Ps238

[Korvar]

Re: Ps238

 

I think you have side-stepped my point. Those of us with children are teaching our kids to game; and we don't need a special book for that. My 7 year old was playing Champions when he was 5. Since the vast majority of buyers of the book aren't going to be children writing down to the real buyers serves no real purpose.

 

So what about kids who might interested in gaming, but whose parents don't game? Their parents are going to be making the purchase, but if the game looks like it's actually for kids, they're presumably more likely to buy it for their offspring.

[OddHat]

Re: Ps238

 

I don't like you either but I don't go around making blanket' date=' unsubstantiated, statements about you just in a vain attempt to discredit your posts. I suppose that's the difference between us.[/quote']

 

Speaking as a moderator, I understand that you feel you were responding to an insult; this is not the way to deal with it under the rules. If you think another poster is in violation of the rules, report the post. One of the mods will deal with it.

 

I am asking all involved to step back now. Further insulting and inflammatory posts will be met with appropriate action.

[MitchellS]

Re: Ps238

 

So what about kids who might interested in gaming' date=' but whose parents don't game? Their parents are going to be making the purchase, but if the game looks like it's actually [i']for[/i] kids, they're presumably more likely to buy it for their offspring.

While I understand the concept very few companies benefit by marketing to fringe audiences. Kids who are interested in gaming, who actually find their way into a FLGS, are few and far between. Hero is already a fringe market. When you start targeting only the fringe of the fringe you're in for trouble in any business.

 

I don't know if the writing will be such to specifically target younger games. As I said above, I only hope Hero understand that the majority of the buyers will not be kids; and the majority of the fans who read PS238 also aren't kids. It's not 12 year olds who will be seeing this for the first time on a FLGS's shelf. It's 20+ year-old existing gamers who are looking for something new to buy. For every kid looking for their first purchase there will be 100 existing gamers looking for something new. Target the 100, not the 1.

[Captain Liberty]

Re: Ps238

 

I would say that PS238, the comic, is targetted at a growing demographic, comic fans with children. Gamers with children will be especially interested in the PS238 game.

 

Both of these demographics are growing but not humongous groups. Fortunately for the project, the book and assumedly the game are entertaining for anyone.

 

Speaking as one of the oldest members of this board who has been married without children for 40 years now and still wants to play Captain Clarinet!

[casualplayer]

Re: Ps238

 

Similar to what I said before, when you are a kid you want to do adult things and being identified as "kid stuff" is the ultimate dismissal and insult. Ideally you are introduced to adult things at a measured, considered pace and with the assistance of a mentor, which doesn't sound anything like how many of us got into gaming. So how can this be used to benefit PS238, HERO and rpg gaming?

 

Remove the delayed gratification of character generation with pre-gen characters that are ready to play. Something similar to the fantastic Teen Titans characters that keyes_bill uses for convention games would be perfect.

 

Consider the inclusion of HeroDesigner with a special PS238 template made available. If the character sheet looks like a worksheet then it's another hurdle to overcome but if the page that is in front of you continuously throughout the game accentuates the fun, advertises the possibilities and compliments the genre then it is an asset. Consider a panel-and-gutter format, like a comics page.

 

Include an adventure that would take three or more sessions to run. Once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a habit, a commitment, potentially a lifetime pursuit.

 

Dr. Positron's Guide to Character Development and Creation! (a la Goodman School) If the book is "interactive," if it appears to be addressing the reader personally then it will be a much more immersive experience from the initial read.

 

Lots of good, clean art. Should be covered by Aaron Williams' involvement.

 

This is my recipe for an all-ages, introductory role-playing game. Season to taste.

[pinecone]

Re: Ps238

 

Thoughts on the news from the herogames.com front page? I haven't followed comics closely for years' date=' so I'm not personally familiar with it, but an all-in-one young supers game with crossover appeal for adults and kids sounds cool...[/quote']

 

I finnaly found a copy #25 I think...It totally RAWKS.....I..umm...recomend it....

[ghost-angel]

Re: Ps238

 

I think aiming towards, not necessarily at, a younger generation and an older generation is good. It is a growing market - there are more and more gamers with kids every year. At some point they'll introduce their kids, if the kids find something they like (like say a game based on a comic they read - as the demographic for the comic itself is kids & adults) they'll steer towards it having already been introduced to the concept by their parents.

 

And then they go to their friends, who may or may not also have gamer parents, and introduce them through a familiar venue (like a comic they all read).

 

Sometimes you aim at the small, emerging, market to make it a big money making market. How many success stories are based on that exact formula.. tons.

[BNakagawa]

Re: Ps238

 

Well, I'm not sure how many gamer parents would take their children to a game convention. They're generally not the most kid-friendly venues. But I have heard assertions from more and more veteran gamers that they're bringing their children into the hobby. Over on RPGnet I've also noticed increasingly frequent requests for advice on "child appropriate" games. How many times have we debated the need to bring new, younger gamers into HERO to sustain and expand its fan base?

 

Anyway, a well-done "youth" RPG with an interesting premise typically appeals to a wider age range.

 

All of the three local gaming conventions have a children's area set aside for gamerspawn along with programming designed to cater to the youngsters.

[Susano]

Re: Ps238

 

For a taste of PS238 in HERO Terms, I offer Mr. Extraordinary:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationscomic/extraordinary.html

 

Aaron Williams was rather impressed when saw what I'd done (I told him at GenCon 2006), and put a link on his webpage!

[Comic]

Re: Ps238

 

Aaron Williams was rather impressed when saw what I'd done (I told him at GenCon 2006)' date=' and put a link on his webpage![/quote']

 

It's likely he was impressed by what you'd done because you're extremely impressive at what you do.

 

As Aaron Williams is extremely plain-spoken and means pretty much what he says, if his writings are anything to go by.

 

Oh, and because, of course, we've seen plenty of evidence of the impressive body of work you've done.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Ps238

 

Remove the delayed gratification of character generation with pre-gen characters that are ready to play. Something similar to the fantastic Teen Titans characters that keyes_bill uses for convention games would be perfect.

 

These ones?

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Ps238

 

I would just like to take this opportunity to say: THANK YOU!

 

Now I don't have to regret never taking the chance to stat up the kiddies myself.

 

*puts on 'must buy ASAP' list*

 

So... you guys are taking pre-orders already, right?

[Tim]

Re: Ps238

 

*does the happy dance*

 

YAH! I remember at E_Con (a local con in Carbondale IL) the year Teenhero was coming out, I told Aaron he should do submit some interior art for the book. (I also said something about PS238 characters in the book) He told me then, he had been talking to HERO games about some ideas but couldn't say anything.

 

It is on my must buy list.

[Edsel]

Re: Ps238

 

Until the announcement I had never even heard of Ps238. Apparently my FLGS didn't carry the comic due to low demand.

To be fair to them comics are a tricky thing for a FLGS to carry in the first place because issues that don't sell have a tendency to pile up and go nowhere. They apparently get only one copy of each issue for an unknown fan who has an in-store subscription.

 

After the announcement I looked up the web page and starting reading the comic. It's funny! I liked it and added it to my favorites list. In fact I have had my FLGS order all of the collected books for me and I will have gotten an in-store subscription of my own. Needless to say I am now looking forward to this release.