of putting together, flying around in, and blowing up science fiction's most stapular of staples. It'll get your space-faring games off the ground in the most painless and generic way we know how.

Plus, y'know, books about spaceships are so cool.

-- Fox Barrett

January 20, 2008: We're So Clever

See, the book is Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering, and it was authored by Robin Laws. Ya get it? Laws. It's our superhuman grip on the English language that allows us to wield words with such finesse.

The book itself is quite useful, as it happens. Or it was for me. I'm a terrible GM. But just downloading the file shifted me from "abysmal" to "marginally tolerable." Just imagine the potential waiting to be unlocked by actually reading the thing!

-- Fox Barrett

January 19, 2008: We're Super, Thanks For Asking

If your mensch is feeling a little less than über, then allow me to point your pointer to GURPS Supers. It'll give you a positive place to channel those urges to don a costume and jump from buildings. It's certainly helped me in that department, anyway.

Not simply a collection of super powers (that looks like a job for GURPS Powers), Supers covers the Leap Tall Buildings genre like so many yards of spandex.

-- Fox Barrett

January 18, 2008: Honk, Honk, Hwa-Koom!

What would Car Wars be without its car warriors? Just . . . Car. While cars are all fine and good, it's those squishy fellows inside that are the heart and soul of the American Autodueling Association.

In remembrance of those brave souls with motor oil for blood and bullets where they should have brains, we present GURPS Classic: Autoduel! Long time SJ Games fans will recognize this one, but for the uninitiated masses:

The trouble all started in the 90's. The oil dried up, the food went away, and all the computers imploded. The natural and most rational reaction to this strap a machine gun to a sedan and put that hammer down. And if that doesn't sound like the best time you could have on any given generic, universal weekend, brother, I don't know what to tell ya.

. . . except for this little piece of advice: the right of way always goes to the biggest gun.

January 17, 2008: The Bitter Disappointments Of Adulthood

Yeah, it turns out The Flintstones doesn't exactly correctly represent the age when dinosaurs roamed the earth. In fact, our two species were pretty much no where near one another. Once again, Hollywood told us a beautiful lie.

This only proves one thing: science is boring! So nuts to science, says I! And says GURPS!

GURPS Lands Out of Time will have those T. rex chasing your cavemen through a valley in no time! And since this is GURPS, it'll probably chase them right into a temporal rift. And somehow the Illuminati is involved. Also, pirates.

-- Fox Barrett

January 16, 2008: Shoe Of Gumming

Of all the stores in all the world, this PDF had to walk into mine . . .

Building a good mystery is anything but elementary. If you're running a d20 Modern game, but haven't got a clue when it comes to the criminal element, get your digital mitts on a copy of Detectives: Investigation Sourcebook for d20. Whether you need to build a game around a charming (if mildly cannibalistic) sociopath or just need advice on helping meddling kids debunk a haunted house, this book has it covered.

-- Fox Barrett

January 15, 2008: Stuff . . . Lots Of Stuff

Ah, guns. Life would be so dull with them. We'd just fly around in our ships and shout obscenities at each other until someone went hoarse and gave up. Doesn't really make for a good adventure.

Well, it's a good thing we have Special Supplement 6: Guns, Gadgets and Gear. It should keep us hip-deep in high-caliber hardware for some time. Oh, and it's got some other useful junk in it too. Like armor and medical equipment. I didn't really pay attention because they don't shoot bullets.

I mean, it's not like you can open fire with a hazmat suit, so who cares?

-- Fox Barrett

January 14, 2008: I Don't Know Art

But I know what they make me sell!

Lame jokes aside, we just got in a big batch of new Clipart Critters for your perusal, purchase, and purposing. Since it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and we got in more than ten new pieces, I'm gonna play hooky on this news piece.

-- Fox Barrett

January 13, 2008: All We Need Is Love . . . And Superpowers

Feelings. They don't usually enter into the equation when your government assassin is slitting an enemy agent's throat. As you put your archeology-powered fist into his face, the only "feeling" you hope this Nazi has is "pain." Spartan warriors are too busy stabbing to address their "issues."

But we can't all be testosterone-fueled killing machine. Some of us are estrogen-powered killing machines!

Hearts Swords Flowers takes a look at the emotional side of dispatching your foes. It covers shojo-style gaming in Big Eyes, Small Mouth from head to toe. Be a wand-wielding preteen with a penchant for goofy sidekicks or a soul-bound warrior from a dying race of aliens that must Save The World (and graduate high school). Either way, you shall mercilessly crush your enemy underfoot and laugh as you rip his corpse asunder!

And then have a good cry when you realize that was your boyfriend. Whoops. Not again.

-- Fox Barrett

January 12, 2008: They Need To Start Sending Me Memos

So I figure with words like "dominoes" and "gambit" in the name, Operation Dominoes 3: The Isdur Gambit is about sharking people playing Texas 42, or something. But no. In fact it is a Traveller book. It is a canned adventure, and the third in a series, at that.

And now here I am, totally unprepared, and desperate for something to say about a book I'm completely mixed-up about. So here goes: "Buy Operation Dominoes 3: The Isdur Gambit! I don't want to get fired!"

"Finesse?" Nope, none here. But if "pity" will work, hey, I'll play the hand.

-- Fox Barrett

January 11, 2008: GURPSMAFCCS!

GURPS Martial Arts: Fairbairn Close Combat Systems (that title has at least a +1 Size Modifier) expands on what Martial Arts already laid down about this British begotten killing art. It might not be of any use for that game you set in 8th century China, but if you've got some SWAT-dudes who need to kick in some teeth, this is the book for you. Of course, this being GURPS, I suppose you could have SWAT-dudes go back in time to 8th century China. In that case, it's perfect for your campaign!

Now go do that Defendu that you do so well!

-- Fox Barrett

January 10, 2008: Start At The Start

A settings go, Transhuman Space can be a little . . . intimidating. The 22nd century is anything but simple. In a world where brains float around in computer banks as often as they do in jars, you might want a road map to get you started.

Enter GURPS Transhuman Space: Singapore Sling. An introductory adventure for our far-flung future of furious . . . finagling (sorry, I kinda choked there). So if you're looking for a way to dip your toe in, or just need a convenient excuse to push your players face first into the boiling vat, Singapore Sling is here for you.

-- Fox Barrett

January 9, 2008: This News Piece Is So Five Minutes Ago

In the 22nd century, being entertained is a full-time job. Just about the time you think a meme is keeping your attention - oh, there it goes. Time to move on to the next one! Nope, already too late.

In the future, only the clairvoyant shall be hip. Or people who go to Polyhymnia.

GURPS Transhuman Space: Polyhymnia covers the only place to be. Not because it's a happenin' joint, or anything. It's literally the only club that lasts more than 4 nanoseconds in that crazy little thing the future calls Life.

January 8, 2008: Trashy Characters

Though precious to you, it's quite likely that your GM finds your character imminently expendable. Thorndrake Bloodslayer, your half-drow, half-dragon, half-demon (wait, what?) ranger/wizard with the 12-page backstory about his sordid past is nothing more than fodder before the Master's grim legions.

Disposable Heroes is a line of paper miniatures (that we recently got a slew of) covering a few different genres. Print 'em up, use 'em, abuse 'em, and throw 'em away when they no longer server your purposes.

Because lets be honest: Thorndrake Bloodslayer's life expectancy precludes the trouble and time involved in painting a metal mini.

January 7, 2008: The New New World

Once upon a time, there was a grand kingdom and its 13th colonies. One day, the colonies got rather fed-up with all the representationless taxation they suffered and became their own country. And then they bred a race of giant lumberjacks and ruled the world!

Okay, not really, but what if all those tall tales were true? There's only one proper answer: "dude, sweet!" Atlas Games has answered the call of writing totally sweet RPG settings and presents unto you Northern Crown.

Northern Crown: New World Adventures (and its companion book, Northern Crown: Gazetteer) will grab you by the twenty-siders and drag you into a world instantly familiar and yet gloriously weird.

Unless you know nothing of American folklore. In which case, it'll just be gloriously weird. But that's still a net gain!

January 6, 2008: I Like Old Songs, Y'see

If you find yourself stuck somewhere, say in Havana or Honduras, and you're feeling trapped, allow us to send Lawyers, Guns & Money.

Lame Warren Zevon jokes aside, this Unknown Armies book promises to help make your games very, very, very weird. It'll do so by telling you everything you everything wanted to know, everything you didn't want to know, and everything you probably shouldn't know about The New Inquisition.

All without any of my run-on sentences!

January 5, 2008: This, Too, Is Ultra

The tech in the Ultra-Tech series of books is just too darn Ultra to fit in one block of 128 pages. Its Ultra spills out, flows all over the world, and makes a big Ultra mess. Very annoying.

We got around this by gathering up all the excess Ultra and putting it in GURPS Classic: Ultra-Tech 2. But that wasn't nearly convenient enough. So we went one better. We put it all into a PDF file! For convenience!

. . . and because the paper version of book is, like, so totally out of print these days . . .

January 4, 2008: A Dozen New PDFs!

Now, it's a ronin's dozen, so there's only five, but that shouldn't make them any less dozeny.

Phil Reed, our in-house go-to guy for getting gone has slipped a handful of Ronin Arts PDFs onto the e23 server! So if you need a dozen new strange materials, city-based hazards, bracers (or gauntlets!), planar gates (or storms!), or spells of the necromantic persuasion, Phil's got you covered.

Philip J. Reed: the definitive source for quality entertainment. And I'm not just saying that because he's bigger than I am and knows where I live.

January 3, 2008: It's A Kind Of Magic

Magic! All shapes, all sizes, generic and universal, ready and waiting for you. If you're looking to get a little more mileage out of those levels of Magery you took, you need to get your digital hands on GURPS Magic.

Yes, I said need. Capital "N," Need. Without the book you are lost, floundering, spiraling through the darkness that is your existence without GURPS Magic. So hurry! Quickly, now! To the download button!

. . . yeah, yeah, I know. Can you believe they pay me to write this stuff?

January 2, 2008: Freedom Isn't Free

And neither is this PDF, I'm afraid. But Lilith herself? Yeah, buddy, you just try and tie her down. I double-dog dare ya.

In Nomine Superiors: Lilith is a seductive little collection of 43 pages about everyone's favorite outcast Edenite.

January 1, 2008: Be Eli-Tist

As the Archangel of Creation, you'd think I'd be able to get some help writing this ad from Eli. But he was all like, ". . . Sorry, man, do I know you?" So nuts to him.

Buy In Nomine Superiors: Eli. It's . . . uh . . . really . . . um . . .

. . . available.

News via RSS | News via E-Mail