James Nicoll Reviews

L. Douglas Garrett, George Macdonald, and Steve Peterson’s¹ 1985 Danger International is a modern-day roleplaying game (modern per 1985), intended to cover adventures set ​“from 1945 to the year

2000 and beyond.” Published by Hero Games, Danger International (or ​“DI” as it was known to aficionados) is a descendent of the rules pioneered in 1981’s Champions.

And what did one find in the box? First, that there was no box. Danger International replaced the box sets of previous Hero Games, games with a 174-page perfect-bound text² (176 if you count the ads).

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Aaron Allston, Steve Peterson, and Michael A. Stackpole’s 1984 Justice Inc. (JI to its fans) is a tabletop roleplaying game. It is based on the pulp fiction of the 1920s and 1930s. 

And what did roleplayers of the long, long ago find when they opened Justice, Inc.’s attractive and sturdy box? 

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Hero Games’ Champions wasn’t the first superhero roleplaying game¹ or even the first SHRPG I played². It was, however, the SHRPG I played the most often. 

Originally published in 1981, the system was initially developed in a rather haphazard way; rules accreted across several editions of rule books. Efforts to correct this lack of organization began in the mid-1980s. 1989’s 4^th Edition Champions, written by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, and Rob Bell was arguably the culmination of this process. Known as the Big Blue Book, it was a fan favorite that shaped many games that came after it. 

How does the rulebook stand up after OH GOD HOW IT IS 30 YEARS ALREADY? 

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