It Has Arrived!

[Steve Long]

Guess what showed up on my doorstep this morning? The Fantasy Hero genre book, fresh from the printer! That means it's now well on its way to distributors (and thence to retailers), and a big shipment of 'em is probably already sitting in our booth at Indianapolis just waiting to be unpacked. ;)

If I do say so myself, it's a mighty cool book. ;)

[JakSpade]

A POX ON YOU AND YOUR WONDERFULLY ADDICTIVE SERIES OF BOOKS, ACTING LIKE A PLAGUE ON MY WALLET... er

I mean...

Congratulations!
All Hail Hero Games!

Jak

[beastialwarlust]

Must have the preciousssssssss...

I mean cool I will be bugging my local game store

[optimusv]

Da*n you! Da*n you all to He** ...uh...

That's really great you got it first. I am patiently waiting for local game store to get it...yeah...real patient...

[AnotherSkip]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Oh well at least igot to read Designer Desmenes before Steve did....


:)

[Lord Liaden]

I can only imagine the satisfaction you must be feeling to finally have this child of your imagination and passion in your hands at last. I wonder, how does it compare to when you finally held the HERO System Fifth Edition?

[Monolith]

My insidious plan to destroy every copy of the book before it reached circulation has failed. I am a failure as a secret master villain. :)

[Nightshade]

Must be patient....

Patient....

Patient....

Screw it! I want it and I want it NOW!!!!

Actually, I feel better ;)

Congratulations. I can't wait to give you more money. When was the FH Grimoire coming out again?

Nightshade

[Greatwyrm]

I won't be able to make GenCon this year, but a friend has promised to pick me up a copy. Given that, how many will you be selling at GenCon? Am I going to tell him your booth needs to be his first stop?

[MarkusDark]

Heh, if they received any in the San Francisco office, I might just take a long lunch and bring my wallet. ;)

Actually, I already pre-ordered at my FLGS so that would be wrong of me.

[TechnoViking]

Which printer did Fantasy Hero print at?

Mike

[HeroTina]

OK so we here at Hero West were not in the office at the crack of 9:30 this morning, so we missed the fed ex guy BUT he just came back. I opened the box and said HOLY BAZOLI THAT'S A BIG-ASS BOOK.

Darren just said damn it's too heavy to hold.

So you guys better start working out so you can handle this book.

[HeroTina]

Originally posted by MarkusDark
Heh, if they received any in the San Francisco office, I might just take a long lunch and bring my wallet. ;)

Actually, I already pre-ordered at my FLGS so that would be wrong of me.

We just got our two personal copies... You can come by and drool over it (just don't get any drool, on it) Ben will be here while Darren and I are in Indy.

[Darren Watts]

Originally posted by Greatwyrm
I won't be able to make GenCon this year, but a friend has promised to pick me up a copy. Given that, how many will you be selling at GenCon? Am I going to tell him your booth needs to be his first stop?

I'd have him come by early, at least. We're bringing a lot of copies, but last year Champions went by in a flash... dw

[Darren Watts]

Originally posted by Mike Basinger
Which printer did Fantasy Hero print at?

Mike

RR Donnelly, in Ohio. dw

[HeroTina]

Originally posted by Greatwyrm
I won't be able to make GenCon this year, but a friend has promised to pick me up a copy. Given that, how many will you be selling at GenCon? Am I going to tell him your booth needs to be his first stop?

Well last Gen Con, our new release was Champions and we sold out in like 4 hrs. So tell your friend to go there first.

[HeroTina]

Originally posted by Mike Basinger
Which printer did Fantasy Hero print at?

Mike

Our Ohio printer.

[TechnoViking]

Originally posted by Darren Watts
RR Donnelly, in Ohio. dw
Curses, My LGS always gets Hero products from his distributor slow when they come from Ohio. Don't ask me why.

Mike

[Nightshade]

Can we ask why instead? :D

Perhaps I'll get it this weekend if my FLGS has it.

But here's my ultimatum:

I can only wait for as long as it takes for my gaming store to get it. I simply won't wait any longer than that.

Nightshade

[AnotherSkip]

Birthdays can be SOOOOOOOOOOOO problematic.....

[Steve Long]

I can only imagine the satisfaction you must be feeling to finally have this child of your imagination and passion in your hands at last. I wonder, how does it compare to when you finally held the HERO System Fifth Edition?

Oh, there's no competition there; 5E was sweeter. But this is, unquestionably, pretty damn sweet. Even after ten years in this biz and nearly 100 books to my name, I always get a thrill when I see a new book with my name on the cover -- and this one was particularly cool. ;)


When was the FH Grimoire coming out again?

September. I'm currently about a fourth to a third of the way through writing it (he said hopefully).


I won't be able to make GenCon this year, but a friend has promised to pick me up a copy. Given that, how many will you be selling at GenCon? Am I going to tell him your booth needs to be his first stop?

Can't say for certain, because I don't know how many we've got there -- though I think at least 200-300. Last year we blew through 100 copies of Champions in about two hours, IIRC, and then another 100 or so over the rest of the con. I expect we'll be OK, but interest in Hero has hopefully risen over the past year, so it might be a good idea for your friend to show up early. ;)

[beastialwarlust]

Originally posted by Steve Long


September. I'm currently about a fourth to a third of the way through writing it (he said hopefully).


Is there any way we can start some sort of fundraiser to have you cloned. That we don't have to wait so long for these awesome books.:D

[Steve Long]

You're welcome to start raising funds. When you've raised them, please send them to me directly and I'll look into the whole cloning thing. :)

[Vondy]

So, based on Tina's remarks, is the acronym for fantasy hero: BAB?

[rayoman]

I hope not because that may confuse some of my players who are into DnD. BAB = Base Attack Bonus.


Originally posted by D-Man
So, based on Tina's remarks, is the acronym for fantasy hero: BAB?

[CorpCommander]

Originally posted by rayoman
I hope not because that may confuse some of my players who are into DnD. BAB = Base Attack Bonus.

I suggest the acronym be BABE.

Big Ass Bound Entertainment.
Bountiful Advantages Begging Enjoyment
Beautiful And Big Edition (not to be mistaken for the Big and Beautiful Enuchs club of Akron Ohio.)

OR B&B

Bailies & Basalisks 3.5E (oh wait, is that taken already?) :rolleyes:
Bars & Beholders
Boulders & Benedictines
Borders and Ballistas

The possiblities are endless!

:cool:

[tgaptte]

Boy...this is the hardest part, waiting the last week.

Glad it's almost over and looking forward to the Grimoire!

You're planning on reprinting the Bestiary along with FH, right?

Tim

[Thirdbase]

Originally posted by Steve Long
You're welcome to start raising funds. When you've raised them, please send them to me directly and I'll look into the whole cloning thing. :)

My donation will coming via my FLGS, since all I buy there is stuff with your name on it.

[Steve Long]

You're planning on reprinting the Bestiary along with FH, right?

Yes, that's correct. We just got that set up the other day, so we should have new Bestiaries in a couple weeks, last I heard. It would've been sooner, but as luck would have it we had to reprint 5E, and that takes priority (and funds). ;)

In the meantime, while digging through my own personal backstock I unearthed about half a dozen Bestiaries, which I'm bringing to GenCon for sale. Also about the same number of HERO System Resource Kits.

[Bazza]

Originally posted by Steve Long on the OLD BOARDS 12-22-2001 02:41 PM here (http://www.herogames.com/oldForum/CompanyQuestions/000152.html)
We absolutely haven't forgotten FH. It's one of my favorite genres, personally; I've had the next FH book on my "to write" list for years, and can't wait to get started on it.
Steve now that it is written, 17 months later after you posted that msg how do you feel now that the book is written and being distributed to FLGSs?

What has been the best experience you've had when writing it?

What is it about the fantasy genre that it is one of your favourites?

[Le Schtroumpf]

Right on. I actually have some disposable income this month - You've sold a book.

[Steve Long]

Steve now that it is written, 17 months later after you posted that msg how do you feel now that the book is written and being distributed to FLGSs?

I feel mighty damn pleased and proud. I'll be even more pleased if we have a heavy sales day tomorrow, like we did with Champions last year.


What has been the best experience you've had when writing it?

Hmmm. I don't know if I could put my finger on any one thing; I enjoyed the whole process. If I had to choose, I'd say interacting with the fans who had a positive attitude about the whole project and were willing to express their interest and offer constructive suggestions.


What is it about the fantasy genre that it is one of your favourites?

That's hard to encapsulate. There's something elemental about Fantasy for many game designers, including myself. Part of it is that we got started in gaming with the Fantasy genre, which means it occupies a certain place of nostalgic favoritism in our hearts. Part of it is that it draws appeal from, I think, to many archetypical images and themes that are important in our art and culture in general.

But it's also because I find good Fantasy writing so wondrous, so awe-inspiring. I love technothrillers and sci-fi novels, but they can't evok the sense of wonder and the deep emotions in me that works like those of Tolkien and Dunsany can. And in turn, I hope to evoke some of that sense of wonder in the readers of FH -- or, more accurately, hope I can help them evoke it for themselves.

[Thag13]

I have to say, except for Horror Hero this is the product I have been waiting for.

I hope to get my copy this weekend. I am even dipping into my DRAGONcon funds to get this one.

Please when some of the posters get a copy, please give us a discription and review...

Thanks

Go HERO!!!

[The_Saint]

Damn,Guys-
while you will be holding FH in your hands within the next days,me here in good old germany got to wait ...well much longer.(Sigh)

[Herolover]

Originally posted by The_Saint
Damn,Guys-
while you will be holding FH in your hands within the next days,me here in good old germany got to wait ...well much longer.(Sigh)

I live just 6 hours from Indianappolis and don't have any money to get it. (I get paid Saturday, but no time to go get the book.) Really peeves me off having to wait for my FLGS to get it.

Of course that was till I read your statement. Now, I think I can wait.

[Tim]

Originally posted by Steve Long
Yes, that's correct. We just got that set up the other day, so we should have new Bestiaries in a couple weeks, last I heard. It would've been sooner, but as luck would have it we had to reprint 5E, and that takes priority (and funds). ;)


Sorry to hear you are having to reprint FREd again (NOT! :D ) I'm happy to hear you are having to reprint FREd. So what is this the third or fourth reprint? And also having to reprint the Beastiary.

Keep up the Amazingly Good work, guys!

TimS.

[Steve Long]

This is the fourth printing of FRED.

[hypnotica]

:D can i purchase fantasy hero directly from herogames? I live 2 hours from the closest store that carrys hero products and it would much easier to buy online. How do i go about purchasing a copy?

[Steve Long]

You can purchase it from us when we put it in the Online Store, which will occur in about a month. We give the retailers first crack at your hard-earned gaming dollars. The "Hero Retailers" page here on the website lists some online retailers you could buy from right now, if you prefer.

[Greg]

I picked mine up Saturday at Gencon. It was between that and the Dragonlance setting, but WOTC material is so easy to get discounted online I went for FH. Not to mention it was $10 cheaper and 2-3x thicker. I even managed to get out of the parking garage with $1 to spare...

Looking at the retail list you only have The Game Preserve listed here in Indy. The Boardroom is much more likely to have Fantasy Hero as they have the entire Hero line and not just one copy of the core rules.

[Steve Long]

The retailer list depends entirely on who asks to be on it. Whether one store is (or is not) better than another doesn't matter if the better store hasn't requested we post its info.

[Killer Shrike]

Got my copy on the way home tonight; pulled a muscle picking it up off the counter. :D

It puts the MONGO in HUMONGOUS....

[Greatwyrm]

I picked up mine from my friend last night. It's no book -- it's a space station!

[AnotherSkip]

Shouldn't that be...
Its no book, it's a LIBRAIUM!!!!!!!!1

[hypnotica]

Got my fantasy hero today ordered on mon online and got it today fri. OHHH YEAH that thing is hefty but looks ggoooddd!!! THank you STeven for doing such a great job on the book im sure i'll finish my vacation purusing through that book!! :p

[Steve Long]

Glad y'all are enjoying it. ;)

[Le Schtroumpf]

Good god. How the smurph do you expect someone 3 apples high to carry this mother around? Took 4 of us to get it back to the village.

[Toadmaster]

Originally posted by CorpCommander
I suggest the acronym be BABE.

Big Ass Bound Entertainment.
Bountiful Advantages Begging Enjoyment
Beautiful And Big Edition (not to be mistaken for the Big and Beautiful Enuchs club of Akron Ohio.)

OR B&B

Bailies & Basalisks 3.5E (oh wait, is that taken already?) :rolleyes:
Bars & Beholders
Boulders & Benedictines
Borders and Ballistas

The possiblities are endless!

:cool:

Come on now, lets be practical and just call it

"OW, MY BACK"

I just got mine and also picked up the USPD, I had to park my pickup and rent a semi just to get them home :eek:

[MarkusDark]

I haven't had a chance to really read it yet, but I thought it was funny that I flipped open the book and saw "Twisting the Blade" and just had to sit and read that passage.

Between reading the detail in that, and the several powers in the USPD that have various icky attacks on eyes (t-porting them out, stabbing them from behind, etc), I fear for anyone who gets on the wrong side of Steve Long... ;)

[Bazza]

I found out yesterday that I may have to wait minimum of 3 weeks for my copy of FH to arrive. My FLGS receives its Diamond orders fortnightly and FH is not coming in next weekend with the shipment. :(

On the bright side, I can do some exercise and weights so I can lift it when it does come.

[Nevenall]

Originally posted by Le Schtroumpf
Good god. How the smurph do you expect someone 3 apples high to carry this mother around? Took 4 of us to get it back to the village.

I didn't know Smurfs roleplayed. Who GMs and do the adventures all involve walking a long ways in a single file line?

[Le Schtroumpf]

At three apples high everywhere we go is a long way. As for what we play, I'd say we're fairly typical. Bit of action, bit of character development, maim the occassional Care Bear....

[AnotherSkip]

Ewwwwwwww!!!!!!

Le Schtroumpf you are gonna make me cheer on Care Bears arent you?

[Le Schtroumpf]

Care Bears are insignificant compared to the power of the smurf.
- Darth Smurfer.

[Lord Mhoram]

Originally posted by Bazza
I found out yesterday that I may have to wait minimum of 3 weeks for my copy of FH to arrive. My FLGS receives its Diamond orders fortnightly and FH is not coming in next weekend with the shipment. :(



Ouch. We get Diamond weekly and it is this weeks shipment for us. So Wednesday, I will be hoping for a really slow day so I can read this huge tome. :D

[Hierax]

I was amazed that a nice big-assed FANTASY HERO book was waiting for me last Friday and I'm in Canada where we usually have to wait a month or so after you Yanks get it ;)

Whatever you did this time around keep on doing it.

Besides the speed of it's arrival the immensity of the book is staggeringly impressive even after having printed out the playtest.

And the contents are top-notch.

An all around great job, kudos to Steve and the rest of the HERO Games staff who worked so hard to bring us all such a valuable work -- THANKS!

A few years back I thought that 5th ed would never come to be and Fantasy Hero would fade into the mists of gaming history, I can't express how glad I am that DOJ came along to bring Fantasy Hero back to life for both a newand and old generation of gamers!

THANKS again ad infinitum!

[Steve Long]

Glad you're enjoying it!

As always, "you keep buyin' 'em, we'll keep makin' 'em." ;)

[WalkerGrae]

On the downside I liked the cover art and some of the proffessional packages from the 4th ed. Fantasy hero better, but that's just me.

On the upside it's just one BIG and VERY GOOD book!

I believe I saw something somewhere on the boards where Steve Long replied to someone's inquiery about the mass combat rules by saying they were pretty basic and not intended to be a waregame. I for one think Steve was selling himself short when he made that statement. It's been about 10 or 15 years since I played a AD&D 2nd ed. campaign featureing several conflicts using something called BattleSytem to do mass combat between armies. From what I can remember of BattleSystem I think that the system for mass combat put forth in the new Fantasy Hero book is nearly as robust, easier to use, and features better scalability.

Great book! I'm eagerly looking forward to the Grimoire due in September.

[Bazza]

Originally posted by Lord Mhoram
Ouch. We get Diamond weekly and it is this weeks shipment for us. So Wednesday, I will be hoping for a really slow day so I can read this huge tome. :D You sound like someone who works in a FLGS 'cause mine spends a lot of time reading as well. :) But due to the cost of shipping to Aus ad the small size of the business, we get them in fornightly. *Fingers crossed* "2 weeks to go?"

[Michael Hopcroft]

What amsssive book "Fantasy HERO" is. Just skimming through ti took me half an hour. I haven't even tried doing anything crunchy with it -- that could take hours.

I know that Hero has plans to release settings books next, but there are sopme things I could use like a whole boatload of packaged spells and magic items to make it easier to create characters that use them.

[ShadowRaptor]

Do you guys at herogames have any special programs to help out us unfortunately less poor people who would really do almost anything to get our grubby hands on this wonderful tome of knowledge and infinite possibilities so we can have a copy also???

I mean, I'll write some articles and things for you if possible... or make monthly payments of smaller quantities until I can pay it off... or blood donations... or ________________ (fill in the blank and I'll let you know).