Cardboard Heroes Dungeon Floors
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Bias Alert: The author of this review is a long-time associate of the publisher, both as a former employee and frequent freelancer.
Cardboard Heroes were originally published in Steve Jackson Games’ “mini-game” heyday of the mid- to late-1980s, when nearly everything they published came in a Pocket Box or a ziplock bag, and cost well under $10. Ah, those were the days.
Anyway, SJ Games must have done 20 or so different sets of Cardboard Heroes back then, three little 4” x 7” sheets of cardstock in a ziplock bag. The art was pretty good (if small, since the figures were scaled to 25mm), and since they were much, much cheaper than metal miniatures (and came already painted!), they did pretty well. For a while. Then the steam ran out of the line.
Recently, the folks at Steve Jackson Games cranked out the scanner on the original art, did a little digital retouching, changed the format, and — voila! — a new generation of Cardboard Heroes. The latest release, Dungeon Floors, is aptly named. You get a bunch of rooms, corridors, doors, pits, traps, walls, and occasional bits of “dungeon dressing” to lay out your own underground labyrinths for fantasy roleplaying adventures. And you get a lot more pieces in the 16-page book than you did in the old ziplock bag. It costs quite a bit more, too, but it’s still a bargain.
Not much to this product — if you can cut along well-marked lines without making too big of a mess, you can enjoy this product.
This rating doesn’t mean there’s lots of Cardboard Heroes fans out there. It means there are lots of fantasy roleplaying gamers out there, and just about any of them would find this product useful.
Dungeon Floors is the second in the re-release series, and SJ Games will definitely do more if sales of the first two are good enough.
There’s a lot of different-shaped rooms and corridors, plus a goodly number of extras. You could re-create just about any old dungeon you could think of with this set.
And fantasy roleplaying dungeons are pretty much all you can create with this product. There’s very little here that could be applied to any other type of gaming.
What’s not to like? The layout is crisp, the art is very nice. Stone corridors and wooden doors never looked so good.
286 days ago in
Bias Alert: The author of this review is a long-time associate of the publisher, both as a former employee and frequent freelancer.
Cardboard Heroes were originally published in Steve Jackson Games’ “mini-game” heyday of the mid- to late-1980s, when nearly everything they published came in a Pocket Box or a ziplock bag, and cost well under $10. Ah, those were the days.
1296 days ago in
So far, the publisher, retailer, and gamer responses to the network idea have been very optimistic.
All tiers seem to agree that the industry has needed this kind of program for a long time, and they are eager to support it. We appreciate that support, and we’re looking forward to serving the industry the best we can with a new all-gamer network for this ever-growing hobby.
1296 days ago in
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this case, the egg. Right now, we’re looking at an incubation period of about twelve months, which puts the tentative hatch time at sometime early Summer next year.
From a tool standpoint, this means the basics will come first. The website, a good collection of sponsoring retailers and publishers, the gamer registry, an issue or two of the member magazine ready to go, and so on.
1296 days ago in
RPG will look beyond the “brick and mortar” world and into the endless possibilities of electronic media in its goal of providing gamers of all climes with a superior support experience. Beyond the typical forums, email lists, chat rooms, and online gaming elements based off the RPG website, tools will be developed and provided to RPG members that allow them to take part in dynamic virtual environments.
When the projects are completed, tools such as the Virtual Gaming Table and Interactive Television will be provided to members so they may truly “face-to-face” over the Internet, or experience dynamic roleplaying environments in front of their television.
1296 days ago in
The retailer holds a very important role in RPG. Retailers all over the world will be able to apply for RPG sponsorship. Each qualifying retailer will become a focal point for network members. Gamers will be directed there to purchase their products, take advantage of product discounts and promotions, give in-store demonstrations, and handle Guild business.
The limelight and attention the retailers will receive from the network will be aimed at increasing their business and strengthening their sales with regard to roleplaying-related products.
1296 days ago in
Game manufacturers/publishers, no matter how small or large they might be, will be able to count on the network to provide unbiased support to the players of their products.
The network will provide a medium for publishers to enjoy professional reviews in the i-RPG members magazine, playtesting, and in-store demonstrations that increase their customer base. Publishers may get as involved as they like with the members of the network who play their games.
1296 days ago in
We are creating an all-gamer support network, called i-RPG, that is aimed at providing roleplayers with the tools they need to overcome the all-too-familiar reasons too many of them have for leaving the hobby. The network will provide roleplayers of any genre, any product line, and any location a robust cache of both on and off-line tangible benefits.
The benefits will include a subscription to a comprehensive bimonthly magazine aimed at providing professional reviews, announcements, adventures, tips, and advertisements spanning the entire “gamer realm,” from computer roleplaying games to face-to-face products. The magazine will have an online equivalent (ezine) as well, which members will be able to access via their personal logon/password.
1296 days ago in
Does it sound familiar? The gamer who is “too busy to game,” now that married life with kids has come his way? The gamer who can’t find a gaming group in his area that plays the Arcade games he likes to play? The gamer who can’t find any support for that nifty new product he found at the local convention? The veteran gamer who’s looking for something “more” in his hobby to keep him active?
The adventure gaming hobby has attracted a huge number of enthusiasts over the past 20 years. A look at the roleplaying side of the industry shows a group of intelligent, dedicated individuals who are usually left to their own devices, and to whatever support their local retailers, volunteer web sites, the occasional game convention, and publishers of their favorite gaming products can provide.
That support has been sporadic, with respect to both location and source. Some retailers are the roleplayer’s greatest friend, spending immense amounts of time organizing groups, events, product demonstrations, and in-store game nights for roleplayers to enjoy.
