scottgambit

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression Exactly. I love Hero System; my problem isn't with the rules, except insofar as they take up way too much space...perceptively. There has to be a way to make this game *LOOK* more concise. Here's an example: 6E1 & 6E2 total 780 pages. The 4E D&D PHB, DMG, and Monster Manual total 827 pages. The D&D PHB is 318 pages itself (as opposed to the 6E1 460). Price points? The three D&D books are $104.85 retail; 6E1 & 6E2 are $79.98. ...but their presentation is very different. I was flipping through the book at my table when one customer asked me if I was reading an IT textbook...and here I am in my gaming store. Another customer said they thought I was crazy for playing a game with a rulebook that size. A player of D&D needs to purchase one book, the PHB. It doesn't have every rule ever made in it, and it costs $34.95 for 322 pages. A player of 6E needs both books (unless he doesn't want to know how combat works); but even presuming he needed one, placing the 6E1 book next to a PHB, the PHB is half its size. It's also more colorful, inside and out. Don't get me wrong: the Hero System paper quality is better. The binding is no doubt better. But the book looks thick and impenetrable to the newcomer. The D&D books look inviting. First impressions count for new customers more than anything else. Please: When you put out Champions, get a good cover artist. Use some Cryptic art; they have excellent art. I love looking at Foxbat and Defender and Destroyer in Champions Online. Put in that book *simple* rules that can be used to play CO characters in Champions Hero System. All their powers are duplicable, do so. Please. Make money. For you and for me.

Hi! My name is Scott; I own the Gamer's Gambit, a gaming store in northern NJ. I've been a Champions fan and player for...let's see...22 years now. Unlike some of my friends who are fans of the older editions, I've always been a fan of newer editions; I think they've been general improvements on the whole. But this one...kinda stinks before I even open the books; just as 5E did--only, perhaps, worse. HERO is competing with WotC's 4E D&D; White Wolf's lines (which are suffering in this day and age); Pathfinder; and to a lesser extent, Cthulhutech and an assortment of other books for the gamer dollar. The 6E Hero System Rulebooks have the following flaws in comparison to all of those games: 1) Cover Art. Blue with the Hero symbol in the middle? Are you serious? Sure, it stands out compared to all these other books, there's no doubt about that--but it stands out as "inferior production value". With all of the lovely art inside, why would you go with this cover, considering your competition? 2) Size. With the changes, especially in making them two books, you would think that the size would be smaller than the big black book. If the first book is any smaller, it's not noticably so. The text is very dense; the artwork, while of good quality, doesn't include much in the way of full-page grabs. The book is *HEAVY*. Most people don't want textbooks. 3) Champions. You've got Champions Online, and all the marketing for it. Champions is, by far, at least in my experience, the single most popular use for the Hero System. Using no other data than your own discussion boards, your Champions forums attract 3x as many posts as your next-largest board (Fantasy Hero). The best hardcover book HG ever put out was the Champions 4th full-color cover art book; it *grabbed* people. Mutants and Masterminds grabbed market share from Hero with its full-color cover, smaller size, quicker rules, and easier starting point--taking a giant share of the superhero market in much less time than Hero's been around. Why isn't Champions your flagship, your focus, with the generic Hero rules coming out later? The era where gamers are looking for a generic system is no longer here; that is a definate niche market. 4) Price. The price is cheaper, yes: $40. But that is somewhat deceptive, considering that most potential buyers (whether players or DMs) will consider the total acquisition cost (if they can even get past problem #1 and pick up the book) rather than singular cost. So they'll look and say: "$80 for these two books". This is a large investment. Now, D&D gets away with this with smaller books, cheaper prices and expandability of rules. HERO Games does one giant rulebook with all the rules, and ancillary sourcebooks where people can get additional ideas, but which aren't required. But D&D is a huge market and Hero's market is a lot smaller. Probably the most disappointing thing is the small, $20 Basic rules guide. This book would be OK if it had a color cover, but it would be even better if it came out at a different time. If I put this book on my shelf, and it's competing with the larger books, the first thing a player is going to think is: I'm going to be paying $20 for this, knowing that if I like it I'm going to have to drop $40 on that other book, and likely $40 more on the third book if I'm a DM. It's not a bargain; nor do I think most people are going to want to buy it. ********************************************* I should point out that I have not *read* any of the rules. As a veteran Hero player, I am pretty darned certain that I am going to approve of them; I expect them to be of good quality. I will even like the rules a great deal. As a storeowner with a lot of experience in what gets people to buy books, these suck. They'll only appeal to existing Hero system fans. It may well be that's all that you want, in which case, that's perfectly fine. But you have an opportunity with CO to cross-market and maybe pick up a bunch more customers and fans...so hopefully, when you put out Champions, you might take some of my advice to heart. Or not, up to you.