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GAME CATEGORY

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Roleplaying Games

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Accessories & Misc

On Sale

  • talisman 3rd ed

    Talisman, 3rd edition.VG(+)

    $149.95

    Talisman, 3rd edition.VG(+)

    $149.95

    Unpunched! Beautiful collectible copy of the 3rd edition of this classic Games Workshop board game.

    1 in stock

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  • dragon magazine 146 autographed

    Autographed DRAGON magazine issue 146

    $22.95

    Autographed DRAGON magazine issue 146

    $22.95

    Signed by the late Keith Parkinson. Near Mint, with certificate of authenticity.

    1 in stock

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  • Autographed DRAGON magazine issue 150

    $22.95

    Autographed DRAGON magazine issue 150

    $22.95

    signed by Larry Elmore. Near Mint, with certificate of authenticity.

    1 in stock

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  • Cardboard Heroes: Castles Walls and Towers

    $24.95

    Cardboard Heroes: Castles Walls and Towers

    $24.95

    Steve Jackson Games, brand new. Rare out of print.

    1 in stock

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ABOUT THE HERO FACTORY

The Hero Factory mail-order game store carries an amazing line of out-of-print and collectible roleplaying games and materials.
We have RPGs, board games, RPG books and accessories, AD&D modules, gaming magazines, and other role playing items. We carry a large assortment of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and other TSR items, Star Wars RPG, Munchkin, Rolemaster MERP I.C.E., RIFTS, White Wolf, Hero Games Champions, Shadowrun, Judges Guild, Deadlands, Chivalry & Sorcery, and other role playing materials, along with Dragon and Dungeon magazines, wargames, and much more!

GAME RATING SYSTEM

Here is our rating system for out of print games:

Mint (M): No discernable wear or blemishes, corners are sharp, pages are perfect.
Near Mint (NM): Tiny amounts of noticable wear in 1 or 2 places, very minor corner wear, pages perfect.
Very Good (VG): Average wear. Minor wear in multiple places, average corner wear, pages may not be perfect. Not collectible quality, but still in good shape.
Good (G): Moderate-to-heavy wear throughout, but not badly damaged. May contain some writing. Pages may be stained or dogeared/wrinkled. D&D modules with torn spines may be repaired with clear tape. “Good” should be thought of as “Decent” or “Not too bad.”
Fair (F): Excessively worn, but complete unless noted otherwise. Item may be damaged and/or repaired. Trashed, but usable.

Note that a (+) or (-) sign is often used to indicate a condition in between ratings i.e. “G(+)” is better than Good, but not in as good condition as “Very Good.”

We no longer carry new, in-print roleplaying materials
because we want you to support your local game store:

If there is a game store near you, we encourage you to go there and buy your materials from them. Right now. Saving a couple bucks by buying your stuff from The Hero Factory (or another online retailer) is not worth driving your local game store out of business.

Game stores do more than just sell you gaming materials:

If there is no game store near you, or if they don’t have what you want, or if they pissed you off somehow, we will be glad to help you. One of the things that makes The Hero Factory great is the giant selection we have available. In addition to our huge out-of-print inventory, we can also get you just about everything that is in print. Roleplaying rulebooks, D20 sourcebooks, board games, adventure modules, dice, battle mats, miniatures, painting kits, card games, fantasy paperback novels — if they make it, we can probably get it. If there is no local game store in your area, or if they cannot get what you need, tell us what you want and we will send it to you right away – at 15% off regular retail price! But if you can buy your materials locally, please do so. We don’t want to take their business. Seriously.


ROLE-PLAYING, COLLECTIBLE BOARD GAMES (DUNGEONS & DRAGONS)

A roleplaying game (abbreviated as RPG ) means that participants operate their assigned characters (player characters) and generally cooperate and are given under fictitious circumstances ordeals, adventure, challenge, search, combat, etc. with the aim of achieving the objective of the game.

Roleplaying means playing the role another person or personality. According to game designer Gary Gygax, “roleplay is to play a role that is imagined” and “to play something that you can never (or will never) be.”

Board games emerged out of the Victorian Era, even though most ancient cultures around the world had developed their strategies and luck games. Many of these original games form the bedrock of the games people play today, including chess, checkers, backgammon, dice, dominoes, marbles, Mahjong, and Parcheesi.

In the 19th century, however, industrialization and the rise of the middle class led to more leisure time, allowing for more regular social gatherings, much like the French salons of the Rococo era. To keep their guests entertained, hosts would often suggest parlor games such as charades — games that were played on board became known as board games. Because the Victorians valued virtue above all things, most of these games were offered moral lessons.

How to enjoy board games is different for each person. Some people want the pleasure of winning, and others like to interact and socialize. In some aspects of having fun, it may not be wrong to play with a little spice called role play.

THE WORLD’S FIRST-EVER ROLE-PLAYING GAME (RPG)

Once upon a time, there was a group of close buddies in the Midwest of the United States (Minnesota and Wisconsin). These close friends together changed the history of the game industry forever.

Although they did not plan to do so from the beginning, they could not help reading stories of a world of magic, monsters, and adventures. They didn’t just see the mysterious world. They wanted to be able to play games in the mysterious world. So, they created Dungeons & Dragons, kick-starting the game revolution. The revolution is still going on.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D & D)

There are two things you should know which these groups of friends knew:

  1. They knew that there was a universe that could only be discovered by games. Games are a great way to explore that universe. In today’s world of games, computer games, analog games about collectible board games, playing around tables are all benefiting from the original Dungeons and Dragons in one way or the other. Dungeons and Dragons set the pace for the revolution.
  2. The game they invented, D & D, was very wonderful and impressive. D & D is highly known and recommended all over the world. It is the world’s first role-playing game (RPG) and is still among the best in the world.

In Dungeons & Dragons, each player creates a character and teams up with adventurers (characters) played by other friends. The groups and or companions work together to explore a dark underground labyrinth, a demolished city, a cursed old castle, a mystery temple in a jungle, and a boiled cave of larva at the bottom of a mysterious mountain. Adventurers solve mysteries, talk to other characters, fight monsters, and find unfathomable magic items and other treasures.

However, one plays the role of a Dungeon Master (DM). DM is the coordinator of the story in this game and the judge of the game. DM creates an adventure that the characters must challenge. The characters overcome the danger of waiting in the adventure and decide which way to go.

For example, a DM talks about the entrance to Gameloft Castle, and players decide what adventurers (who control) will do. Will adventurers cross the old and dangerous drawbridge? Do you try to minimize the danger of falling if the floor of the drawbridge comes off by connecting your bodies with ropes? Or will they cross the rift with magic spells?

Now, the DM responds, arbitrating on the consequences of the actions of the adventurers and telling them what their eyes see. No matter what the player does, the DM can figure out what happens if he does it, so D & D (and other roleplaying games) are very flexible games. Every adventure, no matter what, will be a wonderful and exciting development.

And this game has no real end. When one story ends with one adventure, the next story, the next adventure awaits, and it becomes a long story of a series (this is called a campaign). Not a few D & D players play campaigns for months and years. Meet with your friends every week and play the continuation of the ongoing story.

As the campaign progresses, the power of the adventurer increases. Each time you defeat a monster, end an adventure, reach a goal, complete a quest, or find a treasure, the story goes forward. But that’s not all – each time the adventurer also gains new abilities. This “enhancing power” is expressed in the form of an adventurer’s level or experience.

There is no losing in the game “Dungeons & Dragons.” At least, there is no win or loss in the usual sense. The DM and the players work together to create a story of brave adventurers confronting terrifying threats. Occasionally, adventurers will have a terrible end; being chopped into pieces by a monster, or finding their end in the hands of a sly villain. But that’s not all. Surviving adventurers can also set out on a journey in search of powerful magic to revive their dead companions.

Dead adventurer players can also create new characters and continue their adventures. A line of adventure may end up failing the purpose of an individual adventure. But still, if everyone had a good time and created a memorable story, they all won.

Role-playing and collectible board games are a good way to spend leisure time with friends while still improving your thinking capacity, innovative ability, and creativity.

EXPLORING ROLEPLAYING GAMES

If you are looking for where to purchase games of this sort, you’re at the right place. At TheHeroFactory.com, you can easily find whatever board games, collectible role-playing games you’re looking for. Thanks for visiting The Hero Factory for your gaming treasures!

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Testimonials

  • “I’ve known The Hero Factory for many moons now, and have ordered loot from them on several occasions. I will definitely be ordering more RPG items in the future because the product/quality descriptions are accurate, they ship fast, and they have packaged each of my shipments carefully so that the goods have all arrived in perfect condition. I’ve also emailed them a number of times about products and post-order status reports, and I’ve always received prompt replies. The Hero Factory is my #1 source for online RPG booty!”

    Johnn Four, Publisher, Roleplaying Tips Weekly
    Dragon Columnist
    Author, GM Mastery: NPC Essentials

  • “Thanks for being the lowest price on the net for what I was looking for. This will definately get me to shop with you again.”

    D. Page, Springfield, MO.

  • “Just mailing to say that I have received my books, and to thank you for the swift manner in which you processed my order. I was worried about placing an order so close to Christmas, and with the postal chaos that generally goes hand in hand with the holiday, I knew there was a risk of waiting forever for my order to arrive. I was both surprised and delighted to find the books waiting for me when I arrived home yesterday. I have found you and your staff very professional and courteous, and your products very competitively priced. I have absolutely no reservations in recommending you to all those who I know who purchase gaming material via the Internet. It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Thank you very much.”

    C. Creed-Healy, Ireland