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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 8083521" data-attributes="member: 12731">The meaning of "heartbreaker" was originally "seeing this designer reinvent the wheel breaks my heart (as a fellow designer)". Often the issue was how clearly the writers have read no other games than the edition of D&D they're trying to improve upon, completely failing to see how the problem has already been elegantly solved by other games several times over. Even by a later edition of D&D itself in some cases...Now it's sometimes used to mean something else: a game intending to be the next big thing by fixing perceived flaws with the market leader, but ending up forgotten and nearly unused.The reasons for this might vary from the mundane (few companies have marketing clout even a fraction of WotC/Hasbro) to the truly heartbreaking: failing to realize what people actually wants.All too many games have started out to "fix" the current edition of D&D only to end up adding everything and the kitchen sink, which has the effect of making that game no longer be percieved by the gaming public as a recognizable alternative, which then in turn makes it go ignored by the very customers it was intended to woo.This can be the little things - adding "lion men" to your game when that's not part of D&D. Or integrating a brand new campaign world so tightly in rules text customers can't use it for their regular generic D&D game. (Obviously I can't come up with anything else than subjective examples. Add yours instead of getting riled up by mine!)My point here is to learn why Paizo managed to avoid having Pathfinder 1 be a heartbreaker. That game genuinely clawed itself the spot as the obvious alternative to D&D for a whole decade.And the lesson is: ruthlessly eliminate everything that makes your product look like its own game, rather than "D&D just better" (or simpler or whatever you're gunning for). Then focus on a niche WotC has for some reason left unfilled. Don't take the 500 pound gorilla head on.Are you doing a whole new game or are you doing a D&D replacement game, is the question.</blockquote>

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