Steve Jackson Games
Encyclopedia
Steve Jackson Games is a game
company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing
, board
, and card game
s, and the gaming
magazine
Pyramid
.
, and before the height of role-playing game
s, SJG created several role-playing and strategy games with science fiction
themes. SJG borrowed and expanded upon ideas pioneered by strategy game companies such as Metagaming Concepts
, Avalon Hill
and TSR
. Despite these similarities, SJG had a unique feel all their own and became popular with their releases. SJG's early titles were all microgames initially sold in 4×7 inch ziploc
bags, and later in the similarly sized Pocket Box
. Games such as Ogre
, Car Wars
, and G.E.V (an Ogre spin-off) were popular during SJG's early years.
Today SJG publishes games of numerous varieties (card game
s, board game
s, strategy game
s) and genres (fantasy
, sci-fi, gothic horror
); they also publish the book Principia Discordia
, the sacred text of the Discordian
religion.
were raided by the U.S. Secret Service
. The manuscript for GURPS Cyberpunk
was confiscated although this was merely coincidence and not the actual purpose of the raid at all. The raid is often thought to have been related to Operation Sundevil
, a nationwide investigation of computer crime; however, Sundevil was based in Arizona and the Steve Jackson Raid was coordinated out of Chicago. More than three years later, a federal court awarded damages of $50,000 and attorneys' fees of $250,000 (amounts in USD) to SJ Games, ruling that the raid had been carelessly executed, illegal, and completely unjustified. Cyberpunk
author Bruce Sterling
discussed the affair in his non-fiction book The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier
. The case also helped to prompt the formation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
, as well as spawning a new game, Hacker
.
card game, followed by the role-playing system GURPS.
Super Munchkin
Munchkin Impossible
Munchkin Cthulhu
Munchkin Cthulhu 3 – The Unspeakable Vault
The Good, The Bad, and The Munchkin
Munchkin Booty
Munchkin Blender
Munchkin Dice
Munchkin Miniatures
Ninja Burger
, a fast-paced ninja delivery card game based on the Ninja Burger website.
Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls (SPANC), a light-hearted competition between starship crews of cat girls
in search of toys and loot.
Spooks, a Halloween
-themed card game where players try to get rid of cards from their hands.
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...
company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing
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...
, board
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...
, and 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 the gaming
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...
Pyramid
Pyramid (magazine)
Pyramid is a gaming magazine, publishing articles primarily on role-playing games, but including board games, card games, 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...
.
History
Founded in 1980, six years after the birth of Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, and before the height of 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, SJG created several role-playing and strategy games with science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
themes. SJG borrowed and expanded upon ideas pioneered by strategy game companies such as Metagaming Concepts
Metagaming Concepts
Metagaming Concepts was a publisher of board games from 1975 to 1983 owned by Howard Thompson. Metagaming created and popularized the microgame format. It specialized in science fiction wargames; titles included Ogre, G.E.V., Godsfire, Stellar Conquest and WarpWar...
, Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
and TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. Despite these similarities, SJG had a unique feel all their own and became popular with their releases. SJG's early titles were all microgames initially sold in 4×7 inch ziploc
Ziploc
Ziploc is a brand of reusable, re-sealable zipper storage bags and containers originally developed by Dow Chemical Company, and now produced by S. C. Johnson & Son. According to Dow's website, the bags were originally test marketed in 1968....
bags, and later in the similarly sized Pocket Box
Pocket Box
thumb|An empty pocket boxA pocket box is a small box or pocket-sized container, so named to emphasise its portability.In the 1980's pocket box was used by Steve Jackson Games to describe the plastic boxes designed to hold a rulebook and related game components. They replaced ziplock bags...
. Games such as Ogre
Ogre (game)
Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
, Car Wars
Car Wars
Car Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
, and G.E.V (an Ogre spin-off) were popular during SJG's early years.
Today SJG publishes games of numerous varieties (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, 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, strategy game
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
s) and genres (fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
, sci-fi, gothic horror
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
); they also publish the book Principia Discordia
Principia Discordia
Principia Discordia is a Discordian religious text written by Greg Hill and Kerry Thornley . It was originally published under the title "Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost" in a limited edition of 5 copies in 1965...
, the sacred text of the Discordian
Discordianism
Discordianism is a religion based on the worship of Eris , the Greco-Roman goddess of strife. It was founded circa 1958–1959 after the publication of its holy book the Principia Discordia, written by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst after a series of shared hallucinations at a...
religion.
Raid
On March 1, 1990, SJG's offices in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
were raided by the U.S. Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
. The manuscript for GURPS Cyberpunk
GURPS Cyberpunk
GURPS Cyberpunk is a genre toolkit for cyberpunk-themed role-playing games set in a near-future dystopia, such as that envisioned by William Gibson in his influential novel Neuromancer...
was confiscated although this was merely coincidence and not the actual purpose of the raid at all. The raid is often thought to have been related to Operation Sundevil
Operation Sundevil
Operation Sundevil was a 1990 nation-wide United States Secret Service crackdown on "illegal computer hacking activities." It involved raids in approximately fifteen different cities and resulted in three arrests and the confiscation of computers, the contents of electronic bulletin board systems ,...
, a nationwide investigation of computer crime; however, Sundevil was based in Arizona and the Steve Jackson Raid was coordinated out of Chicago. More than three years later, a federal court awarded damages of $50,000 and attorneys' fees of $250,000 (amounts in USD) to SJ Games, ruling that the raid had been carelessly executed, illegal, and completely unjustified. Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
author Bruce Sterling
Bruce Sterling
Michael Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre.-Writings:...
discussed the affair in his non-fiction book The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier
The Hacker Crackdown
The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier is a work of nonfiction by Bruce Sterling first published in 1992.The book discusses watershed events in the hacker subculture in the early 1990s...
. The case also helped to prompt the formation of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
, as well as spawning a new game, Hacker
Hacker (card game)
Hacker is a card game made by Steve Jackson Games . Published in 1992, the players impersonate hackers fighting for the control of computer networks. It is based primarily on interlocking access to different computer systems in the web. Players are not set directly towards each other, and several...
.
Games published
Steve Jackson Games' main product line, in terms of sales, is the MunchkinMunchkin (card game)
Munchkin is a card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins ....
card game, followed by the role-playing system GURPS.
Card games
- Battle Cattle The Card Game, a card game, compatible with the Car Wars card game, based on the Battle Cattle miniatures system.
- Burn In Hell, a semi-satirical game centered around collecting 'circles' of notable historical and contemporary people's (sinners') souls that share common characteristics.
- Car Wars: The Card Game, a card game version of the Car Wars miniatures system.
- Chez GeekChez GeekChez Geek is a card game that parodies geek culture and cohabitation. It was created by Jon Darbro and developed by Alain H. Dawson, with additional development by Steve Jackson and Russell Godwin...
, a card-game parody of GeekGeekThe word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
culture with many spinoffs and expansions:- Chez Goth
- Chez Greek
- Chez Grunt
- Chez Guevara
- Chez CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
- Chez Dork, a card game centered around the characters in the comic book, Dork TowerDork TowerDork Tower is an online comic created, written and drawn by John Kovalic. It chronicles the lives of a group of geeks living in the fictional town of Mud Bay, Wisconsin. Mud Bay's design is strongly influenced by the author's home town of Madison, Wisconsin. Topics have included role-playing...
, collecting the objects they obsess over.
- Cowpoker, a card game partly based on poker mechanics with a central theme of old west cattle ranchers.
- Dino Hunt, a card game where players travel through time to capture dinosaurs. Features over a hundred dinosaurs with color drawings and accurate scientific data on each one.
- HackerHacker (card game)Hacker is a card game made by Steve Jackson Games . Published in 1992, the players impersonate hackers fighting for the control of computer networks. It is based primarily on interlocking access to different computer systems in the web. Players are not set directly towards each other, and several...
, a modern-day card game based on the mechanics of IlluminatiIlluminati (game)Illuminati is a standalone card game made by Steve Jackson Games , inspired by The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. The game has ominous secret societies competing with each other to control the world through sinister means, including legal, illegal, and even mystical...
.- Hacker II: The Dark Side
- IlluminatiIlluminati (game)Illuminati is a standalone card game made by Steve Jackson Games , inspired by The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. The game has ominous secret societies competing with each other to control the world through sinister means, including legal, illegal, and even mystical...
, a game of competing conspiracies, based largely on the Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton WilsonRobert Anton WilsonRobert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
. Originally published in microgame format followed by three numbered expansions. Later published in a full-sized box with expansions 1 and 2 as Deluxe Illuminati. Expansion 3 would later be reprinted as Illuminati: Brainwash.- Illuminati: Y2K - all-card expansion for Deluxe Illuminati
- Illuminati: Bavarian Fire Drill - all-card expansion for Deluxe Illuminati
- Illuminati: New World OrderIlluminati: New World OrderIlluminati: New World Order is a collectible card game that was released in 1995 by Steve Jackson Games, based on their original boxed game Illuminati, which in turn was inspired by The Illuminatus! Trilogy...
(INWO), the collectible card gameCollectible card gamethumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
based on concepts in Illuminati.- INWO Subgenius - expansion based on Church of the SubgeniusChurch of the SubGeniusThe Church of the SubGenius is a "parody religion" organization that satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, unidentified flying objects, and popular culture. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, the Church of the SubGenius gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and maintains an active presence on...
concepts which can also be played stand-alone.
- INWO Subgenius - expansion based on Church of the Subgenius
- Illuminati Crime Lords, a mafia-based variation on Illuminati which combines gameplay elements of the original Illuminati and INWO.
- King's Blood, a Japanese card game originally published by Kadokawa Shoten.
- Lord of the FriesLord of the FriesLord of the Fries is a card game created by James Ernest and published by Cheapass Games and Steve Jackson Games. In 2008 Steve Jackson Games released a new edition with revised game components....
, a game of zombies attempting to assemble orders in a fast-food restaurant. Originally designed by James ErnestJames ErnestJames Ernest is an American game designer and juggler. He is best known as the owner and lead designer of Cheapass Games. Prior to founding Cheapass, he worked as a juggler at various venues, including Camlann Medieval Village, and as a freelancer with Wizards of the Coast. He also worked for...
and published by Cheapass GamesCheapass GamesCheapass Games is a game company founded and run by game designer James Ernest, based in Seattle, Washington. Cheapass Games operates on the philosophy that most game owners have plenty of dice, counters, play money, etc., so there is no need to bundle all of these components with every game that...
. - MunchkinMunchkin (card game)Munchkin is a card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins ....
, a card-game parody of hack-and-slash roleplaying with many spinoffs (all able to be mixed with the original). and expansions:-
- Munchkin 2 - Unnatural Axe
- Munchkin 3 - Clerical Errors
- Munchkin 3.5 - Clerical Errata
- Munchkin 4 - The Need For Steed
- Munchkin 5 - De-Ranged
- Munchkin 6 - Demented Dungeons
- Munchkin 7 – More Good Cards
- Star Munchkin
-
- Munchkin Fu
- Munchkin Fu 2 – Monky Business
- Munchkin Bites!
- Super Munchkin 2 – The Narrow S Cape
Ninja Burger
is a parody website started in late 1999, purporting that a sect of noble ninja have taken to secretly delivering fast food meals, anywhere, anytime, within 30 minutes or less. Failure to deliver within the ascribed time limit results in Seppuku. Some of Ninja Burger's rivals include , Otaku Bell and...
, a fast-paced ninja delivery card game based on the Ninja Burger website.
Catgirl
A catgirl is a female character with cat traits, such as cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body. Catgirls are found in various fiction genres, and in particular Japanese anime and manga where they are more commonly referred to as Neko or Nekomimi , in...
in search of toys and loot.
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
-themed card game where players try to get rid of cards from their hands.
Board games
- The Awful Green Things From Outer SpaceThe Awful Green Things From Outer SpaceThe Awful Green Things from Outer Space is a two-player board game developed and illustrated by Tom Wham inspired by the Kinji Fukasaku motion picture, The Green Slime. It originally appeared as an insert in Dragon Magazine #28 , and subsequently as a boxed game published by TSR in 1980...
, designed by Tom Wham and originally published by TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. - Battlesuit, a spin-off of Ogre and G.E.V. featuring infantry using powered armor inspired by Starship TroopersStarship TroopersStarship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
. - Car WarsCar WarsCar Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
, futuristic battles between automobiles. - Dork Tower, a fantasy game that takes place in the world the Dork TowerDork TowerDork Tower is an online comic created, written and drawn by John Kovalic. It chronicles the lives of a group of geeks living in the fictional town of Mud Bay, Wisconsin. Mud Bay's design is strongly influenced by the author's home town of Madison, Wisconsin. Topics have included role-playing...
characters play their games in. - FragFrag (game)Frag is a first-person shooter-themed board game published by Steve Jackson Games in the summer of 2001. It was developed by Steve Jackson and Philip Reed, and illustrated by Alex Fernandez.-Gameplay:...
, "a first-person shooter without a computer". - GreedQuest, a light, randomized romp through a simple dungeon to gain loot.
- Knightmare ChessKnightmare ChessKnightmare Chess is a fantasy chess variant published by Steve Jackson Games in 1996. It is a translation of a French game Tempête sur l'échiquier , designed by Pierre Cléquin and Bruno Faidutti....
, a chess variantChess variantA chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...
played with cards. Translation of the French Tempête sur l'Echiquier published by Ludodelire. - Kung Fu 2100, a simple game of hand-to-hand combat where players use martial arts to smash their way into the CloneMaster's fortress.
- Munchkin Quest, a boardgame variation of the Munchkin card games
- Nanuk, a boardgame of bidding and bluffing, centered around InuitInuitThe Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
hunters. - OgreOgre (game)Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
, the classic simulation of future war involving a cybernetic armored juggernaut firing nuclear weapons. Designed by Jackson, and originally published by Metagaming ConceptsMetagaming ConceptsMetagaming Concepts was a publisher of board games from 1975 to 1983 owned by Howard Thompson. Metagaming created and popularized the microgame format. It specialized in science fiction wargames; titles included Ogre, G.E.V., Godsfire, Stellar Conquest and WarpWar...
. - Ogre: G.E.V., a spin-off of Ogre focusing on futuristic but "conventional" infantry, artillery, and armor units.
- One Page Bulge, a simulation of the German Ardennes Offensive in 1944, with the rules printed on a single page.
- Proteus, a chess variant using dice to represent normal chess pieces.
- ShockwaveOgre (game)Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
, an Ogre/G.E.V. expansion set with new units and a new map. - Revolution (board game), a blind-bidding area-majority game.
- Snits, two classic Tom WhamTom WhamTom Wham is a designer of board games who has also produced artwork, including that for his own games.Wham worked a variety of odd jobs during his early adult life. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, he worked for the Guidon Games hobby shop in Maine where he got his first game, a variant...
games, Snit's RevengeSnit's RevengeSnit's Revenge is a two-player board game developed and illustrated by Tom Wham. It originally appeared as an insert in Dragon Magazine in 1977, and subsequently as a boxed game first published by TSR, Inc. and currently by Steve Jackson Games...
and Snit Smashing, both originally published by TSRTSR, Inc.Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. - Star Traders, a game where players race through space to deliver cargoes.
- The Stars are Right, a boardgame where players attempt to change a 5x5 tileboard through the use of cards, and gaining victory points based on certain constellations of symbols.
- Strange SynergyStrange SynergyStrange Synergy is a card game published by Steve Jackson Games in which players build a team of super heroes to battle an opponent's team....
, a game where teams of warriors battle with a different set of powers each game. - Tile Chess, a multiplayer chess variant which can be played without a chess board.
- X-Bugs, a combat game where futuristic bugs are represented by colorful tiddly winks.
Role-playing games
- GURPSGURPSThe Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
, the Generic Universal Role Playing System. - In NomineIn Nomine (role-playing game)In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games, based on the French game In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas. Players typically assume the role of angels and demons in a setting that draws heavily on the traditional Christian mythos...
, a game about Angels and DemonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s based on the popular FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
role-playing gameRole-playing gameA 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...
, In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas. - KillerKiller (role-playing game)Killer: The Game of Assassination is a live action role-playing game derived from the traditional assassin game. Created by American game designer Steve Jackson and first published in 1981 or 1982 by his own game company, Steve Jackson Games, Killer is one of the oldest set of rules having being...
, a variant of AssassinAssassin (game)Assassin is a live-action game...
. - Munchkin RPG, a series of D20D20 SystemThe 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...
supplements based on the Munchkin card game. - ToonToon (role-playing game)Toon is a role-playing game in which the players take the roles of cartoon characters.It is subtitled The Cartoon Roleplaying Game.-Development:...
, the cartoon role-playing game. - Transhuman SpaceTranshuman SpaceTranshuman Space is a role-playing game published by Steve Jackson Games as parts of the "Powered by GURPS" line. Set in the year 2100, humanity has begun to colonize the Solar System...
, a near-future science fiction setting spanning the Sol system. - Tribes, players play cave men (and women) trying to protect and nurture their descendants. Partly designed by science fiction author David BrinDavid BrinGlen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
.
Miniatures
- Ogre & G.E.V have also been published as in miniatures wargaming format.
- Cardboard Heroes, paper miniatures.
Computer games
- AutoduelAutoduelAutoduel is a 1985 computer role-playing game published by Origin Systems for the Atari 400 and Atari 800 , Commodore 64, Apple II, Apple Macintosh, and MS-DOS. It was released in 1987 for the Atari ST and in 1988 for the Amiga...
, an action arcade game with role-playing elements. Published by Origin Systems, Inc. - OgreOgre (game)Ogre is a board wargame first released in 1977 as the first Metagaming Concepts Microgame, designed by Steve Jackson.Its basic premise is that it is an asymmetric-forces gameset in the late 21st century....
A computer version of the Ogre board game. Published by Origin Systems, Inc. - UltracorpsUltracorpsUltraCorps is an online, multi-player, turn-based space strategy game originally developed by VR-1 Entertainment in 1997 and acquired by Microsoft's MSN Gaming Zone in 1998. The game couples distinctive 3-D rendered artwork and the ability to play with hundreds of people in a single game. It was...
An online space strategy game originally developed by VR-1.
Dice games
- Cthulhu Dice, a custom dice game where the faces are Cthulhu symbols, including the Eye of HorusEye of HorusThe Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health. The eye is personified in the goddess Wadjet...
, the Yellow SignYellow SignThe Yellow Sign is a fictional symbol or glyph, first described in Robert Chambers' book of horror short stories The King in Yellow .-The King in Yellow:The King in Yellow never fully describes the shape and purpose of the Yellow Sign...
, the Elder SignElder SignThe Elder Sign is an icon in the Cthulhu Mythos, first mentioned in H. P. Lovecraft's The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, written in 1926.-Description:...
, CthulhuCthulhuCthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
, and TentacleTentacleA tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
. You roll the dice to compete with others to be the last sane person left. - Zombie Dice, a custom dice game where the faces are Brains, Shotgun Blasts and Feet. The goal is to push your luck stacking up zombie kills before your buddies.
- Proteus, a custom dice game where the faces of the dice represent chess pieces. The goal is to change your pawns into higher pieces and take over all your buddies' pieces.
External links
- Steve Jackson Games' official web site
- "Fantasy for Fun and Profit": an article about the company from the Austin American Statesman, April 18, 1988