John wrote on Oct 15
th, 2016 at 12:18pm:
We are the only people who play. I would gather that there are probably less than a 1000 people world wide to still play this game.
Not saying its dead, but its not exactly living either.
Thoughts along these lines have occurred to me from time-to-time as well over the last several years, back even before the legal battle, but also during it.
I've also mulled over occasionally the related question, "what exactly is V&V in 2016?"
Is "Villains & Vigilantes" the rulebook and boxed set from 1982, which I still have in a closet? Is it my lingering memories in 2016 of playing the game most actively 30 years ago?
Or, rather, is V&V the people playing the game actively today, no matter how few or how house ruled?
Or is it what is currently sold in 2016 under the name "Villains & Vigilantes," whether published 30 years ago, or within the last few years?
Or is it just the trademark?
Or is it the creators, or the publisher?
And would a new game, published now using that trademark (either under license or otherwise) definitely be "Villains & Vigilantes" because that's its title, even if the game system were very different than the 1982 version?
Or is "Villains & Vigilantes" in 2016 some combination of the above.
I've never really come to a firm conclusion about this myself.
I've also wondered similarly about "Champions," as the trademark and other IP are now owned, after a series of purchases and corporate acquisitions, by a Chinese parent company, I understand; while the most recent publisher of the RPG, DoJ dba Hero Games (not the original publisher or the game's original creators), has lain essentially dormant for 5 years. Though they do apparently have a back license to use the IP for tabletop RPGs, I read online years ago. And yet, the most recent "Strike Force" book was published recently (after a successful Kickstarer) by yet a different company.
What indeed is "Champions" in 2016, as well?