...
And it's not working for them. Champions Now is the one last shot in the dark for them. But even it may be too late. Because games have sprung up to fill the role Hero once had a lock on. It's going to have to be something really special to breathe life back into the property.
In Bold is the reality some have obviously been unwilling to accept.
Do these new RPG systems do the same thing/are as "modular" as Hero/Champions? No.
But what they don't get is: That it doesn't matter!
Close enough is good enough in 99 out of 100 cases. Hell, D&D has more or less maintained its market leader status on the "good enough" principle.
Underestimating the power of close/good enough has been the downfall of many a more complex RPG vs. its upstart competitors...
Another issue with Hero Games is their stupidly stubborn insistence on pleasing the HS grognards and no one else. ...
Well, if HG is now being run by 'grognards' itself...
Both SJGames and Hero Games instead of admitting to the flaws of their respective rpgs decided that somehow making a better looking book with full color art was what the fanbase only wanted. Many of us wanted better production values and art yet also making the system easier. ....
Part of the problem is that both SJG and Hero games are run by people who see nothing wrong with their respective game systems as they are.
You can see this effect with the new edition of runequest. Usable by RQ fans who have been running the system for decades. But the rulebook is a confused mess to anyone coming in to it cold.
Of course it is still tied to Gorlantha, so it will forever be a niche rpg no matter what else they do.