The HERO Games Website has news that the book for a tabletop pen-and-paper game based on Champions Online is no longer on their publishing schedule (thanks Big Download). The current plan sounds very similar to plans announced along with the game, which were as follows: "Cryptic Studios has licensed back to Hero Games the rights to produce Champions RPG books, and the sixth edition of the HERO System and Champions, set to release in 2009, will include rules on how to recreate Champions Online characters and scenarios." Word is:

According to our plans, the next book on the schedule was supposed to be The Champions Online Roleplaying Game. However, Atari, current owners of Cryptic, has changed the MMO’s marketing priorities and isn’t willing to provide us with the funding needed to do the book in the full-color fashion it requires. Since it’s not worth doing as a black-and-white book, we’re removing it from the schedule. Into its place we’re moving Champions Powers, the 6E version of the USPD. I’ll add to CP a section that would have gone into the CO RPG that provides pre-built versions of all of the CO powers, so gamers can easily re-create their online characters in the tabletop environment.