e23 News Archive: September 2008

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September 30, 2008: Hey! I'm Not Done Giving You Free Stuff Yet

Well, it's not really me, it's more like Tabletop is giving you free things through me. But as I am acting as the Free Thing vessel, I don't think my statement was wholly inaccurate. So here, hot on the heels of the last free thing I pulled up in front of you, is another cool free thing.

This time it's something a bit less system-dependent, however. It's GM-fu: Session Prep, a workbook from a GenCon workshop that helped turn Merely Human GMs into GMs Like Unto The Gods Themselves. I, of course, won't need any of the expert advice and helpful exercises presented in the book because my GMing is already perfect. My players know well that when they sit down with me they shall experience an adventure like no other. I have their utmost respect, their full attention, and their undying affection.

Now, if I could only figure out who set all my books on fire and put a bomb in my dice bag . . .

-- Fox Barrett

September 29, 2008: Free Forgotten Futures File Fuels Fun!

The best things in life are free, right? That's what I was told, anyway, and I'm not the sort to go against what I'm told by someone in authority. Or someone pretending to be in authority. Really, I pretty much believe whatever you tell me. Honestly, it's a wonder I can get out of bed and across the room in the morning of my own volition. I once stood in front of a broken Do Not Walk sign for six hours.

So, yeah - free things are best, insofar as I can tell. Following that (admittedly tenuous) logic means that The Forgotten Futures Compendium is one of the best things in life. Well now, if it's one of the best things in life, and if that implictly means that it costs you not a single red cent, what have you got to lose by downloading the file and giving it a once-, twice-, or even thrice-over?

Besides, it's got an adventure where you play sentient geometric shapes. You know your gaming career isn't complete until you've gotten a piece of that action.

-- Fox Barrett

September 28, 2008: A Simple Answer To Life's Simple Problem

Campaigns. They need tracking.

You run a campaign. You need something with which your campaign can be tracked.

DM Campaign Record. It tracks your campaign. The course of action is clear.

-- Fox Barrett

September 27, 2008: Og Love Book!

Og play GURPS. GURPS good. GURPS accurately simulate Og's daily struggle to exist in world that seems built to kill Og. Sometimes, Og wonder why Og even bother going on when world so cruel. Then Og find big animal with soft skull and Og find purpose in life again.

Og heartily endorse GURPS Classic: Low-Tech. It show Un-Ogs how to live like Og in Og-Life. Og hope book will bring attention of world community to Og's plight.

Then maybe Og get some of that charity money Og has heard so much about. Maybe the "Tog Was Eaten By Bears Memorial Fund." Or the "Og Need Fire Foundation." Og not picky, just cold and harassed by bears.

-- Fox Barrett

September 26, 2008: Did Someone Say Cardboard Heroes?

No? I . . . I could have sworn . . . are you sure someone didn't say "Cardboard Heroes?" Because, man, I'm so sure I heard it.

Okay, well . . . I guess I should just go put this Cardboard Heroes: Fantasy Set 3 back.

All right, I know I heard someone say "Cardboard Heroes" that time. Here. Partake. Enjoy. And from now on? You and I are gonna communicate with semaphore flags.

-- Fox Barrett

September 25, 2008: I Love Xcrawl

And that's truth. That's not just marketing smoke I'm blowing, there. A true thing: the first and only d20 game I ever ran was an Xcrawl game. The world is soaked in character. The bizarre parody of fantasy tropes, the "x-treeeeeeeeme!!!" attitude, the delightful lethality of it all - it's easily the best thing to ever come out of the d20 System.

I mean, "gummi golems?" Comedy gold, people.

The latest of the greatest is IndyCrawl, a weird little romp that includes, yes, a gummi golem. What more needs to be said? Go nuts, people. I know I will.

-- Fox Barrett

September 24, 2008: Easily Excitable

Brain worms! Space travel! People in big, big armed suits with big, big guns shooting at . . . things! It's all so exciting!

Woo. Deep breath. In with the good air, out with the bad. Aaaah . . . Pew pew pew! Beaaaroh, zap, boom, bada-da-da-da-da-dow! Ker-blosh!

Burning Empires. Maybe you're familiar with the Iron Empires comic, maybe not. If you're poking around this site, you're probably familiar with Ken Hite, and that dude said that this RPG was best thing to come along since things started coming along. Maybe . . . not in so many words, but the dude gave the book an award, and that counts for something. Plus, I'm here to tell you that it's cool. And if my delusional self-image has me believing anything, it's that I'm the foremost authority on What Is Cool. And this Is Cool. How can you argue with logic like that? You cannot. Purchase the book.

-- Fox Barrett

September 23, 2008: The Things I Get Away With When Nobody's Paying Attention

All gamers need a little kick in the creative pants sometimes. But where should you look for help? Cornering your muse with a broken beer bottle isn't a good idea. Doesn't really help your relationship with in future projects, either. Everyone knows that, though. Forget I even brought it up. Great, what was I talking about again?

How could I forget! I was talking about how to help blocked GMs. Just point your mouse at this link for GURPS MacGuffin Alphabet. Kiss your writing woes good-bye when you open this fine PDF. Littered with story hooks, you're sure to find something compatible with your current game. Might even find something that'll start you off on a whole new arc. No telling what it will inspire!

Please, don't think I'm just saying this because I'm trying to sell you the book. Quite the opposite. Really, I've been through the book myself and it's quite good. Stuff like the "Dictator's Kit" have spun my brain in all sorts of twisted directions. That's no lie. Unless I've been brainwashed again. Vast tracts of my memory are a little fuzzy, you see. With all the unshielded EM coming off our [FNORDS], it's a wonder I can still tie my shoelaces. Xenophobia has been a problem, too. You know what really scares me, though? Zebras!

-- Fox Barrett

September 22, 2008: I've Got The Day Off Today! Yay!

I'm not here, so why are you?

No, wait, that's a terrible way to make a sale. Of course you should be! You should be buying things! Lots of things! Great things! Look at all these cool . . . y'know, things. You should really buy one.

"Like what?" Well, I, uh . . . er . . . oh, here we are! Furry Pirates. Buy that, 'cause, y'know . . . I mean, it's got pirates and they're furries, right? Obviously that means you should buy it. Okay, see ya tomorrow!

-- Fox Barrett

September 21, 2008: Muchkin! Wait, Munchkin?

Isn't that a card game? Why the heck am I talking about a card game here on e23, bastion of the portable document file? Well, folks, just sit yourselves down and I'll tell you why. Are you sitting? I'm not going to start until you're all sitting. Look, I can wait as long as you can. C'mon, people. Sit. Down. There we go!

The reason I'm talkin' 'bout Munchkin is because the news we have for Munchkin is so darn big that it's spilling into all of our web sites. The day when Munchkin Quest is in your homes is nigh upon us. If you're not the sort of preorder games, this is indeed all you'll recieve if you buy a copy of Munchkin Quest. Just the box, with the game inside, and all the fun that entails. But why settle when you can have so much more?

For you see, those among you who preorder the aforementioned box of delights from Warehouse 23 shall receive not only the game itself, but a number of totally sweet promo doodads as well! That number is "three," in fact, and before this turns into a Python routine, I'll break down the specifics. The Munchkin Quest Gold Piece, the Munchkin Quest Promo Coaster, and Munchkin Quest Promo Set 1 shall grace your games if you take advantage of this preorder promotion. That link in the second paragraph has pictures if you're curious, but if you're in a hurry here's all you need to know: they're really cool and you want them. I now return you to your regularly scheduled PDF purchasing.

-- Fox Barrett

September 20, 2008: Surf, Sun, And Stabbin'

Song of Wind and Water. Sounds . . . pleasant. Like one of those ambient noise CDs with the sounds of a beach that is designed to help you relax. Slowly crashing waves. A calming breeze. Maybe a seagull's caw. The piercing battlecry of an orc. Wait, huh?

This ain't no new age soundtrack; this is an expansion for Song of Blades and Heroes! The only way you'll be seeing the sandy beaches is if you're storming 'em! Tear off those headphones, get off the sofa, and dash out your front door screaming about the coming massacre! Blood! Steel! Fiery death-smash splatter-kill-stab! Ruaaaagh!

After all, those bloodthirsy, axe-wielding demihumans won't put themselves down.

-- Fox Barrett

September 19, 2008: Fight In The Fields, The Streets, The Hills . . .

Wherever you want, really. Just make sure that when you do it, you're doing it from inside a giant robot.

Wardogs provides you with such an opportunity (or, at the very least, a reasonable facsimile thereof). It grabs you by the head, tosses you inside the guts of a missile-laden engine of destruction, and says, "Go nuts!" Sure, there are tanks and planes and little squishy people running around on the field going "aiyeeee," but frankly, who cares about them? We're here for one thing, and one thing alone: the satisfaction that can only be found in the act of utilizing a massive humanoid frame to deliver more ordinance in 20 seconds than the whole of the Allied forces set off during World War 2.

That . . . probably says something about us as a species, but I'm too busy drooling over giant robots to really think about it right now.

-- Fox Barrett

September 18, 2008: For Stabbin'

Villains. When will they ever learn?

I suppose they won't, really. Bright side, that means you get to stab them in the head with impunity. And that's what Dragora's Dungeon is all about. "Who's that guy?" "I dunno. Let's stab him in the head and find out." I find that introducing pointy steel to someone's fleshy cranium is the best way to keep them from doing Evil. And besides, if you don't do it to them, they're very probably going to do it to you instead.

And let's see you try to be all heroic while wearing a pickaxe for a hat.

-- Fox Barrett

September 17, 2008: Really, Now

Do we really need to keep making fun of Vampire players from the 90's with stuff like Bloodsucker: The Juice?

The answer, obviously, is of "course we do." And why do we need to do this?

Because this book is hilarious. Good enough for me. Good enough for you?

-- Fox Barrett

September 16, 2008: This Isn't "A" Great City, Okay?

It's "The" Great City. Other cities may say they're great. They are wrong. They are "good" cities,  or maybe "adequate" cities. At best, they're "pretty nice" cities. But not great. And certainly not "the" great.

Much like that joke.

The Great City Campaign Setting takes all the locations you know and love from the similarly named subline in the 0one's Blueprints line and makes them, yes, even greater. How? By filling the locations with people, stories, and encounters for your band of merry miscreants. But you needn't take Tony the Tiger's word for all this. See for yourself with the free sample! The Great City: Castle Ward is one chapter from the book, and it's free. And that's great.

-- Fox Barrett

September 15, 2008: "Beggar-King?"

I have absolutely no idea what a beggar-king is, but I do know this: He better be begging for a beatdown, 'cause that's exactly what he's gonna get, baby! Yeah!

I should provide context. Dungeon Crawl Classics #53: Sellswords of Punjar became available for purchase from this place of digitalery naught but a scant few days ago. I snuck a little peak at it - partially because it's my job, partially because I'm actually running a D&D 4 game right now, and mostly because I saw the words "Beggar-King" and thought, "Okay, I'll bite."

So what the heck is a beggar-king? Who cares! This is a Dungeon Crawl Classic! Go kick his butt! It'll all work out in the end, I promise.

-- Fox Barrett

September 14, 2008: Steel Ain't Enough, Folks

You need glory, too.

Thankfully, Bad Baby is here to help. Two more Steel and Glory sets just found their way to e23. The first of which is Net Warriors, Set 1, Mini-Game #71.With fantasy, horror, and supers already under its belt, this new series adds sci-fi to the ever expanding list of genres upon which both steel and glory might be found. But only if you seek it out, friends. Neither steel nor glory shall find thee of its own accord.

The other new set is S&G Battle Tiles, Mini-Game #72. No, it's not a new game, but it is a new set of terrain. What's more, you needn't neccessarily use it for Steel and Glory. The grid on the terrain is one-inch squares. Hmmmm. Now, what massively popular fantasy roleplaying game uses one-inch squares . . . Eh, I'm sure it'll come to me.

-- Fox Barrett

September 13, 2008: Backdrops: Better Than A Front Lift

I know what you need. What you need is another GURPS subline. Yesser, 2008 is the year we decided that GURPS didn't have nearly enough long titles. So we proudly present Backdrops, joining its brother Dungeon Fantasy, its sister Power-Ups, and that sibling of indeterminate gender Action. Backdrops are locations that are more than just a map and a compass rose. Like a shambling necromantic homonculous, the places presented in these books are completely fleshed out. They're not just places to go, they're also things to do. (And possibly people to kill.)

So what's the first offering we're offering? GURPS Backdrops: The Tower of Octavius. It's the story of what happens when you take one wizard, one tower, one collection of hapless heroes and . . . and, uh . . . Honestly, we didn't get that far. We figured it'd be more fun to make you figure out the rest. Is he some dark villain bent on some unspeakable plan to turn all apple pies into custard pies (gasp!) ? Is he perhaps a doddering old Mr. Magoo-like father figure to a gaggle of witless apprentices? Is he, in fact, a she, and this disguise is all just a clever ruse to fool a powerful Demon Of Genre Trope Enforcement?

Whatever the heck you decide to do with the old guy, he, his servants, and all his stuff in laid out for you in 33 pages of GURPS-y Goodness. We've propped him up on the Cliffs of Storytelling, folks. It's up to you to push him over. (You, uh . . . you might want to give him a parachute or something.)

-- Fox Barrett

September 12, 2008: Man, What's His Deal?

I mentioned a few days ago about how I was looking through some of our top sellers for this year. You remember? Eh, you probably don't. The microwaves we've been beaming to Earth can have the occasional unfortunate cognitive consequences. Anyway, I did, and while I was looking I noticed something besides how well NBOS was doing.

There's, like, two books with Ken Hite's name in 'em. Ken Hite's Dubious Shards is one. The other is Ken Hite's Adventures Into Darkness. The thing these two books share in common is Cthulhu the Betentacled. Or his associated Mythos, in any event. Got me thinking. Anyone else notice that Hite seems, oh, I don't know . . . a little obsessed? And am I the only one who's read a horror story and seen what happens to people that get obsessed?

Maybe I'm worrying about nothing here, but I just want to say this. If one day you people find Ken Hite in some backwoods lodge standing amidst a circle of corpses, with a knife in one hand, something bloody and pulsating in the other, while monks in black robes drone some maddening incantation . . . just don't say I didn't warn ya, huh?

-- Fox Barrett

September 11, 2008: Moose

Moose. Moose moose moose, moose moose moose moose. Moose moose? Moose moose moose!

Moose moose moose - moose moose - moose moose moose. Moose, moose moose moose. Moose? Moose moose? Moose moose moose, moose, moose, moose, moose, moose moose? Moose, moose moose. Moose! Moose! Moose!

Moose moose!

-- Fox Barrett

September 10, 2008: Being BOS-Y

So I'm looking over at the What's Hot page, seeing what is, indeed, "hot." There's a fair number of good old stand-bys on there, but I noticed one of our more recent additions was sitting on the top of the pile.

Apparently, you people really like NBOS Software. They're a relatively recent addition to the site, but boy have they proven popular. Which makes sense, really. I own a copy of Astrosynthesis 2 myself, so I get what you guys see in 'em. As one of our better sellers, I thought I'd just pop into this little news queue for a moment and drop their name. Here ya go. Plunk. NBOS.

So why bring these guys up if they're doing so well for us? Well, because not everyone has purchased one of their fine programs. Like you, Edward Hastings of 131 Opal Street in Greenwater, New Hampshire. What's the holdup, buddy? Buy somthin'!

-- Fox Barrett

September 9, 2008: Psst! We've Still Got Munchausen!

Sure. It's possible. You may have missed it. You might not have seen the announcement we made a while back. You might not have noticed the little block of text above this one on the e23 front page. You have gone temporarily blind when the page went up, or your memories might have been sucked away by Martian Brain Vacuums. But it's okay. I'm here for you.

e23 is still the world's only outlet for that most remarkable of tomes, that most amazing of codicies, that book of books: The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen! This revised, updated, and all-around awesomer edition of the book is being offered exclusively through e23 for a limited time. Yeah, this means you could wait around until someone else carries it and pick the book up then, but why wait? Wouldn't you rather get it now? Wouldn't you rather get it from us?

I mean . . . don't you love us? Sniffle, sniffle.

-- Fox Barrett

September 8, 2008: This Book? It's The Sheet.

What is a character sheet? Is it an organized table of statistical information about your character? Is it a collection of mad scribblings documenting your exploits? Is it that thing that you always forget somewhere and invariably have to recreate, from scratch, every single session?

These questions (like, sadly, so many others) I cannot answer. I can tell you what a character sheet for Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition should be, however. It should be this sweet little Character Codex that Goodman Games recently slid my way. One page isn't enough for your character. No, you need one that's twenty pages long. Even aside from all that space set aside for stuff like your equipment, character build, comrades' stats, and other Neat Things, there's a beautiful symmetry here if you think about it. Twenty pages? Twenty levels!

Eh? Fourth edition goes to level 30? Oh. Guess you better buy two, then. And, uh . . . delete ten pages. (Y'know, this isn't working at all like I thought it would. Just go buy the book, pretty please?)

-- Fox Barrett

September 7, 2008: Easily Distracted

Grimoire. It's a funny word, isn't it? "Grimoire." Sounds like something bad is about to happen. "Grim." "Oire" doesn't mean anything on its own (at least not in English), but it certainly doesn't help "grim's" situation. I think it would be kind of a downer for spell-slingers to haul around such a depressing sounding book.

But I suppose that's part of the mystique. If they weren't sullen and dire all the time, people wouldn't take wizards seriously. "Hah hah, look at the crazy old guy dancing in a circle. I ain't afraid of him." With the outward projection that all is doom, I suppose it makes it easy to scare the ever-loving crud out of peasants. You never have to deliver on a costly and difficult fireball spell if they all think you're about to pop one out at any given moment.

. . . where was I going with all this? Sorry, I think it was to Colonial Gothic: Poor Wizard's Grimoire. Neat book, lots great info for Colonial Gothic, I'm sure the name is perfectly fine.

-- Fox Barrett

September 6, 2008: Beware The Jabberwock

Because now that he's (she's?) included in Paper Miniatures: Monsters II, your GM can print out as many of that 19th century monstrosity as it wants. You'll snicker one snack only to turn around and get caught by claws. Galumph away and you'll run right into a set of jaws that bite. Yes, you're going to need more than that vorpal sword. Got any vorpal assault rifles?

There's other monsters in the set, of course. Demony things, monstrous animals, and what not. Your GM could always throw them at you, I suppose.

But none of them burble. And, certainly, not in stereo. You have not known fear until you have heard stereo burbling.

-- Fox Barrett

September 5, 2008: Kill All Humans

We have many books. Books of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Books for people that like This kind of game, books for people who like That sort of fiction, and books for people who are just too darn weird to hang out with the first two groups. Chances are we have a book that's just right for you. Take, for example, fans of movies that start with "T" and end with "erminator." We have a book specifically made with them in mind.

We call the book GURPS Classic: Reign of Steel. Mostly, we call it that because that's what the author, David Pulver, calls it. Seemed more convenient to just use his title. But we also call it that because it is, indeed, about the reign of our steel master over our feeble meaty flesh. You see, we made the mistake of giving Power to The Computer. We've gotta stop doing that. The book itself goes into why, but suffice to say that things don't really go well for us.

In fact, one might even say it goes "catastrophically" unwell for us. Other apt adjectives might include "apocalyptic," "dire," and "killer-robot-filled." But hey, what's a good story without a little conflict, right?

-- Fox Barrett

September 4, 2008: It's All About Image

Okay, pop quiz. You're a global-scale organization of malcontents and miscreants obsessed with turning this little blue-green orb into a craggy brown-gray orb-ish celestial body. What do you name your collection of apocalyptically active madmen?

No, not "Cruel and Unusual Demons, Devious Leaders, Evil People, and Underhanded Persons Propagating Yetis."  That would spell CUDDLEPUPPY. That's a terrible supervillain group name. Do not use it.

Here, go read Misfits & Menaces: DOOM and we'll try this question again afterward.

-- Fox Barrett

September 3, 2008: You Are Not Your Axe Of Goblinoid Combustion +1

Some of us - when tasked with creating a half-elf ranger - create elaborate histories that include childhood memories, family trees, long-lost loves, pets' names, favorite halfling delicacies, traumatic life experiences to explain his intense aversion to plaid . . . and so on. The rest of us inscribe "gray eyes" and "likes chocolate" in the description box and drive on. Needless to say, we could use a little help in the character development department.

Enter PC Pearls. If you're happy to simply have your fighter be Don Slabface, Bane of Orc Kind, then that's fine. If you would like a small push towards one with that fabled Third Dimension, this book is ideal. But it's more than just a simple descriptor enabler. It also contains little hints and tips on roleplaying, strategizing, and generally having a good time.

And remember, it's nothing to be ashamed of if the best you can manage on your character sheet is "enjoys beets." We're here to help.

-- Fox Barrett

September 2, 2008: Attention Grabbing, Isn't It?

Halt Evil Doer!

That's just a good name for a book. I appreciate a book that shouts at me. An assertive book, a book that knows what it wants. A book that says, "stop moving, you evil person, you!" Which, incidentally, is the best way to get my attention.

Huh? What's in the book? Oh. Uh. Looks like it's an M&M Superlink setting. Sorry, it told me to "halt" and I just sort of instinctively locked up. And then I had to sit and wonder just how much of my recent evil it knew I'd been doing. Hope it doesn't know about this ad, too.

-- Fox Barrett

September 1, 2008: Dark Fantasy, With Some Shiny Bits In Between

If we're to pity a land that needs a hero, then this land is the place to buy your pity in bulk and at wholesale. On the bright side, it does mean there's more opportunities for adventurous employment than you can shake a Thundering Greatsword +2 at.

Points of Light looks at the world as something of a bleak, dreary place populated by things that want nothing but to cause you severe injury. The only hope of getting through the day without being bludgeoned is to cower in teeny coalitions of like-minded bludgeon avoiders. Or to grab a halberd, foolishly bravely stomp into The Terrible Night, and start poking the Bad Things in the head. That's what I'd suggest. And that's sort of what the book lays out for ya.

And if that setting sounds not unlike just the sort of setting for a certain fantasy roleplaying game that has just entered its 4th edition, you might be surprised to hear that this book is actually quite system neutral. So sure, you could use it for that roleplaying game whose name I've carefully danced around. That doesn't mean there aren't other perfectly good roleplaying systems in their fourth edition you could use it with. Just sayin'.

-- Fox Barrett

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