Pyramid (magazine)

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Pyramid
Issue 1, 1993
CategoriesGaming
PublisherSteve Jackson Games
Founded1993
First issue1993; 31 years ago (1993)
Final issue
Number		December 2018
Volume 3, 122
CountryUnited States
Based inAustin, Texas
LanguageEnglish

Pyramid was a gaming magazine, publishing articles primarily on role-playing games, but including board games, card games, and other sorts of games. It began life in 1993 as a print publication of Steve Jackson Games for its first 30 issues, though it has been published on the Internet since March 1998. Print issues were bimonthly; the first online version published new articles each week; the second online version is monthly. Pyramid is headquartered in Austin, Texas.[1] It replaced Steve Jackson Games' previous magazine Roleplayer.

Pyramid features general gaming articles by freelance authors, as well as Designer's Notes by Steve Jackson Games product developers, industry news, cartoons, and gaming product reviews. Although articles tend to concentrate on Steve Jackson Games products such as GURPS, it has published articles on other games such as d20 System, Talisman, Nobilis, Hero System, and has featured various comic strips and single-panel cartoons (currently Murphy's Rules). Steve Jackson Games also briefly published another online magazine, d20 Weekly for several months using a very similar model to that of Pyramid. However, the venture was not a success, and was eventually folded into a slightly expanded Pyramid.

The online subscription system used for Pyramid also granted access to subscriber forums, a dedicated chat server, and occasional pre-publication playtest material for Steve Jackson Games and other companies' products. In 2008 this was changed: Pyramid became available as a PDF download from e23 (online service), and the subscriber forums have been discontinued. Access to playtest material is contingent on participation in an actual playtest.

In late 2018, it was announced on the Pyramid page of the Steven Jackson Games website that "we are closing down Pyramid magazine later this year. The December 2018 issue will be the final issue of the magazine, and effective immediately, we are no longer accepting subscriptions."[2]

Publication history[edit]

Shannon Appelcline noted that Steve Jackson Games stopped publishing Roleplayer magazine with issue #30 in 1993, "but only so that Steve Jackson Games could start a new magazine. Pyramid debuted in May 1993. It was an ironic return to the generalist magazine industry—though it also promised to incorporate the SJG material that had once been printed in Autoduel Quarterly and Roleplayer." Appelcline noted that the magazine covered SJG games including Car Wars, but covered GURPS so strongly that "SJG always had problems selling Pyramid as a non-house organ. Contrariwise Car Wars quickly faded away. The new magazine also looked quite nice, with glossy pages and some full color pages—luxuries that Space Gamer had enjoyed only briefly. It soon became entirely color, as SJG's star continued to rise over the next few years." Appelcline concluded that Steve Jackson Games began "having concerns over the profitability of publishing a generalist magazine. They finished up Pyramid's print run with #30 (March/April 1998), and then did something unprecedented: they began publishing 'volume two' of Pyramid as an online, weekly, subscription-based magazine and were able to successfully do so for 10 years."[3]: 46–48  Appelcline also noted that as the company was moving to PDF publications, Steve Jackson Games ended the HTML second volume of Pyramid and reinvented it in 2008 as a PDF-only third volume of Pyramid.[3]: 54–55 

Editors[edit]

Awards[edit]

  • 2001: Origins Award Best Professional Game Magazine of 2000[4]
  • 2004: Origins Award Gamer's Choice: Best Electronic Product of 2003[5]
  • 2005: Origins Award Best Non Fiction Publication of 2004[6]

List of issues[edit]

Volume 1[edit]

the printed version, retroactively referred to as Pyramid Classic:
  • 01: May–June 1993[7]
  • 30: March 1998, same cover art as GURPS Wizards[8]

Volume 2[edit]

There are 1877 samples of articles released in it.[9]

Issues:

  • 001: April 1998
  • 558: November 2008

Articles:

  • 1: A Minor Emergency[10]
  • 7: Electronic Gaming News[11]
  • 8: Warehouse 23[12]
  • 91: Autoduel Japan[13]
  • 1002: Suppressed Transmission published 13 August 1999[14]
  • 2630: When Good LARPers Go Bad published 1 March 2002[15]

Volume 3[edit]

  • 01: Tools of the Trade - Wizards, November 2008[16]
  • 02: Looks Like a Job for . . . Superheroes, December 2008[17]
  • 03: Venturing Into the Badlands - Post Apocalypse, January 2009[18][19]
  • 04: Magic on the Battlefield, February 2009[20]
  • 05: Horror & Spies, March 2009
  • 06: Space Colony Alpha, April 2009[21]
  • 07: Urban Fantasy, May 2009
  • 08: Cliffhangers, June 2009
  • 09: Space Opera, July 2009[22][23]
  • 10: Crime and Grime, August 2009
  • 11: Cinematic Locations, September 2009
  • 12: Tech and Toys, October 2009[24]
  • 13: Thaumatology, November 2009[25]
  • 14: Martial Arts December 2009
  • 15: Transhuman Space, January 2010[26]
  • 16: Historical Exploration, February 2010
  • 17: Modern Exploration, March 2010
  • 18: Space Exploration, April 2010[27]
  • 19: Tools of the Trade: Clerics, May 2010
  • 20: Infinite Worlds, June 2010
  • 21: Cyberpunk, July 2010[28][29]
  • 22: Banestorm, August 2010
  • 23: Action Adventures, September 2010
  • 24: Bio-Tech, October 2010[30][31]
  • 25: Epic Magic, November 2010
  • 26, Underwater Adventures, December 2010
  • 27: Monsters in Space, January 2011[32][33]
  • 28: Thaumatology II, February 2011
  • 29: Psionics, March 2011
  • 30: Spaceships, April 2011[34][35]
  • 31: Monster Hunters, May 2011
  • 32: Fears of Days Past, June 2011
  • 33: Low-Tech, July 2011
  • 34: Alternate GURPS, August 2011
  • 35: Aliens, September 2011[36][37]
  • 36: Dungeon Fantasy, October 2011
  • 37: Tech and Toys II, November 2011[38][39]
  • 38: The Power of Myth, December 2011
  • 39: Steampunk, January 2012
  • 40: Vehicles, February 2012[40][41]
  • 41: Fantasy World Building, March 2012
  • 42: Noir, April 2012
  • 43: Thaumatology III, May 2012
  • 44: Alternate GURPS II, June 2012
  • 45: Monsters, July 2012
  • 46: Weird Science, August 2012[42][43]
  • 47: The Rogue's Life, September 2012
  • 48: Secret Magic, October 2012
  • 49: World-Hopping, November 2012[44][45]
  • 50: Dungeon Fantasy II, December 2012
  • 51: Tech and Toys III, January 2013[46][47]
  • 52: Low-Tech II, February 2012
  • 53: Action, March 2012
  • 54: Social Engineering, April 2013[48][49]
  • 55: Military Sci-Fi, May 2013[50][51]
  • 56: Prehistory, June 2013
  • 57: Gunplay, July 2013
  • 58: Urban Fantasy II, August 2013
  • 59: Conspiracies, September 2013
  • 60: Dungeon Fantasy III, October 2013
  • 61: Way of the Warrior, November 2013
  • 62: Transhuman Space II, December 2013[52][53]
  • 63: Infinite Worlds II, January 2014
  • 64: Pirates and Swashbucklers, February 2014
  • 65: Alternate GURPS III, March 2014[54][55]
  • 66: The Laws of Magic, April 2014[56][57]
  • 67: Tools of the Trade: Villains, May 2014
  • 68: Natural Magic, June 2014
  • 69: Psionics II, July 2014
  • 70: Fourth Edition Festival, August 2014
  • 71: Spaceships II, September 2014[58][59]
  • 72: Alternate Dungeons, October 2014
  • 73: Monster Hunters II, November 2014
  • 74: Wild West, December 2014
  • 75: Hero's Jackpot, January 2015[60][61]
  • 76: Dungeon Fantasy IV, February 2014
  • 77: Combat, March 2015[62][63]
  • 78: Unleash Your Soul, April 2014
  • 79: Space Atlas, May 2015[64][65]
  • 80: Fantasy Threats, June 2015
  • 81: Horrific Creations, July 2015
  • 82: Magical Creations, August 2015
  • 83: Alternate GURPS IV, September 2015
  • 84: Perspectives, October 2015[66]
  • 85: Cutting Edge, November 2015[67]
  • 86: Organizations, December 2015[68]
  • 87: Low-Tech III, January 2016[69]
  • 88: The End Is Nigh, February 2016[70][71]
  • 89: Alternate Dungeons II, March 2016
  • 90: After the End, April 2016
  • 91: Thaumatology IV, May 2016
  • 92: Zombies, June 2016
  • 93: Cops and Lawyers, July 2016
  • 94: Spaceships III, August 2016
  • 95: Overland Adventures, September 2016
  • 96: Tech and Toys IV, October 2016
  • 97: Strange Powers, November 2016
  • 98: Welcome to Dungeon Fantasy, December 2016
  • 99: Death and Beyond, January 2017
  • 100: Pyramid Secrets, February 2017
  • 101: Humor, March 2017
  • 102: Epic, April 2017
  • 103: Setbacks, May 2017
  • 104: Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, June 2017
  • 105: Cinematic Magic, July 2017
  • 106: Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game II, August 2017
  • 107: Monster Hunters III, September 2017
  • 108: Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game II, October 2017
  • 109: Thaumatology V, November 2017
  • 110: Deep Space, December 2017
  • 111: Combat II, January 2018
  • 112: Action II, February 2018
  • 113: Dungeon Fantasies, March 2018
  • 114: Mind Over Magic, April 2018
  • 115: Technomancer, May 2018
  • 116: Locations, June 2018
  • 117: Hot Spots, July 2018
  • 118: Dungeon Trips, August 2018
  • 119: After the End II, September 2018
  • 120: Alternate GURPS V, October 2018
  • 121: Travels and Tribulations, November 2018
  • 122: All Good Things, December 2018[72]

Reviews[edit]

  • Dragon #212 (December 1994) p94

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pyramid Writer's Guidelines". SJ Games. June 18, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Pyramid – the Best in Gaming".
  3. ^ a b Shannon Appelcline (2014). Designers & Dragons: The '80s. Evil Hat Productions. ISBN 978-1-61317-081-6.
  4. ^ "The 2000 Origins Awards". December 16, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012.
  5. ^ "Ci siamo spostati!". www.gamingreport.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006.
  6. ^ 2004 Origins Awards Archived July 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid Classic #01".
  8. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid Classic #30".
  9. ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Hercules & Xena". archive.ph.
  10. ^ "A Minor Emergency: A GURPS Black Ops Adventure by Gene Seabolt". Pyramid #28. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013.
  11. ^ "Electronic Gaming News". Pyramid #28. Archived from the original on June 28, 2004.
  12. ^ "The Cursed Sword of Hsima: by Steven W. Disbrow". Pyramid #28. Archived from the original on June 28, 2004.
  13. ^ Mike Montesa. "Autoduel Japan". Pyramid #30. Archived from the original on June 28, 2004.
  14. ^ Hite, Kenneth (August 13, 1999). "Suppressed Transmission: Crisis on Alternate Earths". Archived from the original on April 24, 2013.
  15. ^ Pinto, KT (March 1, 2002). "When Good LARPers Go Bad". Archived from the original on October 17, 2007.
  16. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/01: Tools of the Trade - Wizards". www.warehouse23.com.
  17. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/02: Looks Like a Job for . . . Superheroes".
  18. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/03: Venturing into the Badlands: Post-Apocalypse".
  19. ^ Preview warehouse23.com
  20. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/04: Magic on the Battlefield".
  21. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/06: Space Colony Alpha".
  22. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/09: Space Opera".
  23. ^ Preview warehouse23.com
  24. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/12: Tech and Toys". www.warehouse23.com.
  25. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/13: Thaumatology". www.warehouse23.com.
  26. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/15: Transhuman Space". www.warehouse23.com.
  27. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/18: Space Exploration".
  28. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/21: Cyberpunk". www.warehouse23.com.
  29. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/24: Bio-Tech". www.warehouse23.com.
  31. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/27: Monsters in Space". www.warehouse23.com.
  33. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  34. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/30: Spaceships". www.warehouse23.com.
  35. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/35: Aliens". www.warehouse23.com.
  37. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/37: Tech and Toys II".
  39. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  40. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/40: Vehicles".
  41. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/46: Weird Science".
  43. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  44. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/49: World-Hopping".
  45. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/51: Tech and Toys III".
  47. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  48. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/54: Social Engineering".
  49. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/55: Military Sci-Fi".
  51. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  52. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/62: Transhuman Space II".
  53. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived March 29, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  54. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/65: Alternate GURPS III".
  55. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  56. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic".
  57. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  58. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/71: Spaceships II".
  59. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  60. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/75: Hero's Jackpot".
  61. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived March 30, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  62. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/77: Combat".
  63. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  64. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/79: Space Atlas".
  65. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived February 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  66. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/84: Perspectives".
  67. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/85: Cutting Edge".
  68. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/86: Organizations".
  69. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/87: Low-Tech III".
  70. ^ "Warehouse 23 - Pyramid #3/88: The End is Nigh".
  71. ^ Previewwarehouse23.com Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  72. ^ "Pyramid Volume 3 [BUNDLE]". DriveThru RPG. Retrieved January 19, 2022.

External links[edit]

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