Lucha Libre HERO already getting interest from non-HERO gamers

[Peregrine]

Which raises another marekting point: what is the target demographic for LLH? Obviously, it intersects with LL fans. The understanding that I have here is that LL fans are predominantly Spanish-speaking, or of Spanish-speaking background.

Is this correct?

If so, is LLH potentially a Spanish language product? If so, this would indicate that Spanish language versions of the anticipated associated books (HS5eR, UMA, and possibly Sidekick) would be appropriate - and that's new print runs on all those books, which realy wreaks havoc with the whole profitability potential.

OTOH, if LLH is released in English (as I expect it probably will be), are you then bypassing the bulk of the LL fans, who might buy a Spanish language version of LLH and the associated books?

Cross-cultural marketing is a bear...

[Steve Long]

1. With the possible exception of Sidekick, we do not produce "loss leader" books. LLH is expected to be profitable all on its lonesome. If it turns out we're wrong about that, we'll take our lumps and move along. But I don't think we'll be wrong.

2. We have no plans to translate LLH or any other books into Spanish. If a game company in a Spanish-speaking country wanted to license the rights to do so, we'd certainly be willing to talk to 'em about it.

[Peregrine]

1. Loss leaders are questionable strategy anyway, as they constitute a gamble on the associated sales. I agree that publishing to make each print run pay for itself is the better way to go. Just covering the possibilities for sake of discussion.

2. Definitely a safer course, overall. Of course, LLH does provide an obvious opportunity for any such company - translate LLH, HS5eR, UMA, and the Combat Handbook (as always, Sidekick is a possibility as well) into Spanish and market them accordingly, with LLH as the gateway product.

[Erkenfresh]

It sounds cool. I've never seen the cartoon or know anything else about it though. Chances are, I'd probably not buy it myself but I would certainly play in such a campaign.

[SuperKlaus]

It's not a joke?

Holy cats!

I'm gonna be on this like a hobo on steak! Let there be a whole chapter on the use of folding chairs as weapons, please!

[Derek Hiemforth]

It isn't just the cartoon (in fact, it isn't even primarily the cartoon). It's a whole genre of Mexican cinema.

[hancock.tom]

I think the biggest roadblock to good sales on Lucha will definitely be explaining to people what it is.

[Spence]

I think the biggest roadblock to good sales on Lucha will definitely be explaining to people what it is.

Well after the "anime fiasco" I feel I have become much more flexable

[Erkenfresh]

So can anyone recommend a good Lucha movie that I could actually find?

[Darren Watts]

So can anyone recommend a good Lucha movie that I could actually find?

The single most famous Lucha movie in the US is "Santo Contra Los Mujeres Vampiros," Americanized into "Samson vs. The Vampire Women" and most well-known for the MST3K version. That's pretty easy to find. It's not a bad example, though there are far better ones available. There are well over a hundred good examples- I'm working on a filmography right now. My favorites include "Santo y Blue Demon Contra Los Monstruos," "Santo In The Wax Museum," "Los Campeones Justicieros" (a Lucha Justice League of sorts!), and anything with Mil Mascaras in it. dw

[ghost-angel]

Reminds me of a story.. friend of mine was gaming Champions years ago and after a particularly long night they went out to a Denny's or some such diner and one of them looked at the menu and spat this out:
"Jeuvos Rancheros, Breakfast Food Of Justice"

[Erkenfresh]

Next time I'm in a video store, I'll see if I can find it. That would be in the... which section? Foreign films perhaps?

[sbarron]

While the market for LLH might be relatively small, the fans of Lucha Libre who roleplay will almost certainly by it. Hero has developed a rep for producing high quality genre books (which I assume this will be). This combined with the fact that there is almost no Lucha Libre RPG setting/genre materials on the market should make this a good seller for HERO. I don't think I'll be buying it, but I can see how it will do well even without my $$$.

[Black Omega]

Lucha Libre is also a movie genre?? Wow, never really thought about it like that.

I've watched the wrestling though. But LL is not really my style of wrestling. Not sure about the movies though. I've heard of them, just never thought of them as a genre.

[Darren Watts]

Lucha Libre is also a movie genre?? Wow, never really thought about it like that.

I've watched the wrestling though. But LL is not really my style of wrestling. Not sure about the movies though. I've heard of them, just never thought of them as a genre.

For the purposes of the book, Lucha is *primarily* a movie genre. Think of it as sort of like Hong Kong chop-socky movies, but with wrestling instead of kung fu and featuring a wide variety of other genres mixed in, primarily Universal-style monster flicks (Santo has in his day fought vampires, werewolves, mummies, alien invaders, time travelers and even the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein) and 60s-style spy movies ("Misterio En Las Bermudas" is a much better Bond ripoff than, say, Matt Helm.) All done on budgets of about thirty-seven cents and each with it's own special brand of psychotronic weirdness (killer midgets, slinky vampire women, musical sequences frequently stolen wholesale from other movies and of course, obligatory wrestling scenes.)

El Santo himself is a Mexican agglomeration of John Wayne, Bruce Lee, and Frank Sinatra, a real live superhero who fought monsters and rescued beautiful starlets on the movie screen and then came to your town on the weekend to defend his wrestling title. For a generation of Mexicans he defined masculinity and heroism, if in a cartoonish way (the Mexican national character has a charmingly self-deprecating sense of humor about itself.)

Trust me, only the Hero System can do these movies justice. dw