Adventurers Club (Prior revision dated Saturday 16 September 2023 03:20:55 -- @181)

Adventurers Club was a quarterly magazine first published in 1983 by Hero Games, a renowned name in the gaming industry. The editorial mantle was held at different times by Steve Peterson, Bill Robinson, and Bruce Harlick, with the latter having a longstanding 20-year relationship with Hero Games, culminating in his role as company president. In total, the magazine had a 12-year run, concluding in 1995 with a total of 27 issues published.

The magazine originally featured supplementary material for Champions and Espionage, two popular games from Hero Games. It also included news from Hero Games and a letter column that was, amusingly, purportedly edited by the fictional villain Foxbat. However, by 1986, Hero Games was having issues with cash flow and manpower, and the magazine's seventh issue, which had been prepared in March 1985, was delayed for over a year as resources were diverted toward other projects.

In 1988, Hero Games merged with Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE), leading to a significant change in the magazine's content. Five issues of the magazine, from number 8 to number 12, featured articles about both Hero and ICE games. This did not sit well with the readership, who were divided over the inclusion of ICE game articles. Consequently, the magazine once again dedicated itself solely to Hero games, while ICE published a separate tabloid magazine, Iron Crown Quarterly, which focused only on ICE games such as Rolemaster, Spacemaster, and Middle-earth Role Playing.

Adventurers Club received mixed reviews over its lifetime. Allen Varney, who reviewed the magazine twice in the pages of Dragon, criticized its inconsistency in maintaining a quarterly publication, noting that it had “appeared more or less annually for years.” He also highlighted some concerns about the magazine's style, grammar, and value for money. However, he acknowledged its attention-worthy scenarios, NPCs, gadgets, and campaigning tips. He further noted that the magazine's coverage of all the different Hero System game genres meant that any single issue may not offer much for individual campaigns. On the other hand, in the Nov-Dec 1983 edition of Space Gamer, Russell Grant Collins recommended the magazine for players of Champions, calling it a “worthy addition to the Hero line.”

While the Adventurers Club magazine had its share of challenges and criticisms, it remains a significant artifact in the history of role-playing games, embodying a specific era of gaming culture and serving as a testament to the enduring influence of Hero Games.{{Categories}}