About Warehouse 23
The origin of Warehouse 23 is lost in the mists of time. It is now the best online catalog of games and "geek toys" in the known universe. But it goes back much farther . . .
Its first public appearance was in the pages of Pyramid. It was (and occasionally still is) a column devoted to Weird Items. When INWO came along, of course, there had to be a Warehouse 23 card. However, the GURPS Warehouse 23 project goes back years and years - it was a long time in the making - and the magazine column was probably based on the ongoing book project.
In early 1997, we finally released GURPS Warehouse 23. This book is designed to support a roleplaying campaign using the Warehouse - or any of its secret items, conspiracies, rumors, and legends. It includes a random table for players foolhardy enough to reach into a Warehouse box at random.
Just for fun, we put this table on the web . . . and added a link to let visitors submit their own items. Soon it grew to well over 5,000 items. Want to see it? Enter the Warehouse basement . . .
When it came time to redesign our online catalog, and make it more than just a list of our own products, the voices in our heads said "Make it Warehouse 23!"
When Warehouse 23 officially opened on April 30th, 1999, we carried only products from Steve Jackson Games, Atlas Games, and British Isles Traveller Support. Since then, we've added over 100 companies, allowing us to sell thousands of products.
On Warehouse 23's third anniversary (April 29, 2002), we expanded our service again by contracting to handle mail order fulfillment for Atlas Games. Atlas' customers benefit from Warehouse 23's experience, services, and selection of merchandise, and the good folks at Atlas Games get to put more of their time and energy into making their wonderful products.
Other companies have followed Atlas's example, and Warehouse 23 now acts as the official online store for nine companies: Steve Jackson Games, Atlas Games, Dork Storm Press, The CaBil, Grey Ghost Press, Issaries, Queen of Wands, Ninja Burger, and Lost Adept Distractions.
We're looking forward to bigger and better things in the future, and you're welcome to come along for the ride.
