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| My collection of 10 Villains & Vigilantes rules books |
My weakness, which should come as no surprise to readers old and new, is Villains & Vigilantes.
The other month postie delivered my latest eBay purchase: an original first edition of the game, in immaculate condition.
Sure, I already own my tattered original copy from the very early '80s, which is almost falling apart now, as well as reprint published by Monkey House Games in 2016.
Yet while I only recall actually playing this iteration of the game solo, before moving on to the elegant second edition, it holds a special place in my heart.
While all the books sport dynamic Jeff Dee art, out of the four different covers between the editions, I definitely have a strong affection for the original, even if my preferred rules are contained within the second edition.
The difference between first edition and second is striking, in much the same way that third edition (aka The Mighty Protectors) is a dramatic evolution from second.
I went all in on the 2016 Kickstarter to back the third edition because (a) I wanted Jeff Dee to draw to The Acrobatic Flea and (b) I wanted to support Jack Herman and Jeff Dee in their creative endeavours and help keep V&V alive.
And while I got to game with Jeff online, the fact that character creation required a spreadsheet had already made me realise this probably wasn't the rules system for me, however much I loved the game world.
I don't regret pouring all that money into the Kickstarter because I still got some fantastic books (some of which include second edition stats as well) and got to play the game with one of my creative heroes... who also drew me an incredible illustration of my Acrobatic Flea.
The first edition of Villains & Vigilantes was my introduction to the idea of "superhero roleplaying games", which the next edition then solidified in my noggin and the rest, as they say, is history.
When sorting out my V&V rule books for the picture to illustrate this article it turned out I had more copies of the second edition (and 2.1) than I had previously realised, some well-read and annotated, one without a cover for some reason, and some pristine.
Why do I have so many copies? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. I think I just like to ensure I always have a version of the rules to hand, whenever I want to look something up or I have a wild idea for a hero or villain I want to stat up.
I certainly needn't worry about mislaying my copy of the core rules.
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| My new purchase of an old favourite |
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| Left to Right: My battered original, my new purchase, and the Monkey House reprint |