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November 30, 2002: But Can You Order Them By Phone?

Tinfoil hats are back. Or silver wire, in this case. A Norwegian company is marketing a hat to protect cell phone users against the (claimed) deleterious effects of radio waves next to your head. Read the CNN story.

Warehouse 23 News: Beef Up Your Herd

Make patties out of your opponents with the new Battle Cattle miniatures.

November 29, 2002: Taking Great Strides

Illuminated Site of the Week: With enough footwork, we'll have Sasquatch coverage for the whole nation. We're adding Oregonbigfoot.com to the likes of the Texas Bigfoot Research Center and the Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization. Now if someone would just cover New York City.

-- Suggested by Autumn Williams

Warehouse 23 News: The Technology of the Dragon Empire

Imperial Supply provides comprehensive rules for integrating new technologies and equipment into a Dragonstar campaign.

November 28, 2002: Thanksgiving

You know, we have a LOT more to be grateful for than we can get into just one day.

Fortunately, it's a long weekend . . .

-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: The Job From Hell

The Collectors: The Burning House is supernatural mystery roleplaying game, built on the popular Fudge system, where the characters are demons sent to the mortal realm to fetch a soul that is owed to Him.

November 27, 2002: This Explains Too Much

It would not be overstating the case . . . much . . . to say that this article explains why people are the way they are. But what can we do about it?
-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: A Comprehensive Summary

The Silver Age Sentinels d20 Fast Play Rules are an ideal and inexpensive introduction to the hottest new d20 superhero roleplaying game.

November 26, 2002: Happy Thanksgiving

for those of you who celebrate it. For the rest of you - we Americans are going to indulge in one of our quaint local celebrations. Our office will be closed Thursday and Friday, and a lot of us (including, probably, me) will become very scarce on Wednesday. So if you need us, poke us now!

Warehouse 23 News: Adventuring As It Should Not Be Done

The KODT Illustrated: Overkill collection features issues 1-5, along with a behind-the-scenes commentary and special selections of never-before-seen art!

November 25, 2002: Steve Nicewarner Joins The Conspiracy

We are pleased to announce that Steve Nicewarner has accepted the position of Marketing Director effective December 1.

Steve brings a great deal of perspective to our company. His years of experience in adventure game retail will be invaluable in helping us publish the games the market wants. That is, what YOU want! We look forward to having him on board. Counting Steven Marsh, that makes three Steves here. We'll deal with it . . . somehow . . .

Steve is currently the manager and owner of Cerebral Hobbies, an adventure game store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has also served for the last three years on the Game Manufacturers Association Retail Division Board. For his work in supporting retailers, Steve received the GAMA Industry Service Award in March 2002.
-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: Show Your School Pride

Look both dashing and loyal in the new IOU (CTHULHU) T-Shirt, printed in lovely metallic gold on black shirts.

November 24, 2002: Can You Eat Glass?

If so, you'll want to tell the world about it, and the I Can Eat Glass Project is here to help you. Say it in Spanish, French, Klingon, pig-latin and C . . . ooo, here it is in Elvish . . .

Warehouse 23 News: The Complete Story of Your Superhero Character

Superheroes can't be expected to keep all their notes on random pieces of paper. They deserve their own Character Folio, the ultimate Silver Age Sentinels character sheet and player bookkeeping tool.

November 23, 2002: It's Life, Jim, But Not As We Know It

Scientists exploring the depths of the Gulf of Mexico have found a new kind of squid . . . they think. Confused? So are they. Here's the story.

Warehouse 23 News: They Won't Stay Dead!

The Book of More Flesh presents twenty-three original tales of zombie horror.

November 22, 2002: At The Sound Of The Tone, The Time Is The Least Of Your Problems

Illuminated Site of the Week: Maybe we can't nail down where all the smallpox tubes are, but the GammaMaster watch with its built-in Geiger counter will give you notice when the radiation is getting too hot to handle. "Useful for ordinary citizens," says the ad - those who have a few extra hundred dollars lying around.

-- Suggested by Douglas Haxton

Warehouse 23 News: Love Isn't Blind, It's Stupid

Skull comes to Cupid's rescue in PvP #6.

November 21, 2002: Web Volunteer Positions Open

We're evaluating existing applications for an assortment of volunteer volunteer positions, but it's not too late to apply. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Mark A. Schmidt, with your qualifications for:

Warehouse 23 News: Greed, Avarice, and the Garweezian Way!

The Ultimate HackMasters collects issues 1-5 of HackMasters of Everknight, featuring the art and writing of Manny Vega.

November 20, 2002: Overwhelmed, Nay, Dumbstruck By The Awesome Forces Of Nature In Her Unbounded Majesty

Stayed up last night to watch the Leonids. Saw one. Pretty, though.
-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: Far More Than Simple Soldiers

Written for both Legend of the Five Rings and Rokugan, Secrets of the Lion takes you deep within the lands of the Lion Clan, exposing their history, culture, organization, and secrets.

November 19, 2002: Shipping Now

You need more STUFF! And here's another batch of wonderful STUFF from the deranged minds at Steve Jackson Games, on their way to distributors right now. (The games, not the deranged minds.) Look for them on your game store shelves soon:

Chez Greek
Panty raids. Hazing. Many, many kegs. And, of course, beer, sleep, and nookie.

It's the hit Chez Geek, moved to a frat house. (Or sorority. Or both.) Pick your major. (Botany? Babes? Business?) Tap a keg or two. Party hard, and try not to think about Finals Week.

Chez Greek is completely compatible with the original game, with a few little twists to keep things interesting. (Are we really going to include drinking and strip rules? Wait and see.)

112 cards plus rules. Stock #1352, ISBN 1-55634-690-5. $16.95.

Cardboard Heroes Cavern Floors
Hot on the heels of the popular Cardboard Heroes Dungeon Floors comes a complete set of Cavern Floors. 16 sheets of caves, vaults, twisting passageways, pits, rockslides, and other underground formations will make your dungeon-delving come to life. The set also includes "transition pieces" that let you connect your caverns directly to the Cardboard Heroes Dungeon Floors. And every sheet is double-sided . . . hexes on one side, squares on the other.

16 double-sided sheets. Stock #2121, ISBN 1-55634-545-3. $22.95.

GURPS Vikings 2/e
“From the fury of the Norsemen, oh Lord, deliver us!” So prayed the Irish monks. To the victims of a Viking raid, the Norsemen were bearded giants with bloody axes. But the Viking was much more -- a skilled navigator, a brave explorer, a hard-working trader. A dreamer whose songs and stories live even today. And a Viking was a free man -- a man to whom honor and reputation were more important than life itself. GURPS Vikings is a complete guide to the Norse world, including maps, historical background, and details on society and religion. You can game any sort of Viking campaign, from fully realistic to magical and cinematic. Create a historical campaign, with sea battles, duels and bloody raids -- or become a legendary berserker for mythic adventures with Thor and Odin!

128 pages. Stock #6042, ISBN 1-55634-512-7. $22.95.

GURPS Vehicles Lite

Ford, Sikorsky . . . You!

Become a modern-day vehicle mogul with GURPS Vehicles Lite, the 64-page stripped-down version of our comprehensive GURPS Vehicles rules system. Vehicles Lite concentrates on modern-day land vehicles (both wheeled and tracked) and helicopters, so the system is more accessible while still letting you build the most common (and most widely used) vehicles -- cars, tanks, motorcycles, helicopters, trucks, and more! Put Detroit to shame with GURPS Vehicles Lite!

64 pages. Stock #6546, ISBN 1-55634-680-8. $13.95.

GURPS Traveller 2/e Hardback (Reprint)
GURPS Traveller, Second Edition is the official alternate universe for Traveller , the premier SF roleplaying game. The vast scope of the Third Imperium is yours to explore: merchants, mercenaries, spies, mega-corporate troubleshooters, pirates and pirate-chasers! Find out for yourself why this game is a classic.

Hardback, 176 pages. Stock #6602, ISBN 1-55634-696-4. $29.95.

GURPS Deadlands: Hexes
Hexes is a collection of spells for your Deadlands game. Some of these have previously appeared in Pinnacle's Deadlands books, and some are brand new, with stats for both the original Deadlands and GURPS Deadlands. There are also new huckster templates and a full discussion of just what it means to be a hexslinger.

64 pages. Stock #6761, ISBN 1-55634-016-8. $13.95.


And now available from Warehouse 23:

Ogre Mk. IV
In 2074, the Combine was flush with the success of the largest cybertank to date -- the Ogre Mk. III. Designers were tasked with building a bigger, better Ogre. Rather than build one unit to do everything, they designed two: the Mk. V for short-range, high-intensity exchanges, and the Mk. IV for fast strike, long-range power. The Ogre Mk. IV carries a single main gun, and a pair of secondaries. However, its primary weapon is the three missile racks mounted in the rear, with 5 missiles each. In addition, it moves faster than any other unit, short of a GEV -- a full 4 hexes (8"). A certain amount of durability was sacrificed to achieve such speeds though; this cybertank has only 56 tread units. The Ogre Mk. IV adds 150 points to your army.

1 unpackaged Ogre Mark IV. Stock #10-0105, $16.00.


November 18, 2002: Jagermonster Fans Rejoice!

Those deranged people at Studio Foglio have started an occasional webcomic featuring the Jagermonsters from "Girl Genius." Iss goot, you betcha!

Warehouse 23 News: Evil Never Dies

The The Hand of Glory stands poised to topple the delicate balance the Archer Foundation so desperately fights to protect.

November 17, 2002: Flu Shots

It's that time of year. Go get shot.

Two reasons: First, of course, you don't want to get sick. Especially, you don't want to get miserably, incoherently, Stephen-King-The-Stand-everybody-dies sick.

Second and less obvious: If you don't get sick, you can't pass the bug to someone else. And even if you are strong and healthy, and shake it off in a week, the person YOU give it to, or the person THEY give it to, may be more vulnerable. The flu kills kids, and old people, and invalids. You don't want to be part of that chain.

So get vaccinated . . . and if you get the bug anyway, stay home. Don't share. With enough immune people, and with enough common sense among those who do catch it, flu season won't turn into an epidemic, and people will live who otherwise would have died.
-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: You Are What You Defeat

Knights of the Dinner Table, Issue 72 is now available.

November 16, 2002: Those Wonderful Toys

Illuminated Site of the Week: It's not enough to have a master plan for taking over the world. You need a base, minions, weapons, armor . . . the works. Even the most demanding taskmaster can't help but drool at the criminal catalog offered by VillainSupply.com. You must be as tall as this battering ram to make a purchase - some of this site isn't for the little ruffians.

-- From multiple suggestions

Warehouse 23 News: Not Your Traditional Manual of Monsters

The BESM Fantasy Bestiary provides players and GMs with the perfect toolkit for a Big Eyes, Small Mouth fantasy campaign.

November 15, 2002: You Are A Suspect

That's the title of William Safire's column in yesterday's New York Times. Read it. Here comes 1984, only 20 years behind schedule.

If you want to call your Congressman, do it now, before DARPA's "Total Information Awareness" finishes tapping your phone.
-- Steve Jackson


November 14, 2002: Real-Life Dungeon Crawl

A Belgian retiree filled his three-story home with deadly booby traps, apparently in an attempt to revenge himself on his family. Unfortunately (or not, depending on your point of view), he was done in by one of his own devices.

Read the telegraph.co.uk story.



November 13, 2002: Too Much Character

Here's an article that we'd really like every roleplaying author or editor to read. Over and over . . .

Because it's really possible to have Too Much Character.


November 12, 2002: Retailer Sales Terms

Yes, if you are a retailer and for some reason cannot get the service you need from a distributor, we will sell direct to you. This is a much smaller problem than it was a few years ago . . . the distribution channel suffered a rough shaking-out period, but the survivors are giving most of their retailers very good service. And we encourage retail stores to use a regular distributor; for 99.5% of all retailers, that's the right answer.

Still, if you happen to need them, here are our retailer terms.
-- Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: Always Available, But Never Free

Written and illustrated by Phil Foglio, the Buck Godot: Zap Gun For Hire graphic novel is an excellent introduction to Buck and the controlled anarchy that is New Hong Kong - a planet where the only law is that there is no law.

November 11, 2002: An Embarrassment Of Applications

We posted several job openings last week. There has been a LOT of response - except for the print buying position, which is unfortunate but perhaps not too surprising, given that it's not a common specialty. If you have not received a reply to your application, don't panic. We're bowing under the load, but we will prevail! And you will get an answer.

And if you were thinking about responding to the print buyer opening, but didn't get around to it . . . for that one, it's not too late.

PS - We were spammed by a lot of applications forwarded from a service named "Flipdog." They went into the trash - we want individual applications, not mouse-clicked copies of a hundred random resumes. Whoever passed these announcements to Flipdog: Please don't do this! And if you applied through Flipdog, sorry, but next time write us a letter.

PPS - Speaking of resumes: Naming your resume "resume.doc" or something of the sort is not the way to stand out. In fact, it's the way to get your file overwritten by the NEXT guy's resume.doc. Our site is being modified to advise applicants to use their own name for the resume filename!
-- Steve Jackson


November 10, 2002: Call For Submissions: Toxic Memes

In the year 2100, ideas -- including dangerous ideas -- have more power than ever before. The science of memetics can shape beliefs and change minds. That power can be used for good or for profit, but many of the memes floating around can be harmful, twisted, and potentially deadly.

SJ Games is accepting submissions for Transhuman Space: Toxic Memes, Jamais Cascio's new book for Transhuman Space. To find out how to send in your own Bad Ideas, see the submission guidelines. The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2002, so start thinking!


November 9, 2002: Silent Night, Unholy Night / All Is Dread, And The Stars Are Right

Cthulhu fhtagn! He doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice, but maybe if you show your support of him at this joyous time of year (by purchasing one of the many Cthulhu plushies at Warehouse 23) he might just put you on the "Devour a Little Later" list.

Cthulhu Plushies

Though the Great Old One usually inspires insanity, your eyes deceive you not! The Cthulhu family - which includes the classic green Cthulhu, the horrifyingly-jolly Santa Cthulhu, and the stylish-but-I'll-devour-you-anyway Goth Cthulhu - has united to remind you to get your holiday orders in early to guarantee timely arrival.

Get them all! Better yet, pray they don't get you. . .


Warehouse 23 News: Cybernetics and Bionics

Rifts Bionics Sourcebook is the ultimate reference for cyborgs, bionics, and cybernetics. It details scores of different types of cybernetic implants, bionic augmentation, weapons, sensors, optics, and gizmos.

November 8, 2002: Don't Try This At . . . Well, Wherever

Illuminated Site of the Week: Adventure isn't something you have to travel far to find. If you're not the woodsy type, stay in your own home town and get mauled by a whole other slew of hazards. The Urban Exploration Ring takes you on a virtual tour of virtually deserted areas like steam tunnels, cemeteries, factories, and other locations where everyone from LARPers to spelunkers can sate their appetite for the stuff of urban legend.

-- Suggested by Joe Littrell

Warehouse 23 News: The Replacements

KODT: Illustrated, Issue 15 is now available.

November 7, 2002: GURPS Space Star Creator

This program by Daniel Boese, now linked from our Game Aids page, lets you create thousands of stars, planets, and the like in just a few seconds, then use your favorite text editor to search through them for any particular details you want. Win95. Source code included for any programmer types.

Download it here.

Warehouse 23 News: Return to the Old Ways

The Way of the Brave is a character-class book for Deadlands D20. Inside are new crunchy bits, background information, and conversion guidelines.

November 6, 2002: EBay Auction Experiment

We've decided to conduct an experiment with the SJ Games Auction. As most of you know, we have our own auction software, and for years we've been running a low-key auction from our own site.

But is that the best way to do it?

We've posted nine new lots on the eBay auction website, all scheduled to run for one week (ending around 4:00 pm, CST, on November 12, 2002). Take a look, place some bids, and let us know what you think and how we can improve.

Warehouse 23 News: Unique and Informative

The Rifter #20 is a vehicle to numerous Palladium roleplaying worlds.

November 5, 2002: A Teaser For GURPS Uplift

A new edition of GURPS Uplift is on its way. Here's an outtake from Stefan Jones' manuscript.

Warehouse 23 News: A World of Superheroic Adventure!

Champions Universe is the official Hero Games setting for Champions, the Hero System game of superpowered roleplaying.

November 4, 2002: Bastard!! Review

Bastard!! is a manga comic (yes, that's somewhat redundant). The latest issue - #10, September 2002 - features a review of In Nomine Anime.

Warehouse 23 News: Angry Volcano of Hot Throbbing Death!

Volcano A-Go-Go is a new adventure for the Kobolds Ate My Baby roleplaying game and includes 27 new spells that no kobold lackey can live without.

November 3, 2002: February Releases

Steve Jackson Games has announced the following products for a February, 2003 release:

Chez Grunt
Chez Geek joins the army! Chez Grunt marches in on the heels of the wildly successful Chez Geek and Chez Greek, proving that the search for slack is universal, no matter where you might be.

More fun than a 40-mile hike with full pack, Chez Grunt lets you hunt for slack, better food, choice assignments . . . and even Nookie . . . in the barracks! Chez Grunt is completely compatible, of course, with its famous predecessor, Chez Geek.

You're In The Army Now -- might as well get all the slack you can!

112 cards in a tuck box. Stock #1353, ISBN 1-55634-691-3. $16.95.

Munchkin d20 Munchkin Master's Guide
Munchkin. It's not just for players any more.

What can a Munchkin d20 GM do? Whatever he wants. Player annoys you? Kill him. Or change his sex. Or turn him into a Canada goose. Go all the way and turn him into a dead sex-changed Canada goose. No one can stop you.

When you're the GM, the rules are only suggestions. So the Munchkin d20 Munchkin Master's Guide is 48 pages of evil suggestions: magic items, prestige classes, NPCs, a few special monsters . . .

It's GOOD to be the GM.

48 pages, hardcover. Stock #3402, ISBN 1-55634-668-9. $14.95.

Munchkin d20 Monster Manual
It's all about the thrill of combat . . . meeting worthy foes and murdering them by surprise . . . gleefully slaughtering their low-level minions . . . defiling the corpses . . . and, of course, TAKING THEIR STUFF.

The Munchkin d20 Monster Manual contains dozens of foes for you and your comrades to slay, from the dreaded Gazebo and the surprisingly tough Potted Plant to the secretive Grassy Gnoll . . . and the really quite nasty Plutonium Dragon! Chock-full of great John Kovalic art, this book also includes creatures from the Unnatural Axe set, as well as lots of new and equally demented creations -- all detailed for use in Munchkin d20 games!

48 pages, hardcover. Stock #3403, ISBN 1-55634-669-7. $14.95.

GURPS India
Transport yourself to India, the land of multi-armed gods and the Taj Mahal, where Krishna advised Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra and where the British fought the fearsome Kalsa army of Punjab. Travel the mighty Ganges and climb the Himalayas. Help Rama rescue his wife from the demon Ravana. Face the dreaded war-elephants as part of Alexander's army. Fight to subdue the princes of Rajputana. And beware the fanatical practitioners of thuggee and tantra! Learn the secrets of this majestic and mysterious country.

Backed by the GURPS reputation for solid historical research, GURPS India covers 5,000 years of adventures in a fascinating land that was old when the Egyptians were just getting started.

128 pages. Stock #6091, ISBN 1-55634-396-5. $22.95.

GURPS Rogues
Skullduggery made easy!

GURPS Rogues has everything you need to know about backstabbing, intrigue, and the seamy side of life. With 29 templates and over 100 sample characters for all kinds of settings, GURPS Rogues is a chest full of treasure for you to plunder!

GURPS Rogues follows (stealthily) in the footsteps of GURPS Warriors and GURPS Wizards, our two previous books of characters and templates.

128 pages. Stock #6413, ISBN 1-55634-398-1. $22.95.

GURPS Magic Items 3
Enchanted handguns . . . sorcerous spaceships . . . clockwork golems . . . from the Ice Age to the distant future, GURPS Magic Items 3 is full of intriguing and exciting artifacts for magical adventures. There are "generic" items, suitable for a range of settings, as well as creations specifically for popular game settings like GURPS Technomancer, GURPS Steampunk, and GURPS Warehouse 23!

Also included are several more weird and wonderful ways to create magic items, a dozen new guilds, organizations, and corporations involved in the magic item trade, and much more!

128 pages. Stock #6531, ISBN 1-55634-418-X. $22.95.

GURPS WWII: Dogfaces
They were the Greatest Generation. When the world itself was in danger, they manned the front lines, drove the tanks, landed on the beachheads . . .

They were the dogfaces.

GURPS WWII: Dogfaces is the definitive roleplaying sourcebook for U.S. ground forces in World War II. Whether it's storming the beaches of Normandy, outdueling German tanks in the Ardennes, or retaking the Pacific island by island, the infantry, armor, and artillerymen of the U.S. Army and Marines were the backbone of the Allied war effort. With the attention to detail and historical accuracy that GURPS is known for, GURPS WWII: Dogfaces gives you all the information you need for roleplaying this vital part of mankind's greatest conflict.

128 pages. Stock #8005, ISBN 1-55634-636-0. $22.95.

Dragons: Valor and Snarl
Dragons Rule!

They're the ultimate power in any fantasy game, the stuff of legends -- the mighty dragons. And now sculptor extraordinaire Richard Kerr has worked his magic and brought gorgeous, fearsome dragons to Steve Jackson Games' line of miniatures.

Snarl and Valor are for play as well as display. They're sized for the game table . . . each one is about 6" long and stands 3/4" to 1 1/2" high, depending on neck pose. And these two dragons are completely modular. You can mix and match bodies, wings, necks, and heads for dozens of different possibilities. Also included is an extra neck, allowing you to create whatever poses suit you: proud and talkative, sneaky and stalking, or fire-breathing rage!

Two dragon bodies with interchangable heads, necks, tails, and wings, in a reusable plastic box. Stock #13-0500, ISBN 1-55634-702-2. $24.95.


Warehouse 23 News: Soul Search

Nodwick #17 is now available.

November 2, 2002: Spare The Rod

Illuminated Site of the Week: The skies are getting mighty crowded these days. The UFOs are being pushed aside by the mysterious Roswell Rods, long shafts with flapping membranes that cruise the heavens at blinding speed. Are they alien craft? Living organisms? Undiscovered aquatic creatures? More traffic for the holidays, and every kid's going to want one for Christmas.

-- Suggested by Bonnie Acton

Warehouse 23 News: Top 10 for October

Check out Warehouse 23's best selling items for October on the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.

November 1, 2002: Now Accepting Preorders: The Ogre Mk. IV

In 2074, the Combine was flush with the success of the largest cybertank to date -- the Ogre Mk. III. Designers were tasked with building a bigger, better Ogre. Rather than build one unit to do everything, they designed two: the Mk. V for short-range, high-intensity exchanges, and the Mk. IV for fast strike, long-range power.

The first-ever Ogre Mk. IV miniature will be released on November 15 as a Warehouse 23 exclusive. This figure was sculpted by Richard Kerr, who also painted the Mk. IV shown here (click on the picture for a larger version). The web page for the Mk. IV includes many more pictures, a record sheet, and a scenario.

Also available is the Ogre Mk. IV Repair Kit.


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