e23 News Archive: February 2008

( oldest first | newest first )

February 29, 2008: Surprise!

You probably recognize that picture on the right, there.

You probably also know we've said, oh, once or twice, that we wouldn't be releasing what you're staring at right now.

. . . um . . . nobody's perfect? Okay, so the long and short of it is that we thought releasing the Basic Set as a PDF would (understandably) tick off retailers, torpedo sales of the print book, and generally bring about the End Times. Now that time has passed and trends have been analyzed, we've realized that this was, in fact, not the case. We were wrong, and now, we're gonna do something about it! So here's GURPS Basic Set: Characters.

Obviously, this raises the question of when its sister book, Campaigns, will be available. "Soon." Or, at the very least, "soonish."

-- Fox Barrett

February 28, 2008: Don't Get Mad, Get Emo

Feat-filled and prestigiously classed, Codex Effusio - The Book of Emotions is loaded with spells, items, and all the usual d20 paraphernalia one needs to fully explore that most primal and irrational of forces: human emotion.

Now when one of you starts in on a tirade about how "life is pain," your words can carry just a teensy bit more weight.

Right onto your foes' heads.

February 27, 2008: I Cannot Live Without Books

After all, no books, no RPGs. Which would find me rapidly unemployed.

Probably not what Jefferson meant, but, eh, we'll run with it.

Libem Liborium: The Complete d20 Guide to Books takes this a step further, introducing the written word to the polyhedral-powered world of fantasy roleplaying. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, bards aren't just for singing anymore! Now there are all manner of rules, guidelines, and (of course) feats for simulated scribes just waiting to be exploited by the quill-inclined.

-- Fox Barrett

February 26, 2008: I Got A Rock

Cheer up, Chuck. 'Cause these rocks gots lots o' mox . . . -ie. Magical moxie, that is, the kind that performs all sorts of powerful prestidigitation for powerful persons of ponderous persuasion. Koriän's Magical Compendium: Runestones is a book of stupendous stones and it awaits your pending purchase.

Please?

-- Fox Barrett

February 25, 2008: Advice

Typically, when someone yells "hit me!" in a game, someone gets slugged. However, if you yell that while playing with D20 Mini Games: Casino, all you get is another card. Unless you've been palming cards. In which case you will get slugged. In the kneecaps. Over and over.

So, y'know. Don't cheat the house.

-- Fox Barrett

February 24, 2008: It's Bushes

Granted, it is quite a few bushes, arranged in a very particular pattern. Sure, they suggest all kinds of neat things you could do to the bushes, like make them magical or alive or something. It seems to me, however, that the hedges in Cartographedia: The Hedge Maze don't stand much of a chance when faced with the onslaught of a common John Deere. Heck, even a good trimmer would make the maze decidedly less maze-esque.

But then, perhaps, I lack imagination. For all I know, bushophobia could in fact be a surprisingly common affliction among adventurers.

-- Fox Barrett

February 23, 2008: Where We Fight

Villains cannot exist in a vacuum. Unless, um, they're space villains. Then I guess they kind of can. But ignore that for a second and play along, okay?

Villains cannot exist in a vacuum. They need a place to plot, plan, and laugh really, really loudly. They need something for the heroes to march into and proclaim their righteousness (just before they start looting the place and killing everything that breathes (and a few things that don't!)). Doing all this while floating around in some sort of nullspace just won't do. At all.

So! How to fix? Easy. You buy Horrendous Habitats: Forsaken Hwellan - Lair of the Plague Priest. You take, you read, you play. And then, all is good. Except, um, the villains. And space villains.

-- Fox Barrett

February 22, 2008: Third Time Gets A Bonus To Charm

"But wait, there's more! You also get . . ."

We just don't know when to quit, do we? Not content to release only two books for the Dungeon Fantasy line, we've gone and released a third. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level grabs your characters and pushes them up a little higher on the dungeon food-chain. Racial templates are provided to give your warriors some hot-n-spicy flavor, new abilities are listed to keep you ahead of the curve in the "killin' stuff" department, and there's loads of information on how to mush two "classes" together.

So, if you've been just dying to make a bardbarian (and I know I have), push my silly news piece aside and click that link up there!

-- Fox Barrett

February 21, 2008: A Wretched Place To Visit

And an even worse place to live. Still, the featured locale of Horrendous Habitats: Ironstorm Mountain isn't without its . . . "charm."

After all, there are the slavering hordes of the damned and the unusually foul-tempered dracolich and the guild of otherworldly assassins and the - well, whatever eldritch abomination the GM decides has bought up the lease on the place.

So, y'know. It can be nice. In its own way.

-- Fox Barrett

February 20, 2008: On Metaphors

Sometimes, you need a five-course meal. You need a huge, all-encompassing feast, a culinary extravaganza that delights the sense and intrigues the palette. It must have depth and breadth and be all things to all people.

And other times, you need Happy Fun Burger. GM Gems, a hit-and-run book of instant inspiration, is a Happy Fun Burger.

-- Fox Barrett

February 19, 2008: The Changing Of The Guard

e23 Management has undergone many changes in the last 3 months. Thomas Weigel, esteemed e23 Manager, has left the department . . . but not the company! He is now hard at work as a code monkey churning out small improvements and digital effort.

But what single person can fill such illustrious shoes? I submit to you that none can. And so, e23 Management has been split in twain!

Paul Chapman - long known as the Marketing Director extraordinaire - has taken up the burden of directing and creating new material for e23. To him, you may direct your product proposals, your wish list items, and your adoration for the routine releases of a new product each week.

At the same time, I - Shadlyn Wolfe - have humbly taken up the retail duties. I shall act as the gatekeeper - attempting to attract the finest manufacturers to our store, ensuring customer satisfaction, and updating the information provided on the website. I shall also endeavor to take from you your financial burdens. Please, weigh me down with your funds.

February 18, 2008: "Free Bird! Woooo!"

You finished DCC #30. Congratulations. But on your way home, you are interrupted. The audience stands and shouts at you. Their intent is clear. They demand . . . an encore!

Don't disappoint them! Snatch up the Dungeon Crawl Classics #30.5: Trek from the Vault and get your slay on one last time.

February 17, 2008: Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily . . .

Lands of Nevermore: The Wyrd is weird. Like, David Lynch weird. Like, two-dollar bill weird. Like, platypus weird.

We're talking hard-core, full-blown, mad-as-a-box-of-frogs weird.

But you wouldn't want your games any other way, right?

-- Fox Barrett

February 16, 2008: Hope You've Got A Powerful Sunblock

Something in the SPF 40,000 range. A lead sheet, say.

If you're worried about the UV beatdown you'll get from our medium-sized yellow ball, just imagine the sort of tan you'll get from Thousand Suns. You'll also get a science-fiction roleplaying game built around the fantastical space operas of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. A pretty good one, too, so it's probably worth getting lightly scorched if you're partial to rocket ships and laser beams.

-- Fox Barrett

February 15, 2008: Attack Of The Title!

Not our longest, no, but GURPS Transhuman Space: Spacecraft of the Solar System is certainly one of our longer titles. I am certain, of course, that they did that explicitly to annoy me. They're all plotting against me, you see. But that's okay. One day . . . one day . . .

So, yeah, anyway - Spacecraft is the Big Book of Boats for Transhuman Space. Buy, read, enjoy, and maybe use a ship or two in your THS games. Or don't. But we'd much prefer if you did.

Yummy-sweet monies and all that.

-- Fox Barrett

February 14, 2008: We Just Can't Have Nice Things, Can We?

This used to be a perfectly good town. Nothing special, but, come on, it was in great working condition. Now? It's ruined. Absolutely ruined.

I'm not sure what we're going to do with Øone's Blueprints: The Ruined Town, but I'll tell you one thing. We get another one of these, it's certainly not going on the coffee table again.

-- Fox Barrett

February 13, 2008: I Am The God Of Hellfire! And I Bring You . . .

A scenario for you to picture:

Your character is in a cave, deep into the earth's crust. Nearby, there's a river of magma flowing by. It's quite hot and foreboding. Suddenly and inexplicably, you jump in the lava. Why you did this no one can say. If they could say, it wouldn't be "inexplicable." It'd be . . . explicable.

Anyway, there you are, suspended in space/time above the waves of rolling, hot, fiery death while the DM sits there and ponders what the heck comes next. The situation seems straight forward enough. There's lava, you fell in . . . but what comes next?

I daren't spoil the ending for you. Get Lava Rules! Fire and Brimstone, a free rules supplement for every roleplaying game ever created (and even a few that don't exist yet!), and see for yourself.

-- Fox Barrett

February 12, 2008: The World Is Dead

Long live the world!

Quick, pick your favorite End of the World Scenario. Does it involve daemons kicking dogs, throwing trash cans, and generally making a mess of things? If "yes," Daemornia RPG: 2nd Edition is just the sort post-apocalyptic romp through the war-torn world of tomorrow you've been waiting for. If "no," then . . . um . . .

Honestly, I hadn't planned for that contingency. Just pretend it's "yes."

-- Fox Barrett

February 11, 2008: One Problem, One Paladin

Looks like Paladin Resources has had some cutbacks. A whole patrol of palies just up and poofed while on the job, and they're sending one guy to find out what happened. Yup, just one. On the upside, you'll have your self-righteousness and award-winning smile to protect you. On the downside, anything and everything is going to try and kill you in just about every conceivable manner, there's no one to watch your back, and you can't use any underhanded tactics or dirty tricks to keep yourself in one piece against these dire (that is, suicidal) odds.

Hmm. Now I see why Intelligence is a dump stat for paladins . . . Well, if you're looking for a challenge, pick up 1 on 1 Adventures #8: Blood Brothers.

-- Fox Barrett

February 10, 2008: Heh Heh . . . "Bone"

Yeah. I'm a regular paragon of maturity.

While I keep hormones in check, please have a look at Paper Miniatures: Skeletons. It's just what it sounds like: counters and standees you can use in place of more cumbersome and expensive minis.

It is most certainly not about . . . heh . . . "bones." Uh oh. Better get out of here before I regress fully! He he he. "Bone." Hee hee!

-- Fox Barrett

February 9, 2008: In Soviet GURPS, Cows Mutilate You!

Super-intelligent space cows.

Yeah. Let that one sink in a moment.

Now go buy GURPS Creatures of the Night, Vol. 3.

-- Fox Barrett

February 8, 2008: Eight Of One, A Two-Thirds-Dozen Of The Other

High Psionics Compilation, Volume 1 is 109 pages of brain-busting, mind-reading, power-manifesting fun! As with any good d20 supplement, its pages overflow with classes (both prestige and . . . um, un-prestige?), powers, groups, and feats. Boy howdy, are there feats.

In fact, reading the book itself may just be a feat. Prerequisites? Speak Language (English) and $10.95. Benefits? An understanding of d20 psionics with a depth that rivals Mariana.

February 7, 2008: Now, Where'd We Leave That Crypt . . .

How do you lose something like that? It's big. It's well advertised. It's full of dead bodies. It's not like misplacing your wallet. And yet, somehow, people continually blank all manner of tombs from their minds.

Øone's Complete Dungeons: The Forgotten Crypt is such a thing. We kindly ask that you purchase it while you're still thinking about it. Otherwise, nobody's ever gonna get around to delvin' the dern thing.

February 6, 2008: A TPK In Three Acts

As the official tournament module for the 4th Annual Dungeon Crawl Classics Open, DCC #52: Chronicle of the Fiend is designed around three things: action, adventure, and anguish. It begins with four unwitting 0-level nobodies and culminates in a 10th-level battle against the foulest sort of evil this side of Mordor.

Yup, you read that right. Level 0. If you think you've crawled 'em all, wait until you try it as a 1st-level Aristocrat. I'd tell you to gird yourself, but I'm pretty sure that your characters will lack anything gird-worthy. Not exactly a class feature at those levels.

February 5, 2008: Let's Do The World Warp Again

It's just load to the down . . .

So everything is kickin' along fine. Earth's spinning, light travels at a constant speed, hamburgers taste great. Solid. Then the gods come back. Pop! Well, there goes the neighborhood.

That's more or less the idea behind WarpWorld. Everything we ever took for myth came back and it put the whole darn world in a handbasket but good.

Still. When you can't even count on the laws of physics anymore, at least the world isn't boring.

(Oo! Bonus! Here's Altar of Reason, an adventure to get you started!)

February 4, 2008: 1d6 Ways To Play

The DICE-tractions line is a collection of dice-fueled mini-games. You've got dice, right? Yeah, somehow we had a feeling you would. That means you're just a PDF or two (or six!) away from sweet polyhedral happiness.

It's shuffleboard like you've never seen it before!

February 3, 2008: The Wee Little RPG

Awwww. It's so cuuuuuuute! You're a tiny little cutey RPG, yes you are!

Cute little Minimus is only two widdle pages long. But it's got all the parts of a "real" RPG. Isn't that just darling? Oooo, I could just eat the little PDF right up, it's so cute. And it's free, too! It won't set you back a single red cent. You widdle cutie wooty RPG!

Yeah, Ken Burnside's probably gonna shoot me if he ever reads this news piece, but it was totally worth it.

February 2, 2008: The Brain Net Is Not A Big Truck

It's a series of prestige classes!

Though the classes presented in Untapped Classes: Worldthought Adjuncts won't let you surf for porn or pirate movies, they will left you manifest your psionic powers in ways previously impossible.

Just don't go jamming the braintubes. You don't want to have a stroke.

February 1, 2008: The Original Murder Simulator!

Back by popular demand (does "hey, should we include this on the PDF to-do list" count as "popular demand?"), it's Killer!

Yes, that fun-loving game of stabbing your friends in the back has been cast into the loving arms of the portable document file format. Now the mirthful murder can be enjoyed by the next-generation of gamers for years to come! Remember: we have a responsibility to teach those that follow us how to kill one another responsibly. And that's what Killer is all about; kill or be killed, but don't be a jerk about it.

So get your copy of Killer today and show the world that if we can't enjoy killing one another, then what can we enjoy?

News via RSS | News via E-Mail