RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM

< January 2, 2009

Aaaaand I’m back! My December 8 shoulder surgery went well and I’ve recovered to the point where I can do a limited amount of typing each day. So it’s time to get back to doing weekly updates!

Naturally, things have been a bit slow here as we attempt to recover and regroup following Andy’s death. After retrieving a significant amount of data from his computer, we’ve hired an all-star lineup of layout personnel to tackle our next several books. Fred Hicks, whose work on such games as Spirit Of The Century you may be aware of, is finishing up the layout on Urban Fantasy Hero (which should head to the printer “real soon now”) and also handling The Book Of Dragons (which he’s already got most of the layout done for; we’re waiting on art of course). Next up is The Book Of The Machine, which I’m currently writing. It’ll be laid out by Matt Tice, who’s worked at Pinnacle Entertainment Group and on other game products. Third in the lineup is Bill “teh bunneh” Keyes, known to many of you here on the boards, who’s going to be putting his graphics talents to work on Lucha Libre Hero. Last but certainly not least, long-time Hero guru Scott Heine is teaming with his wife Margo to handle the layout work on The Ultimate Base. If all goes to plan, we’ll find our next full-time Art Director among this group, or at the very least develop a corps of reliable freelancers to work with. ;)

The Hero Year In Review

2008 was an interesting year for us, to say the least. It ranged from the high of Champions Online and all the attention it brought us, to the tragic low of Andy’s death. During the course of 2008 we produced seven new books from Stronghold to Shades Of Black (a low number due to my surgery and Andy’s passing at year’s end), several significant reprints, a couple of Hero Plus Adventures, and various other bits and pieces. Despite the comparatively low number of titles it was a relatively good year for us, due largely, we believe, to sales of books to new customers attracted to us because of the Champions Online MMO. Naturally, we’re hoping that trend continues. ;)

Looking forward into 2009, we have a major year ahead of us! It’s the year the MMO comes out and the long-awaited Sixth Edition of the HERO System rules is released! There are some big things in store for Hero Games, and we hope you’ll come along for the ride. ;)

And that’s the week in review here at Hero Games. Come back in seven for the latest news, updates, and information. ;)

—Steve Long
HERO System Line Developer