Pyramid (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Pyramid is a gaming
magazine
, publishing articles primarily on role-playing game
s, but including board game
s, card game
s, and other sorts of games. It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games
for its first 30 issues, though it has been published on the Internet
since March 1998. Print issues were bimonthly; the first online version published new articles each week; the second online version is monthly. Pyramid replaced Steve Jackson Games' previous magazine Roleplayer
.
Pyramid features general gaming articles by freelance authors, as well as Designer's Notes by Steve Jackson Games product developers, industry news, cartoons, and gaming product reviews. Although articles tend to concentrate on Steve Jackson Games products such as GURPS
, it has published articles on other games such as d20 System
, Talisman
, Nobilis
, Hero System
, and has featured various comic strips and single-panel cartoons (currently Murphy's Rules). Steve Jackson Games also briefly published another online magazine, d20 Weekly for several months using a very similar model to that of Pyramid. However, the venture was not a success, and was eventually folded into a slightly expanded Pyramid.
The online subscription system used for Pyramid also granted access to subscriber forums, a dedicated chat server, and occasional pre-publication playtest material for Steve Jackson Games and other companies' products. In 2008 this was changed: Pyramid is available as a PDF download from e23, and the subscriber forums have been discontinued. Access to playtest material is contingent on participation in an actual playtest.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, publishing articles primarily on role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, but including board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s, card game
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
s, and other sorts of games. It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
for its first 30 issues, though it has been published on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
since March 1998. Print issues were bimonthly; the first online version published new articles each week; the second online version is monthly. Pyramid replaced Steve Jackson Games' previous magazine Roleplayer
Roleplayer (magazine)
Roleplayer was a magazine devoted to the subject of role-playing games. Published by Steve Jackson Games, Roleplayer #1 debuted in February 1986; it replaced The Space Gamer as the company's periodical of choice to reach out to their fan base...
.
Pyramid features general gaming articles by freelance authors, as well as Designer's Notes by Steve Jackson Games product developers, industry news, cartoons, and gaming product reviews. Although articles tend to concentrate on Steve Jackson Games products such as GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
, it has published articles on other games such as d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
, Talisman
Talisman (board game)
Talisman: The Magical Quest Game is a fantasy themed adventure board game for two to six players, originally designed and produced by Games Workshop and now published by Fantasy Flight Games. The game was first released in 1983 and has gone through several revisions...
, Nobilis
Nobilis
Nobilis is a contemporary fantasy role-playing game created by Jenna K. Moran, writing under the name R. Sean Borgstrom. The player characters are "Sovereign Powers" called the Nobilis; each Noble is the personification of an abstract concept or class of things such as Time, Death, cars, or...
, Hero System
Hero System
The Hero System is a generic role-playing game system that developed from the superhero RPG Champions. It is used as the underlying mechanics of other Hero Games role-playing games such as Dark Champions, Fantasy Hero, Star Hero, and Pulp Hero...
, and has featured various comic strips and single-panel cartoons (currently Murphy's Rules). Steve Jackson Games also briefly published another online magazine, d20 Weekly for several months using a very similar model to that of Pyramid. However, the venture was not a success, and was eventually folded into a slightly expanded Pyramid.
The online subscription system used for Pyramid also granted access to subscriber forums, a dedicated chat server, and occasional pre-publication playtest material for Steve Jackson Games and other companies' products. In 2008 this was changed: Pyramid is available as a PDF download from e23, and the subscriber forums have been discontinued. Access to playtest material is contingent on participation in an actual playtest.
Editors
- Derek Pearcy—Print issues 1–2.
- Jeff Koke—Print issues 3–4.
- Scott Haring—Print issues 5–30. Online edition March 1998 – February 2000.
- S. John Ross—Online edition 1998.
- Steven Marsh—Online edition February 2000 – present.
Awards
- 2001: Origins AwardOrigins AwardThe Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
Best Professional Game Magazine of 2000 - 2004: Origins Award Gamer's Choice: Best Electronic Product of 2003
- 2005: Origins Award Best Non Fiction Publication of 2004