Steve Jackson Games

Steve Jackson Games

Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Game publishing
Founded	1980 (1980)
Founder	Steve Jackson
Headquarters	Austin , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Steve Jackson
Products	Role-playing games, board games, card games, magazines
Number of employees	43 (2015)
Website	www.sjgames.com

Steve Jackson Games (abbreviated as SJGames), established in 1980 by Steve Jackson, is a privately held publisher of games headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company focuses on producing role-playing, board, and card games, and was responsible for publishing the gaming magazine Pyramid until its discontinuation in 2019.

History

Founded six years following the launch of Dungeons & Dragons, SJGames created a variety of science fiction-themed role-playing and strategy titles. Its initial offerings included compact microgames distributed in small packaging formats such as 4×7 inch Ziploc bags and Pocket Boxes. Early notable releases encompass Ogre, Car Wars, Illuminati, and G.E.V., which serves as a spin-off from Ogre. Industry figures like Loren Wiseman and Jonathan Leistiko played key roles in the company's product development.

Today, SJGames maintains a broad catalog spanning genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and gothic horror. The company also published the book Principia Discordia, linked to the Discordian faith. As reported in 2023, SJGames generates roughly US$3.5 million in annual revenue and employed 43 full-time staff members as of 2015.

Raid by the Secret Service

On March 1, 1990, the Secret Service conducted a raid on Steve Jackson Games, confiscating computers, printers, floppy disks, and the master copy of GURPS Cyberpunk, a cyberpunk-themed game supplement created by employee Loyd Blankenship. The agency suspected Blankenship of unauthorized access to Bell South systems and transferring confidential materials onto Steve Jackson Games's public bulletin board system as well as another platform named Phoenix. Authorities also believed that GURPS Cyberpunk could be used to commit computer-related offenses. During their investigation, private emails were accessed and deleted. Although all seized items were returned by June, Steve Jackson Games pursued legal action and prevailed in federal court.

This event was instrumental in founding the Electronic Frontier Foundation in July 1990, marking a pivotal development in the advocacy for digital rights.

Kickstarter project

Between April and May of 2012, Steve Jackson Games initiated a highly successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a "Designer's Edition" of Ogre. The campaign's robust financial backing enabled significant enhancements to the game’s design, culminating in a final product weighing over 14 pounds. This initiative demonstrated the company's strategic use of crowdfunding to expand its business and connect with its core audience.

Games published

The best-selling title from Steve Jackson Games is the Munchkin card game, followed closely by their role-playing system GURPS.

Card games

• Battle Cattle: The Card Game, designed to be compatible with the Car Wars card game and based on the Battle Cattle miniatures framework.
• Burn in Hell, a semi-satirical card game centered around collecting 'circles' of souls with shared characteristics.
• Car Wars: The Card Game, a card adaptation derived from the Car Wars miniatures system.
• Chez Geek, a humorous card game parodying geek culture, accompanied by numerous expansions.
• Cowpoker, a poker-style card game themed around cattle ranchers from the Old West.
• Dino Hunt, a time-travel-themed card game featuring more than 100 dinosaur species complete with scientific information and artwork.
• Hacker, a contemporary card game inspired by mechanics from Illuminati.
  • Hacker II: The Dark Side
• Illuminati, a conspiracy-themed game influenced by the Illuminatus! Trilogy. Initially released as a microgame with expansions, it was later reissued as Deluxe Illuminati with additional expansions and reprints.
  • Illuminati: Y2K: An all-card expansion for Deluxe Illuminati
  • Illuminati: Bavarian Fire Drill: Another all-card expansion for Deluxe Illuminati
  • Illuminati: New World Order (INWO), a collectible card game based on Illuminati themes.
    • INWO Subgenius: A stand-alone expansion drawing on themes from the Church of the Subgenius
  • Illuminati Crime Lords, a mafia-themed variant blending elements from both original Illuminati and INWO.
• King's Blood, a Japanese card game originally published by Kadokawa Shoten.
• Lord of the Fries, a zombie-themed fast-food restaurant card game created by James Ernest and published through Cheapass Games.
• Munchkin, a satirical take on hack-and-slash roleplaying games featuring numerous expansions and spin-offs.
• Nanuk, a bidding and bluffing card game centered on Inuit hunters.
• Ninja Burger, an energetic ninja delivery-themed card game based on the Ninja Burger website.
• Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls (SPANC), a lighthearted competitive card game involving starship crews vying for toys and loot.
• Spooks, a Halloween-themed card game where players discard cards strategically to win.

Board games

• The Awful Green Things from Outer Space, created by Tom Wham and initially released by TSR.
• Car Wars, a game centered on futuristic vehicular combat.
• Dork Tower, a fantasy-themed game set within the Dork Tower universe.
• Frag, a tabletop first-person shooter experience without electronic devices.
• Globbo, a darkly comedic game featuring a homicidal alien babysitter.
• GreedQuest, a light dungeon-crawling adventure focused on treasure hunting.
• Knightmare Chess, a chess variant played with cards, translated from the French publisher Ludodelire.
• Kung Fu 2100, a martial arts hand-to-hand combat game.
• Munchkin Quest, a board game adaptation derived from the Munchkin card series.
• Necromancer, a two-player fantasy contest where participants command undead armies.
• Ogre, a classic sci-fi war simulation featuring cybernetic armored titans, designed by Jackson and originally published by Metagaming Concepts.
  • Battlesuit, a spin-off emphasizing powered infantry armor inspired by Starship Troopers.
  • G.E.V., a related game focusing on futuristic infantry, artillery, and armored units.
  • Expansion packs include: Shockwave, Ogre Reinforcements Pack, and Battlefields, introducing new units, maps, and gameplay rules.
• One Page Bulge, a concise simulation of the 1944 German Ardennes Offensive with streamlined rules.
• Proteus, a dice-driven chess variant.
• Revolution, an area control game featuring blind bidding mechanics.
• Snits, two classic Tom Wham titles originally published by TSR: Snit's Revenge and Snit Smashing.
• Star Traders, a space-themed race to deliver cargo shipments.
• The Stars Are Right, a tile-based board game involving constellation scoring strategies.
• Strange Synergy, team-based battles where each match features different powers.
• Tile Chess, a multiplayer chess variant played without a traditional board.
• X-Bugs, a combat game featuring futuristic insect-like creatures represented by colorful tiddlywinks.

Role-playing games

• GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System).
• GURPS Traveller, GDW’s adaptation of the classic Traveller setting utilizing GURPS mechanics.
• In Nomine, focused on angels and demons, adapted from the French RPG In Nomine Satanis / Magna Veritas.
• Killer: The Game of Assassination, a variation on the assassin party game.
• Munchkin RPG, D20 system supplements based on the popular card series.
• Toon, an RPG themed around cartoon antics.
• Transhuman Space, set in a near-future science fiction universe spanning the Solar System.
• Tribes, a prehistoric survival role-playing game partially designed by sci-fi author David Brin.

Miniatures

• Miniature figures for war gaming have been produced for both Ogre & G.E.V.
• Cardboard Heroes, paper-based miniature figures.

Computer games

• Autoduel, an action role-playing game published by Origin Systems, Inc.
• Ogre, digital adaptation of the board game also developed by Origin Systems, Inc.
• Ultracorps, an online space strategy title created by VR-1.

Dice games

• Cthulhu Dice, a specialized dice game featuring symbols inspired by Cthulhu, where participants strive to maintain their sanity.
• Proteus, a dice game showcasing faces that depict chess pieces; the objective is to advance pawns and capture the opponent's pieces.
• Zombie Dice, a risk-based dice game centered around collecting brains, avoiding shotgun blasts, and escaping on foot.

Publication history

Steve Jackson Games has published a variety of gaming periodicals, including:

• The Space Gamer (1980–1985): Originally from Metagaming Concepts, this magazine was transferred to Steve Jackson Games in 1982; the last issue under SJGames was #76 in 1985 before its sale to Diverse Talents Inc.
• Fire & Movement (1982–1985): A wargaming magazine acquired from Baron Publishing and sold off in 1985.
• Autoduel Quarterly (1983–1992): Focused exclusively on content related to Car Wars.
• Fantasy Gamer (1983–1984): A brief offshoot publication derived from Space Gamer.
• Roleplayer (1986–1993): Served as the successor to The Space Gamer before being replaced by Pyramid.
• Pyramid:
  • Volume 1 (1993–1998): Printed magazine spanning 30 issues.
  • Volume 2 (1998–2008): Online weekly subscription format.
  • Volume 3 (since 2008): Distributed exclusively as PDF editions.
• Journal of the Travellers Aid Society (starting in 2000): Relaunched as an online magazine.
• d20 Weekly (2002–2003): Web-based publication concentrating on the d20 System market.

Mentions in third-party media

Within the 2001 hacking simulation game Uplink, developed by Introversion Software, Steve Jackson Games is portrayed as a fictional company. The game references the notable 1990 US Secret Service raid involving the company related to an alleged hacking manual—an incident that shed light on legal and intellectual property challenges faced by the company. This depiction highlights Steve Jackson Games' significance and legacy within the gaming sector.

External links

• Steve Jackson Games official website
• "Fantasy for Fun and Profit": article from the Austin American-Statesman, April 18, 1988