April 16, 2026: Score Even More In Brigands Bluff

Ahoy, Me Hearties! If you pre-ordered Brigand's Bluff, you should be receiving it any day. We know you'll be thrilled to gather your band of pirates for a game night to try this all-new, dice-based social deduction game. Because each session is different and you might run out of score sheets from playing again and again all day long, we have a free PDF download for you. The printable scorepad sheets come two to a page, and you can even choose to use it if you'd prefer to keep the original in unused condition.

Brigand's Bluff is now shipping, so set sail to Warehouse 23 to plunder your copy!

-- Michelle Richardson

April 15, 2026: Electronic Frontier Foundation On The Daily Show

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently featured a segment on the Electronic Frontier Foundation, interviewing their Executive Director, Cindy Cohn. She's also the author of Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.

Following the show, the EFF shared an interesting article to help folks learn more about their history, their mission, and how they're protecting your Constitutional rights in the digital era . . . and we're mentioned!

By now, you've probably heard that Steve Jackson Games was raided by the U.S. Secret Service in 1990, with agents seizing the company's computers. No charges were ever filed against us. However, private company emails were read, and customer information was deleted. The loss of revenue due to the raid was substantial, so Steve took them to court for damages and the illegal seizure of property in Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. . . .

[more]

April 14, 2026: It's Code Season

For tabletop RPG gamers, here's an easy recommendation: dCode.fr. This website has a heaping helping of tools to decode (and encode) just about any variety of cypher . . . including being able to identify them (or at least run through various permutations).

On the GM side, it's useful for creating interesting codes so that your criminal masterminds aren't all using a basic substitution cypher. On the player side, it can easily solve codes once you know – or guess – certain details. This can represent smart heroes with the skills to break codes on their own, or speed up gameplay when the players know what the code is and how to solve it but don't want to spend game time actually implementing the decipher algorithm. Whether you want to mess around with a periodic table or decode something written in the Scream Cypher, we're sure you'll find something AABAB BAABB ABBAA.

-- Steven Mars . . . [more]

April 13, 2026: Good Stuff Recently Read (2/2)

Ancillary Justice – The trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice was an unprecedented award-grabber. The first book won the Hugo, Arthur C. Clarke, and Nebula Awards for Best Novel - the first novel ever to do so. The sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, also collected honors.

Ann Leckie's books are space opera, but very thoughtful space opera indeed. The main character, Breq, is the only survivor of a destroyed starship – and also the only surviving part of that ship. Breq is an "ancillary," murdered by the expansionist Empire and reanimated as a cyborg soldier who was not only an appendage of the lost Justice of Toren but a part of its consciousness as well. Breq remembers being the ship, and wants revenge for its treacherous destruction.

Here's a shout-out to my favorite minor character, Translator Zeiat, who has human ancestors but was created and taught by the very . . . [more]

April 12, 2026: Now Available On Warehouse 23: Path Of Mastery!

Life is hard. If you're looking for a new career path, might we humbly suggest something with a little magic . . . battle magic.

For those who weren't part of the excitement of the original Kickstarter, Path of Mastery for The Fantasy Trip is now available in print or as a downloadable PDF from Warehouse 23!

This solo adventure – written by fan-favorite author David L. Pulver – lets your final-stage student complete their educational training at T'reo Island. Craft a wizard using the included rules, then join your classmates to prove you've got what it takes . . . or die trying. The choices are yours, the consequences are real, and the stakes will set the stage for the rest of your hero's life!

Whether embarking on a spellcasting scenario with nothing more than the rules from In the Labyrinth or using this experience as a flavorful add-on to the background of The T'Reo School . . . [more]

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

Captain Kirk eats the sizzling van and the balanced pit viper. April 16, 2026: Score Even More In Brigands Bluff Ahoy, Me Hearties! If you pre-ordered Brigand's Bluff, you should be receiving it any day. We know you'll be thrilled to gather your band of pirates for a game night to try this all-new, dice-based social deduction game. Because each session is different and you might run out of score sheets from playing again and again all day long, we have a free PDF download for you. The printable scorepad sheets come two to a page, and you can even choose to use it if you'd prefer to keep the original in unused condition. Brigand's Bluff is now shipping, so set sail to Warehouse 23 to plunder your copy! -- Michelle Richardson April 15, 2026: Electronic Frontier Foundation On The Daily Show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart recently featured a segment on the Electronic Frontier Foundation, interviewing their Executive Director, Cindy Cohn. She's also the author of Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance. Following the show, the EFF shared an interesting article to help folks learn more about their history, their mission, and how they're protecting your Constitutional rights in the digital era . . . and we're mentioned! By now, you've probably heard that Steve Jackson Games was raided by the U.S. Secret Service in 1990, with agents seizing the company's computers. No charges were ever filed against us. However, private company emails were read, and customer information was deleted. The loss of revenue due to the raid was substantial, so Steve took them to court for damages and the illegal seizure of property in Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. . . . [more] April 14, 2026: It's Code Season For tabletop RPG gamers, here's an easy recommendation: dCode.fr. This website has a heaping helping of tools to decode (and encode) just about any variety of cypher . . . including being able to identify them (or at least run through various permutations). On the GM side, it's useful for creating interesting codes so that your criminal masterminds aren't all using a basic substitution cypher. On the player side, it can easily solve codes once you know – or guess – certain details. This can represent smart heroes with the skills to break codes on their own, or speed up gameplay when the players know what the code is and how to solve it but don't want to spend game time actually implementing the decipher algorithm. Whether you want to mess around with a periodic table or decode something written in the Scream Cypher, we're sure you'll find something AABAB BAABB ABBAA. -- Steven Mars . . . [more] April 13, 2026: Good Stuff Recently Read (2/2) Ancillary Justice – The trilogy that began with Ancillary Justice was an unprecedented award-grabber. The first book won the Hugo, Arthur C. Clarke, and Nebula Awards for Best Novel - the first novel ever to do so. The sequels, Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy, also collected honors. Ann Leckie's books are space opera, but very thoughtful space opera indeed. The main character, Breq, is the only survivor of a destroyed starship – and also the only surviving part of that ship. Breq is an "ancillary," murdered by the expansionist Empire and reanimated as a cyborg soldier who was not only an appendage of the lost Justice of Toren but a part of its consciousness as well. Breq remembers being the ship, and wants revenge for its treacherous destruction. Here's a shout-out to my favorite minor character, Translator Zeiat, who has human ancestors but was created and taught by the very . . . [more] April 12, 2026: Now Available On Warehouse 23: Path Of Mastery! Life is hard. If you're looking for a new career path, might we humbly suggest something with a little magic . . . battle magic. For those who weren't part of the excitement of the original Kickstarter, Path of Mastery for The Fantasy Trip is now available in print or as a downloadable PDF from Warehouse 23! This solo adventure – written by fan-favorite author David L. Pulver – lets your final-stage student complete their educational training at T'reo Island. Craft a wizard using the included rules, then join your classmates to prove you've got what it takes . . . or die trying. The choices are yours, the consequences are real, and the stakes will set the stage for the rest of your hero's life! Whether embarking on a spellcasting scenario with nothing more than the rules from In the Labyrinth or using this experience as a flavorful add-on to the background of The T'Reo School . . . [more] Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 8989th alien being here today. (32680044 since August 1, 1995)

April 16, 2026: Score Even More In Brigands Bluff

April 15, 2026: Electronic Frontier Foundation On The Daily Show

April 14, 2026: It's Code Season

April 13, 2026: Good Stuff Recently Read (2/2)

April 12, 2026: Now Available On Warehouse 23: Path Of Mastery!

April 16, 2026: Score Even More In Brigands Bluff