DC Heroes Role-Playing Game Gets New Reprint from Cryptozoic

Cryptozoic Entertainment is reprinting the classic DC Heroes Role-Playing Game to celebrate the RPG's 40th anniversary. A Kickstarter pre-launch page for the new "archival edition" of DC Heroes went live earlier this week, with Cryptozoic promising a "faithful reissue" of the original game line with upgrades and exclusive dice. From the looks of a promo image for the new project, it appears that the line will be published in a single volume.

DC Heroes was originally designed by Greg Gorden and published by Mayfair Games. The game uses a 2d10 system to resolve checks, with players consulting a table to determine the success or failure of checks. Additionally, the game's attribute point system was logarithmic in nature to allow for the game to handle the immense range of powers within the DC Universe. Three editions of the game was published between 1985 and 1993, with the game incorporating various contemporaneous comics events such as Crisis on Infinite Earths and Death of Superman.

No launch date for the Kickstarter has been announced. A full description of the project can be seen below:

DC Heroes is an innovative and award-winning role-playing game that was first published in 1985. It allows you and your friends to take on the roles of iconic Super Heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg, or to create heroes of your own. The object of the game is to create brand-new stories pitting these heroes against The Joker, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Sinestro, or any of the hundreds of other villains who threaten the DC Universe!

Over eight years of product releases, DC Heroes produced dozens of adventures and sourcebooks, many featuring contributions from some of DC’s finest writers and artists of the 1980s—Jack Kirby, Alan Moore, Denny O’Neil, George Perez, John Byrne, and many others. Thousands of gamers and comics fans are still playing DC Heroes even though it’s been unavailable for decades.

To celebrate DCH’s 40th anniversary, we’re reprinting the line in definitive archival editions. Whether you’ve never experienced DCH before or you’re a long-time fan looking to plug the holes in your collection, we’ve got you covered.

 

[Parmandur]

I wonder how the Mayfair DC Heroes game compares to the two other licensed DC games, West End's DC Universe and Green Ronin's DC Adventures (based on the Mutants & Masterminds game).

I own digital copies of DC Adventures, but not the other two. Never played any of them . . .

I had an older friend who was a huge DC fan, like reading it since he was a kid in the 60s all the way to the 20s, who had played OD&D and Runequest and such...and he swore by the Mayfair game.

I would argue that it had the benefit of being made during "peak DC" bit that might be my own generational bias loving the 80s DC and the 90s cartoons based on it.

 

[UnplayedRanger]

Both 1st and 2nd edition box sets are getting reprinted from the FAQ.

Is there a reason to go 1e over 2e?

 

[ART!]

I have a real fondness for this game, having played an awful lot of it back in its heyday. I remain a massive fan of its 3x3 grid of stats, where each column and row created a secondary stat. Brilliant.

 

[Greg K]

I wonder how the Mayfair DC Heroes game compares to the two other licensed DC games, West End's DC Universe and Green Ronin's DC Adventures (based on the Mutants & Masterminds game).

I own digital copies of DC Adventures, but not the other two. Never played any of them . . .

West End Game's version it the weakest of the three. It had the potential to be a good system, but was ruined by terrible rules for lifting and movement, overly complex improvised magic rules, the structure of the various manipulation powers, and too many skills. Several of the supplements published and in the process of being designed when the game was cancelled were written by individuals including Steve Kenson and others whom went on to write for M&M. They have stated that writing up characters under the system was a pain. It also suffered from the decision of the core rulebook being printed on newsprint.

As for DC Adventures/M&M 3e and DC Heroes, I prefer the former mechanically, but the time period of the latter's various editions. Other's mileage may vary.

 

[Greg K]

Is there a reason to go 1e over 2e?

Do you prefer the original pre-crisis DC Universe or post-Crisis DC before the Death of Superman? 1e is primarily pre-crisis although some of the supplements were starting to introduce post-crisis DC (e.g. Strangers in Paradise, the Wonder Woman sourcebook/adventure supplement).
Edit: 2e goes from post Crisis to before the Death of Superman. 3e, essentially, picks up with the Death of Superman or just after as it contains characters like Doomsday, Steel, Superboy, Cyborg Superman.

 

[EthanSental]

Signed up to be notified. My friends and I started with Marvel rpg, then DC Heroes and then D&D after their parents got over the satanic panic reservations back then.

 

[dbm]

This was my super hero system back in the day so I may have to pick this up for nostalgia if nothing else…

 

[aramis erak]

I remember my first encounter with it, a friday night in about 1985-86. I was unimpressed. But that was because I had just gotten into MSH, instead... and it took way too long for us to get characters done.

I was impressed by the log scale use, but it was more mathy than I felt comfortable with for the era and subject. (I had to use a circular slide rule in 86-87 for a class. And I'd learned the basics of log math in elementary school, along with how to use a slipstick.)

Modern computing, specifically spreadsheets, can reduce the issues I had with it.

 

[dbolack]

Both 1st and 2nd edition box sets are getting reprinted from the FAQ.

Where did you spot the FAQ? I seem to have overlooked it.

 

[ART!]

My friends and I started with Marvel rpg, then DC Heroes and then D&D after their parents got over the satanic panic reservations back then.

Did you play much superhero stuff back then after you discovered D&D. I just find peoples' paths through gaming genres interesting.

I weirdly played very little of the original Marvel rpg - we went from Villians & Vigilantes and then pretty much straight to DC Heroes. To be more precise, me and my friends played OD&D in junior high, then played V&V as well, but by high school the group had reformed around friends with a more mechanical bent, so stuff like DC Heroes, Champions, and Rolemaster were more up our alley.

We played a Legion of Super-Heroes campaign using DC Heroes that was ridonkulous fun. But once we tried Champions we played less and less DC Heroes.

Like I said upthread, I love the 3x3 stat grid, and over the years I've toyed with ways of using almost just that as the character sheet.