Editing Golden Heroes

{{Short description|1984 superhero role-playing game}}
{{Infobox RPG
|title= Golden Heroes
|image= [[Image:RPG Golden Heroes cover.jpg]]
|caption= Games Workshop 1984 edition, cover art by Alan Craddock
|designer= Simon Burley, Peter Haines
|publisher= [[Games Workshop]]
|date= 1982 ''(amateur)''<br>1984 ''([[Games Workshop]])''
|genre= [[Superhero]] fiction
|system= Custom
|footnotes= 
}}
'''''Golden Heroes''''' is a British superhero [[role-playing game]] that was originally written and published on an amateur basis in 1981, and then republished in a more complete and professional form by [[Games Workshop]] in 1984.  

==Description==
''Golden Heroes'' is a superhero game not affiliated with any line of comic books (unlike ''[[Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)|Marvel Super Heroes]]'', for example, which is based on the superheroes found in [[Marvel Comics]].) Because of this, a player has to create their superhero from scratch, not based on a pre-existing superhero.<ref name=swan /> 

The first step in character generation is to randomly determine via dice rolls the character's basic attributes of Ego, Strength, Dexterity and Vigor.<ref name= swan /> The dice rolls also determine the character's superpowers. There is an opportunity for the player to modify abilities somewhat, but not to change the superpowers.<ref name=swan /> A character can only keep their full set of powers if they can justify them all in a plausible origins story.  

During play, the player must keep track of the superhero's private life, what happens during leisure time and the work done while using the hero's [[secret identity]]. Characters are "rated" after each game and are more likely to succeed in future games if they behave in ways consistent with Comic Book tropes.

[[File:Cover_of_first_edition_of_Golden_Heroes_RPG.png|thumb|right|Original mimeographed and self-published edition, 1981]]
==Publication history==
''Golden Heroes'' was developed at [[University of Birmingham]] by Simon Burley and Peter Haines in 1981, who self-published their manuscript as a 60-page mimeographed book. Burley and Haines shopped the book to Games Workshop, who expanded the material to include Marvel characters in the hopes of acquiring a role-playing game license from Marvel Comics. When Marvel awarded the license to [[TSR (company)|TSR]] instead, Games Workshop expunged the Marvel content and published the result as ''Golden Heroes'' in 1984. The box cover art by Alan Craddock is meant look like the cover of an American comic book of the time, complete with a fake bar code and a fake [[Comics Code Authority]] approval badge.  Interior art was by a plethora of British artists, including [[Brian Bolland]], [[Kevin Bulmer]], [[Mike Collins (comics)|Mike Collins]], Declan Considine, [[Alan Davis]], Kirk Etienne, [[Brett Ewins]], Jon Glentoran, [[David Hine]], Gary Mayes, and [[Brendan McCarthy]],<ref name=grog>{{cite web|url = https://www.legrog.org/jeux/golden-heroes/golden-heroes-en  | date=2009-05-08|title=  Golden Heroes |website=Guide du Rôliste Galactique| access-date=  2023-11-02  |language=fr}}</ref> several of whom were working for the British comic book ''[[2000 AD (comics)|2000 AD]]'' at the time.

The following year, Games Workshop published two adventures and one supplement for ''Golden Heroes'': 
* ''[[Legacy of Eagles]]'' 
* ''[[Queen Victoria & The Holy Grail]]''
* ''Supervisor's Kit''
Games Workshop also published content for the game in their house magazine ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'', and produced a line of metal miniatures. 

Twenty years after Games Workshop let the ''Golden Heroes'' line of products lapse, one of the original creators, Simon Burley, resurrected the game as ''Squadron UK'' in 2006.<ref name=grog2>{{cite web|url = https://www.legrog.org/jeux/squadron-uk/squadron-uk-en  | date=2011-08-29|title=  Squadron UK |website=Guide du Rôliste Galactique| access-date=  2023-11-02  |language=fr}}</ref>

==Reception==
Writing in Issue 62 of ''[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]]'' (February 1985), [[Marcus L. Rowland]] noted "As a late contender in the super RPG field, ''Golden Heroes'' faces severe opposition from established games. However, its quality, scope, and the fact that it is orientated towards British players are bound to make it successful, if there is a steady flow of supplements and scenarios." Rowland concluded by giving the game an overall rating of 10 out of 10.<ref name="WD62">{{cite magazine |last=Rowland |first=Marcus L. |author-link=Marcus L. Rowland |title=Open Box |magazine=[[White Dwarf (magazine)|White Dwarf]] |issue=62  |page=10 |date=February 1985}}</ref>

Pete Tamlyn reviewed ''Golden Heroes'' for ''[[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]]'' magazine, and stated that "For younger players, and If you just want the Superhero game for light relief and one-off scenarios, then [''Marvel Superheroes''] is the best, but if you are planning to run an extended Superhero campaign then ''Golden Heroes'' wins hands down."<ref name="Imagine24">{{cite magazine | last = Tamlyn |first = Pete | title =Notices | type = review | magazine = [[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]] | issue = 24| pages =43 |date=March 1985}}</ref>

In his 1990 book ''[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]]'', game critic [[Rick Swan]] was disappointed in the game, particularly the character generation system, pointing out "basically [the player] is saddled with whatever powers the dice-rolls dictate, no matter how contradictory or silly. Because the random ability system freely mixes useless powers with god-like, there's only a remote chance that players will receive [player characters] of comparable talents." Swan was likewise dismayed by the combat system, calling it "a hodge-podge of weapon classes, target ranges and power grades bordering on the incomprehensible." Swan also didn't like the extensive paperwork required to track a hero's private life. Swan concluded by giving the game a below average rating of 2 out of 4, saying, "The rulebooks boast some nice artwork, and the thoughtful referee's tips are applicable to any comic-book RPG, but there's just not enough substance in ''Golden Heroes'' to recommend it over the competition." However, Swan found  the two adventures released for ''Golden Heroes'' to be "surprisingly good, particularly ''Queen Victoria & The Holy Grail'', an exciting adventure with supernatural overtones."<ref name=swan>{{cite book | last =Swan  | first =Rick | author-link=Rick Swan |title =[[The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games]] | publisher =St. Martin's Press | date =1990 | location =New York | pages =95–96}}</ref> 

More than ten years after its publication, Tony Johnston did a retrospective review of ''Golden Heroes'' for  the British games magazine ''Arcane'', calling it "A superb system, and one which some referees I know still use today, adapted for other games."<ref name="Arcane7">{{cite magazine |last=Johnston|first=Tony|date=June 1996|title=Despatches|magazine =Arcane|issue=7|pages=18}}</ref> That same year, ''Arcane'' held a reader poll to determine the fifty most popular role-playing games and ''Golden Heroes'' was ranked 41st. Editor Paul Pettengale commented: "The gameplay reflects a refined approach to the superhero genre, and roleplaying tends to take priority over combat."<ref name="Arcane14">{{cite magazine |last= Pettengale|first=Paul|date= Christmas 1996 |title=Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996 |magazine =Arcane| issue=14|pages=25–35}}</ref>

==Other reviews and commentary==
*''[[Different Worlds]]'' #43
*''The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine'' #3 (April/May, 1986)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:British role-playing games]]
[[Category:Contemporary role-playing games]]
[[Category:Games Workshop games]]
[[Category:Role-playing games introduced in 1982]]
[[Category:Superhero role-playing games]]