Sidekick Price?

[Plucky]

Knowing that Sidekick is at the printers but not knowing whether the price has been determined, I would like to know whether Sidekick will be priced low (maybe even as a loss leader?) Maybe this has already been discussed. If so, someone can give me a quick answer.

I like Hero Systems and have collected every book for 4th / 5th edition and even many of the older editions (well, not Western Hero...). However, I have not been able to get into a Hero game for the last decade. (Yes, I realize that I am somewhat obessive/compulsive to keep buying Hero stuffs when I haven't played the game for so long that I've effectively forgotten how to play it properly.) I currently have a gaming group who's playing d20 and WhiteWolf and they've been hesitant about starting a new system.

My point of all this is that, while I am not a generous person, if Sidekick is priced attractively, I would buy many copies of it to give to the people I game with (now and in the future) so I can, hopefully, convert some of them over to Hero Systems.

Plucky

[Monolith]

This was posted to Gamingreport.com a short while ago:

The HERO System simplified! SIDEKICK contains all of the core HERO System rules, including character creation, combat and adventuring, and equipment — but without all of the additions, options, and details found in the standard rulebook. SIDEKICK boils the HERO System down to its essential elements so players can easily teach themselves or others the game. A great book for beginners and long time HERO gamers.
HERO System SIDEKICK
Stock# DOJHERO106
ISBN# 1-58366-030-5
128-pg Trade Paperback, Perfect Bound
Retail $9.99
Author: Steve Long
Artist: Various

[Steve Long]

Sidekick will sell for $9.99. It's a very low price (some would say ridiculously low) given what you get, but the whole point is to make it available to as wide a market as possible, so we chose to keep the price low. Since the development costs were extremely small, we'll still hopefully make some money regardless.

One of the reasons we're pricing it so low is so that people can do exactly what you're hoping to -- buy copies for everyone in their gaming group to convince them to get into the game, or to give 'em a quick-reference to use, or what have you. Several of the playtesters indicated plans to do this, and hopefully they'll be just a few of many.

[buzz]

Originally posted by Steve Long
One of the reasons we're pricing it so low is so that people can do exactly what you're hoping to -- buy copies for everyone in their gaming group to convince them to get into the game, or to give 'em a quick-reference to use, or what have you. Several of the playtesters indicated plans to do this, and hopefully they'll be just a few of many.

You can count me as a probable one of "many".

One of my gaming groups is very much "d20 or bust". I love d20, but I have so many other RPGs on my shelves that I'm thinking of simply running some of them during breaks in our regular campaign, regardless of whether the group is interested or not. I'm betting that their hunger for gaming will override any reluctance to play different systems.

Naturally, I'm going to try and hook them on HERO. (Luckily, I have a HERO ringer in the group who also hopes to get them hooked.) Sidekick will be a perfect means to this end, so I plan to buy copies for all of them.

[Steve Long]

Now, we just need lots more Buzzes, and we're set.

But then we'd have a Buzz overload, and heaven knows that could be trouble!

[Derek Hiemforth]

I plan on buying several copies just to have on hand for this purpose. Maybe not quite as many copies as I got of 5th Edition, but several.

'Course, I'm running out of copies of 5th Edition now, so maybe I need to get more...

[Plucky]

I may be crazy, but I am not quite insane (or rich) enough to buy copies of FRED for people. However, since I plan to attend Dundracon (my annual track across the continent), I guess I should bring extra money along.

Plucky

[Lord Liaden]

I'm one of those who thought that this product should have come out within a year of FREd's publication. This is the entry-drug we've all needed to hook the newbies on HERO.

I'd be interested to hear whether sales of Hero Games stuff spikes after this hits the shelves.

[Steve Long]

I am not quite insane (or rich) enough to buy copies of FRED for people.

AFAIK, Derek holds the records for number of copies bought by a single person for a single person (though I'm sure he's handed out a few). But I know of one person who bought 20 copies, one for himself and every person in his gaming group, to ensure that everyone would have a copy so that there'd by no delays or quibbling over upgrading to 5E. I think he was going to try to get everyone to pay him back, but at the very least he fronted the purchase price for all 20.

Oh, to have many, many more fans like that! But hopefully we'll break that record somewhere with SK, since it's only one-fourth the price.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Originally posted by Steve Long
AFAIK, Derek holds the records for number of copies bought by a single person for a single person (though I'm sure he's handed out a few).

I've only got four. Is that a record? I bought ten, but six were gifts.

(For the curious, I've one copy that's my day-to-day copy, one copy I had the covers cut off and coil-bound, one copy is being kept pristine for autographs and such, and one copy is my "back-up" copy in case something happens to my day-to-day copy.)

[Killer Shrike]

Originally posted by Derek Hiemforth
I've only got four. Is that a record? I bought ten, but six were gifts.

(For the curious, I've one copy that's my day-to-day copy, one copy I had the covers cut off and coil-bound, one copy is being kept pristine for autographs and such, and one copy is my "back-up" copy in case something happens to my day-to-day copy.)

Dont you need a back up for your back up? Playing it a little risky with only one level of redundancy dont you think

[Derek Hiemforth]

Originally posted by Killer Shrike
Dont you need a back up for your back up? Playing it a little risky with only one level of redundancy dont you think

I like to live on the edge.