Toon 2nd Edition - Now on Backerkit!

 Buy Hades some rock salt. Check the skies for porcine aviators. Anything is possible after Steve Jackson Games has finally announced Toon 2nd Edition, currently crowdfunding now on Backerkit! 

Why a 2nd Edition?  First off, physical copies have been out of print for DECADES, so long that even I broke down and bought a PDF copy recently (The was surely a sign of the apocalypse, or all I needed to do years ago to get this moving.... hmmm.)

Seriously a new in-print version is great, streamlined character creation and rules that are so easy you can let your six-year old play without coddling or hand waving, because action and fun trump Ocean's Eleven plotting any day... and even if things go south, you don't die, you "Fall Down" and can show up in the next scene.  

Tariffs and Steve Jackson Games.

While we often use games in all forms to escape from reality, reality has encroached on gaming this past week.  

The original and reciprocal tariffs put in place to punish alleged unfair and uncooperative practices, impact the gaming industry, particularly the board game segment, which has exploded over the last twenty years thanks to inexpensive manufacturing in China.  

So much so the I found this message from Meredith Placko, CEO of Steve Jackson Games: 

An Important Message From Our CEO  Meredith Placko On April 5th, a 54% tariff goes into effect on a wide range of goods imported from China. For those of us who create boardgames, this is not just a policy change. It's a seismic shift. At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can't absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We've done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That's not a luxury upcharge; it's survival math. Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't. We aren't the only company facing this challenge. The entire board game industry is having very difficult conversations right now. For some, this might mean simplifying products or delaying launches. For others, it might mean walking away from titles that are no longer economically viable. And, for what I fear will be too many, it means closing down entirely. Tariffs, when part of a long-term strategy to bolster domestic manufacturing, can be an effective tool. But that only works when there's a plan to build up the industries needed to take over production. There is no national plan in place to support manufacturing for the types of products we make. This isn't about steel and semiconductors. This is about paper goods, chipboard, wood tokens, plastic trays, and color-matched ink. These new tariffs are imposing huge costs without providing alternatives, and it's going to cost American consumers more at every level of the supply chain. We want to be transparent with our community. This is real: Prices are going up. We're still determining how much and where. If you're frustrated, you're not alone. We are too. And if you want to help, write to your elected officials. You can find your representative and senators' contact information at house.gov and senate.gov. Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses. Because right now, it feels like they don't. We'll keep making games. But we'll be honest when the road gets harder, because we know you care about where your games come from – and about the people who make them. View email in browser Steve Jackson Games · 3735 Promontory Point Dr · Austin, TX 78744-1109 · USA  update your preferences or unsubscribe

It's going to be a not-fun ride as game manufacture adapt and probably scale back operations, while fighting inevitable rising prices.

(Kickstarter) One-Page Bulge by Lombardy Studios

Lombardy Studios has launched a Kickstarter to do much more than reprint Steve Jackson's wargame of effective simplicity One-Page Bulge. 

For the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Lombardy Studios will make a full fledged boxed set.

One-Page Bulge  will be a solitaire and 2-player wargame that includes state-of-the-art graphics and the high-quality components that Steve and Dana's fans have come to expect. Sample art, video back story discussions with Steve and Dana, and more will be posted before and during the Kickstarter campaign.

#RPGaDay2024 - Day 24 - Acclaimed Advice

 Day 24 of #RPGaDay2024 and we're asking for famous advice? 

"Acclaimed Advice" 

Call me a stubborn old man, but I've got years of bad decisions, poor choices, and odd rashes to develop my own brand of gaming wisdom.  Unless your Ken or Robin and you host a podcast with a different Ken or Robin, I tend to take things with a grain of salt.  

So if we look at acclaimed advice, I need to go back thirty years and talk about hot dogs.

1995 July - My buddy Wooly and I were very tired, but thought we were hot shit.  We had been allowed to be official demonstrators for Legions of Steel by Global Games.  We had done some local cons in Pennsylvania and New York, but had just returned from Origins when it was in Philly.   We had been bookended by official 40k terrain sets on the left, and Uncle Duke's Northwest Frontier Wargaming "Extravaganza" and managed to maintain a large and captive audience for all of our games.  

Wooly (left) and some jerk name ViscountEric, in the wee hours of the morning, before an epic drive to Toronto.

A few weeks later, and his Jeep, "Old Blue" was packed up for a shorter trip to DexCon, in Edison, New Jersey.   I daresay that DexCon was more diverse than Origins.  More Indy press games, more board games before board games were cool, even Nexus, which I will erroneously call a long-running meta-LARP campaign, that still happens to this day.  

The miniatures room was even more awesome than Origins, because of the MACROTURES.  

There was a Star Wars space game... in 1995.  There was largely nothing produced at the time, yet, on a 30-foot black cloth, X-Wings, Y-Wings, and Corvettes fought against various TIE Fighters, all on a 3-foot tall flight stands... WITH A SIX-FOOT LONG STAR DESTROYER LOOMING IN THE BACKGROUND, on a base with wheels on it.  

When that wasn't running, it was OGRE Macrotures.  OGRE was original a hexbased game where you moved chits around representing infantry, tanks, artillery, and GEVs against a single OGRE, a gargantuan cybernetic tank.  This has been been made into miniatures at an "Epic" scale, that's either 1/285th scale (Battletech), or even smaller than 6mm.  

Macrotures?  Let's bump the vehicles up to 25-30mm you'd expect for 40k (and Legions of Steel).  Never got to play, but oh boy was it fun to watch.  

From @sjgames Twitter account, circa 2013.  Everything was painted up in the mid-90s. 

As GMs we got some of the limited perks from the con, most notably lunch and dinner, if we liked hot dogs and got to the staff room within 15 minutes of a posted time.  

Saturday afternoon, the con staff came to us with food!  It just happened the fellow behind us in hot dog charity was Steve Jackson himself... the American one.    He was there as a Guest of Honor, and was usually giddy either participating in, or simply watching the OGRE games.  

Steve knew about Global Games (and they were an advertiser in Pyramid, I believe,) so we talked for a bit.  

Wooly, who had already met one of his heroes from FASA, "Who knew before this weekend, that I'd be standing around, eating hot dogs with Steve Jackson? Life can’t get better than this…"

Steve casually quipped back, "You need to get out more often." 

Call it what you will, but we oddly took his self-depreciating advice seriously.  We didn't need two GMs running each demo, so for  the rest of Saturday and Sunday, we took turns exploring the con more.  

While I won't declare that "You need to get out more often" became my mantra and changed my life, it is something you need to do, at a con, as well as regular gaming.  

Get out of the D&D room

Get out of the Pathfinder room

Leave the Indy Designer's suite and try trad games.

Find a Historical RPG or Historical Wargame.

Leave your 12-your Napoleonic Wargame and play ANYTHING else.  

Try the "NEW HOTNESS" just once, before it's a flash in the pan and disappears.  

And CCG players?  *Insert the worst hygiene jokes here.  Seriously, it applies to all other gamers as well, deodorant is a supplement to showering, not a replacement*    It was bad -pre-CCG 35 years ago, I think it's the same % of attendees, just with larger numbers of gamers.   /Rant.

Seriously, go out there and see all the hobby has to offer, and if a famous game designer/author/game company owner shares your space over boiled hot dogs in New Jersey, be cool... say you love INWO, say fnord if and when it's appropriate, and set up your next game of Legions of Steel, man....

(Kickstarter) Groo: The Card Game by Steve Jackson

When Steve Jackson Games isn't physically removing dust from recently discovered product in the warehouse, they're Kickstarting for long-out-of-print games.  

This month's nostalgia is  Groo: The Game.

(Kickstarter) Tribes by Steve Jackson Games

 Steve Jackson Games has launched a limited production/short campaign Kickstarter for Tribes, a prehistoric board game/rpg.

From the Kickstarter:

In Tribes, you and your fellow players will become cave men and women, facing the challenges of survival in a prehistoric world. Hunt and gather food, craft the basic tools you need, establish tribal laws, and deal with natural disasters, all while protecting and caring for your most precious resource: your children. The goal is simple but vital – have the most children who live to grow up! You have to put your offspring first, but a strong tribe benefits everyone too . . . balancing cooperation and self-preservation is the key.

And hey, any excuse to promote GURPS Ice Age as a pdf only add-on is cool in my book.

Another Month of Gaming Solicitations (Sep '22)

Welcome to this month's soliciations from Alliance Games, wherein I've come to terms with the crazy prices of some pretty standard dice, and flip out over the price of  barely decent pre-painted plastic minis.  September game solicitations can be found in Game Trade Magazine #271 at your FLGS or online in pdf form here.

ViscountEric's Gaming Want List

Steve Jackson Games

Bad Christmas ...................................................... $ 9.95

Wizkids 

Dungeon Dressings: Merchants Row ................... $54.99

I have some snide remarks for some the Wizkids D&D miniature products later in the listing, but their brand-agnostic Dungeon Dressing line has some deals.  Maybe it's the vast amount of pre-painted wood on the models, but 17 pieces, including 8 full merchants stalls seems like a bargain, and that's before they come painted! 

ViscountEric's Money-Is-No-Problem Gaming Want List
Q-Workshop 

Advent Dice Calendar #03 ....................................... $50.00

The Imaginary Store List (The Pegleg Gnome)

Alderac Entertainment Group

Verdant ..................................................................... $39.99

Alewood Games

Alewood ................................................................... $24.00

The Army Painter

Colour Primer - Ash Grey ........................................ $16.99

Colour Primer - Brainmatter Beige .......................... $16.99

Colour Primer - Oak Brown ..................................... $16.99

Colour Primer - Deep Blue ....................................... $16.99

Colour Primer - Hydra Turquoise ............................. $16.99

Colour Primer - Pixie Pink ........................................ $16.99

Colour Primer - Greedy Gold .................................... $22.50

Catalyst Game Labs

Battletech: Beginner Box .......................................... $24.99

Coyote & Crow

Coyote & Crow Story Guide Screen .......................... $25.00

Naasii: A Coyote & Crow Dice Game ....................... $19.99

Cubicle 7

Warhammer Fantasy RPG - Archives of the Empire Vol 2 .................... $34.99

Warhammer Fantasy RPG - Enemy Within - Vol 5 Empire in Ruins Companion ............. $34.99

Warhammer Fantasy RPG - Enemy Within - Vol 5 Empire in Ruins Comp Collectors Ed .... $149.99

Warhammer 40K Wrath & Glory - Church of Steel ............................... $39.99

Dire Wolf Digital

Clank! Catacombs (Stand Alone) ................................ $60.00

Dr. Finn's Games

The Little Flower Shop Dice Game ............................. $25.00

Fireside Games

CastlePanic 2nd Edition ................................................$34.95

CastlePanic Big Box 2nd Edition ................................. $119.95

CastlePanic Crowns and Quests Expansion ................. $ 29.95

Hit Point Press

Humblewood 5e Coin Set and Pouch .............................. $29.95

Humblewood 5e DM Screen ........................................... $14.99

The Deck of Many Monsters 5 ........................................ $15.99

The Deck of Many Monsters 6 ........................................ $15.99

The Islands of Sina Una (5e) Campaign Book ................ $49.99

Kobold Press

Tome of Beasts 3 (5e) .....................................................  $49.99

Tome of Beasts 3 (5e) Limited Edition ........................... $79.99

Lairs HC (5e) ......................................... $39.99

Pawns (5e) ............................................. $44.99

Tome of Beasts Polyhedral Dice Set ..... $19.99

Looney Labs

Chrononauts: Missing Artifacts Expansion ......................... $ 5.00

Metallic Dice Games

16mm Resin Poly Dice Sets (7) ....................................... $13.99

Cat, Critical Hoops, Elephant, Koala, Rainbow Dinosaur, Rainbow Frost, Rose, Snowflake

Modiphius

Fallout RPG: Starter Set .................................................... $28.00

Infinity RPG: Nebula of Mirrors Campaign ...................... $25.00

Infinity RPG: Tactical Armoured Gears ............................. $23.00

Star Trek Adventures - Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook .................. $61.00

Mythopoeia

The Wildsea RPG .............................................................. $59.95

Osprey Games

Hard City: Noir RPG ......................................................... $25.00

Xenos Rampant .................................................................. $35.00

Paizo Publishing

Pathfinder RPG: Abomination Vaults Battle Cards ........... $39.99

Pathfinder RPG: AP Blood Lords 5 - A Taste of Ashes ..... $26.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip-Mat Deadly Mines Multi-Pack ....... $26.99

Pathfinder RPG: Flip-Tiles Monster Lairs ......................... $22.99

Pathfinder RPG: Lost Omens - Impossible Lands HC....... $59.99

Special Edition HC available for $79.99

Pathfinder RPG: Relics Deck ............................................ $22.99

Starfinder RPG: AP - To Defy the Dragon ........................ $24.99

Starfinder RPG: Flip-Mat Metropolis ............................... $16.99

Starfinder RPG: Interstellar Species HC .......................... $44.99

Palladium Books

Rifts: European Castles ...................................... $ 9.99

Rifts: Exotic Weapons ........................................ $ 9.99

Pokemon USA

Lost Origin: Boosters

Lost Origin: Build & Battle Box 

Lost Origin: Build & Battle Stadium

Portal 

Brazil: Imperial ................................................. $70.00

R Talsoiran Games 

Cyberpunk Red: Tales of the Red - Street Stories ............... $40.00

Radical 8 Games

Damask ........................................................ $55.00

Ravensburger

Puerto Rico 1897 ......................................... $49.99

Rio Grande Games

Dominion 2nd Ed - Hinterlands Expansion ....... $39.95

Dominion 2nd Ed - Hinterlands Update Pack..... $14.95

Dominion 2nd Ed - Prosperity Expansion .......... $44.95

Dominion 2nd Ed - Prosperity Update Pack ...... $14.95

Rookie Mage Games

Don't Get Stabbed 

The Ultimate Horror Game for Scary Movie Fans! Have a killer game night with Don’t Get Stabbed! The game where you get to kill your family and friends (for pretend). Inspired by horror movies but light-hearted enough for everyone to enjoy. One player is the killer. The rest are victims. The killer wins when all the victims have three Stab Cards. The victims win by escaping.

With a few exceptions, I try to avoid products that don't have an MSRP in the solicitation guide, especially by new companies that I've never heard of.  I'm really hoping that this product is under $20 for a fun "Are You a Werewolf" variant.  

Steamforged Games

Epic Encounters: Cove of the Dragon Turtle ............ $49.95

Godtear: Lily, Thornsinger of the Azure Forest ......... $32.95

Steve Jackson Games

Calo's Book of Monsters ............................................. $24.95

12 Dice of Christmas ................................................... $14.95

Kitten Polyhedral  Dice ............................................... $15.95

Available in Black, Brown, Gray, and Orange.

Munchkin Polyhedral Dice ...........................................$15.95

Available in Black/White, Green/Yellow, Red/White, White/Black,

Seahorse D6 Dice ......................................................... $8.95

Starfish D6 Dice ........................................................... $8.95

Steampunk D6 Dice ..................................................... $8.95

Munchkin 10 - Time Warp ........................................... $19.95

Munchkin Batman ........................................................ $44.95

I really took a step back and questioned the business model, and specifically, the pricing of Steve Jackson's foray into dice, but upon seeing some recent Kickstarters,  some of the prices of the second and third tier dice producers, and the craziness of COVID/inflation, they just might have been ahead of their time and it could be argued, are more affordable. 

Stronghold Games

Dulce ................................... $39.99

Troll Lord Games

Castles & Crusades - Engineering Castles Supplement .......... $ 9.99

Castles & Crusades - Engineering Dungeons Supplement ..... $ 9.99

Castles & Crusades - Gods & Legends ................................... $29.99

Ultra Pro International 

Ultra Pro is another company I rarely mention because they don't supply MSRP on the solicitations (RE: the wholesale discount for their products is less, often substantially, than the standard discount the distributor offers.) 

I bring them up this month because there are MARCH 2023 solicitations for the D&D movie products, specifically Character Folios, Playmats, Leatherette Dice Towers and Dice Trays.  If you ever wanted D&D stickers with pictures of Hugh Grant, or that guy from Bridgerton, look for them next spring!

Very Special Games

Puns of Anarchy .................................................... $24.99

Puns of Anarchy Expansion .................................. $19.99

Wizards of the Coast

Magic the Gathering - Challenger Pioneer Decks 2022 

Magic the Gathering - Free for All Carton 

Wizkids

D&D Onslaught - Many Arrows (Orcs and Allies) .... $59.99

D&D Onslaught - Red Wizards .................................. $59.99

As D&D Onslaught is going to be the next hot thing (allegedly), the "high-quality" pre-painted minis, the clear plastic special effects, and the sixty dollar for six figure oh-my-God-GW-is-cheaper pricing leaves me massively unimpressed.  I'm interested what else is included, considering the....

D&D Icons of the Realms Warband Githyanki ..................................... $44.99

The Githyanki and 15 bucks cheaper and there's seven of them .

D&D Icons of the Realms Warband Hobgoblin .................................... $44.99

D&D Icons of the Realms Warband Skeletons ...................................... $44.99

D&D Icons of the Realms Warband Bugbears ...................................... $44.99

D&D Adventure in a Box - Goblin Camp .............................................. $99.99

Another D&D product that I hope is more than the 11 goblin-sized pieces with a fair paint job.

Marvel: Damage Control Game ............................................................ $34.99

Pathfinder Battles - Goblin Vanguard ....................................... $44.99

Dungeon Dressings: Simple Traps ............................................ $54.99

Deep Cuts: Dead Warlord ....................... $8.99

Deep Cuts: Murder Hornets .................... $8.99

Deep Cuts: Ships Crew Boxed Set .......... $69.99

Word Forge Games

The Terminator RPG: Core Rulebook ....................................... $55.00

The Terminator RPG: Ltd Ed Core Rulebook ........................... $80.00

The Terminator RPG: Campaign Book ..................................... $37.50

The Terminator RPG: Ltd Ed Campaign Book ......................... $65.00

The Terminator Director's Pack GM Screen .............................. $30.00

The Terminator Ltd Ed Dice Tin Set .......................................... $20.00

The Terminator RPG Quick Start ............................................... $10.00

(Kickstarter) Knightmare Chess Variants and Options by Steve Jackson Games

Steve Jackson Games recently launched a Kickstarter for digital and print copies of the variants and options for their classic Knightmare Chess game.

I had not realized that there had already been an expanded reprint of the game, that included both Knightmare Chess and Knightmare Chess 2.  This campaign primarily allows the pdf ($5) and print  ($9) versions of the four articles from Pyramid Magazine, but there's also an option to purchase Knightmare Chess with the print booklet ($42).  

As is the usual nowadays, shipping is separate and charged after the campaign.

(Kickstarter) Steve Jackson's Munchkin Presents Batman

There's always a few murmurs from the peanut gallery when an established company uses Kickstarter as a pre-order system.

I think with the latest from Steve Jackson Games, it's being used to pay for the extra words on the box.

Steve Jackson's Munckin Presents BATMAN is a licensed variant of the classic best-selling game.  Instead of heroes marauding through a dungeon, you're part of Batman's rogues gallery, committing crime after crime to achieve victory.  

Best yet, all the art is done my classic Munchkin illustrator John Kovalic! 

(Kickstarter) Car Wars 6th Edition Double Drum Arena Playmat on Indiegogo

 With the latest edition of Car Wars, Steve Jackson Games upped the scale of the game, to better capture the "fun" that the Hot Wheels/Matchbook viable rulesets take advantage.  Increased costs is one negative, but one of the positives is projects like the Double Drum Arena Playmat, now on Indiegogo.

The original Double Drum made its debut in the Car Wars: Arena Book, and was only 32" x 21".    For the versatility that track will provide, the $70 pledge is a bargain (the $100 MSRP is borderline, but I'm also incredibly cheap.)

OGRE Metal Miniatures at Big Discounts on Warehouse 23

Steve Jackson games is either blowing out the remaining metal OGRE miniatures they have in stock, or will eventually melt the remaining ones down.

Whatever is left at Warehouse 23 is discounted so heavily, it's back to 80's/90's pricing!  A perfect time to pick up sturdier infantry on the cheap, and all those unique vehicles outside the core rules.

(Kickstarter) GURPS: Girl Genius by Steve Jackson Games

I didn't expect any GURPS Kickstarters from Steve Jackson Games, and I certainly couldn't guess the Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, if it weren't for some previous pre-orders awhile back

From the Kickstarter:

Adventure! Romance! Mad Science!

Imagine a version of the Victorian era in which the wildest dreams of early science-fiction writers are a reality. A talent known as the Spark inspires great, if not always sane, minds to reshape the world via technology. Noble houses jockey for influence and power while common folk keep their head down to avoid the crazed inventors and their crazed inventions.

GURPS - Girl Genius (Prerelease PDF Edition)

Words I totally didn't think I would be writing during #RPGaDay2021: GURPS Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game is now available in pdf at Warehouse 23.

I'm always amused by Phil and Kaja Foglio's Girl Genius comic, so the idea of role-playing in the world was enticing.    Having it come out for GURPS makes some sense, but it's the first time I've wanted to dust off the old editions in quite some time.  

Big Disclaimer:  This is currently only for the pdf of the PRERELEASE version of the game.  Steve Jackson Games is planning on making this a Kickstarter, so watch this space for future updates!  The best news of all, for a $30 prerelease pdf,, If the comic stretch goal on the Kickstarter is unlocked, and after any minor fixes are made to the project's master files, Steve Jackson Games will update the PDF, including PDF bookmarks, at no extra charge!

(Kickstarter) Steve Jackson Game's GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge

It's another quick Kickstarter for specific audience's product with the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge from Steve Jackson Games.

Starting at $3, backers can get GURPS Action 8: Twists  by Sean Punch in PDF form, plus a host of stretch goal PDFs for GURPS.  Higher pledges allow to add the prior Pyramid scheme pdf issues, some the pdfs from the 2020 Challenge, while others add random new physical product.  

(Kickstarter) Steve Jackson Games' Illuminated Manuscript & Ogre 1976 #ZineQuest3

 Not the biggest fan of the "real" game companies jumping onto #ZineQuest, but Steve Jackson Games has so much material, both new and old, that they can roll out a 'zine Kickstarter with style. 

Steve Jackson Games' Illuminated Manuscript & Ogre 1976 Playtest Booklet are two separate 'zines being offered in one campaign:

• Illuminated Manuscript. A collection of web, unpublished, and older articles pulled from the company's history. Starting at 24 pages, the zine expands in size as stretch goals are unlocked and we add more articles to the collection!
• 1976 Ogre Playtest Booklet. Constructed from scans of Steve's typewritten and hand-illustrated Ogre playtest set, this saddle-stitched booklet gives you a look at Ogre in its pre-publication form. Have you always wanted to learn more about Steve's first game? This book pulls back the curtains and gives you a version of the game you've not seen before!

Sixteen bucks for both items in print and pdf isn't a bad deal.  Plus following Steve Jackson's M.O., of offering recent Kickstarters as add-on.  Might be a good time to grab that copy of Raid on Iran I didn't get during the Pocket Box Kickstarter.

(Indiegogo) Candy Heart d6 Dice Set by Steve Jackson Games

 Sometimes people forget that Kickstarter is not the be-all, end-all of crowdsourcing sites. 

Sometimes, Indiegogo's arrangements are far more advantageous for the creators, take for instance, Steve Jackson Games' Candy Heart d6 Dice Set. 

Cool concept, 19mm dice in candy heart colors with a classic candy heart phrase where the one should be: "Love," "Hugs," and "XOXO."

And possibly ready for Valentine's Day.  

(Painting) Gnomish Space Marine Light Mortar Team

The truly busiest time of the year has descended upon my life, but that doesn't mean I may or may not be painting on these mandatory (and useless) 7am calls for an 8am-8pm operation.  

My Gnomish Space Marine Light Mortar was part of the Planetary Defense Force Starter Set from the Sandstorm Wars Kickstarter.  The Kickstarter was poorly executed, but the figures are very nice.  

It's a small victory, but it does fulfill my pledge to paint a "unit/squad/group" for my Gnomish Space Marines for October, and a head start for the November pledge.  Figures like Donnie "The Smuggler" Riddlebottom might be part of the universe, but I'm counting towards the "Special/Individual figure" goal of at least one per month.   

Of course, I've also slapped a "Full Unit" goal every month as well.  My personally infamous Nauvoo Legion is a roll-over from the last month (and the one before that... an thee one before that) but anything with more than ten common figures will count.  The GSM could qualify, but I'm thinking of the Zulu boxed set I have in storage, more gnomes, or I'd even qualify some micro-armor/OGRE/Battletech if I got around to it.  

Big anniversary gift (that wasn't my wife's usual arrangement of beer to me) was the arrival of the Coasters for the Party Kickstarter from Steve Jackson Games.   It was quick, it was cheap, and I slapped on some glow-in-the-dark Illuminati dice for fun.  

Basketball Diaries:  We've survived a relatively calm Fall with dance and flag football.  Now is the crazy month, as the girls complete together in not one, but two "School Team" leagues at two local AAU programs.   There's about 60-70% overlap between the two teams, but two different coaches make things interesting.  Best yet, I'm just a parent required to drive them around.  

Project 350:  526 (355/171) from 527 (354/173). The wife is working this weekend, and with a game that has literally been set up on the dining room table since Sunday, I swear upon the graves of my enemies, at least one game gets done!

Next: We're in the second half of the month already, and the Halloween game must be played, especially since the special minis arrived at the house... from the roller skating rink?

(Kickstarter) Random Fun Generator by Steve Jackson Games

Steve Jackson Games has another micro-Kickstarter, with a seven-day crowdfunding campaign for Random Fun Generator, a book with over new dice games!

Directly from the Kickstarter:

Some of the games included in Random Fun Generator include:

• Great Rolled Ones – You and the other players are all cultists, attempting to summon Cthulhu and bring about the end of the world.
• Leftovers – You and the other player are competing for points each round, but the player with the lowest total for the round gets to keep the leftovers as a bonus. Outwit your opponent and finish with the highest score!
• Participation Award – You and the other players must work together to defeat monsters, but you’re all a bit lazy and really don’t feel like working too hard.
• Liquid Courage - You and the other players are Dwarves. After centuries of peace, Dragons now threaten your way of life. Tunnel into long-forgotten mines to find the tools to help you survive the onslaught. With Dwarven beer to bolster your courage, only the bravest Dwarves will be celebrated as legendary heroes!
• Unreliable Flying Object - You and the other players are members of a spaceship crew, trying to return home. Your ship is pretty battered from the last mission, and things are constantly breaking, risking the lives of everyone aboard. Can you work together to keep the ship flying, or will you die in space?
• Six-Sided Slayers - In this cooperative game, you and the other players take on classic adventurer roles and charge deep into the monster’s lair. Kill enough monsters, and become legendary heroes! Fail too often, however, and you become a cautionary tale . . .

These plus another 20 games fill the pages of Random Fun Generator. Whether you play one as a filler between larger games or plan an entire evening of dice madness, Random Fun Generator has something for players of all ages!

All in a handy 76 page book!

Plus, as Steve Jackson Games is wont to do nowadays, add-ons include all their recent dice sets, Kickstarter rewards, and a plethora of other items.  

I may sign up for this one, although I'm afraid the moment in the pledge manager to pick up more exotic dice will be the end of me...

(Kickstarter) Coasters for the Party and Various Sundries by Steve Jackson Games

Steve Jackson Games is running a quick Kickstarter for Coasters for the Party. 

The basic premise isn't all that much.  Two sets of six coasters, one with Classic Steve Jackson Games artwork:

... the other with Munchkin:

Six dollars apiece, or two for ten.

The bonus is that they are offering a number of previous Kickstarter product still under MSRP..  Regret not getting the Illuminati or OGRE product from the Pocket Boxed Sets of the '80s Kickstarter?  Now you can correct that?  Need Deadly Doodles or Deadly Doodles 2?  Bingo!

With the list of add-ons available on the initial pledge or on BackerKit, I'm going to need to think long and hard.

(Kickstarter) Steve Jackson Games Summer 2020 T-Shirt Collection

Are a you a fan of Steve Jackson Games?  Have you exhausted all the t-shirt options in Warehouse 23?  Does your fanbase need to see you in more GURPS t-shirts?

Then you're in luck!  Steve Jackson has just launched the Summer 2020 T-Shirt Collection via Kickstarter.