So, what seems a lifetime ago, WW released those three sf games culminating in the commercial success that wasn't Adventure! (Given the title I suspect they ran out of energy, though I liked the game.) Why then did they fail?

I don't know. I've got Trinity, which I like, and Aberrant, which I don't. Never read nor played Adventure.

My problem with Aberrant? Well, I don't know what characters were supposed to do in that setting, besides being choked by the metaplot.

Trinity was another animal. I found the setting very interesting, in spite of the metaplot. Lots of interesting things for the characters to do.

Trinity, Aberrant and Adventure shared the same world (albeit in different periods), but they are very different games.

I think they did succeed.  They had quite a few supplements for both Aberrant and Trinity.  My understanding is that supplements were never planned for Adventure! (which is unfortunate).

I have all of them and quite a few of the supplements on my shelf.  I'd happily play Trinity and played in a year long Adventure! game that occupies a place as one of my very favorite roleplay memories.  I've ran Aberrant and I think it works well for doing a grittier "normal people + an ability or two" kinds of games, but found some system problems.

The biggest reason I'm not playing any of them today is that I have better systems.  I'd much rather go to M&M 2nd or Spirit of the Century (or HEX) rather than Aberrant or Adventure!.

Quote from: C.W.RichesonI have all of them and quite a few of the supplements on my shelf.  I'd happily play Trinity and played in a year long Adventure! game that occupies a place as one of my very favorite roleplay memories.  I've ran Aberrant and I think it works well for doing a grittier "normal people + an ability or two" kinds of games, but found some system problems.

I woudl have thought that was the last thing Aberrant would be suitable for!

I liked Aberrant but the name was stupid (Nova would have been better) and the focus on thigns like wrestling was bizarre!
never got to play or run it though.

Quote from: signoftheserpentI liked Aberrant but the name was stupid (Nova would have been better) and the focus on thigns like wrestling was bizarre!

Nonsense!  More games could be improved by the addition of professional wrestling.

Adventure! wasn't a commercial failure.  It was always intended as a single book because the relative lack of success of the preceding 2 lines in the trilogy didn't support a multibook line for the third.  It was stated up front that the only way supplements would be produced for A! was if the line sold way, way beyond projections; it sold well, surprisingly well, but not that well.  Still, that's not failure.

As for why the other lines failed (relatively speaking)... well, I have my totally unsubstantiated ideas:

* Trinity wasn't helped by the corporate mandate that it replicate the splat-centric design and factional infighting that typified the WoD games, despite the ill fit of these ideas to the setting... and which also served to reinforce the "Vampire in SPAAACE!" nonsense propagated by WW-haters.

* Aberrant wasn't helped by the seeming schizophrenia of the writers and developers as to whether or not the game was actually about supers as they are commonly seen in non-four-colour comics.  The biggest problem IMO was that the game became so metaplot-centric as the products were released and moreover, the developer increasingly portrayed the metaplot in ironically four-colour moralistic terms (considering his ill-considered "This is not a game about superheroes!" screed in the Player's Guide) in which the Magneto-esque villain of the setting became his own morally perfect, all-powerful Mary Sue and the ostensibly heroic authorities were irredeemably evil.  Not only was this a moralizing bit of railroading, but it totally undermined the premise of Trinity.

KoOS

True dat.