Daily Illuminator Archive for September 2008

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September 1, 2008:
Thanks for checking the Daily Illuminator, but we're not in right now. Everyone is out of the office, in observance of Labor Day . . . read article

September 2, 2008:
At GenCon, many things fall into the "want, but out of budget" category. The king -- dare I say, the Sultan -- of that category was the gaming table offered by Geek Chic . . . read article

September 3, 2008:
Don't try to make games something they're not. To borrow a phrase, it wastes time and it annoys the pig . . . read article

September 4, 2008:
What I needed today, and did not get, was somebody to rub my neck and tell me that everything is okay. If I could run for president on the platform that everybody would get that, I'd win. "My fellow Americans.  I have today established the cabinet-level posts of Secretary of Neckrubs and Secretary of Reassurance . . . read article

September 5, 2008:
It's been observed that if you go to Wikipedia for your "facts," you're relying on the argumentative members of the general public to get things right. The beauty of The Arcana Wiki is that you're getting information about stuff that's already not real . . . read article

September 6, 2008:
Remember last month, when I mentioned the possibility -- no, actually, the probability -- of price increases? For at least one product, it's here . . . read article

September 7, 2008:
Boardgamegeek has yet another review from our GenCon previews . . . this time for a stealth release coming out very early next year: Revolution. Phil found it being self-published, and felt it deserved a wider audience. After playing it, we all agreed . . . read article

September 8, 2008:
Boston Dynamics would like you to know how far they've come with the BigDog. This quadraped robot traverses difficult terrain and makes a sound like a cross between a leaf blower and a cricket doing Tibetan chants . . . read article

September 9, 2008:
Steve Jackson Games is seeking a Production Assistant to join our production team. The job entails pouring text and laying out books in Quark 6.5, minor Photoshop work (coloring art), as well as advertisement design and graphic work on miscellaneous marketing projects . . . read article

September 10, 2008:
As previously noted, a couple of lucky staffers made the trek to the Penny Arcade Expo over Labor Day weekend. Games were played, fun was had, and photos were taken . . . read article

September 11, 2008:
We might just have a place for you! Steve Jackson Games has an immediate opening for an experienced bookkeeper - someone who can help our Controller see that everyone we owe is paid and everyone who owes pays us! . . . read article

September 12, 2008:
Jerry and Mike, the Geek Generals who lead PAX into the nerd-flavored future, were kind enough to stop by our Munchkin area during the show. They're the webcomic artists who create Penny Arcade, and the brains from which both PAX and Child's Play (an awesome charity, BTW) spawned . . . read article

September 13, 2008:
I really like the idea of software maintained by a community. Therefore, I wish to be a Firefox loyalist . . . read article

September 14, 2008:
Now, around here we like Munchkin. And we know lots of you, out there, like Munchkin . . . read article

September 15, 2008:
Randy has run quite a few Munchkin Quest demos this summer. That isn't a surprise -- I mean, it's a major new release, from our flagship game line . . . read article

September 16, 2008:
Recently my bank sent me an offer for an "identity theft protection" service offered by a company called Intersections Inc., an "industry leader in identity theft protection." According to the flyer, Intersections would "monitor my credit with Equifax . . . every business day for signs of fraud and identity theft." How much would this cost me? Why, it was FREE . . . read article

September 17, 2008:
In honor of the upcoming release of Munchkin Booty, we are proud to celebrate with a special Talk Like A Pirate Day rule. During "Talk Like A Pirate Day," any player may choose to start any game of Munchkin as a Pirate . . . read article

September 18, 2008:
Never before, as far as we can remember, have we been both confident enough and organized enough to send a supplement to the printer before the core game was even out. Well, there's a first time for everything. All the previews of Munchkin Quest went so well . . . and we were so full of perverse ideas that didn't fit in the first set . . . and our Game Development staff is so unprecedentedly large and competent . . . that we are able to announce:   Munchkin Quest 2 - Looking for Trouble Trouble Is Good! . . . read article

September 19, 2008:
Munchkin Quest! And now the long version: The time of Munchkin Quest is nearly upon us . . . read article

September 20, 2008:
Out of the fnorder and into the headlines; our thanks to Eric Jordan, who was the first to point this out. Here's a fellow who pays too much attention to his messages from the Illuminati . . . read article

September 21, 2008:
Note: Objects in image may not be accurate representations of the relative sizes of Chibithulhu and the ship carrying it. Also, we're pretty sure this batch isn't actually coming to us on a pirate ship, but one never knows. Our first plush release, Chibithulhu, is headed to our warehouse . . . read article

September 22, 2008:
Back in the late Cretaceous, when I was growing up amidst the ferns and hadrosaurs, the very first TV show that ever ate my brain was The Man From U.N.C.L.E.I even collected the novels . . . I have them all except a couple of the rare juveniles and The Final Affair, which David McDaniel delivered to the publisher after the show's cancellation had been announced . . . read article

September 23, 2008:
Does your GURPS fantasy campaign need a tower for your mighty heroes to clear? How about a waypoint to stock up on some new spells? . . . read article

September 24, 2008:
The first 1,104 copies of Munchkin Quest have been loaded into a container with a couple thousand copies each of Star Munchkin and Munchkin Cthulhu. But those are just the start; the bulk of the MQ print run will take up two full shipping containers. Assuming no major storms in the Pacific, and no surprise delays in customs Stateside, all the copies will arrive at our warehouse before Halloween . . . read article

September 25, 2008:
In addition to Munchkin Quest 2 -- announced earlier this week -- we'll also be shipping another bit of munchkinly goodness in January. +6 Bag O' Munchkins Official Munchkin Plastic Bag! Extra bonus -- free Munchkins! . . . read article

September 26, 2008:
Samples of the counter sheet from the new print run of SPANC arrived the other day. They're larger than the old counters, which is hard to spot from the thumbnail image -- click through to the larger image to get a better view . . . read article

September 27, 2008:
When you're lost on some isolated country road, your biggest concern shouldn't be the embarrassment of asking for directions - it should be whether you'll run afoul of a cult looking for new members. To mount an effective resistance, bookmark Apologetics Index, your one-stop shop for fighting mind control . . . read article

September 28, 2008:
As some of you know, Ken Hite (Suppressed Transmissions, GURPS Infinite Worlds) has a column called Out of the Box, in which he chronicles products and events that attract his attention from both the "games" and "industry" sides of the gaming industry. Magpie-like, the column was irregular but clever, and always a pleasure to read . . . read article

September 29, 2008:
Sometimes the proof copies we get sit on the print buyer's shelf, kept for future reference. Sometimes we auction them off . . . read article

September 30, 2008:
I have no current recollection of whether I have ever linked to xkcd. But Monday he blew me away, so: linkage . . . read article

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