Vondy

The basic idea was Villians+Adventure.

Well, from my perspective, aside from the villian and org books, hero has focused on buildability rather than playability. The materials released are 80% about design time (tool kitting) rather than run time. While not "new," my idea is basically to present ready to use run time materials. Adventures may be loss leaders (I would aim for break even leaders), but they do help make a very front loaded system come to life. It also serves as an implicit example for new GMs. It can also showcase a "less crunchy" design aesthetic. That's not different system-wise, but it is different line-wise.

Well, seeing as you just lumped Tony in with Trump... the prosecution rests. Though, honestly, I'm watching the Avengers despite Tony, not because of him.

I have reached my quota of positive votes for the day. Okay. I have to stop being positive. Do I get negative votes?

Well, personally, Robert Downy Jr.s portrayal of Iron Man is perfect for recreating that. He's comes off as a brilliant yet douchey frat boy with a super-suit. His a middle-aged man-boy in arrested development. I've really tried to like him, but as polished and strong as the Iron Man movies were, I just don't. He's just somebody I'd want to spend time with, or introduce to my family.

I'd be happy to go up against Mr. Wicked with the stipulation that I get to play Frank Castle. The. Netflix. Frank. Castle.

Its always best to tread lightly with graphic, violent, and sexual themes. And, my mantra has always been, "communication is king." Talk to your players. Different people have different things they don't want to deal with in their entertainment. As a father of daughters, I turn off any show with child abduction as a theme (esp. girls). If I were to play in a gaming session where that was the crime, I'd politely bow out and say "be back next week." Playing with real fears is not fun. I also had an extremely dark childhood. My father nearly beat me to death more than once. I survived to adulthood because he left.Child abuse is not something I want in a game. It doesn't "trigger" me (I can't relate to that), but the memories are unpleasant. Why deal sad sack topics when you're trying to have fun? I also prefer not to see depictions of grievously wounded and maimed soldiers screaming and dying in agony on the battlefield. I've been there and done that in real life. If a soldier gets shot down in a game, that's fine. It happens, but we don't need to dwell on it to "add realism." I already know what it looks like. If a GM goes there, I'll stop them after the game and ask them to reign it in a bit. I see rape as no different from these things. Why would anyone want to go there? Let alone someone who has experienced it? Its an ugly and traumatic crime against the victim's dignity. Trauma isn't a competition. Individuals process it very differently. For some, rape is worse than death. For others, its just really, really bad. I am unaware of any women who think "it just kind of sucks." But even if the latter, why take them there? Even by accident?

Often times the most effective way to get to someone isn't what you do to them, but what you do (or threaten to do) to their loved ones.

More crossovers. Poop.

One thought I had was short (say 24-36 page) Champions Universe "expansions." These could introduce a villain group / organization with an accompanying adventure. Or, if Jason and Steve were down with it, expand on an existing villain, etc. If the theme / presentation is consistent and tight enough, you could compile them into a print book when you had 5-6 finished. One way to do that would be to have excerpts from team / agency data-files that make it look like "field reports." Another would be to have a "default hero team" (champions or original or whatever) in the art, etc. GMs could use the prefab characters or original ones made by the players. At least, that was my idea. Thoughts?

I promise to stop and focus on products, etc.

That will have to do.

Most threads are were-discourses. They change, often violently, depending on on the phase of the moon. Or the mood of the participants. I call it, Tangenthropy.

Will the material be released as a .pdf product after the hard-copies ship? Or, as POD?

Is this closed? I went to support today and couldn't find the donate button.

Thank you! But, you had me at Coke Zero.

As well you should be!

Your closing remark indicates you're more interested in continuing an argument than actually reading what I write. I didn't say it was a stretch. I said it was "interesting" and "plausible, but unproven." I also indicated I wasn't certain if it was falsifiable or not. Not certain means... "not certain." I've seen a lot of studies. Some are good. Some are bad. One is seldom enough, however. A single study you can't even provide the link to? You'll understand if I stick to "plausible, but unproven." I believe we have reasonable suspicion that vulgar jokes and bad analogies about rape lead some people to trivialize it. I would go so far as to say it has verisimilitude and is worth further investigation. But, I would also caution that sword likely cuts both ways. That's my hypothesis. When you start using serious defamatory words to describe trivial offenses, they lose their power and people stop caring. Words like racism, sexist, homophobia... you know, the evil-isms we hold so taboo. If people use those terms injudiciously and at the drop of the hat, I suggest people may not see those as evils and taboos to be taken seriously. I suspect you would consider such an outcome undesirable. No one suggested you did make such comments. I would think you wouldn't irrespective of what anyone had told you. Why? Because I assume most of the people I meet are decent at heart. Nor do I disagree that they would rightfully feel trivialized by such remarks. They rightfully should. But, magnifying rape does nothing to help rape victims recover and get on with life. Its a traumatic experience and a a grievous offense against human dignity. There are others. Torture, maiming, grievous beatings / near fatal assaults, watching comrades or loved ones executed, extended child abuse. The list goes on and on and on. Rape victims, like all human beings, are individuals. There is a great deal of phenomenology in play. What is a "fate worse than death" to one rape victim may not be nearly as traumatic to another. I prefer not to impose propaganda on people in crisis. Its best to deal with them where they are at. That, of course, requires being sensitive to their experience. That's so basic that I'm not sure why we're talking about it. What I really don't understand, however, is what any of this has to do with anything beyond your taking yet another opportunity to tell us what a good guy you are. I'm out.

I wasn't being defensive. No one said anything aimed at me I required defense from. Nor am I given to defending myself at all. I don't see a need to. Its the Internet. I took a strong position and stated an unequivocal opinion. That's it. Characterizing a dissenting opinion as "defensive" is a touch kafka-esque. My point was, and remains, that unreasonable reactions to an offense tend to undermine legitimate complaints. Not all unpleasant remarks require us to work the hand-crank on the outrage machine. Or to bandy about thought-interrupting and defamatory words like sexism and racism that serve as contemporary scarlet letters. When you use those terms at the drop of a hat, over trivial offenses, when little is at stake, they become meaningless. Which is, I believe, the point that was being made about rape, no?

Fair enough! And, for the record, I do have ideas for shorter products that I would be inspired to write. I would also pay for the art. But, that leaves editing, formatting, and printing. And rights and profit sharing agreements to hammer out. And that's a lot. How much would it cost to bring a 128 page 6x9 glossy book to print? I don't know.

All right. You want brass tacks? I'll give them to you. Hero is in limbo. It has infrequent kickstarters and limited third party support. That's it. Here is what it will take to revivify the system: money. Not just a little bit of money. A significant investment in a well-considered marketing and product plan. Without that money, there is nothing to discuss. Bottom line: We aren't doing or saying anything that will change anything. Why is that? Because we aren't calling DOJ and saying, "I have money and a plan!" Plans without money go nowhere. If you... Have an idea for an official Hero book that will sell Are willing to underwrite or help underwrite the writing, layout, art, and printing. And, Are willing to share the profits Please do call them. But, short of that, what do you expect from any of us? We're fans. We're customers. We aren't owners.

The thing is, by and large, our media tends to present a vulgar (even profane) German delivered angrily and harshly. Its adversarial and abusive drill sergeant and camp guard German. If you listen to educated, intelligent, calm German's speak you hear an entirely different accent. Its actually quite pleasant, and frankly, I've met a few German women whose English and German was quite appealing. Yummy.

I found your position eminently reasonable. But, then, I appear to share it. Your hypothesis that the casual use of "rape" out of context desensitizes people to real rape is interesting. I find it "plausible, but unproven." I'm not certain it is falsifiable. It is, at least, worthy of some consideration. As for my politics, they aren't what they used to be. My life and worldview have changed dramatically over the past 3-4 years. I would like to think they have "evolved," but that may be giving myself too much credit. But, I wouldn't make too many assumptions based on what I believed and wrote many years ago. Those are the historical me. I won't deny them. I won't delete them. They are what they are. The contemporary me, however, might not be who you think he is.

The term "rules rapist" is unfortunate and vulgar and ill-advised. I believe their are better terms and we should seek to use them. But... My issue is not whether the term "rules rapist" is offensive. It is offensive. Rather, it is with the proportion of expressed outrage to the offense in question. We are talking about a 30+ year old reference in an out of print gaming book that was wholly metaphorical and had zero to do with actual rape. Its actual scope and intent is, while vulgar and meat-headed, eminently clear to the meanest of understandings. It is reasonable to expect people to not only measure their words, but to measure their reactions to words and their judgements of those who speak them as well. It is not, in my opinion, remotely ban-worthy. I had a handful of posters on these boards tell me my wife and daughters were legitimate terrorist targets because we lived in Beit El. I did not report their posters or ask that they be banned. One of those posters openly said they hoped I was killed on the road to Jerusalem over a difference of political opinion. I did not report the poster or ask that they be banned. I have, on these boards, been called a traitor to America because I accepted dual citizenship and lived abroad for many years. I did not report the poster or ask that they be banned. I don't care for these individuals, but most of them aren't here anymore, anyways. I outlasted the bastards. That is how you win. Does using "rape" in metaphorical contexts rather than its literal context devalue the trauma suffered by rape victims? It may or may not. That is a very complex question with highly subjective answers. I'm open to having that discussion. I am open to the hypothesis. I am not, however, open to prima facie assassinating a dead man's character for words written decades ago. Nor am I for censoring someone who references his writing because someone else finds it "unpleasant." I am not living in a world devoid of unpleasantness, or in which I have a right not to be offended. Life is too short to sweat every offense I encounter. If I did, I'd never get anything done. And, no matter what I do or say, someone will take exception. I can't live by an ethic of "offend no one." Rather, I can only seek to be reasonable with reasonable people. I will do my best to be considerate, to be decent, and to consider my audience. I think we should all aspire to that. Do I use the term "rules rapist?" I do not. Have I been raped? I have not. What traumas I have suffered are my own. I have not, however, been raped. So, what do I know? Of course, what to rape victims know about what I've endured? To that end, I asked my wife (who does not hide that she has been raped if asked) whether the term "rules rape" was offensive. Her exact words were "mildly so, but so is the hysteria princesses infuse it with. Rape isn't murder or torture, but it does get bandied about too easily." If you want to watch my wife get offended, tell her "rape is worse than death." She's of the opinion that mantra harms rape victims, impedes their recovery, and insensitively trivializes other grevious traumas people endure. Trauma is not a competition. So, its not just me (the meat-headed CIS, heterosexual, middle aged male) who thinks that the amplitude of the offense-taken, and the far reaching potential sociopolitical consequences people wish to ascribe to a dated reference in an out of print gaming book, is patently incredible. I use "incredible" that in its classical sense, And credibility is what is at stake here. Credibility is important! If you overreact or start bandying evil-isms around at the drop of a hat you lose moral authority because you are perceived as being unreasonable. Flag burning offends patriots. That does not mean I will ban flag burnings. That does not mean I call the FBI hotline and scream there is treason afoot. That would be both a mis-characterization and an overreaction. it would be a failure to measure myself. And that would make me the asshole. It would be better to say "your pig-headed display of pique is counter-productive because it alienates otherwise thoughtful patriots who would agree with your point and come to your cause." We should not use the term "rules rapist," but the fact that its derailed this thread and arguing like titans over it is a pretty good sign people are overreacting to start with. We're all flesh and blood. A little human grace is called for. Maybe we can just shrug and move on?

If you are white, male, heterosexual and (esp) over 40 you are our culture's designated sin eater. You are bad. You are guilty. You are filled with taboos and all the evil-isms. You need not deny it because this is simply proof of your guilt. Your status as an "acceptable punching bag" has been progressively enshrined over the past three decades. It is kafka-esque and, quite frankly, counter-productive if real social justice is the desired outcome. How much sympathy can you have for someone who complains someone else hit them in the face by hitting you in the face. Most rational people would just say "f--- you" and swing back.