HERO system discovery

[Tecmes]

Thread-spawning from @cailano PF2 Remaster thread...

25 minutes ago, Malkavian Grin said:

Oh, really??? I've heard people throw the name (HERO) around but I've 1) never seen a game of it on MW and 2) never looked into it to determine if it was for me or not.

I too would love a demo game. Got 6e books but no time to set up a game from scratch.

Problem is: I don't think that PbP lends itself well to introductory games, where you have to do a lot of explaining, esp. with a system that's so detailed.

[iamtim]

I played in a HERO 5th edition game for a long time. It's... a system, all right. The only way I'd consider it for a PbP would be if it were limited to the Basic Rulebook (a 138 page distillation of the two giant HERO books) and if there was some... pre-generation of powers and abilities by the GM.

 

[cailano]

There is a powers book that helps with that, but yeah. The need for books is the big barrier, IMHO. There's not a free way into the system that I'm aware of.

[pesukarhu]

There's also a Hero in Two Pages doc that gives a bit of the flavor of the game. I'm in a Hero game on MW, but it's marked as private, so it's not easy to use as an example.

 

[Malkavian Grin]

If you have to buy the books then i guess I'm out of luck for the moment.

[cailano]

3 hours ago, Malkavian Grin said:

If you have to buy the books then i guess I'm out of luck for the moment.

They really should put out an SRD or something.

Interestingly, I just found out my phone tries to autocorrect "SRD" to "STD." Really changes the meaning of the sentence.

[Michael Silverbane]

There was a Hero 5e bundle from Bundle of Holding in December of 2021. There might be some people who got hat when it was available and forgot about it.

[cailano]

5 hours ago, Michael Silverbane said:

There was a Hero 5e bundle from Bundle of Holding in December of 2021. There might be some people who got hat when it was available and forgot about it.

I think it is 4e and last I checked, they still have it. Lots of good stuff in there. 4e was the first edition of HERO that I played and the one I'm most familiar with.

[Malkavian Grin]

Since I do have regular paychecks coming in now, I would be able to get my hands on something at some point in the near future. But what edition to get?

Can someone explain what the major differences are between editions, and what would be a good one to start with? Is there one more popular than the others?

[RedMax]

Post deleted

Edited October 25, 2023 by RedMax (see edit history)

[pesukarhu]

5 hours ago, Malkavian Grin said:

Can someone explain what the major differences are between editions, and what would be a good one to start with? Is there one more popular than the others?

If you're choosing, I'd stick with the 6th edition.

For free, you can check out:

• How to Play HERO System: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/295242/How-To-Play-HERO-System (pay what you want)
• Champions Begins: a tutorial adventure: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/383467/Champions-Begins

I've not looked at either.

I have not read it myself, but I like the idea of

• HERO System Basic Rulebook: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/64691/HERO-System-Basic-Rulebook

@iamtim, it sounds like you've read that one. Is it a good introduction?

Re: editions, don't go earlier than 4th. 4th was (I think) the height of its popularity. 5th did some clean-ups and tweaking, I don't remember exactly what. 6th was a big change. It eliminated "computed characteristics", like X pts of Strength giving you a bonus to Stun, Physical Defense, Leaping, etc., and eliminated the "elemental control", which was basically free points given to everyone else, to try to balance the sheer number of free points that Strength was giving bricks. (I'm editorializing a bit here.) They also re-jiggered more powers, adjusted points, etc.

In general, I like the 6th ed. It's not a huge improvement over 4th or 5th ed, though. The rulebooks got very wordy, as literally decades of rulings and details and clarifications were added to the descriptions of every power. My understanding is that this is what the "Basic Rulebook" tries to undo: it keeps the "big level" powers, and drops much of the rules-lawyering commentary. (Again, haven't read it myself, just guessing here.)

So, the problem with 6th ed, is that since there are no computed characteristics, you're left just tweaking all the characteristics yourself, and that's a lot of knobs. I actually like using the computed characteristics from the earlier editions to give a sense of what else I should add to a strong (or dextrous or high-CON) character to make them seem "about right". i.e., I should buy up PD and REC and STUN and Leaping, if I buy up my Strength a lot.

Does that help?

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by pesukarhu (see edit history)

[cailano]

Nice breakdown @pesukarhu, and great links! I admit I fell off the HERO wagon back in 5th edition after I moved away from the gaming group. HERO has many knobs, as you say, but it also has some advantages.

Flexibility: I've never seen a system match HERO for flexibility. You can use it to build any character in any genre. I've used it to run supers, fantasy, sci-fi, and a Warhammer 40K RPG. Once you know how to use it, it actually plays pretty fast.

Combat: I've never been as happy with how any other system handles combat. Good fighters are harder to hit. Armor absorbs damage. The difference between Body damage and Stun damage is wonderful. And it works in any genre, so long as one could make an action movie out of it. I even ran a one-shot where my Fantasy HERO group had to battle against their own Champions characters in an alternate reality. It worked seamlessly. Fun stuff! HERO does combat in a way that just feels right, at least to me.

3d6: HERO attack and skill rolls all use 3d6 for resolution, which creates a bell curve. If your character is good at something, they will succeed at it the vast majority of the time. The exceptions to that truly feel like exceptions and don't come up so often as to force suspension of disbelief.

 

[Malkavian Grin]

Hmmm, this sounds very "Mutants and Masterminds" in how characters are built, which is just... so much damn math that I can't be bothered to care. There's a reason I don't play those systems anymore, and it's all the knobs as you say. Seems this system may not be for me after all. I will give the free intro thing a peek to make sure, though.

Thanks for the links and the descriptions!

[cailano]

16 minutes ago, Malkavian Grin said:

Hmmm, this sounds very "Mutants and Masterminds" in how characters are built, which is just... so much damn math that I can't be bothered to care. There's a reason I don't play those systems anymore, and it's all the knobs as you say. Seems this system may not be for me after all. I will give the free intro thing a peek to make sure, though.

Thanks for the links and the descriptions!

Oh yes, HERO system was literally invented in a math class. Lots of math.

[Malkavian Grin]

7 minutes ago, cailano said:

Oh yes, HERO system was literally invented in a math class. Lots of math.

Gotcha. That's a hard pass for me. Same reason I don't play GURPS.