The first wave of role-playing design was its own Renaissance, marked by greatness of all kinds. If you were playing then, you'll remember. And if you weren't, you'd be amazed at what that wave held. One of them was Champions, the Super Role-Playing Game.
Hero Games is proud to present Champions Now, to be created by pioneering game designer Ron Edwards, author of Sorcerer and co-founder of The Forge. Ron will revisit the original three editions of first-generation Champions (1981 to 1988), recovering the power of this foundational era of superhero roleplaying.
To learn more, including reading a playtest document and watching videos, head over to Kickstarter. If you like what you see, please back our ambitious, fan-inclusive project.
With this announced, I thought it might be prudent to explain what Champions Now will – and won’t – be.
Is This The Hero System 7th Edition? No. This is exactly what it says it is: a version of Champions inspired by its earliest roots in 80’s gaming, yet updated for the 21st Century. Technically speaking, it’s not even a “Hero System” product, because Champions predates the Hero System as an independent game engine, which was born out of it.
Does It Replace The Hero System 6th Edition? No. Nor the fifth or fourth editions, either. Each of these versions of the Hero System has its own feel, style of play, storied history, and large number of support products. We still sell them, support them, and will continue to do so. (I’m personally still publishing Hero System 6E material.) If you like them, please continue to play them. We wouldn't ask you to do otherwise.
Is This First Edition Champions? No. Well, not exactly. A lot has happened in roleplaying game design and theory in the last forty years, and Champions Now will take this into account. Unusually for a version of Champions, Ron is placing a large focus on character play and development through play, but far less on mechanical character creation. This is his vision of Champions, informed by the important work done by himself and other small press game designers over the last decade. It isn’t simply a reprint or our version of an “OSR” game.
Why Ron Edwards? Besides being a Champions fan from way back, Ron is considered by many to be the father of the “indie” game movement of designers who self-publish their work, which often focus on collaborative storytelling and narration. He is also the author of numerous interesting essays on comic books and roleplaying games, some of which are going to find their way into the pages of Champions Now. You can read some of his work HERE.
What is your agenda here? Simple. We thought it would be interesting to see what Ron would do with the early versions of Champions that he loves, and he thought it would be interesting to spend time after the successful conclusion of the Kickstarter project including you - the backers - in what that will eventually mean. I can't answer any further because I don't know yet. You'll have to participate to find out.
lordkangarew reacted to Jason S.Walters in Champions Now Information