Hugh Neilson Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer I thought someone posted elsewhere that Hero had print copies of a number of new books at Origins. Perhaps an update on the status of the printers will be coming soon. EDIT: Hero System Grimoire debuted at Origins per the weekly update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer And the Equipment Guide has already made its way out to retailers -- several people have posted here that they've bought copies, and the announcement that it was in the Online Store was put up on several of the sub-forums of these boards weeks ago. The printer logjam isn't clearing as fast as everyone would like, but it is being chipped away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer I checked the Hero store and while you can get the equipment guide as a PDF you cannot order a print copy. And while I'm glad that the Hero System Gromiore was released at Origins it's still also listed as a PDF only in the store. Until that changes I'm kind of screwed. I checked again at my FLGS yet they list the equipment guide as back order and the grimoire as not yet published. Yes I know the backlog is being worked on yet it has been four months. Their should have been more porgress at this point. We have been more than patient with the company. It's all great to tell me in an update that "we just finished Star Hero it's a great book". Yet if I cannot get in the format I want through the usual methods I use well after all this time there is bound to be some resentment on my part. Imo which is more than justified. I like Hero Games and the Hero System and will not give up on neiuther because of a printer problem. Yet it does not look good if they show up at Gencon with no new bopoks. Or if they do only at Gencon. I can't go to Gencon so how does it help me if they only have copes there. Either way this issue has to be fixed and fixed soon. My question still stands. Why stay with the current printer if they are having so many issues. In the sort one they may save on printing costs. in tjhe long run it just not look good for the company imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Neilson Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Best guess? The Hero store gets updated next week. The team was at Origins most of this week, and now it's the July 4 long weekend. Why stay with the current printer? I'm not familiar with the state of the publishing industry, but I can suggest a few possible reasons. They may have good existing supplier relationships with this printer that make them reluctant to toss this guy loose because he's had some business setbacks and start fresh with an untested printer. A new printer may have a learning curve getting to know Hero's methodology, may turn out to have delivery issues, quality issues and/or pricing issues. A new printer also likely has existing clients who are probably going to be the priority over this new customer. With an established history, they may have better pricing and/or terms with the existing printer. A new one might, for example, require cash up front where an existing supplier who has experience with your business as a good customer and reliable payer may provide better credit terms. I'm not sure how many publishers are eager to do business with gaming companies, who tend to have relatively small print runs, and likely other unusual issues that make them off the norm for their customer base. "Unusual" often translates to "pain in the posterior" for business operations. There's also business loyalty. I suspect the existing printer has done a good job for Hero - and it's not like Hero publications haven't experienced some quality issues in the past (like disintegrating 4e rulebooks) that I doubt DoJ wants to repeat. The fact the printer is having some issues - presumably one time, very likely outside their control, and probably issues they are making their best effort to resolve, and from the few comments actual DoJ insiders have made, problems that were expected to be more short term than they have turned out - may well be a poor reason to end a longstanding business relationship. And the product IS starting to flow, as evidenced by HSEG and HSG. It is reasonably likely, in my view, that the printer has seen other customers bail on them. And that they won't soon forget that DoJ stood by them when they had business problems, and will remember that when Hero needs something - like extended terms if cash is tight, or rush printing if a book they need for Gencon 2013 falls behind in writing or layout. In my experience, loyalty begets loyalty, and a lot of business - especially small business - is about relationships. Often, decisions that are bad (or good) for the short term bear significant dividends (or create unmitigated disaster) in the long term. Steve's background as a lawyer, I suspect, gives him some pretty good insights in this regard. Sorry you feel put out. I doubt that DoJ is unaware that their buyers want to see the product. And I suspect they are suffering a lot more from the delay in cash flow from these new products than you or I are suffering from a delay in the ability to part with our dollars to obtain it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer I went to the site of the distributer my FLGs and it makes me wonder how bad the backlog is. The 6E Champions stuff is TOS (temporaily out of stock). I can understand one or two book books but all the 6E Champs stuff and quite a chunk of the other Hero Systems books too. The link: http://www.alliance-games.com/publicaccess/ . Then click the letter H in the search by company category, Sure one can point at the distrubtor and blame them only yet I refuse to believe it's only their fault. The guy in charge of ordering rpgs is screwed because unless the status of the TOS books change he cannot order any new restock once he runs out of a book. I'm not saying that HG should just ditch the printer outright. Yet after 4 months it has to be hurting HG to some extent. It's all nice to want to help the next guy but not when it starts to hirt your own business. One has to be careful not as a company not to get too complacent or be too nice about it either. Otherwise your seen as a pushover and people will take advantage of the situation and take their sweet time trying to fix the problem. In the end one way or the other I can get the products I want. Sure I may not lik PDFs as much as print yet I can still get the book. Yet if this continues I wonder what effect it will have on HG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Well, given that most of the Champions hardcopy book line, 5E and 6E, is listed as "In Stock" in the Hero Games online store, here, either Hero Games or that distributor has to be very wrong. I know where I'd bet my money. Please keep in mind the observation that others familiar with game retail have made here, that some distributors tend to mark as "Out Of Stock" things that for various reasons they don't want to order at a particular time, e.g. they sell less volume than games like D&D, or people who work for the distributor haven't heard of them and don't feel like looking for them. BTW Darren Watts has stated repeatedly that any retailer who can't get Hero's books through their distributor can contact Hero Games and order directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted July 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer At this point I do hope they can iron out the backog of books to print. I do sympathize with their situation yet at the same time I do want to get more books. In the end I either have to get the books in PDF which does not makle me happy or take the moeny I want to spend on HG products and give it to someone else. At this point we will see where we will be in a months time. I'm not hopeful but who knows maybe they will surprsie me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted August 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer So another month has come and gone. While we have some new titles that we can purchase some are still not available in print copy. The Hero System Equipment Guide and Champions Villians Volume 3 are still not avaliable for purchase at my FLGS or through HG. Nor is the HS Martial book. I wonder what the problem is with those titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Watts Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Equipment Guide came and went pretty quickly (the initial order was small and rushed) and a new reprint is coming. Villains 3 got bounced to the far side of Gencon because Star Hero needed to come out there and Gencon's date wasn't moving no matter how we begged. In the meantime, Star and Beyond have both made it out. We're fixing the backlog situation as quickly as we can, guys. We're a small company who just got through an insanely busy summer. dw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
name_tamer Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Darren, good to hear the company still working on it. I ordered the Star Hero and Champions Beyond book-PDF bundles a couple days ago - that is, as soon as they were available. Now Steve's front-page update today made it sound like Beyond has just been sent to the printer, rather than that you have copies on-hand. Who's right? I will be ordering the Champions Villains 3 bundle when it is available. It's hard waiting on the book when the PDF is already available, but on the bright side it keeps money in my pocket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Watts Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Darren, good to hear the company still working on it. I ordered the Star Hero and Champions Beyond book-PDF bundles a couple days ago - that is, as soon as they were available. Now Steve's front-page update today made it sound like Beyond has just been sent to the printer, rather than that you have copies on-hand. Who's right? I will be ordering the Champions Villains 3 bundle when it is available. It's hard waiting on the book when the PDF is already available, but on the bright side it keeps money in my pocket. Beyond has just *left* the printer. I don't think it's physically in the warehouse yet, but we've confirmed it's on the road. dw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gojira Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer We're a small company who just got through an insanely busy summer. dw Insanely busy is probably better than insanely quiet. I'm sure both can be stressful though. Yay for you guys. How is the new business, IPR, coming along? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted August 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer I do appreciate the work you do. It's not like I'm here every week updating this thread. I do wait a month between my next post. So it's only a matter of time before the backlog issue is resolved. I just really want those books. I'm also glad that you are busy since than means more sales and profit for HG. I wanted to ask should I wait to order Champions Beyond? Or go ahead and order it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted August 16, 2011 Report Share Posted August 16, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Beyond has just *left* the printer. I don't think it's physically in the warehouse yet' date=' but we've confirmed it's on the road. dw[/quote'] Oh, good, I've been wanting to get that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memorax300 Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Still no change on the status of CV vol 3. I hope I can complete my CV set before the end of 2011. As were only four months away from 2011 ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Neilson Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer There is a thread on CV III on the Champions boards (and one that started up on the company questions boards). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer Most of the books are out. My FLGS just emailed me today that he/they received Champs Beyond and Star Hero (and I think the Grimoire also). Interestingly no CV3 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted September 10, 2011 Report Share Posted September 10, 2011 Re: Hero Games needs a new printer This is Hero. Need a new printer? KS: Hero Rules, useable by others, OAF Cost depends on how many copies you want. Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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