A Storeowner's First Impression

[scottgambit]

Hi!

 

My name is Scott; I own the Gamer's Gambit, a gaming store in northern NJ. I've been a Champions fan and player for...let's see...22 years now.

 

Unlike some of my friends who are fans of the older editions, I've always been a fan of newer editions; I think they've been general improvements on the whole.

 

But this one...kinda stinks before I even open the books; just as 5E did--only, perhaps, worse.

 

HERO is competing with WotC's 4E D&D; White Wolf's lines (which are suffering in this day and age); Pathfinder; and to a lesser extent, Cthulhutech and an assortment of other books for the gamer dollar.

 

The 6E Hero System Rulebooks have the following flaws in comparison to all of those games:

 

1) Cover Art. Blue with the Hero symbol in the middle? Are you serious? Sure, it stands out compared to all these other books, there's no doubt about that--but it stands out as "inferior production value". With all of the lovely art inside, why would you go with this cover, considering your competition?

 

2) Size. With the changes, especially in making them two books, you would think that the size would be smaller than the big black book. If the first book is any smaller, it's not noticably so. The text is very dense; the artwork, while of good quality, doesn't include much in the way of full-page grabs. The book is *HEAVY*. Most people don't want textbooks.

 

3) Champions. You've got Champions Online, and all the marketing for it. Champions is, by far, at least in my experience, the single most popular use for the Hero System. Using no other data than your own discussion boards, your Champions forums attract 3x as many posts as your next-largest board (Fantasy Hero). The best hardcover book HG ever put out was the Champions 4th full-color cover art book; it *grabbed* people. Mutants and Masterminds grabbed market share from Hero with its full-color cover, smaller size, quicker rules, and easier starting point--taking a giant share of the superhero market in much less time than Hero's been around. Why isn't Champions your flagship, your focus, with the generic Hero rules coming out later? The era where gamers are looking for a generic system is no longer here; that is a definate niche market.

 

4) Price. The price is cheaper, yes: $40. But that is somewhat deceptive, considering that most potential buyers (whether players or DMs) will consider the total acquisition cost (if they can even get past problem #1 and pick up the book) rather than singular cost. So they'll look and say: "$80 for these two books". This is a large investment. Now, D&D gets away with this with smaller books, cheaper prices and expandability of rules. HERO Games does one giant rulebook with all the rules, and ancillary sourcebooks where people can get additional ideas, but which aren't required. But D&D is a huge market and Hero's market is a lot smaller.

 

Probably the most disappointing thing is the small, $20 Basic rules guide. This book would be OK if it had a color cover, but it would be even better if it came out at a different time. If I put this book on my shelf, and it's competing with the larger books, the first thing a player is going to think is: I'm going to be paying $20 for this, knowing that if I like it I'm going to have to drop $40 on that other book, and likely $40 more on the third book if I'm a DM. It's not a bargain; nor do I think most people are going to want to buy it.

 

*********************************************

 

I should point out that I have not *read* any of the rules. As a veteran Hero player, I am pretty darned certain that I am going to approve of them; I expect them to be of good quality. I will even like the rules a great deal.

 

As a storeowner with a lot of experience in what gets people to buy books, these suck. They'll only appeal to existing Hero system fans. It may well be that's all that you want, in which case, that's perfectly fine. But you have an opportunity with CO to cross-market and maybe pick up a bunch more customers and fans...so hopefully, when you put out Champions, you might take some of my advice to heart. Or not, up to you.

[secretID]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Those are pretty powerful arguments. I'm glad Hero is here as a serious system. It's probably worth something to market it that way - less flashy cover, thick book - but I wouldn't be surprised if they're losing more customers than they're gaining with that approach (assuming it was deliberate).

 

The size is a very different issue than the cover art, of course - though I can understand how it could be intimidating, I prefer more content for the dollar. When I first saw the size of the rules, I liked the fact that there's so much.

 

The comments about a universal system are interesting. I've been skeptical about that since I first looked at Hero, but that wasn't from the marketing perspective. Maybe the best way to go for all purposes would be to publish "Champions," which would include core rules and Champions stuff, and then "Fantasy Champions," etc.

[Fearghus]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Well having only seen the PDF of the cover art I would have to agree. I have never really liked the whole minimalist approach to cover art.

 

But all that aside I can also say that I personally have NEVER bought a book based on the cover art. I buy gaming books because my friends are playing or interested in playing the game. I am planning on buying Hero System 6th but probably not until I am ready to switch my game to the new rules, but then... I am an existing player.

 

As for the price... I don't see what the big deal is. D&D base books are $35 each and you have to buy 3 of them for a total of $105... Hero System is a bargain comparatively at $25 cheaper for the core rules. Even if you are comparing the two book to book... $5 more for a Hero Book! Oooooo! That's gonna break the bank!

 

As for the size... If it daunts some people I can certainly understand that, but it is the price of the versatility the system offers.

[archermoo]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Well having only seen the PDF of the cover art I would have to agree. I have never really liked the whole minimalist approach to cover art.

 

But all that aside I can also say that I personally have NEVER bought a book based on the cover art. I buy gaming books because my friends are playing or interested in playing the game. I am planning on buying Hero System 6th but probably not until I am ready to switch my game to the new rules, but then... I am an existing player.

 

As for the price... I don't see what the big deal is. D&D base books are $35 each and you have to buy 3 of them for a total of $105... Hero System is a bargain comparatively at $25 cheaper for the core rules. Even if you are comparing the two book to book... $5 more for a Hero Book! Oooooo! That's gonna break the bank!

 

As for the size... If it daunts some people I can certainly understand that, but it is the price of the versatility the system offers.

 

And the MSRP for the two books together is $69.99.

 

Personally I think the covers look wonderful. Just goes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Frankly, he has a point. There are lots of instances where cover are got me to pick the book up and see whether it was worth buying. If I wasn't specifically looking for Hero System, and wasn't all that familiar with it, I might pass over a book that looked kind of generic for one that looked like it might have what I was looking for inside. I kind of remember not getting Hero System Sidekick because I already knew how to do sidekicks. YMMV

[Greywind]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Of all the covers for Hero, the one that stands out the most in my mind, is Big Blue, with the Perez cover of Destroyer and the Champions.

 

Granted that 5th and 6th are geared more towards "system" looks, rather than genre looks.

[mkultra]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Frankly' date=' he has a point.[/quote']

Umm...I guess.

If you put items on your shelf and you expect them to sell themselves because they have a pretty cover, then I can see why the OP would be disappointed. The genre books (Champs, FH, etc.) are expected to have great artwork.

And btw, it's been posted that 5th ed revised sold very well and it wasn't for the artwork.

[casualplayer]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Personally I think the covers look wonderful. Just goes to show that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

You're missing the point that the OP is trying to make. He's a HEROphile and the cover to 6th could be venom-crusted thorns and he would just wear thick gloves while devouring the contents cover to cover over and over. Personally I feel the same way and I'm guessing you feel similarly. But the OP is a store owner and he has to be able to market this book to the newbie and the cover does not help make the sale. It doesn't encourage a pick-up, flip-thru and a take-home.

 

The cover to 6th is elegant and restrained. The source material that HERO System is intended to emulate is rarely either.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Personally, I like the 5e / 6e hexman cover art. I think it represents the system very well, is iconographic, has a certain elegance, and makes a bold shelf presentation and differentiates itself in a good way.

 

 

Viewpoints differ.

 

 

 

 

Also, on a related tangent, I find that I personally don't buy anything in brick and mortar stores anymore anyway. I buy direct or from online retailers, so shelf presence means increasingly less to me. Im also buying more PDFs and fewer hardbacks, except for HERO products for which I buy both. The cover art of a product means less and less to me, and brick and mortars are less and less relevant to my gaming experience in general. Its sad in a way, but true for me nonetheless.

[scottgambit]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Exactly. I love Hero System; my problem isn't with the rules, except insofar as they take up way too much space...perceptively.

 

There has to be a way to make this game *LOOK* more concise.

 

Here's an example:

 

6E1 & 6E2 total 780 pages.

The 4E D&D PHB, DMG, and Monster Manual total 827 pages.

The D&D PHB is 318 pages itself (as opposed to the 6E1 460).

 

Price points? The three D&D books are $104.85 retail; 6E1 & 6E2 are $79.98.

 

...but their presentation is very different. I was flipping through the book at my table when one customer asked me if I was reading an IT textbook...and here I am in my gaming store. Another customer said they thought I was crazy for playing a game with a rulebook that size.

 

A player of D&D needs to purchase one book, the PHB. It doesn't have every rule ever made in it, and it costs $34.95 for 322 pages.

 

A player of 6E needs both books (unless he doesn't want to know how combat works); but even presuming he needed one, placing the 6E1 book next to a PHB, the PHB is half its size. It's also more colorful, inside and out.

 

Don't get me wrong: the Hero System paper quality is better. The binding is no doubt better.

 

But the book looks thick and impenetrable to the newcomer. The D&D books look inviting.

 

First impressions count for new customers more than anything else.

 

Please: When you put out Champions, get a good cover artist. Use some Cryptic art; they have excellent art. I love looking at Foxbat and Defender and Destroyer in Champions Online. Put in that book *simple* rules that can be used to play CO characters in Champions Hero System. All their powers are duplicable, do so.

 

Please. Make money. For you and for me.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

I'm honestly surprised that cover art (or art in general) can make such a big difference.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

You seem to be arguing from the assumption that the HERO System is angling for the same player base as D&D, and I don't think that's true at all.

 

The average HERO System player is very different than the average D&D player. There are some players that play both, but in general the two systems are very different and cater to a different demographic, a different play style, and a different mind set.

 

D&D 4e is IMO a glorified tactical combat resolution engine slash board-game. The D&D rules present a particular interpretation of how to play a particular sort of game in a particular genre and in a particular sort of setting designed from the ground up to mirror the game engine.

 

The HERO System presents a meta language with which to define whatever kind of game you like in whatever sort of genre you like in whatever setting you like in whatever fashion you like from utterly fantastical to extremely gritty.

 

They are, in short, two entirely different things and they are of interest for entirely different reasons.

 

If you are looking for the sort of game D&D is, then good news -- its very good at that sort of game out of the box and is very streamlined towards that end result. HERO can do that sort of game, but not without effort.

 

On the other hand if you are looking for one game with which you can play or run whatever you feel like without learning a new rule set, then HERO is a good place to look for that. If you want to put together a game in a setting based on your own ideas of how things should be rather than having to conform to the decisions of some faceless game designers the HERO System is also a good place to look for that.

 

YMMV, etc

[casualplayer]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

This is why focus testing is an art and a science and can help and hinder you in making good decisions. Asking those who are already sold "Will you buy this?" gives you garbage data. Asking those who really don't care about covers "Do you like this cover?" gives you garbage data. Asking people who don't shop in brick & mortar stores "Would this tempt you to buy if you saw it in a store?" gives you garbage data.

 

Those of you with copies of 6th, show it to someone unfamiliar with RPGs and someone vaguely familiar with RPGs and someone who plays RPGs but is ambivalent or even hostile toward HERO and let us know what the reaction is. Because if the new edition doesn't draw new eyes, new passion and new money then we are Gliding to the bottom but the direction isn't in doubt.

[casualplayer]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

The HERO System presents a meta language with which to define whatever kind of game you like in whatever sort of genre you like in whatever setting you like in whatever fashion you like from utterly fantastical to extremely gritty.

 

They are, in short, two entirely different things and they are of interest for entirely different reasons.

 

If you are looking for the sort of game D&D is, then good news -- its very good at that sort of game out of the box and is very streamlined towards that end result. HERO can do that sort of game, but not without effort.

 

On the other hand if you are looking for one game with which you can play or run whatever you feel like without learning a new rule set, then HERO is a good place to look for that. If you want to put together a game in a setting based on your own ideas of how things should be rather than having to conform to the decisions of some faceless game designers the HERO System is also a good place to look for that.

 

YMMV, etc

 

I don't disagree in the slightest with your views here but do you believe the cover to 6th conveys this to a stranger and at what distance?

[Killer Shrike]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

I don't disagree in the slightest with your views here but do you believe the cover to 6th conveys this to a stranger and at what distance?

 

Its a generic rules system for playing heroic adventure games, with no implementation out of the box. So yes, I think the cover reflects that well. It says "HERO System" prominently. It's main feature is a sort of Vitruvian Man which is classically associated with the blending of art and science, of symmetry, and as an analogy to the workings of the universe (or as Leonardo put it cosmografia del minor mondo) which is appropriate for a game that purports to allow you to model just about anything you can think of. And as an improvement over 5e it has high-contrast colors that stand out better from a good distance away.

 

Granted, the average gamer might not know much about Leonardo da Vinci or the Vitruvian Man, and the layout folks at HERO who picked the Hex Man logo back in the day might not have actually had it mind either, but that's the thoughts it inspires in me.

 

Again, YMMV.

[Sean Waters]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

I'm honestly surprised that cover art (or art in general) can make such a big difference.

 

Really?

 

Look, all I'm going to say is 'Swappable Flycovers'. You CAN please all of the people....

 

Haven't got the books yet but have the .pdfs. They look great, certainly compared to 5e, and, indeed, most other game systems.

 

Can't speak as to size and weight yet BUT the two book format means that, once the characters are built, I'll generally only need to cart 6e2 to a game...unlike DnD, for example, where you need at least 2 books as the rules are spread out.

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Really?

 

Really really. It's just a picture. What matters is the rules, how they play, and all that jazz. Outside of charts, graphs, and maps, and perhaps pictures in Enemies/Monsters books, I would be quite happy with artless books.

 

Look, all I'm going to say is 'Swappable Flycovers'. You CAN please all of the people....

 

And that means ... what now?

[redwulfe]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

I think the Hero system cover art is exactly how it needs to be and in my store it sold well. But it was a two way street. At first it didn't sell well, people picked up the book on the shelf because it was different than anything else on my shelf. They picked it up and then flipped through it. They would then put it back. It wasn't until I, as a salesman, started engaging the customer that the book start selling and selling well. I would approach them as they looked through it and ask them if they had ever played the Hero system I would tell them how for the purchase of just the one book, now two, could create any game world they could ever imagine or any game on the shelves at my store. I would tell them about the fan base here and the fact that Hero is one of the most flexible game systems on the market. I made them see it for what it was a solution to whatever they wanted as a gamer.

 

Some where getting pressure to stop buying more books by there wives and though I knew that would never happen I told them the truth that this is the only game system they would ever need to buy to be able to play anything there ever wanted to play.

 

Some where tired of learning new systems, Hero is one system that does it all. Some wanted to run games in a world that they created and had the flexibility to match there own ideas on how magic would work, Hero could do this as well. Some where kit-bashers and wanted the magic of Mage the Ascension combined with the technology of Shadowrun and the world of rifts, Once again no problem for the Hero system. After I engaged them for a bit I told them to put the book down and go home to think really hard on something that no other system could do, maybe a character idea, like spawn, or maybe a magic system like presented in The Wheel of Time. Once they come up with this I wanted them to call me with the idea and I would show them how to create it with the hero system, and if I couldn't then I would give them the books for free. This always made them want to try the Hero challenge as I called it. If I succeeded though they had to come to bring there gaming group to a demo at the store. This is when I started selling the books more often and we had many new Hero players in our area. Would this work for everyone, no. Does it take a serious gamer to appreciate the books, yes.

 

this may not work for everyone but I don't think many books actually sell themselves. somewhere you will find that a player has been sold the book by someone. A friend that plays, a co worker, a piece of advertising that caught there eye, the wording on the back of the book, or a review in a game magazine, or maybe there local group is looking for a new game and the store owner suggests one. The point is books don't sell themselves something influeced them and it is no different for Hero. Having different cover art maybe the thing that gets a player to pick it up, all they need then is someone to sell it to them.

 

Red

[casualplayer]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Let's try this again, because I think people are taking the criticism personally.

 

I want to help HERO get better market penetration or even plumb new markets; I want more HERO gamers to game with! I want to see a thousand new forum members who join Nov 2009 and a constant trickle or even a flood from then on.

 

To achieve that, you have to appeal outside your sphere so you market. You fire up some preachers and you send them out into the unconverted to proselytize. But if all you are doing is poaching someone else's flock when their attention is diverted, don't be surprised when they do the same to you when you blink or falter. The only path to long-term properity is to breed or cultivate new members of the congregation while retaining as many of your current members as you can.

 

Also a picture is worth a thousand words and the cover is the first picture people see. Say what you will about New Millenium but the cover screamed "I can emulate 90's Image/Marvel/DC comics!" and people probably bought it just for that reason. That poor, misguided turd of a game. The Big Blue Book similarly had cover art by Mr. Comics, George Perez, and even more importantly IMO had the genre mash up on the back cover that showed in a glance "HERO can emulate anything," which led to sales and natural cross promotion. "Here we have the trades for Crisis on Infinite Earths, History of the DC Universe, Avengers: The Korvac Saga and did you know there is a game that lets you pretend to be any of these characters or even make your own hero? You'll take all of them? Mastercard or Visa?"

 

Personally, I like the cover but it could say "casualplayer, you suck we hate u" across the front and I still would have bought a copy. I don't want 6th to have a cover that appeals to the HERO gamers of the present; we're a captive audience. I want a cover that will tempt and inspire the players of the future.

[Beast]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

your statement does not take into account those that came from D&D 3.5 to 4e or even earlier

while D&D 4e is pretty much a combat simulation,there are plenty of role-players out there

so yes Hero is going for the same group of consumers

 

I asked long ago when 6th ed was first announced if there was going to be a Hero system book as there was in 4th ed ,and was told no there is not going to be one

I'm seeing a retailer saying 1 is needed along with better cover art(for me as some one who has been playing for 24 yrs I don't need cover art)

I always liked the back cover of the 4th ed Hero system book as it showed al different genres that could be played

 

 

You seem to be arguing from the assumption that the HERO System is angling for the same player base as D&D, and I don't think that's true at all.

 

The average HERO System player is very different than the average D&D player. There are some players that play both, but in general the two systems are very different and cater to a different demographic, a different play style, and a different mind set.

 

D&D 4e is IMO a glorified tactical combat resolution engine slash board-game. The D&D rules present a particular interpretation of how to play a particular sort of game in a particular genre and in a particular sort of setting designed from the ground up to mirror the game engine.

 

The HERO System presents a meta language with which to define whatever kind of game you like in whatever sort of genre you like in whatever setting you like in whatever fashion you like from utterly fantastical to extremely gritty.

 

They are, in short, two entirely different things and they are of interest for entirely different reasons.

 

If you are looking for the sort of game D&D is, then good news -- its very good at that sort of game out of the box and is very streamlined towards that end result. HERO can do that sort of game, but not without effort.

 

On the other hand if you are looking for one game with which you can play or run whatever you feel like without learning a new rule set, then HERO is a good place to look for that. If you want to put together a game in a setting based on your own ideas of how things should be rather than having to conform to the decisions of some faceless game designers the HERO System is also a good place to look for that.

 

YMMV, etc

[Beast]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

the problem is you are already sold

it is the new players that need to be sold ,and cover art does do that

 

Really really. It's just a picture. What matters is the rules, how they play, and all that jazz. Outside of charts, graphs, and maps, and perhaps pictures in Enemies/Monsters books, I would be quite happy with artless books.

 

 

 

And that means ... what now?

[bigbywolfe]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

the problem is you are already sold

it is the new players that need to be sold ,and cover art does do that

I was a new player with 5ER and I liked the plain 2 tone cover then. (I like the new plain 2 tone coloring as well). I chose Hero over several other systems. The cover art on Gurps and D20 didn't sway me...

 

EDIT: To add to my point. I may buy a $5 DVD out of the bargain bin based solely on the cover. I will not buy a $50+ book based solely on the cover, and if someone does they are probably an idiot (unless they are independently wealthy and can afford those sorts of whimsical purchases).

[Sean Waters]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

Really really. It's just a picture. What matters is the rules, how they play, and all that jazz. Outside of charts, graphs, and maps, and perhaps pictures in Enemies/Monsters books, I would be quite happy with artless books.

 

 

 

 

 

What Beast said. I agree with you on one level - the pretty pretty does not make a game better (although I think it can add to the look and feel and enhance the play experience that way - WoW Vampire is a good example - a picture really can be wirth a thousand words) BUT if people are not engaging with it as a new experience then they are not going to be buying the book.

 

There's a lot to Hero, and it is a good sized investment both in money and time to learn the system. That first 'hit' can matter - I used to buy vinyl albums almost exclusively based on the cover art...which probably explains why I like heavy metal

 

The covers of 6e are attractive in that they draw the attention - but they do not speak to the soul of the game - they are a symbol or, to the uninitiated, a cypher.

 

Moveover they are hard to penetrate for the uninitiated. In a book this long a 3 or 4 page introductory scenario RIGHT at the front would have been invaluable - as it is you need to read practically the whole thing then make up a game to play - that could easily take weeks. People may well be willing to invest that time, but an immediate taster would have hooked more.

 

I'd also have swapped the order of the books - minor point, I know - but, whilst character creation in Hero is absolutely amazing - awe inspiring even - that is both a strength and a weakness: a strength because it can do (practically) anything witha charcter - a weakness because that same awe can be very offputting - people can easly feel lost. The rule set gets second - if any - billing - but they are good rules, even without the character creation system - and you can play the game if you know JUST the rules - you can not play it if you know JUST the character creation system.

 

We simply are not thinking about Hero for New Players. An evocative cover is certainly one step that could have been taken - and with various genre based slip covers with the Blue and Gold for the 'actual' covers I don't see there would have been a downside.

[mayapuppies]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

I am of a mixed bag on this. On the one hand, Hero Art has never drawn me in (Ok, I think the Dark Champions cover is TEH AWE5om3Z but I was going to buy it regardless), I am rather fond of the art on most 3.5/Paizo stuff but I rarely if ever buy any of their stuff.

 

On the flipside, the only reason I bought CthulhuTech (not being a fan of Cthulhu or other game systems) was for the art, then I read it and enjoyed the setting and then promptly converted it over to Hero System.

 

But, during my stint as a game store employee, I sold dozens of copies of both sidekick and Hero 5E based solely on the fact that it is a toolkit. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of gamers who fancy themselves game designers and start by being kitbashers. They get word of Hero System and they glom onto it like ambrosia...or so my experience was.

 

So I think I'm completely useless to this conversation. I will return to watching for my mule.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

 

As an existing Hero fan, I would buy regardless of the cover. So, whether that cover is the minimalist version on 5e or 6e, or George Perez art such as that appearing on the BBB, Hero would get my dollar.

 

So what I think of the cover is irrelevant.

 

As a business, I would think it prudent for Hero Games to listen to the views of those marketting its books, such as store owners. Particularly feedback from a store owner who is familiar with, and positive towards, the Hero system. If different cover art (and I note this was not the only issue raised by the OP, just the one we have focused on) would sell more books, why would any of us be opposed to different cover art?

 

Killer Shrike makes the valid point about targeting different markets. How does Hero get the word out to the target market? Practically, that target market is existing gamers, so they need to catch the attention of the gamer in the game store who has never heard of Hero and get him to look at the book. Some store owners/employees may be Hero fans already, and steer gamers towards the product. Others are indifferent, and the prospective buyer will need to have some reason to look at the book. Often, that reason is cover art. Even if the system is exactly what Gamer X is looking for, if he never looks at the book, Hero doesn't get the sale.

 

At the end of the day, the game store is going to stock the books that sell. Hero needs to take whatever steps are needed to produce the books that sell. Maybe that's flashier covers. Maybe that's supporting demo games in stores. Maybe it's changing the presentation of the rules. Or maybe Hero's current sales are satisfactory to DoJ and nothing needs to change.

 

Ultimately, it may be that the Hero target market isn't large enough to be viable. We've all seen products we like fail. Cancelled comics and TV shows, failed movies and books. We buy what we like. Hero has to be something a big enough market likes, and buys, for Hero Games to succeed.