Archive
February 13, 2012: You Must Create The Gazebo ALONE
Technically, I suppose you could accept help when building our Cardboard Gazebo, but I don't know why you'd bother. This Gazebo lurks on the Munchkin Resources page, if you need to track it down again later.
February 6, 2012: Munchkin The Family Game
In a recent Big Shiny Robot! column for the Salt Lake City Weekly, Bryan Young talks about introducing his family to board and card games, getting them to put down the controller and enjoy some face time with each other. Among mentions of many worthy games, he gives a short, sweet nod to Munchkin, because we all know that there's nothing better for bonding than stabbing your friends and loved ones in the back for levels and loot.
Er, wait . . . well, thanks for the shout out anyway, Bryan!
February 1, 2012: The Sparkly Good Fairy And Warehouse 23
The Sparkly Good Fairy has dropped by Warehouse 23 -- just in time for Valentine's Day! There are two ways you'll be visited by the fairy featured in Munchkin Fairy Dust.
Starting today, we'll include The Official Munchkin Bookmark of Sparkly Good Monster Mayhem with each order while supplies last. Limit one bookmark per order.
Next, any customer who places an order of $75 or more will get a Munchkin Fairy Dust Handbag of Holding added to the shipment. Be sure to look inside the Handbag for the special (and very pink) rule!
To give you a feel for what constitutes $75, you could place an order for:
- Munchkin Quest and Looking For Trouble OR
- Four, adorable sanity-blasting Chibithulhus OR
- Thirteen copies of the Sparkly Pink Cthulhu Dice!
Both offers are while supplies last and you are not required to buy anything specific to participate. Happy Valentine's Day from Warehouse 23!
January 30, 2012: uStream Chat TODAY!
A quick reminder that Lenny and I will be having a uStream chat this evening, starting at 6:00 p.m. Central Time. We'll be looking back at 2011 and looking forward to 2012, and as always, we'll be answering questions from the forums and from the live chatters, and (as long as I don't screw it up again) we'll save the chat so you early-to-bed types in Europe can watch it later.
If y'all are REALLY good, I'll tell you what's special about the 23rd printing of Munchkin, coming up this spring.
January 23, 2012: uStream Chat Next Monday, January 30
Lenny and I will be conducting a uStream chat next Monday evening, 6:00 p.m. Central Time (GMT-6). It's Lenny's first Munchkin chat, so be gentle!
We'll be wrapping up 2011, talking about plans for 2012, and of course taking your questions. Maybe we'll even answer a couple of them!
If you can't make it, or you'd like to be SURE to get your question answered, please drop by the forums and leave your question in the thread there. But the more of you who show up, the more likely I am to let something slip . . .
January 16, 2012: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Some big changes going on here at Munchkin HQ!
First, I have a new office! We did some renovation work over the holiday break, and as a result I'm now on the other side of the building, between Steve and Phil, in a MUCH bigger office (which is good, because I was running out of space to store all the Munchkin stuff we've been producing lately). It doesn't feel quite like home yet, but I'm sure in another month or two, I'll be completely settled in.
Monica Valentinelli took over our marketing last fall, and I've been remiss in not mentioning the great work she's doing for Munchkin and for the company in general. Monica also works on the Flames Rising website (y'all remember their contest last year, right? That was Monica's doing!) . . . and if that's not enough, she also keeps the weasels from nibbling on John Kovalic so he can keep drawing Munchkin cards for us! I don't know how she finds the time to do it all, but she does, and she's great!
I've talked here many times about my Hireling, Angie Kreuser. Starting today, I can't do that anymore, because Angie is moving out and up, taking charge of all customer service for Warehouse 23 and e23. If you have a problem or a suggestion or just a random question about our online stores, Angie's the one who will be answering it. I'll miss having Angie around to abuse help me out, but this is a fantastic move for Angie and for SJ Games. Congratulations to Angie on her new role!
Succeeding Angie (because no one can replace her!) is Leonard Balsera. Many of y'all may recognize Lenny's name from his work on The Dresden Files RPG for Evil Hat. He's going to keep doing some stuff for them on the side, but now he's also a full-time minion at SJ Games, helping me keep Munchkin chugging along. Please make Lenny feel welcome!
January 9, 2012: What's It Like To Write A Munchkin Expansion?
It's a combination of terror, hard work, terror, awful jokes, terror, and a little bit of raw primal terror.
It's also tremendous fun.
If you'd like a more complete answer, check out my cover story from this month's GTM.
January 2, 2012: Happy New Year!
And if the Mayans are right, it's the last one, so be sure to enjoy it! To help you enjoy it, we have these new releases coming in the next few months:
- Munchkin Zombies Meat Lockers -- Because sometimes you just want to save a few brains for later.
- Munchkin Cthulhu Kill-O-Meter -- Doubles as a sanity counter! Just remember, sanity never goes up, always down . . .
- Munchkin 8 – Half Horse, Will Travel -- Centaurs and Lizard Guys and some of the worst puns we've ever published! (I may be biased.)
- The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 – Beating a Dead Horse -- When all hope seems lost, call in the Cavalry!
- Munchkin The Guild -- We've got the whole gang ready to add to your Munchkin game.
Watch the New Releases page to find out when these are available. Or follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook for instant news!
December 26, 2011: Did Santa Munchkin Forget To Fill Your Stocking?
That's too bad. Next year, kill more monsters and steal more stuff, and maybe you'll get back on the "Good Munchkin" list.
In the meantime, you can fill your own stocking with selections from our Munchkin Christmas collection. We'll never tell.
We won't be shipping any orders until next week, so you've got a little time to ponder your choices. See you in 2012!
December 19, 2011: Congratulations, Christian!
A belated note from Essen Spiele . . .
These folks (except the chubby one in the middle) are the finalists of the European Munchkin Championships. The gentleman standing next to the Munchkin Mascot, holding a printout of the Munchkin 8 cards, is Christian Horn. Christian pulled off the unprecedented feat of winning both the German and European Championships in the same year. Our congratulations to Christian and thanks for being such an outstanding Munchkin player!
(Reminder: We're closed through the end of the year. We'll be back in the office, chipper and well-rested, on January 2, 2012.)
December 12, 2011: SJ Games Holiday Schedule
A quick reminder: Steve Jackson Games' last business day of 2011 is this Thursday, December 15. (Which is also our annual end-of-year Game Day, so we won't be checking e-mail or answering the phones very often.) We'll reopen for business on January 2.
December 5, 2011: State Of The Munchkin: December 2011
It's been too long since I posted a Munchkin news roundup, so here goes:
- We sent Munchkin The Guild to print and Munchkin Conan to production. We also sent off another batch of reprints, proof that Munchkin is still a strong game after a decade!
- We've been playtesting Munchkin Zombies 3 and Munchkin Axe Cop 2 and have several other things lined up to playtest once the new year gets going.
- Phil announced Munchkin Skullkickers at New York Comic Con and Steve announced Munchkin Apocalypse at Hal-Con. Both of those are set for release in the second half of 2012. (And if the lesson you're learning is, "Don't skip conventions when SJ Games staff is attending," we won't argue . . . because we definitely haven't run out of things to announce!)
- Andrew's been working hard on Munchkin Quest 3. Right now, it looks like this may be an early 2013 release, because 2012 is getting pretty crowded.
- On a related note, we're already starting to plan 2013 releases!
- Sales of Munchkin Zombies and Munchkin Axe Cop continue to be strong . . . in fact, Zombies is scheduled for its third printing next summer!
- And we have lots of new Munchkin swag for you to buy, including the Zombie Chibithulhu, Fairy Dust Dice, and the Jolly Jumbo d6s. Good little munchkins should have very full stockings this year!
Our office, including Warehouse 23 and our customer service department, will be closed for our winter break starting on December 16. We're all taking December 15 as our end-of-year game day, so be sure to get those last-minute orders in early! We'll see everyone in 2012.
November 28, 2011: A Post-Thanksgiving Smorgasbord
Three news items for the price of one!
Warehouse 23 Holiday Sale!
In case you've been too busy sleeping off a turkey coma to check our page, we wanted to let you know that Warehouse 23 has discounted a bunch of game accessories and other fun stuff, including a great selection of Munchkin loot for your very own gaming table! But the discount ends TODAY, November 28, at 5:00 p.m. Austin time, so don't dawdle!
(If it's already Tuesday or later, you've missed it. Sorry about that. You can follow us on Twitter to get up-to-the-minute news!)
Munchkin 10th Anniversary Gear Going Soon
This year has been the 10th anniversary of Munchkin's debut. Once the year is over, sadly, so will our celebration. If you haven't yet picked up the 10th anniversary shot glass, T-shirt, or signed poster from Warehouse 23, you have until mid-December . . . after that, they're gone forever!
Munchkin Go Up a Level Going . . . Going . . .
Last fall, we released Go Up a Level, an upgrade set to bring older Munchkin collections in line with the rule revisions we made starting in early 2010. GUAL is pretty much out of stock at our distributors, and we will not reprint it, so . . . if you've been thinking about maybe picking it up from your FLGS someday, someday has arrived.
November 21, 2011: Thanks!
This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States, a day we set aside for giving thanks for all the good things from the past year.
So, thanks to y'all for making Munchkin a success for the past 10 years. We definitely wouldn't still be making it without our loyal fans spreading the virus . . . I mean, the word about Munchkin!
BTW, our office will be closed this Thursday and Friday in observance of the holiday, and that includes Warehouse 23 . . . but you might keep your eyes on that page later this week anyway. I'm just saying.
November 18, 2011: Lenny Bruce Is Not Afraid
Last weekend at Hal-Con, Steve announced our second Munchkin core set for 2012: Munchkin Apocalypse. It's going to Ragnarok your socks off!
November 14, 2011: BoardGameGeekCon
This weekend, a bunch of SJ Gamers will be driving up to Dallas for BoardGameGeekCon, the event organized by the founders of BoardGameGeek, one of the best resources on the internet for gamers. The attendees, as one might expect, are extremely knowledgable about games of all kinds.
I won't be attending this year (a full summer and early autumn of travel has wiped me out), but the folks who ARE going will have a pile of plush and games to sell, and will be playing our games. In addition to favorites like Revolution!, The Stars Are Right, and Nanuk, they'll have a couple of new dice game prototypes to test and show off.
If you're rolling dice, moving chits, or just waving your hands wildly, stop by and say "Hi!"
November 7, 2011: One More Reminder
October 31, 2011: Back In The Saddle Again
After most of a week at Essen, and only one real work day back in the office (Thursday was our regular Halloween game day, and doesn't count), I have a LOT of things to catch up on. So forgive me for the brevity of this news item.
The title? That's because we just sent The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 – Beating a Dead Horse to print. Yeah, we're pretty excited, too.
October 24, 2011: Siri, Find Me A Munchkin Bonus
We know many of you just bought a new iPhone 4S. If you haven't already bought the Munchkin Level Counter, you can add that app to your collection. For five bucks, get counters for Munchkin, Munchkin Quest, Epic Munchkin, and other games; a built-in Kill-O-Meter; a die roller; and, of course, in-game Munchkin and Munchkin Quest bonuses that get better the longer you wait to claim them! (Some users have reported problems with iOS 5; if you download the most up-to-date version, those problems have been resolved.)
(And if you have an Android phone, we've got you covered as well!)
October 17, 2011: Announcing Munchkin Skullkickers!
Munchkin is the classic card game of fantasy adventuring.
Skullkickers is the hit new Image comic of fantasy adventuring.
Munchkin Skullkickers, coming in 2012, combines both great flavors! The fans will be begging for more as the comic's unnamed heroes tear through the World of Munchkin, destroying everything in their path as they help the players fight their way to Level 10.
Watch for more information at www.worldofmunchkin.com. Follow the adventures of the Skullkickers at www.skullkickers.com.
Heading to Essen
Tomorrow, I'll be hopping on a plane for my first trip to Germany. I'll be joining Director of Sales Ross Jepson in Essen, spending the time meeting with our various translation partners, gawking at all the games on display, and sampling the local cuisine. I have been told the currywurst is a must.
If you're attending the show, ask for me at the Pegasus booth; when I'm not out roaming around, that's probably where I'll be.
October 10, 2011: Getting Our Phil Of The Guild
He's far too modest to mention this himself, but our own Phil Reed recently had a role as an extra on The Guild. You can watch Phil's brief appearance here (look for the guy with glasses "helping" Bladezz off the stage).
And wasn't Bladezz's costume awesome?
October 4, 2011: Munchkin Chat Rescheduled
Because of technical problems, we had to reschedule the Munchkin uStream chat for Thursday instead of today. It will be at 5:00 p.m. Central time.
October 3, 2011: Cleaning Out The Attic
When we produced the cards for the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010, we glitched on one of them; the Attic doesn't quite match the rules for how Rooms are played in Star Munchkin 2 – The Clown Wars. So we've reprinted them, and any future orders for the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010 should have the corrected text. If your card includes the clause, "Before you turn over the next Door card," you have an old Attic, and we'll be happy to trade it for a new one. Just throw the old Attic into an envelope with a self-addressed, stamped envelope and send it to:
Steve Jackson Games
Attn: W23 New Attic
PO Box 18957
Austin, TX 78760
(Of course, you can also just use a Sharpie to cross out the offending clause . . . and those of you overseas may want to do that . . . but if you want a replacement, we're happy to provide one.)
Sorry for the error!
September 29, 2011: It's Chat Time!
We'll be having another uStream chat on Tuesday, October 4, starting at 5:00 p.m. Central Time. You can ask your questions on the forums or show up and ask us live!
September 26, 2011: One Game Enters Playtest, One Game Leaves
We've moved The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 – Beating a Dead Horse out of playtest and into production. Thanks to all our pardners who gave it a whirl!
Don't hop off the horse just yet, saddle pals . . . we've started playtesting Munchkin Conan, the core set due out next summer! One big change from previous announcements is that we've decided to make this a fantasy set, with the same card design as original Munchkin. This means it'll mix perfectly into your existing sets, or (of course!) play perfectly well on its own. And it means we have the first expansion already done: the Munchkin Conan the Barbarian booster! Aren't we smart?
September 19, 2011: Flames Rising Contest Results!
More than a month ago, our friends at Flames Rising ran a contest asking people to submit their favorite Munchkin memory. We had so many great responses that we decided to pick TWO winners for first, second, and third places, as well as six Honorable Mentions. These winners are:
- First Place: Tyler McKinnon and Richard
- Second Place: Brent Martin Jans and Josh Sauer (Mister Ed)
- Third Place: Michael Dyer and Seanstoppable
- Honorable Mentions: Eric, Coarey Trim (of GameKnights-Podcast.com), Scott Picha (Trsevener), Dennis Frank Brokholm, Tim Williamson, and GeekInsight
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your stories!
September 12, 2011: Gone To Madison!
I'll be flying out this morning for five days in scenic Madison, Wisconsin, home of ACD Distribution (who are hosting a Games Day for retailers, which is why we're going up). It's also the home of John Kovalic, and Phil, SJ, and I are taking the chance to spend a couple extra days in his town and make EEEEEEEEEEVIL Munchkin plans for 2012 and beyond. (We thumb our nose at the Mayans!) And, as previously announced, I'll be at Pegasus Games this evening to show off some playtest sets, hand out some promotional loot, and generally enjoy meeting people in a part of the country I've never seen before.
Flames Rising contest update: We have selected winners and Angie the Amazing is in the process of notifying them. Once we've gotten in touch with everyone, we'll announce who those winners are. Thanks to all for your patience while we went to two huge conventions and dealt with everything else that had to get done in the past six weeks. Luckily, after this week, everything slows down for us, and I don't have any major travel planned for a very long time . . . a whole five weeks, in fact, at which time I'll be attending Essen Spiel.
We're thinking about hosting a uStream chat toward the end of the month. Would y'all be interested? Head over to the forums and let us know!
September 8, 2011: Andrew At Pegasus Games!
Long-time fans of Dork Tower are familiar with Pegasaurus Games and its long-suffering owner, Bill. What you may not know is that John Kovalic based the store (or at least its name) on a real game store in his home town of Madison, Wisconsin. Pegasus Games is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and on Monday, September 12, I'll be visiting to meet the regulars and show off some new and upcoming Munchkin games. I'll be there from 7 p.m. until they turn the lights out on me, so come by and pick up some cool Munchkin swag!
September 5, 2011: State Of The Munchkin: September 2011
Here's a quick guide to what's new and what's coming up in the World of Munchkin:
- Munchkin Zombies 2 – Armed & Dangerous, Munchkin Conan the Barbarian (a 15-card noncollectible, nonrandomized booster), and the +6 Bag o' Munchkin Level Counters have started appearing on the shelves at Friendly Local Game Stores!
- Munchkin Reindeer Games, the Munchkin Dice Bag, and all six colors of the Munchkin Jumbo d6 should be in stores later this month. (Those of you who are obsessive collectors . . . and bless you for it . . . should be aware that Warehouse 23 will be getting a special pink variant of the Munchkin Dice Bag. Fair warning: It doesn't come with the cards that come with the standard version. Of course you already know about the Glow-in-the-Dark Munchkin Jumbo d6, right?)
- We had some advance copies of Munchkin Axe Cop at PAX Prime, and they were going out the door faster than we could restock the table. If you couldn't make it to Seattle, the main part of the shipment will be arriving in our Atlanta warehouse in October, and will be in stores not long thereafter. Hey, October's next month! CHOP THEIR HEADS OFF AND TAKE THEIR STUFF!!
- As we noted recently, the Zombie Chibithulhu is on its way here, along with a resupply of the standard green model. Sending a cute and cuddly Elder God sailing on the Pacific Ocean . . . let's hope he doesn't wake up any uncute, uncuddly big brothers!
- Just in time for the holidays, we'll have Munchkin Fairy Dust Dice and three colors of Munchkin Jolly Jumbo d6. Dice make the BEST stocking stuffers!
- Looking even further ahead, Munchkin 8 – Half Horse, Will Travel and the Munchkin Zombies Meat Lockers are at print, along with loads of reprints so your FLGS keeps its Munchkin shelves full.
- Finally, we're currently playtesting Munchkin The Guild, a new booster based on the hit Web series; The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 – Beating a Dead Horse; and a Munchkin Quest expansion we aren't quite ready to talk about yet. All of these are scheduled to come out next year.
We also have the full Munchkin Conan core set for next summer, another new Munchkin Zombies expansion, and some other stuff so secret we can't even HINT at it yet. Keeping watching this space for periodic updates!
August 29, 2011: Saw You At PAX!
We're on our way home today, so a detailed PAX Prime report will have to wait, but I think it's fair to say we had fun. Thanks to everyone who came by to see us!
August 22, 2011: See You At PAX!
We're all geddy with excitement* over the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle later this week! For the first time in a very long time, SJ Games will be doing our own retail sales at a major convention, so we're bringing almost the whole crew. This means lots of work has to get done NOW because it can't get done later.
I'll be in the demo space in the mornings, with playtest copies of several upcoming releases. (Which releases? That would be telling.) I'll also be running demo games of our new stuff, including Munchkin Zombies and Munchkin Axe Cop. And our new capsule machines will be at PAX, too, to separate you from your pocket change! We've stuffed them with some new goodies, so bring quarters!
Even if you already know how to play Munchkin, I hope you'll at least come by to say hello. I always love meeting Munchkin fans -- it's you guys who make what I do possible. And you might discover one of our other games that you like almost as much!
* Geddy With Excitement is my Rush cover band. #paulandstorm
August 15, 2011: Munchkin 8 Report
We haven't mentioned Munchkin 8 for a few weeks, so I thought I'd give y'all a quick update.
First, it has a name: Half Horse, Will Travel! Thanks to Michael Shore for suggesting it in our title contest.
We took M8 to GenCon in still-unfinished form; all the cards were right, but the art wasn't in place yet. That didn't stop a table full of Munchkin maniacs from enjoying over two hours of backstabbing, sex-changing, monster-whacking mayhem in one of the bloodiest Munchkin games I've ever witnessed! For PAX, we should be able to have a printout of the actual rulesheet and use printouts of the cards with art; come by our demo space under the escalators to get the first peek at the newest Munchkin expansion.
Will we have other Munchkin news at PAX? It seems probable . . . plus you might win a Mega-Chibithulhu! You Munchkin Quest fans of a playtesting bent might also want to drop by when you have a couple of hours to kill. Just don't tell anyone I told you.
Munchkin 8 goes to print very shortly, and will be in stores next spring at a time yet to be announced.
August 9, 2011: Back From GenCon!
Apologies for not having any news yesterday; we were still traveling from Indianapolis where our expanded crew put on a great show at GenCon 2011. Special thanks to Alex, Angie, Ben, Elisabeth, Jimmie, and Liegh for demoing above and beyond the call of duty!
Congratulations to Nick Chavez, winner of the 2011 Munchkin World Cup! Enjoy your ill-gotten gains . . .
Thanks to everyone who came by the booth and played our games, spent money in our capsule machine, or bought new things from the good folks at Adventure Retail -- we always love seeing you!
Next up . . . PAX!
August 1, 2011: A Peek Into The Warehouse
We sell most of our Munchkin games and accessories through Friendly Local Game Stores, and that's exactly how it should be. From time to time, however, we come up with an idea that doesn't quite fit the larger retail market, but that might be profitable (and fun!) at a smaller scale. For those, you should plan to visit Warehouse 23.
Some recent W23 exclusives include the Munchkin Zombies Water Bottle, the Munchkin 10th Anniversary Shot Glass, the +10 Bag o' Munchkin d6, and the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010. If you haven't seen them, why not take a look?
(Don't forget to swing by booth 1401 if you're coming to GenCon -- and bring plenty of quarters to try in our new capsule machine!)
July 25, 2011: Announcing Munchkin The Guild!
At San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, we were pleased to be able to join the cast and crew of The Guild in announcing a new Munchkin booster based on the immensely popular web series, about to begin its fifth season.
This 15-card booster will be illustrated by Jawbone Radio podcaster and Geek a Week artist Len Peralta and is set for a Spring 2012 release.
(Also, don't forget that you still have a day to enter the Munchkin 8 subtitle contest! See the July 13 Munchkin News for details.)
July 18, 2011: Some Reminders
We're running a contest to find the best (or worst) subtitle for Munchkin 8! The winner gets credit in the game and a free copy signed by lots of people. Read the July 13 Munchkin News for more information.
Also, I'm visiting some Los Angeles-area game stores July 18 and 19, before hitting San Diego Comic-Con from the 21st through the 24th:
- Monday, July 18, 1-4 pm: The Game Ogre, Northridge
- Monday, July 18, 7 pm to close: Game Empire Pasadena
- Tuesday, July 19, 1-4 pm: Aero Hobbies and Games, Santa Monica
- Tuesday, July 19, 7 pm to close: Emerald Knights, Burbank
Come by and say howdy, play a game or two, and peek at the new stuff coming out soon!
July 13, 2011: Munchkin 8 – Your Subtitle Here
As announced yesterday during our uStream chat, we're running a contest to find the best subtitle for Munchkin 8 (to be released next spring), a 112-card expansion that introduces the Centaur and Lizard Guy races.
E-mail your entries to contest@sjgames.com by noon Austin time on Tuesday, July 26. We'll pick a winner from there who will receive credit in the game rules and a free copy of Munchkin 8 signed by Steve, John, and Andrew.
The rules:
- It must be short. We can't fit a 20-word subtitle on the cover and still have room for cool art.
- It must be funny. Lame entries will be ignored. REALLY lame entries will be posted on the office bulletin board for general mockery.
- It must be original. No poaching on other people's trademarks, no matter how funny your idea is.
- If we get multiple suggestions of the winning idea, the person to suggest it first gets the credit. You snooze, you lose.
- We reserve the right to toss all the ideas if none of them are good enough.
All entries become the property of Steve Jackson Games. We might save the other good ones and use them later!
July 11, 2011: On The Road Again
I'm attending San Diego Comic-Con to work in the Adventure Retail booth, and I'm heading over to California a few days early to visit some stores, meet some people, and demo some games. Come on by and say howdy!
My schedule:
- Monday, July 18, 1-4 pm: The Game Ogre, Northridge (they've created a meetup where you can alert me to your presence!)
- Monday, July 18, 7 pm to close: Game Empire Pasadena
- Tuesday, July 19, 1-4 pm: Aero Hobbies and Games, Santa Monica
- Tuesday, July 19, 7 pm to close: Emerald Knights, Burbank
I'll have promo cards and bookmarks, some early versions of unreleased Munchkin sets, and maybe a surprise announcement or two. I look forward to seeing everyone!
(Psst, don't forget that Andrew will be chatting on uStream Tuesday (July 12) afternoon at around 5:30 Central time, with me there to make sure he doesn't go off-script.)
July 4, 2011: The Andrew and Angie Show
We'll be bringing our comedy stylings -- or at least Munchkin news and Q&A -- back to our uStream channel on July 12 at around 5:30 pm Central Time (GMT-6). You can ask us your questions LIVE during the chat, or post them on the forums ahead of time so we have time to think up better answers.
June 30, 2011: Munchkin 8 Is Out Of Playtest!
Exciting news! The next 112-card expansion to classic Munchkin is now out of playtest and in John's capable hands for his artistry. It doesn't yet have an official subtitle, but we have several candidates we're thinking about (and some we're trying NOT to).
Thanks to all the victims helpful people who playtested this over the last couple of months. Special thanks to the Munchkin Brain Trust, who made my life hell but ended up significantly improving the game. And SUPER-special thanks to my loyal and slightly masochistic Hireling, Angie, who had to endure dozens of "Isn't this an AWFUL card name?" comments while I finalized the card list. I'm told her therapy bill is in the mail.
Munchkin 8, whatever we finally call it, should be in stores earlyish next year.
June 27, 2011: Out To Lunch
Our office will be closed for our regular summer break from June 27 through July 4. E-mail and phones will go unanswered, Warehouse 23 will not be shipping orders, and we'll try really hard to ignore the forums as well.
See you in July.
June 24, 2011: Munchkin Webcomic Winners
And now, the moment that some of you have been waiting for . . . the winners of our Munchkin Webcomic Contest! We enjoyed doing this. Some of us, definitely including me, are big webcomic fans. Some aren't. My team won. So we got to spend part of the marketing budget in grabbing comic fans' eyeballs for Munchkin while sending Munchkin fans' eyeballs to a lot of different webcomics. Victory! And we got to laugh . . .
In the "Published During the Contest" category:
- First Place -- Rusty And Co. (with a great Bil Keane trope)
- Second Place -- Munchkin Apocalypse (This one would have won an honorable mention if it hadn't made the top three, just on sheer dedication. HOW many pages? Go and see.)
- Third Place -- Rock, Paper, Monster (Right, this is exactly how we play at the office.)
In the "Published Before the Contest" category:
- First Place -- Geektopia (SJ note – the punchline here STILL makes me snicker.)
- Second Place -- Perpendicular Reality (very mildly NSFW even though he didn't get everything he asked for, and yes, I know a lot of you stopped reading in the middle of the sentence to click the link. Perverts.)
In the "Popular Vote" category:
- First Place -- Spaceship Long Island ($1,000 donated to A Forever Home Rescue Foundation)
- Second Place -- Rusty And Co. ($500 donated to the Art Program at P.S. 255 in Brooklyn, NY). Yes, Rusty and Co. won in two categories!
You can see links to all the entries here. Our thanks to all the artists and all the voters. We hope you enjoyed this as much as we did! And if WE enjoyed it more, then we still win!
Will we do this again? Quite possibly, maybe, could be! If we do, though, we'll announce it a lot earlier, so more artists have time to think of stuff, draw, and/or work Munchkin jokes into strip continuity.
June 20, 2011: Munchkin Dice Rules Posted
Since we converted the Munchkin Dice cards into the Munchkin Reloaded! booster, fans have asked if we'll ever post the table from Munchkin Dice so their nifty 10-sided level counters will be usable in their games.
The answer is yes. You can find them on the Munchkin Dice page or on our page collecting all the Munchkin rules.
June 13, 2011: Munchkin 10th Anniversary Shot Glass Now Available!
Celebrate Munchkin's 10th birthday in style . . . with the new Munchkin 10th Anniversary Shot Glass! Available exclusively from Warehouse 23, this shot glass is black with gold printing and will look sharp on any munchkin's table. Plus, you can drink a Strength Potion* from it for in-game combat bonuses!
Quantities are limited, so don't wait, or you might miss out!
* Strength Potion not included.
June 6, 2011: Munchkin Webcomic Contest Voting
We're very excited to have so many entries to the Munchkin Webcomic Contest! We need your input to determine the winners -- go here to vote! (Thanks to ALL the artists who submitted their comics!)
May 31, 2011: And The Big Announcement Was . . . CONAN!
We've been teasing you for a while about our Big New Announcement. A couple of weeks ago we let slip that it would be for Munchkin. Saturday afternoon at Comicpalooza I went onstage to make the real announcement to 100+ fans and some random media (Hi, random media!):
It's Munchkin Conan the Barbarian!
Here's the full announcement!
Steve Jackson Games Announces: Munchkin Conan the Barbarian!
Conan is THE barbarian, defeating monsters, wizards, and whole armies, and this summer he'll hack his way back to the big screen with "Conan the Barbarian."
Munchkin is the ultimate card game of killing monsters and looting the bodies, with over a million games sold in 15 languages (and more on the way).
And now, Steve Jackson brings the two paragons of sword and sorcery together . . . in Munchkin Conan the Barbarian. "All the 'barbarian heroes' of gaming are directly inspired by Conan," Steve said. "When you think of Conan, you think of bloody fantasy action, horrible monsters, and epic loot – and that's Munchkin!"
"No one knows more about killing his foes and taking their stuff than Conan," said Munchkin Brand Manager Andrew Hackard. "The Paradox team are fans of Munchkin, and we love Conan, so this was a match decreed by the gods. The hardest part was cutting all the good stuff in the movie down to 15 cards."
"You think you're tough and can take on Khalar Zym or Marique? With this Munchkin booster you can give it your best shot – just be prepared to lose a level," said Joakim Zetterberg, Director of Publishing at Paradox Entertainment/Conan Properties.
Munchkin Conan the Barbarian will be a 15-card booster for the original fantasy-based Munchkin game. It will hit stores in August 2011. It's illustrated by John Kovalic with the perfect blend of humor and action. The official webpage is http://conan.worldofmunchkin.com.
"Conan the Barbarian" will be released nationwide on August 19, 2011. It features Jason Momoa in the lead role, supported by Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols and Ron Perlman. The official movie webpage is http://www.conanthebarbarianin3d.com.
By Crom!
* * *
And here's a pic of the Men In Black at Comicpalooza, with a table full of prototypes and demo games, and the Munchkin Conan the Barbarian and Munchkin Axe Cop banners. The MIBs were great, and helped keep me sane as I went back and forth between game stuff, the Lego display, and the thousand other things Comicpalooza had on offer.
PS – There were a lot of guesses about what we'd announce, and we had fun reading the wrong ones. Many of you were distracted by the cupcakes. No prizes for you! But one person (and, as far as I know, just one) guessed it right. @ExeltusPendragn sent us a private message on Twitter to say "Is it Conan?". Well spotted, sir! You nailed it! Until midnight May 31 of 2011, you may draw an extra face-up Treasure at the beginning of every turn after your first one!
May 30, 2011: It's OK, Scott, We're Still Friends
Dr. Scott Thorne writes a regular column at the fantastic gaming news site icv2. A recent installment is called Why I Was Wrong About Munchkin, and comes highly recommended by, well, us.
Thanks for the reflections, Scott!
May 28, 2011: Announcing: Munchkin Conan the Barbarian!
Steve Jackson Games, in cooperation with Paradox Entertainment, is pleased to announce the development of a new Munchkin booster based on Conan the Barbarian, coming out this fall. The booster is scheduled for release in August and will cost $5.95.
Keep watching Munchkin News, the Daily Illuminator, and our Twitter stream for immediate updates.
May 23, 2011: Munchkin Webcomic Contest Update #2: The Truth Revealed
If you're wondering, "What Munchkin Webcomic Contest," follow the link!
"It's a Munchkin contest," you say. "All they want is to promote Munchkin."
Wrong! Well, we'll give you partial credit . . . that's not all we want to do. We wanted to find some more cool webcomics to read and share. After all, since V has been cancelled, the chatter around the water cooler has been rather subdued. To that end, we present the latest entries!
- Another from George Ward's Art Animals
- One from Andrew Speers' Old Man Musings: Munchkin Rocks
- Here's a strip from Firedrake & Beetle
- This one is the first of a story arc, from Swing Shift Studios.
- Spaceship Long Island features some familiar looking critters.
Enjoy, and if you're the creative type, remember: the contest ends June 1, 2011! We need more webcomics to read!
-- Paul Chapman
May 16, 2011: Going Mobile
Sorry, that should say "Going TO Mobile" . . . for Mobicon! I'll be on several panels and playing Munchkin when I'm not talking. I'll have an early demo set of Munchkin Zombies 2 and a very early demo set (no art!) of Munchkin Axe Cop. And I may bring something to playtest, as well . . .
I haven't been to Alabama in a very long time, so I'm really looking forward to this trip. If you're coming, be sure to say hi!
P.S. Don't forget about the Munchkin Webcomic Contest! We'll have an update for you later this week.
May 9, 2011: Munchkin Zombies Designer's Notes
When we release a game, we like to ask the designer to write down some thoughts about the creative and development process, what on earth possessed him to come up with such a crazy idea, and where he expects that crazy idea to go from here. Think of it as the "commentary track" on the game.
With Munchkin Zombies, of course, that designer was Steve . . . which means that the Designer's Notes article is two parts "Stupid jokes we haven't used yet," one part "How a Munchkin game goes from a crazy idea to 168 cards in 167 easy steps," one and one-eighth parts "Seriously, why hasn't anyone cloned Kovalic yet?" and more than a dash of BRAAAAAIIIINNS. It's a good read.
Some designer's articles include suggestions on how to play well, but you already know how to play well at Munchkin. Kill the monsters and take their stuff.
May 6, 2011: Munchkin Webcomic Contest Update #1
If you're wondering, "What Munchkin Webcomic Contest," follow the link!
We've already received several entries and wanted to point y'all at those early birds. The contest doesn't close until the end of May, so you have plenty of time to get your submissions in . . . but don't wait TOO long, either!
- Jenny Normal's Real Life Fiction
- Liz Walsh's Tao of Geek
- George Ward's Art Animals
- Wesley K. Hall's We Xogo, "Failed Munchkin Cards"
And remember -- the winners get CASH!! . . . that can be traded for levels . . .
May 2, 2011: May Day! May Day!
Which, it turns out, was yesterday. Guess we missed it. Here are some things YOU may have missed in the past few days:
- We released Glow-In-The-Dark Munchkin Jumbo D6s for sale. This is a Warehouse 23 exclusive, so if you want cool glowing Munchkin dice, head over there! (Will we do other things with those designs? Oh, maaaaaybe . . .)
- Friday evening, Andrew held a uStream video chat where he discussed Munchkin Axe Cop, new Munchkin dice, and Munchkin Zombies 2, among other things. And he answered a lot of questions. The video is archived on the MunchkinTV page if you couldn't be there.
- Saturday, Andrew and Angie visited Wonko's Toys and Games for Steve Jackson Games Day. They ran playtests of Munchkin Axe Cop and Munchkin 8, and answered a lot of questions. Thanks to Eric and Denise for hosting us!
- Yesterday, we posted the May rule for the 2011 Munchkin Silver Piece. (Psst . . . look down.)
- Yesterday was also the start of the Munchkin Webcomic Contest. It's running all this month.
Watch www.worldofmunchkin.com for the latest Munchkin news. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook, too!
April 27, 2011: Quick Reminders Of Upcoming Events
uStream chat with Andrew this Friday evening at 5:30 Austin time! Post your questions in our forum or just bring them to the chat!
Munchkin Axe Cop playtest this Saturday starting at 1:00 at Wonko's Toys and Games in north Austin! Andrew and Angie will be there with promotional goodies!
We're getting ready to release [UNINTELLIGIBLE] on Warehouse 23! Get the cool new exclusive [STATIC] before your friends!
Next week, the Munchkin Webcomic Contest begins! CA$H PRIZES!!!
Keep watching the forums, Twitter, and of course World of Munchkin News for more announcements!
-- Andrew Hackard!
April 25, 2011: In Austin? Near Austin? Want To Play Munchkin Axe Cop?
Of course you do!
We're holding a public playtest of Munchkin Axe Cop on Saturday, April 30, in conjunction with Wonko's Toys and Games in north Austin. They're actually turning that day into a celebration of all things SJ Games, which is pretty cool of them!
Wonko's is having a signup on their Facebook page, but the Facebook-phobic don't have to sign up to attend; it's just a guide to gauge likely attendance.
(Is there a chance that we will bring some unannounced stuff to show off? Oh, maaaaaaybe . . .)
April 21, 2011: Hey, Andrew, What's New?
Want to find out what's new with Munchkin? Come to the next uStream video chat with Andrew on April 29 at 5:30 p.m. If you can't be there or you're impatient, you can also post questions to our forums. As always, the chat will be archived for later perusal.
April 18, 2011: Happy Birthday, Nick!
Recently, Munchkin fan Nick celebrated his 12th birthday with a delightfully Munchkinly birthday cake. The cake was enjoyed by everyone in attendance, and we think it's pretty awesome, too. Thanks for sending the pictures in, Nick! In your next Munchkin game, you can start at Level 2 instead of Level 1.
April 13, 2011: Munchkin Zombies Sherpa Is Now Available!
We teased this in the April 1 Daily Illuminator, but -- surprise! -- it's a REAL product! The Munchkin Zombies Sherpa marker case is now on sale for $40 at Warehouse 23.
We're selling around 125 of these, so don't wait too long, or you may go hungry . . .
April 11, 2011: They Weren't Supposed To Announce That Yet
A late pointer to one of the better news items from April 1: The Munchkin Deckbuilding Game.
April 4, 2011: Axe Cop Update
We've had lots of good response to the Munchkin Axe Cop announcement -- thanks to everyone for the kind words! Steve's been busy at home writing the game, and we expect to have it ready to playtest pretty soon. Last week, the development team bashed on game mechanics for an hour and then sent Steve back home to write more cards. It's a challenge, because we want the game to feel like Axe Cop and still have the Munchkin mechanics that have worked so well for a decade.
Keep watching the World of Munchkin for more news on Munchkin Axe Cop!
March 31, 2011: Reminder: Andrew Will Be In San Antonio This Weekend!
I'm heading to ChimaeraCon this weekend. Saturday, I'll have a table set up with Munchkin Zombies (and Zombies 2!) and one or two things that we're still playtesting. Come on by and try a game! I'll be wearing my blinding yellow Munchkin Zombies shirt.
Sunday morning at 10:00, I'm presenting the "What's New at SJ Games" panel. Want to know what we're thinking about doing later this year? In 2012? After the apocalypse in 2013? So do I! But I'll tell you whatever I'm cleared to reveal . . .
If you don't know about ChimaeraCon, the San Antonio Express-News had a nice article about it today.
March 28, 2011: Castles & Cooks Reviews Munchkin Zombies!
Our friends over at Castles & Cooks wrote a nice review of Munchkin Zombies after PAX East -- go take a look!
March 21, 2011: Andrew on Tour
Not really, but it does feel that way. Now that I'm back from PAX East (very quick summary: wow, lots of you liked Munchkin Zombies!), I wanted to mention that I've got quite a few other convention appearances lined up this year -- considerably more than past years -- so there's a decent chance I might be heading to your neck of the woods. In chronological order:
April 1-3: ChimaeraCon (San Antonio). This is just about the closest thing to a local con I'll hit this year, so I'm really excited to see some friends from my old home town. I'll be demoing games (probably including some playtests, and definitely including Munchkin Zombies!) all day Saturday, and giving a talk about what's new at SJ Games on Sunday. (Yes, that will include Munchkin Axe Cop -- calm down, people!)
May 20-22: MobiCon (Mobile, Alabama). I've never spent more than an hour or so in Mobile, so I'm looking forward to this, and I know the gang there has some great panels and games planned for us.
July 21-24: San Diego Comic-Con (San Diego, duh). I haven't been back to SDCC since 2002, when we were pushing the Hellboy RPG, so I'm really looking forward to seeing how the con has changed. (Hint: It's bigger.) We're thinking about putting together a mini-tour of Southern California game stores before the show; if you're in the LA-SD area and have a favorite store, let us know!
August 4-7: GenCon (Indianapolis). This is always a big show for us, and this year in addition to Munchkin Zombies and Munchkin Zombies 2, we'll be demoing Munchkin Axe Cop and plenty of other things, too! (Special Munchkin bonus: Steve will be attending, for the first time in a LONG time, to help us celebrate Munchkin's tenth anniversary!)
August 26-28: PAX Prime (Seattle). What's to say about PAX except ZOMG? We'll be doing the demo thing and we just might have the 2012 Munchkin core set ready for playtest at the show . . .
September 14-16: ACD Game Day (Madison, Wisconsin). This is a distributor show, not a game convention per se, but I'm including it because (1) it gives us a chance for valuable face time with John Kovalic, and (2) it's my first ever time in Madison and I'm looking forward to meeting Bill at Pegasaurus Games. John assures me this won't be a problem.
October 20-23: Essen Spiel (Essen, Germany). I've been wanting to go to this show for over a decade, so I'm VERY excited about this. I've never been to Germany and haven't even been to Europe since the mid-1990s . . . this is going to be a great trip. I'm looking forward for a chance to talk with our European licensees about our 2012 plans, and even more important, to talk to our European Munchkin fans!
That's all that's on my calendar right now, but Dragon*Con doesn't conflict with PAX for the first time in years (and who needs sleep, really?), RinCon in Tucson this October is looking very possible, and there's an outside chance that I might brave the elements for a return trip to PureSpec in Edmonton, since they moved it a full month after Essen this year. Edmonton's still nice and warm in November, right?
March 14, 2011: PAX East Early Report
Everything went well and Munchkin Zombies was a huge hit. Huzzah! Andrew (and most of the rest of the PAX East crew) will be back in the office tomorrow, and Andrew will probably have more to say about the show after he gets some sleep and slays the e-mail dragon.
March 11, 2011: Axe Cop! Munchkin Axe Cop!
AXE COP exploded onto the net in 2010 with art by Ethan Nicolle and stories by his five-year-old brother Malachai. Axe Cop, Dinosaur Soldier, and the rest of their team fight crime . . . with Super Secret Soda Attacks, "Faint" bullets and bombs, and of course, chopping off bad guy heads!
So . . . you guessed it . . . that big new Munchkin announcement we've been promising is Munchkin Axe Cop!
Axe Cop and Munchkin are a perfect match. Doing this project will be total fun for me. Axe Cop has a manic energy that goes with the Munchkin story . . . kill the bad guys, take their stuff, and level up!
Munchkin Axe Cop will be a third-quarter release, featuring the art of Ethan Nicolle. It will be a stand-alone Munchkin core set.
Read more about Munchkin Axe Cop at axecop.sjgames.com. Read the online AXE COP stories at www.axecop.com. And look for the AXE COP comics from Dark Horse.
March 9, 2011: This IS The Droid You're Looking For!
The Munchkin Level Counter for Android devices just went live. Yippie!
March 7, 2011: Munchkin Zombies At PAX East!
Just a reminder that PAX East is this coming weekend, in Boston, and SJ Games will be showing off several games, both new games and old favorites.
Our friends at the Compleat Strategist will have a few dozen copies of Munchkin Zombies -- if you want one, you may want to get there early! Andrew will be running the Munchkin Zombies Brainless Demo, if you want to learn how to play the game before (or after!) buying it.
Munchkin Zombies will start shipping to distributors next week, so it should be on the shelves at your Friendly Local Game Store by the end of the month. (At least if you're in North America; no promises if you're in Outer Berzerkistan.)
March 3, 2011: uStream Reminder
We'll be chatting tomorrow evening starting at 5:30 p.m. Central Time on MunchkinTV, our uStream web broadcasting channel.
You can post questions via Twitter (use the #Munchkin hashtag, please!) or during the chat in their text message window. And if you can't make it to the live chat, we archive them so you can listen later on.
February 28, 2011: Munchkin 7 (and uStream!)
With the impending release of Munchkin 7 – Cheat With Both Hands, I wanted to make sure everyone was clear on what it is . . . and is not.
Cheat With Both Hands is a redesign of the Munchkin Blender set, with fantasy coloring and art. It has precisely the same card list as Blender, although a large number of those cards have been changed as a result of last year's rule revisions.
The former Munchkin 7 – More Good Cards will not be reprinted. More than 40 of its 56 cards were duplicates of cards in Blender, and so Cheat With Both Hands now fills the niche that More Good Cards was originally created to occupy. However, a dozen or so cards from More Good Cards were created specially for that set, and it seemed a shame to let them go out of print, so we put them and two new cards into an upcoming 15-card booster pack, Munchkin Monster Enhancers.
Confused? Perplexed? Perhaps even . . . twitterpated? Why not bring your Munchkin 7 questions, or anything else that's got you in a bother, to our next uStream chat this Friday, March 4, starting at 5:30 p.m. Central Time. It's been a while since the last one, and we've got plenty of stuff to talk about, so I'm sure I'll see you all there!
February 23, 2011: Munchkin Zombies Review On Geekdad
Dave Banks wrote an awesome review of Munchkin Zombies for the Wired Geekdad blog. (Spoiler alert: He liked it.) Go read it! NOW!
February 21, 2011: "Real Life" Munchkin
Greg Dean recently featured Munchkin in his webcomic, Real Life Comics. The series starts here.
Thanks, Greg!
February 14, 2011: Munchkin Zombies 2 Update!
I'm in New York, looking at all the cool toys and games coming out in the next few months and wondering why we can't get all-night pizza delivery or reliable mass transit in Austin. But that's no excuse for not keeping y'all informed!
Steve approved the last few pieces of Munchkin Zombies 2 art last week, so that supplement now moves to production. If things go well, it can go to print early! We had a number of amusing ideas for the subtitle, some of which may show up at some point in the future (how can you not love Gnaw Thy Enemy?), but Ryan McEathron came up with one that everyone loved, and then I wrote a demented art spec to go with it, and . . . we can't tell you what the title is yet.[1] When we told John, his reply was, "You people really scare me sometimes. Most of the time. All the time. AAAAAIIIIIEEEE!!!"[2]
Now we move on to the next challenges -- Munchkin Zombies and Munchkin Zombies 2 aren't our only releases of the year, not by a LONG shot. But they are big ones and we're glad to see them continuing to move forward.[3]
[1] Two hints: it starts with A and has an ampersand.
[2] This quote may have been slightly embellished for comedic effect.
[3] Did we tell you we'll have a small number of Munchkin Zombies for sale at PAX East? No? We probably should do that.
February 7, 2011: Travel!
I'll be on the road for a pair of important events in the next couple of months.
Next week, I'll be splitting time with Will Schoonover in our booth at the New York Toy Fair, February 13-16 at the Javits Center in Manhattan. Phil Reed will also be there, but his job is to sit in meetings with lots of people while Will and I play games.
In March, I'll be part of the team at PAX East in Boston. Based on what I heard about last year's show, I'm expecting to see every single one of you there. (Incentive: There's a good chance we'll have copies of Munchkin Zombies to show off by then!)
If you're in the neighborhood for either show (or both), come on by!
(One very last reminder: Today's the last day to bid in the auction for items to benefit the Vasel family. Did you know we added a Munchkin Zombies lot? Well, now you do . . .)
February 3, 2011: Reminder: Vasel Family Auction Closes February 7
Just a quick reminder that the BoardGameGeek auction to help the Vasel family ends on February 7.
Quite a few very nice lots have been posted, and people are still adding more items -- some joker just posted an auction for custom Munchkin cards, in fact -- so check back frequently! Those of you who have already posted bids, thank you so much for stepping up.
(Steve Jackson Games is not running this auction; if you have any questions about it, please contact the folks at BGG for more information.)
January 31, 2011: Munchkin Zombies 2 out of Playtest!
We're pleased to report that Munchkin Zombies 2 is now out of playtest! John's already submitted most of the art, so we're ahead of the game on this expansion (literally -- Munchkin Zombies won't be in stores until April).
Yes, we know what the subtitle for Zombies 2 will be . . . but we aren't quite ready to tell y'all yet. Maybe once John finishes the cover . . .
Munchkin Zombies 2 will ship this fall, barring typhoons, a rogue comet, locust-sized silverfish, or an actual zombie apocalypse.
January 26, 2011: An Auction To Benefit The Vasel Family
Many of you have listened to the Dice Tower podcast, hosted by Tom Vasel.
Tom and his family recently lost their new baby, Jack. The kind folks over on BoardGameGeek are running an auction to help support the family in this time of grief. We encourage you to take a look at it and shake out your sofa cushions for any change you can spare.
John Kovalic has donated a page of original Munchkin Zombies 2 art, which he almost never does . . . and this page includes the first versions of some art that has since been redrawn, so this is a true rarity! Thanks, John!
Steve Jackson Games is proud to have donated some things as well:
- Revolution! and Revolution! – The Palace
- Frag Gold Edition and Frag Gold Edition: FTW
- A Munchkin Sammlerbox that turned up in our warehouse during inventory
- And one of the handful of Munchkin Sherpa™ cases left over from our order of 100!
The auction will end on February 7. Thanks for taking a look.
(Steve Jackson Games is not running this auction; if you have any questions about it, please contact the folks at BGG for more information.)
January 24, 2011: Epic Munchkin Is EPIC!
Last week, we uploaded a new version of Epic Munchkin, updated to take the 2010 rule changes into account. It's a free PDF download, no registration required (but if you DO register, you'll be notified whenever we update the file, which we'll be doing in a couple of months when Munchkin Zombies is released).
January 19, 2011: Games Within Borders
We announced this on the Daily Illuminator, but it's worth repeating here:
On the next two Thursdays (January 20 and 27), Borders will be hosting Family Game Nights in locations across the country. It's a great move to bring families -- most of whom wouldn't have any exposure to hobby games otherwise -- and games together. In addition to the sort of word and card games you'd expect to see, we've mobilized the MIBs to show off Zombie Dice. Look for the festivities to start around 6 p.m., but call your local store first; not everyone was lucky enough to run a Game Night!
If you're in Austin, you have three options for Borders gaming-goodness. Ryan will be covering the location in Southpark Meadows. (I can remember when that area was an open field where concerts were held. I saw Blues Traveller there once!) Will and/or Andrew will cover the Borders on South Lamar. Jimmie and I will be in the Domain location, way up north. We'll all be happy to teach you Zombie Dice, and answer any questions about other upcoming releases!
Have a good game!
-- Paul Chapman
(And don't forget that we're having a Munchkin playtest at Wonko's on Sunday! I can now confirm that we're bringing a Munchkin expansion that has NEVER been seen before . . . -- Andrew)
January 17, 2011: Wonko's 2: Electric Boogaloo
Our first experiment was a smashing success, so the Munchkin crew will be returning to Wonko's on Sunday, January 23 at 6:00 p.m. for more playtesting. We'll have Munchkin Zombies 2 again, and some other surprises as well.
Eric's taking a head count, so if you're planning to attend, swing by Wonko's or hit their Facebook page and let him know. We look forward to seeing you then!
January 14, 2011: Best Promo Item Ever
One particularly dedicated Munchkin fan created his own unique card to . . . well, just take a look.
Congratulations and our best illuminated wishes!
January 10, 2011: New Class For Munchkin Booty: Nerd
OK, not really. But I had a great time on the cruise, met lots of awesome people, and talked about Munchkin at considerable length with Beth and Peter Sagal. (Peter's the host of NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!", a show I'm going to have to start listening to.)
That said, it's nice to be home with cheap high-speed Internet, my whole DVD and music collection, and food I don't have to line up to eat. If only the room would quit swaying . . .
Special thanks to Angie for holding down the fort last week!
January 3, 2011: We're Back!
Actually, Andrew isn't: he's off in the Caribbean with the likes of Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Coulton, and Paul & Storm. Lucky jerk. But he promised to take Munchkin Zombies along and teach it to everyone, so I guess we'll let him off the hook. This time.
The rest of us, however, are back in the office and ready to get started on a brand new year of Munchkin! Make sure you check out the new 2011 Silver Piece rule, good every January.
Andrew will be back next week, but right now, I'm in charge -- MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!
-- Angie Kreuser, Munchkin Hireling
December 27, 2010: What's New for Munchkin in 2011?
Obviously, I can't tell you everything we have planned, but there are some things I can discuss:
- Zombies! Expect to see Munchkin Zombies in your Friendly Local Braaaaaaaiiiins Store around the start of May. Munchkin Zombies 2 is planned to be out before the end of 2011.
- Boosters! We've already announced Munchkinomicon and Munchkin Monster Enhancers for next spring. We have a couple more boosters planned for next fall, including (by repeated request!) a Halloween-themed booster.
- Accessories! There will be a some new small, impulse-buy products next year . . . which is all I can say for right now.
- Surprises! Or as we like to call them, Random Product Encounters.
It's a little unnerving to be writing in December 2010 that we're already starting to think about our 2012 releases, but it's true . . . including at least one more core set! (We have some ideas for our 2012 core set, but if there's a game you really want to see, hop over to the forums and let us know!)
December 25, 2010: Cheatin' For Charity
On December 12, John LaRoche and the MIBs from The Triangle, N.C., hosted a Munchkin Charity Tournament.
With seven players, and plenty of onlookers, the tournament raised $190 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The tournament featured a number of “Cheatin’ for Charity” rules, which players and non-players used (and abused!) during the game. The most munchkinly rule was “I’m Cheatin’ & I’m Not Even Playin’!”, which let non-players pay $5 to add monsters to the fight (this was a very popular rule).
All participants received bookmarks and promo cards. Runner-up Buck Holmes snagged a Cthulhu Dice Bag and +6 Bag o’ Munchkin d6. The tournament winner was Butch Arthur, who took home the coveted Utterly Unsinkable T-shirt, signed by Steve Jackson.
Thanks to all participants for their contributions to this worthy cause. And Merry Christmas, from all of us here in the Munchkin dungeon!
-- Angie Kreuser, Munchkin Hireling
December 23, 2010: Angie's Showing Off Zombies!
Our new Hireling, Angie, will be at Rainy Day Games in Aloha, Oregon, on Monday, December 27, showing off Munchkin Zombies (and playtesting Munchkin Zombies 2). She'll be there from 3:00 to 7:00, and of course we've loaded her down with promo stuff (including plenty of 2011 Munchkin Silver Pieces and a very few ultra-rare Blue Silver Pieces). We'll have the Men In Black there, too, helping her out and watching her back. (Stupid Thieves.)
December 20, 2010: You see invisible people.
Which is all you'll see if you peer in the windows at the Steve Jackson Games offices the next two weeks; we're closed until January 3. No one will be answering phones, and e-mail will probably go unanswered (and unread) as well. Remember that the absolute last shipping day for Warehouse 23 is December 22 -- if you don't already have your orders in, better do it quick! (Speaking of Warehouse 23, don't forget about the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster, available RIGHT NOW. Ten cards you can't get anywhere else!!)
(And just so y'all know, I'll be completely off the grid the first week of January, getting my geek on with JoCo Cruise Crazy. You may all now envy me.)
See you next year!
December 17, 2010: Igor Needs Our Help!
Scott Olman, the inspiration for Dork Tower's Igor, is going through a tough patch with some medical bills. To help out, John Kovalic did something he NEVER does: auctioning off the original of a Munchkin cover (in this case, Munchkin Zombies).
This started off as a pointer to get you to go bid, except when Steve heard about it, he said (a) it was a good cause, and (b) if anybody was going to get an original cover it would be US. (And remember Igor's favorite saying: "IT MUST BE MINE!") But we didn't want to pay $2,000, because that's not a Significant Number. $2,300 was better.
So you can't buy that cover any more (though you can see it if you visit Illuminati World Headquarters). But you can still help Scott if you're so inclined. One donation isn't going to cover the bills. Remember: This is a real person. You may love Igor, but Igor is a cartoon character. Scott is real and needs your help. All the details are over on John's blog.
December 16, 2010: Have a Hack-and-Slashy Christmas
Looking for some last-minute stocking stuffers for the Munchkin fans on your Nice list? We've got a collection of Munchkin Christmas goodies right here! (But if you're ordering from Warehouse 23, better get to it -- the last shipping day is December 22, and they're liable to be slammed!)
Hey, speaking of Warehouse 23, don't forget about the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster, available RIGHT NOW. Ten cards you can't get anywhere else!!
December 15, 2010: Braaaaaaaaaaaiiiinnnns . . .
Figured y'all might want a Munchkin Zombies update.
The core Munchkin Zombies set has gone to print. I think this may be the best-looking Munchkin set yet -- John's artwork makes me laugh and shudder at the same time, and the Production Guys did a great job on the coloring. (And wait until you see Alex Fernandez's guest shot on Meals on Wheels!) This set will hit shelves in late April or early May.
Munchkin Zombies 2 is in playtest, and John's working on the art now. (Actual quotes: "HUZZAH!!" "Did I mention these are wonderful? Because they are . . ." "BWA-HA-HA-HA!" So we think John's happy.) We expect to have this one out toward the end of 2011.
Also, we've done several Munchkin Zombies promo cards that will start going out with Warehouse 23 orders and going to our Men In Black early next year. We don't think you'll want to miss these . . .
December 13, 2010: Taking Our Show on the Road
Our weekly after-hours playtest sessions give us a lot of good feedback, and we love seeing our friends come in to play games. But they aren't always convenient for everyone -- some can't make it because of the date or time, and some can't make it because we're way on the south side of Austin and driving through downtown is a torture from Dante's worst nightmares. (Not the Clerks guy -- the other one.)
Luckily, our friends at Wonko's Toys and Games (check out the new location!) have agreed to host a playtest of Munchkin Zombies 2 on Monday, December 13, starting at 7:00 p.m. They're way on the north side, so we're hoping to see a lot of new folks . . . and maybe some old friends for whom this is a more convenient location, time, or both. Previous Munchkin experience is helpful but not required.
December 10, 2010: Be Our Zombie Gamer!
One of the monsters in Munchkin Zombies 2 is the Zombie Gamer. We're looking for the best art model to use for the card. That's where you come in.
Send a photo of yourself in your best Zombie Gamer getup to zombie@sjgames.com by Wednesday, December 15. We'll pick a winner, whose photo will be used as the basis for John's art on the card. The winner will get credit in Munchkin Zombies 2, a signed copy of the game, and the signed original of John's art for the card.
Photos should be under 1 MB. Please use JPEG or GIF format. All submissions become the property of Steve Jackson Games.
December 8, 2010: Pssst! Buddy! Got Some Primo Munchkin Here For Ya!
The trouble with giving Munchkin gifts to the hardcore fans -- you know who I mean, the ones who wear three signed shirts to a tournament and carry the bobblehead with them everywhere -- is that they already have every card that's ever been printed. What if we told you where to get not just one brand-new card, but ten?
(Ok, technically only nine of the cards are totally brand new; the tenth is Pegasus Steed, which has been pretty difficult to find lately.)
The Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010 is a collection of unique cards for Munchkin, Star Munchkin, Munchkin Fu, The Good The Bad And The Munchkin, Super Munchkin, and Munchkin Booty . . . plus a card that works with any Munchkin set.
(And knowing the Munchkin fanbase, few will resist the urge to add wildly inappropriate cards into their decks. After all, who cares if a Tractor Beam makes no sense in the wild seas of Munchkin Booty -- it's a +2 Ship Enhancer!)
As the name implies, the Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010 is only available through Warehouse 23, and it's only $3.99. And it's available NOW. Of course, to qualify for free domestic shipping, you'll need to bulk that shopping cart up to $80. You could check out the Munchkin Christmas page for more holiday themed munchkinism. Or you could just buy 21 copies of Exclusive Warehouse 23 Munchkin Booster 2010 . . .
We also have a new set of Christmas Coins, featuring the Sparkly Good Fairy in green and red. And a brand new Munchkin Monstrous Christmas Card! And our old friend, the Christmas Chibithulhu!! Christmas treasures for every munchkin on your shopping list! (And I didn't even mention Waiting for Santa or Santa's Revenge . . .)
December 6, 2010: Welcome, Angie!
Many of you lovely people, over the years, have claimed that I need help. You'll be happy to hear that I finally have some.
Angie Kreuser has joined the Munchkin team as, yes, my Hireling.* When she’s not helping me carry an extra big item into battle, she enjoys video games, board games, comics, science fiction and fantasy books and movies, and movies featuring Fred Astaire. She is partial to playing Dwarves and Halflings in just about any game she plays. In her lifetime she’s been, in no particular order, a stage manager, a smoothie maker, and an amateur accountant. She also has a Reading Rainbow tattoo and a Wesley Crusher tattoo, both of which amuse her greatly.
For now, we're keeping Angie hidden in the dungeons at Munchkin HQ, but I'm sure she'll emerge in good time to torment you all. Everyone be sure to welcome her appropriately!
* Angie is immune to the Kill the Hireling card. Don't even THINK about it.
November 29, 2010: Flash News! Demo Munchkin!
We all have friends who are so addicted to computers that they never seem to take a break to play a real game.
Show them what they're missing by pointing their browsers at the new Munchkin Flash Demo . . . and then invite them over to play the full game!
November 25, 2010: Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, which means that your friendly Munchkin Czar (and the rest of the SJ Games crew) is taking a couple of well-earned days off to reflect on what we're most thankful for -- including the support of all our Munchkin fans, without whom we'd all have to find boring jobs. It's our pleasure and privilege to write games, and today of all days, we wanted to make sure that you knew that we know it. Thanks, y'all.
See you Monday.
November 22, 2010: Welcome To The Warehouse! We've Got Fun And Games
Been to visit Warehouse 23 lately? If not, you probably don't realize that in addition to the full line of Munchkin goodness available at your Friendly Local Game Store, we occasionally have items exclusive to W23. For instance, you can now buy the Munchkin Monstrous Christmas Card to give to your favorite Munchkin fan . . . or keep for yourself. After all, it's got a game bonus!
Coming up soon, we're going to have a W23 exclusive that has me VERY excited. I've been told I can't say anything about it yet, so pretend I didn't mention that it has new Munchkin cards you cannot get ANYWHERE else.
(A quick reminder: the SJ Games offices will be CLOSED this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving in the United States. That means that Warehouse 23 orders won't ship, and staff won't be around to answer e-mails or phone calls. We'll be back up and running on Monday, November 29.)
November 15, 2010: Munchkin Zombies Preview On Geekdad
Did we here at Munchkin News mention that Wired's Geekdad blog ran a week-long Munchkin Zombies preview, with art previews and commentary by Steve Jackson and John Kovalic?
We didn't?
That was dumb of us. We should fix that.
November 8, 2010: Munchkin Zombies Update
We haven't talked much about the new set, Munchkin Zombies, so let me rectify that now.
The set is out of playtest (which doesn't mean we aren't still tweaking rules -- we just changed a couple of cards last week!) and all of John's art is in and colored. We have one guest artist: our very own Alex Fernandez, who drew art for Meals On Wheels that is going to keep me up at night. Alex is also responsible for the great card backgrounds and the overall design of the set. Thanks, Alex!
John Kovalic outdid himself drawing the various Atomic, Voodoo, Smart, and Fast Zombies (and all the other types that I'm not ready to spill yet); this may be the most disgusting set of Munchkin cards we've ever done. And Steve gleefully wrote the art specs that John worked from, so he gets his fair share of the blame credit, too. (I dabbled around the edges, so I'm not particularly pure, either.) In fact, we had so many good ideas that we were able to take our very favorites for the core set. What about all the ideas that got discarded during development? Steve and I already have more cards than we need for Munchkin Zombies 2 . . .
Munchkin Zombies will be out next April. Plenty of time to work on your favorite recipe for braaaaaaaaaains.
November 4, 2010: It's Another Munchkin Party!
Apologies for the short notice on this one; November kind of crept up on us and attacked from behind.
Tomorrow night (Friday, November 5), Richmond Comix in Midlothian, Virginia will be having a Munchkin Party Night! (You'll recall that they were the winners of the OMG We Can't Just Have One At Our Own Friendly Local Game Store party, which was held at Tribe Comics & Games this past Sunday.) The Richmond Comix party will start at 6:00 Friday evening and continue until everyone's too tired to read the cards anymore, or until the local constabulary rousts folks out and sends them home. Some of the local Men In Black will be there running demo games and handing out all kinds of loot, and I heard a rumor that there will be pizza . . . mmmm, pizza.
Hope those of you in the greater Richmond area will be able to attend!
November 1, 2010: Thanks, Jester's Playhouse!
At the recent Alliance Open House in Ft. Wayne, Steve auctioned off a unique opportunity: an appearance, drawn by John Kovalic, on a future Munchkin promotional bookmark. (Plus, the winner gets to keep the original artwork!) Our friends at Jester's Playhouse, in Northfield, N.J., won the auction with an astounding $1,000 bid, which is going to help the good folks at ProLiteracy. On behalf of everyone, especially the people who will receive help as a result of their generosity, thanks to the entire JP team!
October 25, 2010: Come To A Party!
You may recall that Tribe Comics & Games, right here in Austin, was one of the winners of the Munchkin Party Night Contest back in July.
They've decided to hold a Halloween party in conjunction with their second anniversary and our 30th (holy fnord!!), so we'll all be there from noon until 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 31. We'll have prototype sets of Munchkin Zombies to play. We'll be showing off Revolution! – The Palace, Zombie Dice, and Cthulhu Dice. We'll have lots of Munchkin promo items to give away . . . including the 2011 Silver Piece. We'll have candy. And who knows what other surprises?
If you're in Austin, or willing to travel to Austin, c'mon by and have some fun with us!
October 18, 2010: Andrew's Heading North Of The Border!
Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard will be the gaming guest of honor -- sorry, "honour" -- at Pure Speculation Festival 2010 in Edmonton, Alberta, October 22-24. He's planning to talk about what's new with Steve Jackson Games, to try to explain his own convoluted path from the high school faculty lounge to Munchkin World HQ, and of course to show off some unreleased games (including hosting a special charity game of Munchkin Zombies!).
Andrew hasn't been to Alberta before, and is very excited to meet all the good folks of Edmonton and experience this "autumn" he's heard so much about. Come on by and say howdy!
October 11, 2010: Dice!
One nice side effect of doing more dice games is that we're learning plenty about dice production, and it's bearing fruit in Munchkin as well. Take a look at this picture of the snazzy six-sided dice going into the new printings of the Munchkin core sets.
What's that? A question in the back? Will there be ways to get the dice separately, if you already have the core sets? Wow, look at the time . . .
October 6, 2010: These "Munchkin" Labeled Dice Are Not Official!
We have learned that the Polish company Q-Workshop, which produced the "Wicked Munchkin Die" and the "Munchkin Cthulhu Dice of Doom" under license, has shipped at least four other dice sets with the Munchkin trademark and images, and with rules advertised as for use with Munchkin. None of these four sets went through our approvals process, let alone GOT approval. They sent me a photo of one prototype die in December of last year, and I commented . . . and apparently they asked one of our European MIBs for rules suggestions. That seems to have been it. But now we have found out that they made them and SHIPPED them.
We don't even know for sure when the unapproved sets were shipped. Until yesterday (Tuesday), we only had a copy of ONE of those sets . . . because an American MIB showed it to us when we visited Con*Stellation earlier this month! We are now, as you might have guessed, discussing the problem with Q-Workshop, and yesterday we got copies of three other sets.
All Q-Workshop dice except the Wicked Munchkin Die and the Munchkin Cthulhu Dice of Doom are unofficial and not usable in Munchkin tournament play in any language, regardless of what the package says. We have been told that some of the unapproved dice (and their rules) have gotten into official tournaments at conventions. That's over, it's done with, the gods of Munchkin have blown a raspberry, and the results of those events remain official.
At this time, the Wicked Munchkin Die and the Munchkin Cthulhu Dice of Doom remain official and tournament-legal, unless the rules of a specific tournament forbid them.
To our Munchkin fans who bought these dice, assuming they (and the rules) were "real" Munchkin items, I apologize. This completely blindsided us. When we grant a license, we trust the licensee will respect its approval process, so the name "Munchkin" on the package actually means something. Around here, we are still going "Wait, they did WHAT? They have SHIPPED these?"
October 4, 2010: Dungeon Design For Dummies
Shortly after we released Munchkin Cthulhu 4 – Crazed Caverns, Steve wrote an article talking about the process of writing Dungeon cards. In all the summer convention madness, we totally forgot to point at it. So now we are.
September 27, 2010: A Good Problem To Have
Life is full of problems. Some of them are big. Some of them are small. Some of them are just mind-boggling. Our Atlanta warehouse selling out of Munchkin Cthulhu, Munchkin Boxes of Holding, and the +6 Bag O' Munchkin d6 less than a month after they started shipping them is an example of that last one. (Heck, they just started shipping the Boxes and the Bags O' d6 last week!)
What does this mean for you, the loyal Munchkin consumer? It means that you may want to go ahead and do that holiday shopping now, because once the distributors run out of these games (not to mention half a dozen others that are already low in stock), they are unlikely to see more before 2011. And since Warehouse 23 gets its shipments directly from Atlanta, once we're out, we're DEFINITELY out.
What does this mean for me, your friendly neighborhood Munchkin Czar? First, it means that we badly underestimated demand for some products -- like the title says, it's not a bad thing to make something that's a lot more popular than you hoped. It also means that I get to spend time huddled up with some Munchkin sets that I thought were safely on the shelf for a year or so, getting the next printings done so we aren't out any longer than we have to be. And here I was worried things were getting slow.
Finally, it means that we here at SJ Games owe you, the Munchkin players, a huge thank you for continuing to buy and play our games. Quite literally, you pay our salaries, and even when your insatiable need for new Munchkin stuff keeps us up late at night wondering where all our shiny new toys went, we are very grateful.
September 20, 2010: Second Chances
Those people who attended Friday's uStream chat got to hear all kinds of questions get answered, including my rambling answer to the longest Munchkin game I ever played.
Fortunately, you didn't miss out if you couldn't make it: we post the chats so you can view them later. Just head over to the MunchkinTV page to see all the chats I've done.
September 16, 2010: Reminder: Andrew Chats Tomorrow Night!
In case you missed the announcement in the Daily Illuminator, or on Twitter, or on our forums (and if you missed all those, where in the heck do you GET your news, anyway?), Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard will be hosting another uStream chat tomorrow night (9/17) at 7:00 p.m. Austin time (GMT-6). Topics will include new Munchkin releases, upcoming Munchkin reprints, and just possibly a leak or two about Munchkin Zombies. You don't want to miss it! (But, if you do, the chat will be available on the uStream page as soon as it's done.)
September 13, 2010: Schedule Changes
Greetings from Munchkin Central! It's that time when we look at the Munchkin schedule and let you know what's going on, especially as some things have experienced some printing or shipping delays.
The reprints of Munchkin Fu and the Munchkin Cthulhu series, including Munchkin Cthulhu 4 – Crazed Caverns, should be hitting U.S. stores this week . . . next week at the VERY latest. (Some of you may have already seen them!) Munchkin Marked for Death, the Munchkin Boxes of Holding, and the +6 Bag o' Munchkin d6 will start shipping from our Atlanta warehouse this week; look for them in your FLGS before the end of the month. We're also about to start shipping the latest printing of Munchkin Fu 2 – Monky Business (which finally has icons on the cards).
Now for some bad news: most of the rest of the Munchkin releases for 2010 have hit some delays. We expect Munchkin: Go Up a Level, Munchkin Quest: Portal Kombat, and Munchkin: Santa's Revenge to be in stores in early November. Ditto the latest printings of Super Munchkin 2 – The Narrow S Cape and Munchkin Booty. Appearing on your store shelves closer to Thanksgiving (or the end of November, if you aren't in the United States) will be Munchkin Booty: Fish & Ships and reprints of Munchkin Booty 2 – Jump the Shark and The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin.
Finally, in December you'll see reprints of Munchkin 4 – The Need for Steed, Star Munchkin, and Star Munchkin 2 – The Clown Wars, along with the new boosters Star Munchkin: Space Ships and Munchkin Reloaded!
And then we all take a long break . . . except not. We still have the reprints of Munchkin 5 – De-Ranged and Munchkin 7 – Blender for early 2011, plus plenty of new stuff coming out as we start to celebrate Munchkin's 10th birthday! Keep watching the New Releases page for the latest information about what's coming up.
September 6, 2010: Re-Marked for Death
Every now and then, we screw up. (By "we," of course, I mean "I." Let's not make this about me, though.) If you haven't taken a gander at our errata pages, you should; it's one of the things that, in my opinion, we do completely right.
The insert in Munchkin Marked for Death was not completely right, and I missed it during the proofing process. We've fixed it now, though, and have posted the errata so you can fix it as soon as you buy your set. Or you can download an already-fixed version (plus a full script) at the Marked for Death page.
Sorry for the screw-up, y'all.
August 30, 2010: 20 Real-World Games
Munchkin got an article in Gama Sutra's feature, "Game Design Essentials: 20 Real-World Games." Thanks for mentioning us!
(Don't forget to come by and say hello if you'll be at PAX Prime this weekend!)
August 23, 2010: Get Well, Loren!
Those of you who are long-time Munchkin fans, and who pay attention to game credits, will have seen Loren Wiseman's name over and over. Loren's a very smart guy, GURPS Traveller Line Editor, and frequent Munchkin playtester. He recently had a minor heart attack and is currently at home following quadruple bypass surgery. I know you'll all join me in wishing him a full, swift recovery.
August 16, 2010: An Audience With the Czar
Just a reminder: if you missed any (or all!) of our uStream chats, we saved them so you can watch them later. (You missed some fun post-chat conversation, though -- think of it as "bonus content" for the people who showed up.)
When's the next one? That's a good question. Watch this space!
August 9, 2010: GenCon Is Over
Thanks to everybody who came by our booth and said nice things about Munchkin, about SJ Games in general, and even *BLUSH* about me. It's wonderful to meet the people who make our cool jobs possible.
Let's do it all again in Seattle next month!
August 2, 2010: Munchkin Scheduling: A Game Unto Itself
We work very hard to plan our Munchkin releases months in advance. Right now, in fact, we're working more than a year ahead, to make sure you have monster-killing goodness on a regular schedule.
That's great for us. But sometimes, we juggle things around.
For instance, last week, I got summoned to a meeting in Steve's office, where Phil and Steve wanted to know what I thought about a new Munchkin idea. I told them I thought it was fantastic and we should totally make it happen for next summer.
And so we are. We'll have to step nimbly and move quickly to make it work, and it means that at least one of the things that was on the 2011 schedule will probably fall into 2012, but that's just the way things work sometimes . . . even when you're planning more than a year ahead. If the idea is good enough, it's worth the pain.
July 26, 2010: The Wrath of Con
A couple of y'all have asked what cons I'll be attending this summer. I'll be attending three shows: GenCon, PAX Prime, and Pure Speculation. If you live near Indianapolis, Seattle, or Edmonton, or you're just up for a trip, please come by and say howdy. It's always good to meet the folks who make it possible for me to have one of the best jobs in the world. (I'm pretty confident that out of almost 7 billion human beings, there's only one whose job title is "Munchkin Czar." That is seriously cool.)
It's unlikely that I'll be scheduling more convention travel this fall, since that conflicts with my religious observances, but there's always an outside chance that I'll get an offer I can't refuse. So watch this space and keep an eye on our Twitter stream for late-breaking announcements of all types!
(If you're planning to play in a Munchkin game at one of these conventions, and you have an iPhone/iPod touch -- and, soon, an Android -- you totally should head over to the Level Counter App page and download it ahead of time. The smartphone Level Counter is legal in all Munchkin games!)
July 19, 2010: Munchkin Party Night Contest Results!
Back in May, we announced a Munchkin Party Night Contest, in which one randomly selected entry would receive a Big Pile O' Munchkiny Goodness for himself and a somewhat nebulously specified "Munchkin Party Night" for his Friendly Local Game Store.
We collected all the entries in a super-secret triple-locked safe, disguised as a common intraoffice mailbox. Last week, we threw 'em all in the +3 Vault Of Totally Random Selection -- disguised as a cardboard box liberated from the warehouse -- and drew a winner.
And then we decided to draw another.
The first person drawn submitted a receipt from a Friendly Local Game Store frequented by several of the folks here at Munchkin Central. It wasn't fair to disqualify the entry just because we know and like the guys at his store, but we also wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety. So we drew a second name, officially designated the Runner-Up, who will ALSO get the Big Pile O' Munchkiny Goodness and a Munchkin Party Night for his FLGS.
Our Official Contest Winner, recipient of one copy of everything published for Munchkin and Munchkin Quest throughout the rest of 2010, is Carl Lohn, from Kyle, Texas. His Friendly Local Game Store, site of the Official Munchkin Party Night, is Tribe Comics & Games, here in Austin.
Our Official Contest Runner-Up, recipient of another copy of everything published for Munchkin and Munchkin Quest throughout the rest of 2010, is Dan Laing, from Chesterfield, Virginia. His Friendly Local Game Store, site of the Other Official Munchkin Party Night, is Richmond Comix, in Midlothian, Virginia.
Congratulations to both winners and to both winning stores -- we'll be in touch to set up your Party Nights! (We'll post the details as soon as we nail them down.)
July 12, 2010: Fun Time With Andrew
Did you enjoy the uStream chats with your Munchkin Czar? Good: I did. too. And so we're doing it again on July 16! I'll be talking about the new Munchkin releases for October and whatever else might be on your minds. We'll get started a little earlier than usual: 6 p.m. Central Time (GMT-6).
And if you missed the earlier chats (siiiigh), you can watch parts One and Two of my first chat and the entire hour (rounding up a few minutes) of my second chat by following the links.
July 5, 2010: We're Back!
The SJ Games office is open again, and we'll be catching up on all your calls and e-mails. Thanks for your patience while we dig out from under.
Most important . . . we'll be picking the winner of our Munchkin Party Night Contest later this week, so watch this space and the Daily Illuminator to see if you're the lucky person!
June 28, 2010: We're Closed!
No one's in the office this week, including Warehouse 23. We'll be back bright and early on the morning of July 5.
(This is the last week to enter the Munchkin Party Night Contest!)
June 21, 2010: Out To Lunch
Andrew's away for the week at a family reunion in [REDACTED], so he won't be checking his e-mail very often. If you're going to Origins . . . you won't see Andrew, but you WILL see Randy, Will, Ryan, and other SJ Games staff and volunteers. Say hi!
In the meantime, we just uploaded a revised Munchkin Thingies list (Note: link is to a PDF file), with the updated text for all Classes, Races, Loyalties, and Accents in all Munchkin sets. So far. If you want to see all kinds of other cool stuff we've posted for Munchkin, check out the Resources Page.
(Remember: next week the entire SJ Games office is closed, including Warehouse 23. We'll be back up and running on July 5. But you can still send in your entries to the Munchkin Party Night Contest!)
June 17, 2010: Random Munchkin Questions
Answers to some questions about the Munchkin line that have cropped up recently:
Q: What can you tell me about what's coming out the rest of this year? What about next year?
A: Other than what we've announced on the New Releases page or leaked via the Daily Illuminator, Twitter, or the forums, nothing.
Q: Are we ever going to see a new printing of Munchkin Dice, the Munchkin Miniatures, or the Munchkin Level Counter?
A: Some of those may come back in some form, someday. (You can order at least some of the Munchkin Miniatures as singles from Warehouse 23.) Of course, you can get the Munchkin Level Counter app for the iPhone right now.
Q: Where's my Android Level Counter?
A: We're working on it. We're just as eager as you are to get it out there.
Q: I really enjoyed watching Andrew's uStream chats. What a handsome, well-spoken, charming young man. Will he be doing more of those in the future?
A: You are too, too kind, Mom random Internet correspondent. They're fun for us, too, so we're definitely planning to do them at least semiregularly.
Q: Are you going to do anything with the winner (and honorable mentions) of the Card Submission Contest? Put them in a 2011 expansion, perhaps?
A: What a brilliant idea!
Q: What about all the other entries?
A: Some of the good ones will find their way into Munchkin products over the coming years. Some of the really, really bad ones have already found their way to the bulletin board in the break room, next to the letters from the nice people who are convinced the Illuminati are real.
Q: Are you saying the Illuminati aren't real?
A: Wow, look at the time . . .
June 14, 2010: Did You Miss Me?
Aww, that's sweet, I missed you too . . .
Oh, you meant the uStream chat last Friday. Sigh. Story of my life. Fear not, dilatory friends, for through the magic of the big "Record" button, we've saved this chat (and most of the first one) for posterity. Head on over to our uStream channel and have a gander!
(Anyone want to buy a heart, slightly broken?)
June 9, 2010: Random News Items
Item the First: Don't forget about the Munchkin Party Night Contest!
Item the Second: We posted the revised Munchkin FAQ and Change Log yesterday. Check 'em out!
Item the Third: Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard will be conducting a live online chat this Friday at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. The chat will be held on uStream, free to anyone with a Web browser, and will be archived afterward so everyone can check it out. Andrew will be talking about Munchkin 19th printing, the newly uploaded Munchkin FAQ, and maybe some previews of coming games.
If you have questions about any of these items, why not swing by the forums and drop them into the uStream question thread now, before you forget?
June 7, 2010: FAQ Update
We've been talking about a new FAQ for months now. We'd hoped to have it ready to go before, or at least shortly after, the announcement of Munchkin 19th printing. Instead, it's taken weeks extra.
The reason, quite simply, is that it's a BIG document. We believe strongly that it's better to get it right than to post an intermediate, inferior version.
That's the bad news. The good news is that the process is nearly done; I hope that we'll be able to post it in the next couple of days. Along with the new FAQ, we'll (finally) have the Change Log for the 2010 and subsequent printings of the Munchkin games, so those of you who want to know what has changed will have a guide.
Watch Twitter and watch this page for news of the FAQ update when it happens.
May 31, 2010: We Pause . . .
Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day on which we commemorate all those who have fallen in our country's service.
Munchkin HQ is closed. We'll be back tomorrow.
May 27, 2010: What's Up With Blender And More Good Cards
Once upon a time, Munchkin needed an expansion to help those crazy folks blend their sets together. You know, the sort of players who throw all their cards together, and shout "Woot!" loudly when the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment is wielded by a Ninja against Great Cthulhu. The set was called Munchkin Blender, and for a while it was good.
Then, during the planning of the various changes we would roll into Munchkin 19th printing, we saw a solid stream of feedback. Since most people started with the core fantasy Munchkin, that was the most common card back in their jumbo blended decks. Munchkin Blender, sadly, had a bright purple card back that didn't mix well at all.
The original solution was to bring some of the Blender cards, along with some new cards, into fantasy Munchkin in an expansion called Munchkin 7 – More Good Cards. But with the Big Change upon us, we decided to take it one step further. Blender is now Munchkin 7 and will have backs that match the rest of the fantasy sets. The 13 cards from More Good Cards that do not duplicate cards from Blender will return in a booster early next year, so you aren't losing anything.
(To clear up one likely question right now: the Blender cards that are in Go Up a Level use the purple design.)
May 24, 2010: The iPhone Level Counter and 19th Printing
Some of you may be asking whether the iPhone Level Counter needs an update to work with the new cards and rules.
The answer, happily enough, is no. Every Boon in the Level Counter works just fine with either the old or new rules. Go us!
(Android users, we're beta testing a Level Counter for Android right now. Watch this space for updates!)
May 19, 2010: Card Submission Contest Results!
We apologize for the delay in getting this posted; we had hundreds of exceptional entries, and it took us a couple of extra days to pick a winner. This was a hard contest to judge!
Ultimately, our selections boiled down to "Is this a good Munchkin card?" That's hard to define, but includes how the card matched up with existing cards, how easily we could visualize John's artwork for the card, and a nebulous "fun factor" that we won't even attempt to quantify. All of the entries that made the final cut made us say, "Ooh, that's a good card" as soon as we read the description. There were enough of those finalists that we went ahead and picked three Honorable Mentions:
Escape Goat, by Eric Beck
Complete Equipment Set, by Nicholas Vacek
Avatar, by Jens Kleine
The winning entry was Sidekick: Psychic Sidekick, by Patrick Konshak. As his prize, Patrick receives the #1 copy of Munchkin, 19th printing, signed by Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, and Andrew Hackard.
Congratulations to Patrick, Eric, Nicholas, and Jens, and our thanks to everyone who entered the contest!
(Don't forget to look at the Daily Illuminator for lots of news about the 19th printing: today it talks about some of the Munchkin reprints scheduled for the next few months.)
May 16, 2010: Press Release: Munchkin 19th Printing
We've posted a press release with a few more details about Munchkin, 19th printing . . . including another look at the nifty new custom d6, and a few more cards with pretty color art.
May 15, 2010: Go Up a Level!
Since its release in 2001, the Munchkin line has become a mega-hit. We couldn't be happier.
But games evolve, and in the latest printing (see yesterday's DI) we're changing some cards for clarity or balance. Of course, we don't expect our fans to buy their Munchkin collection all over again.
Munchkin: Go Up a Level is the solution. It's meant to replace cards from the sets that
-- Paul Chapman
May 14, 2010: Munchkin Like You've Never Seen It!
Steve Jackson Games is happy – and proud! – to announce that, beginning with the 19th printing of Munchkin, the fantasy sets will have John Kovalic's classic cartoons in full color. Color reprints of Unnatural Axe and Clerical Errors are coming in June, and the other fantasy expansions will be colored as their reprints come up over the rest of the year.
But that's not all. As long as we were adding a new coat of paint, we took the opportunity to clarify some rules and cards, based on questions that have cropped up over the years. We revised and reorganized the rulesheets for all the Munchkin core games and added two pages while we were at it, making the type larger and leaving more room to show off the art. We tweaked the wording on dozens of cards to make them easier to understand and more fun to play. And we're putting a custom six-sided die into every Munchkin core game. (Those of you who follow us on Twitter have seen a photo of some of these dice – they look good!)
Almost every reprint we do is tweaked a little bit. This is a big tweak, but it's not a new edition. Those of you who already own a couple (or a couple dozen) Munchkin sets can keep right on playing. If you want to use the updated rules in your current game, we've got you covered; check this space tomorrow. Of course, if you want new sets, we're happy to sell them to you!
We've set up a special discussion thread in the Munchkin forum for everyone to ask questions and give us feedback. You can also ask us via Twitter: just put @sjgames at the start of your note and include the hashtag #Munchkin. Additionally, Andrew Hackard will be hosting a uStream chat this evening at 6:30pm CDT to answer some of those questions, and talk about the upgrades in more detail. (If you can't make the chat, don't worry – we'll announce more over the next few weeks right here and in the Daily Illuminator!)
The full-color Munchkin begins shipping to distributors on May 24, and should arrive on the shelves of your favorite hobby games retailer two to three weeks later.
Kill the monsters, steal the treasure, and stab your buddies – in color!
May 10, 2010: One Of THOSE Weeks
You know how sometimes, in a long, close friendship (like we at Munchkin HQ have with all you loyal Munchkin fans), you run out of things to talk about?
This is one of those weeks.
...or is it? Maybe you should keep your eyes open.
May 6, 2010: The Droids You're Looking For
Ever since we first announced that we were working on a Munchkin Level Counter for the iPhone, we've been inundated with requests from owners of other smartphones to port it over.
As we've teased on Twitter, we're now evaluating a beta version of the Munchkin Level Counter for Android. No ETA, not even internally, but progress is being made.
May 3, 2010: Thank You May, Sir I Have Another?
It's May, and that means there's a new rule posted for the 2010 Munchkin Silver Piece. The current rule is always available on the main World of Munchkin page (if that's where you are, look right under this news item!), and previous rules are archived. If you have the 2008 or 2009 coins, that's where you find those rules.
If you haven't been able to find a 2010 coin, I'll point you at the Munchkin Christmas Coins, now available at Warehouse 23, which let you use the correct 2010 rule twice, and have special effects during the holiday season!
April 29, 2010: Contest Ends TOMORROW!
It's not too late to enter the Munchkin Card Submission Contest! But after tomorrow, it will be . . .
Details are in the previous news item, and a FAQ about the contest is in the one before that.
April 26, 2010: Card Contest Closes Cfriday!
Alliteration is important!
The Munchkin Card Submission Contest closes this Friday. The March 29 announcement is reposted below for procrastinators. Also be sure to read the FAQ posted last week.
An important part of the World of Munchkin is the Munchkin card suggestion page. We've used quite a few of those fan-submitted ideas in the past, and we're always open to more. If you've got the ultimate Munchkin card idea burning a hole in your brain, now's your chance to send it in. (The card, not the brain.)
We're going to award a copy of an upcoming UNANNOUNCED Munchkin set to the person who submits the best* new card idea (for any Munchkin card game!) between March 31 and April 30. The set will have signatures from Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, and Andrew Hackard, making it a collector's item. (So be sure that your e-mail address is accurate . . .)
Type ***CONTEST ENTRY*** into the comments field so that we don't miss your brilliant idea when we go through the list.
* In the sole opinion of the contest judge(s).
Legal meeble: Employees of Steve Jackson Games are ineligible to win the contest, but don't let that stop you from submitting ideas. All card submissions become the property of Steve Jackson Games. If we use your idea, even if you don't win the contest, you'll get credit and a copy of the set in which it appears! (Warning: Lots of ideas are essentially duplicates . . . either of existing cards, or of card ideas we already had on the list. On the other hand, some suggestions result in cards that the original suggestor would not recognize, but WE know where we got the idea and we give credit accordingly. Therefore, the final decision as to who gets credit is entirely up to us here at Munchkin Central!)
April 22, 2010: Card Submission Contest FAQs
For those who haven't been keeping up, we're running a contest for the best Munchkin card idea submitted during April. (See the March 29 Munchkin News for more details.) Here are a few FAQs we've accumulated the past three weeks:
Q: Does this include Munchkin Quest?
A: No, just the Munchkin card games.
Q: Can I send in more than one idea?
A: Absolutely! Please make each submission a separate entry.
Q: I've already submitted an idea; will it be considered?
A: We don't plan to look at all the entries in the database, so if you want to be certain your idea is looked at, you should resubmit it with ***CONTEST ENTRY*** in the comments field.
Q: I have this awesome idea for a new set –
A: Stop right there. We're looking for cards, not sets. We know what sets we want to do for the next year and a half, at least.
Q: When will we know who won?
A: If you're the winner, you'll know as soon as we make the decision. If you're not the winner, you might want to check Munchkin News on May 17.
Q: What's the prize?
A: That would be telling.
Good luck to all entrants!
April 19, 2010: Pro Moe
Everyone who thinks that Larry and Curly dragged down the genius of the one and only true Stooge, stand up and be counted!
[whisper]
Oh. Um. Sorry, this should be "promo," one word, and tell you about the neat promo cards coming up this year: some old favorites back for a repeat and some that you've never seen before. And as much as I'd love to tell you what they all are, we seem to be short on time. We'll be sending these out to our Men In Black to hand out when they're running Munchkin games, and we're looking into other ways to make them available, too.
And just because we really like you, we'll leak the name of the first new promo card of the year: Henchmonster.
April 12, 2010: Blue Mint
Munchkin numismatists, rejoice! There is another Munchkin coin to add to your collection: the Blue Silver Piece. (Don't think about that too hard.)
Head to your Friendly Local Game Store and look for Game Trade Magazine. The current issue has a cover by John Kovalic and the Blue Silver Piece as an insert.
And yes, of course it has its own rule.
(We still have a few copies of the Christmas coins as well. Y'know, in case blue and silver don't do it for you.)
Disclaimer: "Blue Mint" is a pun, not an actual description. Please do not taste your Munchkin coins.
April 5, 2010: Plans Fomented
John's visit to our humble office was VERY productive. We're definitely moving ahead with . . . well, stuff.
That I can't tell you about. Yet.
But I will, ohhhh yes, just you wait.
(If you haven't entered our card submission contest, there's still plenty of time! Click on "Previous Munchkin News" and scroll down to the March 29 entry for the details.)
March 31, 2010: Reminder: Contest Starts Today!
Our Munchkin card submission contest starts today! Some of you jumped the gun a bit . . . shame, shame. (But we'll still count the entries. We're pushovers.)
For full details, see the March 29 entry in Munchkin News.
(Also, John Kovalic's in town! Woot!)
March 29, 2010: A Contest!
An important part of the World of Munchkin is the Munchkin card suggestion page. We've used quite a few of those fan-submitted ideas in the past, and we're always open to more. If you've got the ultimate Munchkin card idea burning a hole in your brain, now's your chance to send it in. (The card, not the brain.)
We're going to award a copy of an upcoming UNANNOUNCED Munchkin set to the person who submits the best* new card idea (for any Munchkin card game!) between March 31 and April 30. The set will have signatures from Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, and Andrew Hackard, making it a collector's item. (So be sure that your e-mail address is accurate . . .)
Type ***CONTEST ENTRY*** into the comments field so that we don't miss your brilliant idea when we go through the list.
* In the sole opinion of the contest judge(s).
Legal meeble: Employees of Steve Jackson Games are ineligible to win the contest, but don't let that stop you from submitting ideas. All card submissions become the property of Steve Jackson Games. If we use your idea, even if you don't win the contest, you'll get credit and a copy of the set in which it appears! (Warning: Lots of ideas are essentially duplicates . . . either of existing cards, or of card ideas we already had on the list. On the other hand, some suggestions result in cards that the original suggestor would not recognize, but WE know where we got the idea and we give credit accordingly. Therefore, the final decision as to who gets credit is entirely up to us here at Munchkin Central!)
March 25, 2010: Radio CZAR
Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard recently appeared on the This Week In Geek podcast to babble talk about the history and hysteria of Munchkin. Thanks to Mike Dodd and the whole crew for having him on!
March 22, 2010: Watch Your Back
In case you missed the Daily Illuminator announcement over the weekend, we revealed the name of the next Munchkin booster: Marked for Death. It's 19 cards: 17 new cards that also form a programmed Munchkin demo, plus replacements for two misprinted cards from Munchkin 7 – More Good Cards.
This set will start shipping to stores in June.
March 15, 2010: Miscellany
Thanks to everyone who came to the Open House last Saturday evening – it was great to meet y'all!
We just topped 2,000 sales of the iPhone Level Counter for Munchkin and Munchkin Quest. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch and you haven't downloaded this, you aren't as big a munchkin as you think you are. Seriously -- it has in-game bonuses, people! And they get better the longer you wait to claim them. If you play Epic Munchkin, we've got you covered. And now it's got a built-in Kill-O-Meter, for those times when you get separated from your physical Kill-O-Meter and need to scratch that monster-killin' itch.
Should I mention our next Chibithulhu? Probably not. But you can see pictures of all the ones we have announced at www.chibithulhu.com . . .
Hey, look, we're on Facebook! There's a page for Steve Jackson Games and one just for Munchkin!
We've pretty much locked down the 2010 release schedule (barring typhoons over the Pacific, earthquakes in California, and Manhattan-sized asteroids hitting anywhere they like), and we're thinking about 2011. (Which, for you latecomers, includes Munchkin's 10th birthday – holy Cthulhu.) If you've got great ideas, why not head over to the Munchkin forum and let us know what we should be doing?
Finally, it's the Ides of March! SPECIAL BONUS MUNCHKIN RULE, today only: EVERYONE can backstab their buddies!! Discard one card to give someone else -2 in combat. If you're a Thief, your backstab is worth -5!
Thanks for all your support – we very literally couldn't do it without you.
March 8, 2010: Open House: Roll For Initiative
As we previously announced in the Daily Illuminator, we'll be having an Open House the evening of Saturday, March 13. Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard will be one of your hosts. Please read the information in that Illuminator entry and be sure to RSVP if you're interested in attending.
February 15, 2010: Ia! Ia! Cute Fthagn!
We've made it easier than ever to lose your soul to the eldritch cuteness of the Chibithulhu . . . by letting it take over the Internet, one domain at a time! Now you can reach the fuzzy insanity directly at www.chibithulhu.com.
Go there. Go there NOW. Chibithulhu commands it.
January 29, 2010: Replacement Info Correction
There was a significant error in the Jan. 27 announcement about booster pack replacements. It's been corrected in the copy of the announcement now being displayed.
If you got Munchkin Waiting for Santa in the boxed Munchkin Holiday Edition, please do NOT return it to the retailer. The retailer will have no idea what to do with it, because we did NOT recall the whole Munchkin Holiday Edition
Retailers only got refunds for individual booster packs, and only those can legitimately be returned to a store.
Thanks for bearing with us as we lurch blindly through the dungeon, bouncing off the walls and monsters, with chickens on our heads. We are trying, we really are, and we will keep trying. (Ouch!)
- Steve Jackson
January 27, 2010: Replacement Information for Munchkin Fairy Dust and Waiting For Santa
Last fall, we released two 15-card boosters for Munchkin: Fairy Dust and Waiting for Santa. We printed the cards with foil, which was definitely shiny but caused many of the cards to curl unacceptably. We recalled those sets as soon as we realized the problem was real . . . but a lot made it through to retail, and we know that some stores kept selling them even after we'd made the announcement and refunded the retailers' payments.
If you bought either of these sets from your local retailer, we encourage you to to return it to them for a refund or exchange. We have already refunded everything the distributors and retailers paid for these two sets, so we hope they will be happy to refund/exchange for you. If that doesn't work for you, OR if you got the Waiting for Santa
Step 1: Cut the tops from each card in the pack. The top half inch (1.3cm) or so – enough to get the title of the card – is perfect.
Step 2: Mail the tops and your mailing address (don't assume we'll be able to read the return address on the envelope by the time it gets to us) to Warehouse 23.
Warehouse 23 Booster Replacement Program
P.O. Box 18957
Austin, TX 78760
Step 3: We'll mail out a replacement booster set as soon as we get the new printing (probably late March) via USPS. We'll throw in some Munchkin promo items, just to say "thank you."
Watch the Daily Illuminator for updates.
January 4, 2010: Welcome To 2010!
We're all back in the office this week, working hard on all our 2010 games, including quite a few Munchkin and Munchkin Quest reprints and new games, supplements, and accessories.
Like what?
All in good time, dear friends, all in good time. It's going to be a great year.
December 28, 2009: Outdated Fake Money
We've been sending out the 2010 Munchkin Silver Piece with orders this month, but you shouldn't assume this means your 2008 and 2009 Silver Pieces are useless. You can still use the 2008 rules with the 2008 coin and the 2009 rules with the 2009 coin.
An archive of all the coin rules is currently located here, although we are thinking about a reorganization of that page in the near future.
December 21, 2009: Munchkin Stocking Stuffers
Looking for last-minute gift ideas? Well, if you hoped to order from Warehouse 23, you're too late -- but if you have forgiving friends, you can place an order and it will be packed and shipped in early January.
If, however, you have a well-stocked Friendly Local Game Store, they should have most or all of these bits of Munchkinly cheer, suitable for stuffing into the stocking of your choice:
- The various fuzzy and fearsome members of the Chibithulhu family!
- Little plastic Munchkins and Munchkinettes!
- The brand new Kill-O-Meter! (Also now part of the iPhone Level Counter!)
- One of the many expansions to the Munchkin core games you know and love! Have you tried Munchkin 6 – Demented Dungeons?
Or you could download and print one of the free Munchkin PDFs available now from e23! e23 will be processing orders normally over the holiday break!
Here's to a happy and lucrative holiday season!
December 17, 2009: Kill-O-Meter, Meet iPhone
We just added an electronic Kill-O-Meter (but not the bonus cards that come with it) to the iPhone Level Counter. Thought you might like to know.
December 11, 2009: You Have Precisely One Shopping Week...
The SJ Games offices, including Warehouse 23, will close for the year on Friday, December 18. If you're planning to do your shopping electronically from the Secret Munchkin Masters, you'd better do it quick.
Additionally, today's our office Game Day, so no one's manning the phones or answering e-mail or packing orders. We're too busy playtesting Munchkin [REDACTED] and lots of other games besides. I, personally, hope to get in a couple of games of Dominion or Thunderstone.
December 4, 2009: All Your Holiday Looting Needs
See that banner right above this box?
Click it.
Marvel at all of the Christmasy Munchkin goodness, much of it new this year.
You're welcome.
November 30, 2009: Not An Anglophone? No Problem!
In addition to Munchkin in its native English, you can find translations in Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Oh, and Wargames Club Online, out of Hong Kong, just released translations in Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
Additionally, we have signed an agreement that should bring a Finnish Munchkin out before the end of 2010. While it's fair to say that Munchkin development is never completed, at least in this case, it's nearly Finnished! (No, I'm not sorry in the least.)
November 23, 2009: A Grand Time Was Had By All
Or at least by the 1,000+ of you who have downloaded the iPhone Munchkin Level Counter. Thanks for making it a hit!
(And if you have an iPhone or an iPod touch and haven't downloaded this yet . . . are you a munchkin or aren't you? This application has UNIQUE bonuses that you can't find anywhere else!)
No word yet on whether (or when) we'll be porting this to other platforms. If that changes, it'll be posted here first!
November 18, 2009: Ultra-Rare Munchkin Item on Sale Today!
At some point during the day today, November 18, we'll be making an ultra-rare Munchkin item available on Warehouse 23. How rare? We've got just 30 -- that's it.
These items will be sold on a "first come, first served" basis. The first 30 orders will be processed based on the time stamp in our database. If a payment bounces, we'll move on to the next order.
What is this mysterious item? When will it become available? Follow us on Twitter (or watch our Twitter feed on the right hand side of the front page) to get hints and the "go buy now!" announcement!
November 16, 2009: A Couple Of Reminders
If you aren't following us on Twitter, you're missing out on a lot of discussion of upcoming projects (and your daily dose of random silliness). There's no better time than right now to start!
Also, we've been very pleased with the sales of the iPhone Munchkin Level Counter to date, but it occurs to us that there may be some of you who bought iPhones after we released this app and didn't realize it was available. It includes in-game benefits for Munchkin (including Epic Munchkin) and Munchkin Quest that change every game (and the longer you wait to claim them, the better they get). Bonus: there are also counters for Chez Geek, SPANC, and a build-your-own counter option for all those other games that are out there!
October 26, 2009: Card Curling Issues with Fairy Dust and Waiting For Santa
Steve posted a fairly lengthy Daily Illuminator on Friday about curl issues we are seeing with the two new mini-expansions. Rather than repeat what he said, I'll just point that way and let you go read it.
(Update: Steve has posted a followup message that I encourage everyone to read.)
Also, a reminder: the office will be effectively CLOSED this Friday, October 30, for our annual Game Day. Don't expect e-mail to be answered or Warehouse 23 orders to be processed, and most of us won't be at our desks to get phone calls. Things will be back to normal (relatively speaking) on Monday.
October 16, 2009: Listening at the Door
Over on the Daily Illuminator, we've posted a house rule that we think is worth trying. Go check it out and send us your feedback!
October 5, 2009: Meet The Czar!
Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard (hey, that's me!) will be attending Rincon in Tucson, Ariz. from October 9 through 11. He's going to be playing lots of games, but there's every chance a few games of Munchkin and Munchkin Quest will sneak in there . . . and we're going to make sure he's WELL supplied with promo items to hand out!
If you're in the neighborhood, c'mon by and say howdy!
September 29, 2009: Where Geek? WEREgeek!
We at SJ Games are always happy to see Munchkin get mentioned on the Web, and this webcomic made our collective week. Thanks to Alina Pete for a great laugh.
(SJ adds: It's SO true. Look at the two little tables pushed together. Yep, that's what you have to do. Darn clubs don't have tables big enough for a card game . . .)
September 21, 2009: Aww, How Cute . . .
Right up until they EAT YOUR SOUL.
We've posted information about the SEVEN new types of Chibithulhu that will soon be available on Warehouse 23. All but the Mega-Chibilthulhu will also be available from your FLGS; the Mega is a W23 exclusive!
If you want to see the Chibithulhus in their unnatural habitat, head over to the Chibithulhu Gallery . . . but please leave a note for your next of kin before you do.
September 14, 2009: Munchkin Quest In The News!
We're always happy when Munchkin Quest gets noticed, and so we were thrilled to read this article from the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Thanks to Omie Drawhorn for the article, and to the folks from Safari Pearl and the Palouse Board Gamers for promoting Munchkin Quest and board gaming in general.
September 7, 2009: Check This Space!
We'll have some nifty new Munchkin items available for sale in the next couple of weeks. Keep your eyes open -- of course, we'll announce them here!
Those of you in North America, enjoy your Labor Day holiday and be safe.
August 31, 2009: Going To PAX? You Aren't Alone!
Steve Jackson Games will be sending several employees to enjoy Labor Day weekend in sunny, warm Seattle, including a special appearance by Evil Stevie! Now's your chance to get those Munchkin and Unnatural Axe T-shirts signed! The Munchkin Mascot will also be at PAX, his last visit to a domestic show this year.
Those of you fortunate enough to attend PAX or Dragon*Con, look for a special Munchkin Silver Piece rule later this week!
August 24, 2009: Ten Thousand Words
That's the equivalent of the 10 pictures you'll find in this Munchkin Quest Flickr set, courtesy of Sean Loyless.
August 17, 2009: Dice Boot
With all apologies to Wolfgang Petersen.
The picture shows one of our two prototype Munchkin dice rollers, hand-crafted by Matt Drake of VixenTor Games. The picture doesn't show the storage tray in the heel of the boot, or the nifty felt lining that keeps the dice from making an unholy racket, but they're there and very nice.
We're keeping this one. The other one is the prize for this year's Munchkin World Cup winner at GenCon.
And how can YOU get one of these? What an interesting question . . .
August 10, 2009: In The Pink
That phrase will describe both our loyal fans at GenCon and the SJ Games booth personnel, at least on ONE day of the show. The picture at left shows the Munchkin Fairy Dust Handbag of Holding we'll be giving out all weekend to people who buy Munchkin games and supplements at the Adventure Retail booth (#1321). (Of course it has a game rule!)
It also shows the stunning shirts we'll be sporting one day, in honor of the sneak release of a very, very few copies of both Fairy Dust and Waiting For Santa -- don't wait until Sunday to try to pick these up!
Can you tell we're pretty excited?
August 10, 2009: Planning Is Hard
Earlier this year, we commissioned the 15th printing of the original Munchkin set. That printing was designed to carry us into 2010.
Last week, we ordered the 16th printing, because half of the 15th printing was sold as soon as it hit the warehouse.
As problems go, this is a pretty good one to have . . .
August 3, 2009: Perched Atop Everest, I Kick Open A Door
Wait, no -- wrong kind of Sherpa. The Munchkin Sherpa is a sturdy holder for a pen or marker (particularly those with a brand name that rhymes with Harpy). We ordered a bunch to give to people we really, really like . . . and since that includes our loyal fans, we're planning to make a very small number available on Warehouse 23 in the near future. (These are premium items, so probably not for the casual collector . . . but they're worth it!) In the meantime, we figured we could give you a glimpse. Click the picture for a larger version.
Watch this space for the announcement that they are available!
July 30, 2009: Because "Stacked Demo" Was Too Descriptive
The Munchkin Rigged Demo has been out of print for a little while. To tide y'all over until the next printing, we've placed the script and the demo cards on e23. The file is completely free to download. Happy indoctrination!
Note: the Rigged Demo PDF does not include any of the extra cards from the printed set, just the 17 cards necessary to play the demo.
July 27, 2009: Deviant Munchkinry
More precisely (and more safe-for-workly), Drake Fenwick has posted some Munchkin fan art on deviantart.net (which, despite the name, has plenty of perfectly safe and wholesome pieces of art . . . if you're into that sort of thing).
Check them out! And thanks, Drake, for your support!
July 20, 2009: Munchkin: The Fast-Play Version
So you say you have friends who think Munchkin takes too long to play? Show 'em this:
Our thanks to the Geek Game Night crew for sharing this video!
July 13, 2009: Hey, What's With The New Munchkin?
You may start seeing Munchkin boxes with the new Super Munchkin on the shelves of your friendly local game store soon. The boxes that have the new guy on them are the latest printing (the 15th, which I believe is the electrum anniversary). After eight years, he can finally see . . .
The important thing is that none of the cards changed. The rules are still the same. It's a facelift, not an extreme makeover.
July 6, 2009: New For The iPhone: The Munchkin Level Counter
Now all you iPhone-using munchkins can get an unfair, yet completely legal, advantage when you play Munchkin or Munchkin Quest!
The Munchkin Level Counter keeps track of your level (duh). It also rolls a six-sided die (and doesn't cheat). But best of all . . . once per game, you get a Boon . . . an in-game advantage to help you kill the monsters, steal the treasure, and stab your buddy. There are almost 150 different Boons, all illustrated by John Kovalic. The higher your level when you ask for your Boon, the better it's likely to be. And when you reach the winning level, it plays a fanfare. Your friends will hate you . . .
Bonus features: counters for Chez Geek and SPANC (no Boons, though), and a very flexible interface for creating your own custom counters for other games.
This app is NOT a stand-alone game! It is a game aid for Munchkin, Munchkin Quest, and pretty much anything else where you need to count.
The level counter is $4.99 and is available now on the iPhone App Store.
Home Sweet Home
We're back from our long vacation!
Well, actually, I'm not, quite: I won't be back until tomorrow, July 7. I look forward to seeing all the Munchkiny goodness that has piled up while I've been gone.
June 30, 2009: Get Hitched: Go Up A Level
Jason Bostick and Carolyn Isaacs, two of our loyal Men In Black, recently had a Munchkin-themed wedding. And here are the photos to prove it.
Congratulations to Jason and Car on the beginning of their married life, and our humblest thanks for letting us, even vicariously, be a part of it.
June 25, 2009: Do You Value Your Sanity?
Then you may not want to look at our new gallery of Chibithulhu pictures. But the rest of you can risk madness and head over to see the cuteness.
The mind-blasting, overwhelming cuteness . . .
(Will it change your mind if I mention there are some sneak peeks at Chibithulhus we haven't formally announced yet? Yeah, I thought it might.)
June 22, 2009: Must Be Santa
In September, we'll be releasing the second "booster-style" Munchkin expansion: Waiting For Santa. Santa Claus is back, and this time he's brought friends! Fight Grandfather Frost or Sandy Claws the Christmas Crab. Protect yourself with the Xmas Stocking, or fight back with Lumps of Coal.
Waiting For Santa is a 15-card expansion in a fin-seal pack. Waiting For Santa is neither collectible nor randomized; every pack is the same.
Ask for it at your favorite retailer, or preorder it now at Warehouse 23.
June 18, 2009: You See A Seemingly Empty 10x10 Room
If you haven't been reading the Daily Illuminator (and why not?), you probably don't know that we're going to be on vacation for the week of June 29-July 3.
Everyone will be away from the office. E-mail will go unanswered. Phone calls will go unanswered. Forums will . . . NOT go unmoderated, but our presence may be kinda scarce that week.
I will be spending that week away from the Austin heat, visiting friends and family in the Minnesota Twin Cities. I'll definitely be attending CONvergence over the July 4 weekend -- and I'll try to remember to wear something distinctive. If you're there, track me down and say hi!
June 15, 2009: Need Your Place Held?
We just posted the designs and rules for a couple new bookmarks. But you can get a sneak peek at them now! The Official Munchkin Bookmark of Sparkly Good Monster Mayhem! is for Munchkin Fairy Dust, and the Official Munchkin Bookmark of Holiday Cheer! is for Munchkin Waiting For Santa.
Hmm? We haven't announced that last one? Well, so we haven't. Tee hee . . .
Both of these bookmarks will make their debut at GenCon in August.
June 8, 2009: You Open The Door And Find . . . Tuckboxes
We love BoardGameGeek, and one of the reasons we love them is they really LOVE games.
For example, Doug Bass, a BGG reader, loves Munchkin Quest so much that he created tuckboxes for the MQ cards. And then he posted the files so everyone else can have nice MQ tuckboxes, too. You can find Doug's files on this page.
Thanks, Doug! And thanks to the whole BGG community for your support of all our games, and of gaming in general.
June 1, 2009: You Want Evidence? You Got It!
Some people expressed skepticism that we could pry John Kovalic away from his lovely daughter for a visit down to Austin.
Especially in May. When it's hot.
To those people, I say, "Check out our Flickr page!" In fact, why don't you ALL check it out?
May 27, 2009: Making Our Move Silently Roll
It's been quiet here the last couple of weeks. It's not that we don't have news . . . it's that we can't talk about the news we have.
Lots of stuff going to print this week, and a couple of nifty announcements coming up. We're nailing down the 2010 Munchkin schedule, too.
We should be more chatty soon!
May 14, 2009: Off To Print!
With the able assistance of Justin DeWitt (welcome back, buddy!), we sent three new bits of Munchkinly goodness to the printer today. They'll be coming out in a few months.
What are they? Good question . . . that we're not going to answer yet. (We learned that trick from "Lost.") We'll be making announcements over the next several weeks, so keep this page bookmarked.
I guess I can give you ONE clue: two of the three share a format, and two of the three share a theme. These may or may not refer to the same pairs. Hmm, that's two clues. Math is hard.
May 11, 2009: Making A Note Here: HUGE SUCCESS!
As previously reported, John Kovalic was in town several days last week. We talked about many Evil Plots that will take us well into 2011.
Mostly, though, it was great to have John in town and to show him around Austin. Some of us are seeing if there's a way we can go to Madison and let him return the favor . . .
Thanks for coming, John! See you soon.
May 5, 2009: John's Almost Here!
Wednesday morning, Munchkin art impresario John Kovalic is flying down to Austin for several days of meetings, fun times, and really unhealthful food with the SJ Games crew. We will have pictures and news as developments warrant. Watch this space!
(To repeat yesterday's news: he just drew his 2,500th card for Munchkin!!! Way to go, John, and thanks!)
May 4, 2009: Congratulations, John!
We were curious and crunched some numbers . . . and determined that a month or so ago, John Kovalic drew his 2,500th Munchkin card for us.
Wow!
Congratulations on your achievement, John! We're thrilled to have you so closely associated with Munchkin, and we look forward to 2,500 more!
(P.S. No, we're not quite ready to tell you what the card is. Soon enough . . .)
April 27, 2009: Thanks, Richard And Monica!
Keen-eyed Munchkin fans may have noticed a new accessory in the mascot pictures from the GAMA Trade Show. The large expanse of gray on the front of the suit was kinda boring, so a couple of SJ Games staff members pitched in to create a belt to break up the monotony.
Richard Kerr made a shiny belt buckle with one of his Munchkin ornaments on the front. Monica Stephens sewed the lovely leather belt itself.
Many thanks to both of them for making our mascot a LOT more attractive!
April 20, 2009: So This Munchkin Walks Into The Casino...
The official debut of the Munchkin Mascot was last week at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas. Because our rooms were in a different wing of the hotel from the show floor, we got to walk the mascot through the casino. A lot.
Everyone at the show LOVED the mascot, and we got a LOT of pictures and video, the best of which will shortly be posted on the to-be-created-any-minute-now Munchkin Mascot page.
Thanks to everyone in Vegas for the GREAT reception!
April 13, 2009: Epic ARRRRR!
We finally unearthed the chest wit' the rules for Epic Munchkin Booty (includin' the Epic Explorer from Jump the Shark
Epic Munchkin is a FREE PDF file from e23. Go grab it before we make ye walk the plank!
April 6, 2009: Munchkin Quest 3 Update
We've been talking about Munchkin Quest 3 on Twitter a bit recently, so I thought I'd give a quick "state of the project" report. It will be short on hard details, because we're not ready to announce much yet, but anything's better than nothing, right?
- The set has two new kinds of links. We've tried several variations of these, and we think we've figured out rules that work.
- We're including some new cards and rooms that interact with your munchkin's sex. Insert your own joke here.
- There's a new room tile that . . . well, I can't talk about it yet. But it's REALLY cool.
Playtesting continues. We expect this to go to print before the end of the year.
March 30, 2009: A Home For The Mascot
We're getting ready for the GAMA Trade Show in Vegas (April 15 and 16), and so a lot of our attention around the office is focused on getting things ready for that. It'll be the convention (well, trade show) debut of the Munchkin Mascot, and we needed a safe, secure way to ship it. The cardboard box the company sent it in was not going to cut it for long-term use.
As so often happens around here, Richard Kerr came to our rescue, building a foam-padded wood case that's big enough for the mascot and most of its accessories. We can't quite fit the Unnatural Axe in there, so I guess Paul will just have to take it on the plane with him. Thanks, Richard -- the case is awesome!
There are plans afoot to have the mascot appear at summer conventions, so keep your eyes open -- and your camera batteries charged! If you see the mascot this summer, please send us links to your photos online; we'd love to build a page of mascot sightings. We'll get an e-mail address set up in the near future.
March 23, 2009: Stating The Obvious
If you're here, you've probably already noticed our Web page redesign. However, on the off chance that you weren't paying attention, look around and enjoy the World of Munchkin.
Phil Reed came up with the basic idea, but Russ Gaskamp, our webmaster, really punched it up and made it awesome. Thanks for all the hard work, Russ!