While superhero RPGs aren’t my thing, if today’s Green Ronin press release is any indication, I’m obviously in the minority. Mutants & Masterminds, the company’s increasingly popular game, has sold out entirely, having outsold Death in Freeport by a significant amount. The core rulebook will see a revised second printing next month.
Text of Green Ronin press release follows:
MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS SOLD OUT!
Revised Reprint Already in the Works
May 10, 2004—Seattle, WA: Green Ronin Publishing’s hit superhero RPG,
Mutants & Masterminds, has sold out. Since its debut at the end of 2002,
Mutants & Masterminds has won multiple ENnie and Pen & Paper Awards and
firmly established itself in the top tier of superhero RPGs. Its expanding
line of support products includes Freedom City, Crooks!, and Nocturnals: A
Midnight Companion.
“We took quite a gamble printing as many books as we did,” said Green Ronin
President Chris Pramas, “but Mutants & Masterminds has exceeded our wildest
expectations. It has now outsold Death in Freeport by nearly 3,000 copies,
which is quite a feat considering that was the first d20 book ever
published.”
A revised version of the core rulebook is already at print. It updates the
book with the most current errata, and adds a detailed example of character
creation. The second printing of the core book will be shipping with the
Mutants & Masterminds Annual #1 in June.
Company Information:
Green Ronin Publishing was founded in 2000 by game industry veterans Chris
Pramas, Nicole Lindroos, and Hal Mangold. The company has published over 50
books since then, establishing a reputation for innovation and quality that
is second to none in the RPG industry. Its award-winning products include
Mutants & Masterminds, Book of the Righteous, and Freeport: The City of
Adventure. Point your browser to www.greenronin.com for more info.
Green Ronin Media Contact
Nicole Lindroos
nicole@greenronin.com
###
Green Ronin Publishing LLC
PO Box 1723
Renton, WA 98057-1723
http://www.greenronin.com
Lesson to WotC:
Include your errata with your second printing. I certainly intend on buying this even though I have the first printing. This type of behavior needs to be encouraged.
WotC? They always try to incorporate the latest errata they could compile and correct right before they send it to the printers … but only if the current printing have been sold out (by distributors, wholesalers, and retailers ordering directly from WotC) and there is still a demand for more. So far, I have not heard if the first printing run of 3.5e PLAYER’S HANDBOOK have sold out yet, especially when owners of 3e PLAYER’S HANDBOOK (like me) are not yet convinced they should buy be the new revision after only 3 years.
As for Green Ronin, congratulations on having sold out their first printing copies of MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS CORE RULEBOOK. I am a proud owner of that game, and I look foward to acquiring a copy of their corrected second printing (incorporating all the errata and FAQ text — for clarifying the rules — compiled and corrected as of January 16, 2004). I hope they will clearly label it so I can identify the distinction.
Uh…I remember the guy at Wizard’s Attic told me that Death in Freeport sold 10,000 copies…You’re telling me M&M clocked 13,000? That is way hard to believe in this market…
Well, it took nearly two years so it’s not too difficult to believe. It also picked up a few awards. And then there is the word of mouth.
Blah, why would they lie about it?
Also remember that only the 3.0 PHB was ever reprinted by WotC, and it DID include significant errata, and also had some really good explanations of the AoO rule from Dragon mag.
Great information and site