Hero-U - Kickstarter Update #21

With 91K to go Hero-U still needs quite a bit of funding over the next 3 days, but it is not impossible. In the update for today a stretch goal is announced (just in case) and more explanation of why they selected a thief to be a hero.

Some of you may wonder why we chose the Rogue class for our first Hero-U game. Of all the fantasy game archetypes, the Rogue or Thief is usually considered the least heroic.

That's exactly why we decided to start with Shawn. He's an "unlikely Hero." Think of the game subtitle, "Rogue to Redemption". This game gives you – the player – a chance to experience Shawn's redemption, or to see what happens if you fail to redeem him. There is no greater Hero than one who starts out as a scoundrel.

I talked about Rogue Heroes in my "Hero on the Ropes" Quest Log article (the full article is at http://www.theschoolforheroes.com/questlog/450/the-rogue/). Here's a brief excerpt:

Some famous Rogue Heroes include James Bond, Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Robin Hood. Note that we only listed fictional ones. The real ones are too good at disguising their Roguishness. African and Native American mythology prominently feature "trickster gods" (Anansi the spider and Coyote) in devious roles. In the old Greek stories, Prometheus was a Rogue when he stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. So Rogues have been around for a long, long time.

Rogues know that when you do things "by the book," you get mediocre results. They strive for exceptional results by breaking the book, tearing out the pages, and using them for something more practical, like ransom notes or toilet paper. They tend to do things indirectly, because direct action is too easily countered. And boring. Rogues have a problem with boredom.

Heroic Rogues go a step farther. They may break the rules – or even laws they consider stupid – but they always have a Heroic goal in mind. Spiderman isn't concerned with reading criminals their Miranda Rights. He leaves that to the authorities… and stays away from those authorities himself.

So Shawn is an unlikely hero, but he comes from a long tradition of troublemaking heroes. And he will have just as hard a time of it as most of them did.