I was reviewing the traffic to my site over the last few days and noticed a pattern. The HERO System posts draw far less traffic than other subjects. And the actual HERO System builds draw even less (from what I can tell, the Giant Ant PDF got all of two downloads).
Dying game system? Maybe, who knows. Rather foolish to leap to that thought with this as the only data point.
Besides, this blog is 'marketed' (actually, its not really marketed in any real sense- but the word sort of applies) as a design theory blog and not as a HERO System blog. So I imagine a drop in interest like that should be expected. Plus I don't draw huge amounts of traffic anyway.
So I guess its time to go back to my core competency, and count that type of post as a failure. Pity, they were easy and fun (for me).
In other HERO System news, am I the only one getting the impression that HERO Games is running around with its head cut off?
HERO 6th still hasn't shipped, although you can now get a basic book and some other odds and ends from their website.
And speaking of their online store- I haven't seen a worse one in a long time. Rather than presenting their new 6th products in a single entry each with full descriptions and multiple purchase options, they have individual entries with next to no descriptions.
They are also doing some sort of basic/advance lineup, but the online store doesn't say where the 6th edition book they're waiting on fits into that. In short, there's little to nothing there describing their product line and the options they are offering their buyers.
Also, their first 6th edition support book coming out is Ultimate Base instead of Champions (it will be second). What idiot came up with that publishing plan?
I used to say that as far as Game Designers go, Long was a fine editor and publisher. For now at least, I should take out that 'publisher' part.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
System specific stuff is generally going to get less hits because that's it's nature. Of course D&D will do ok, because at least 60% of gamers have played it in one form or another. If it's not D&D then the number of interested folks is going to go down drastically. It's just the nature of the beast, this isn't to say that your content doesn't have value, game material on the internet (assuming it's kept there) will continue to generate interest because of it's timeless content - at least until a new edition is brought out.
I'm a fan of your blog, but I don't plan on ever running HERO again, so I don't pay much attention to those posts. I wouldn't advise against posting them if it's at all useful to you or your players...I post lots of stuff that's just to remind us what's going on... just don't expect a lot of feedback.
I'm a HUGE Hero System fan. Been GMing/ Playing sense 1981 or there abouts. However, 6th edition looks to be the end for me. I did buy the core books and have been reading the PDF. Would I play it, sure. GM it? No way.
IMHO, it looks to just add complexity for it own sake. Any chance of them hooking players from the MMO isn't going to happen. No way am I buying 6th versions of books I already have (Fantasy Hero, Star Hero, etc).
There seems to be a lot of disappointment with new editions these days.
I have never played HERO, but do own their 5th Edition (and some older stuff too...notably sourcebooks).
~Adaen of Bridgewater
Helmsman and jamused- you both make good points.
Tclynch & Adaen:
As for new editions causing disappointment, yes that does seem to be the case.
My gut feeling is that designers made the mistake of listening too much to people posting online on their company boards and tried to design to that instead of to the game itself.
D&D and HERO both seem to have got talked into major changes this way. That it also feeds the ego of the writers (i.e. "I get to change a game's direction"), makes it worse.
Posters are a subset, and most of them will never be happy. They'll just demand more, after all they were listened to once.
So following their lead will lose you the larger fanbase.
The last time HERO tried this, FUZION was the result. We'll see how it goes this time.
Until the boys at hero break down and hire an editor Hero is dead to my group. Or that least anything past 4th edition.
Quantity does not make up for lack of quality.
That and the point obsessed fan base has been a real turn off in the past decade.
The point-obsessed fan base includes a lot of total a-holes on their official forum who treat newcomers like dog poop they just stepped in. I played Hero for a while and it was okay. Combat is a total drag. But the turn off was the players who just want to do funny math to save points and get more power. It gets old having to repeat over and over that a disadvantage that isn't really a disadvantage doesn't earn points.
Post a Comment