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.

 

[Weiley31]

Man we had the D6 West End Star Wars, Elf Quest, Shadow Run, and now this added to the list of classic RPG line reprints. I wonder which is next.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The above is not true. Neither is useless without a skill or power that applies to them. According to the 2e Rules:

Int/Will are used as AV/EV in Perception checks, to solve riddles, or other mental actions where the character is the active party excluding subskills of existing skills or where one's power's APs are being used as the AV/EV.

Which excludes an awful lot given the cost of an attribute.

Int/Will are also used as the AV/EV to break free once under the effects of Broadcast Empath, Control, or an established Telepathic link, and to make Perception check against the Illusion Power.

Infl/Aura are used as AV/EV in Interactions (i.e. Interrogation, Persuasion, Intimidation) . The Charisma skill can be substituted for the AV/EV for these skills, but a Character with a specific specialization (or specializations) would still use Infl/Aura for the other uses.

Which, in practice, makes it useless because the costs are such that if you don't have another use for Aura, its cheaper to just buy Charisma. Its a useful freebie benefit if you already have a use for it, but by itself its just a point sink.

Will and Aura also have additional uses in Interaction:

Will attributes are compared for a column shift modifier if someone is trying to use the Wear Down interaction maneuver​

Aura attributes are compared for a column shift modifier if someone is trying to use the Charm interaction maneuver where they use their personality to dazzle someone​

Finally, Infl/Aura are the Av/EV to overcome the affect of the Aura of Fear power or to break free from Mystic Freeze. Since the Persuasion subskill of Charisma could be used to talk someone out of the effect of Phobia or Control powers, I would allow someone to use Infl/Aura as the AV/EV to try to do the same since these are normally used for Persuasion attempts.

You notice these are almost all specialized functions a character could go through a whole campaign without seeing, right?

 

[Greg K]

Which, in practice, makes it useless because the costs are such that if you don't have another use for Aura, its cheaper to just buy Charisma. Its a useful freebie benefit if you already have a use for it, but by itself its just a point sink.

I going to take your word that is more cost effective. However, that is a Min/Max perspective which is fine if that is how you and your group roll. However, the official write-ups for many DC Heroes did not include Charisma and some like Wonder Woman only had the Persuasion subskill which means that the designers did not expect players to approach the game from that perspective and I enforced this perspective when I ran the game.

You notice these are almost all specialized functions a character could go through a whole campaign without seeing, right?

Again, that be used depending on the campaign one is running. If one is running a punch in the face campaign, doesn't introduce villains like DC's Scarecrow or Marvel's Mister Fear, doesn't have character using the Interaction rules, sure they won't see use. The same can also be said about any skill and many powers if the GM doesn't introduce situations or rarely introduces situations where they are useful.

 

[Greg K]

Man we had the D6 West End Star Wars, Elf Quest, Shadow Run, and now this added to the list of classic RPG line reprints. I wonder which is next.

Unfortunately, I had to skip the d6 Star Wars reprint.

 

[Greg K]

Just sharing an update.
Someone on the DC Heroes Facebook group and whom has a YouTube channel stated that, according to Ray Winninger, current KS plans are only for the DCH 1e and 2e boxed sets. When questioned regarding the 3e rulebook and Batman RPG, Ray, apparently, told him that, maybe, those could end up being stretch goals.
I am guessing the Who's Who books, 1e sourcebooks and adventures, and 2e sourcebooks are not, currently, planned. I wonder if they could end up being stretch goals or not being reproduced at all.

 

[JEB]

Just sharing an update.
Someone on the DC Heroes Facebook group and whom has a YouTube channel stated that, according to Ray Winninger, current KS plans are only for the DCH 1e and 2e boxed sets. When questioned regarding the 3e rulebook and Batman RPG, Ray, apparently, told him that, maybe, those could end up being stretch goals.
I am guessing the Who's Who books, 1e sourcebooks and adventures, and 2e sourcebooks are not, currently, planned. I wonder if they could end up being stretch goals or not being reproduced at all.

I suppose actually reproducing the entire line was a bit ambitious. Not complaining about a reprint of the core rules, though.

 

[overgeeked]

Man we had the D6 West End Star Wars, Elf Quest, Shadow Run, and now this added to the list of classic RPG line reprints. I wonder which is next.

My hope is the original Traveller, Marvel Super Heroes, Star Frontiers, or Top Secret.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Man we had the D6 West End Star Wars, Elf Quest, Shadow Run, and now this added to the list of classic RPG line reprints. I wonder which is next.

Given Chaosium's track record, I expect Pendragon 1E next year.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I going to take your word that is more cost effective. However, that is a Min/Max perspective which is fine if that is how you and your group roll.

I'm afraid in a game system with a point budget, especially one with an effect based tendencies, when there are two ways to express something that has apparently the exact same thing to an outward observer (not, note, just on the player level, but within the game level) I'm going to say that buying the more expensive is a self-inflicted wound, so I'm going to stand by my opinion.

However, the official write-ups for many DC Heroes did not include Charisma and some like Wonder Woman only had the Persuasion subskill which means that the designers did not expect players to approach the game from that perspective and I enforced this perspective when I ran the game.

Since my complaint is that this was a design flaw, I'm not exactly going to be surprised that the designers were blind to it.

Again, that be used depending on the campaign one is running. If one is running a punch in the face campaign, doesn't introduce villains like DC's Scarecrow or Marvel's Mister Fear, doesn't have character using the Interaction rules, sure they won't see use. The same can also be said about any skill and many powers if the GM doesn't introduce situations or rarely introduces situations where they are useful.

My claim was even with characters like that the use is normally going to be rare. Check the number of published villains that have that. Its not large.

 

[teitan]

Just sharing an update.
Someone on the DC Heroes Facebook group and whom has a YouTube channel stated that, according to Ray Winninger, current KS plans are only for the DCH 1e and 2e boxed sets. When questioned regarding the 3e rulebook and Batman RPG, Ray, apparently, told him that, maybe, those could end up being stretch goals.
I am guessing the Who's Who books, 1e sourcebooks and adventures, and 2e sourcebooks are not, currently, planned. I wonder if they could end up being stretch goals or not being reproduced at all.

Ray actually said everything if the Kickstarter is as successful as they are looking at but the vast majority will be reprinted. This was in his Facebook Q&A on the KS.