Completely NEW players to Hero gaming...

[MarkusDark]

Wish me luck. I start a Champions campaign tonight at a FLGS with players who are completely new to the Hero system. Long time D&D players, and can even feel it in their characters (one wants to be a Demon/Dragon Multiform - I have talked him down a bit), it should be interesting. Luckily (I guess) I got to make their characters for them after they gave me basic ideas of what they wanted.

I have found that, in order to avoid massive brain hemorrages, it is easiest to start out with basics - do not include such things as levels, do not have any 'real' range modifiers, and keep to the basic EB and RKA's. Next session, I will probably introduce Range modifiers and some other attacks (Entangle, Force Walls) and continue from there.

[Blue]

Good luck, you glutton for punishment.

I don't know if I have the patience to teach anyone from scratch anymore, though I'd certainly give it a try with one or two. But a whole group? There may be a sainthood in it for you.

Saint Rabbit of the flapjack.

[Tempuswolf]

If they are coming from D&D, might I suggest that you use a couple of alternate dice conventions:

A) Roll High On Attack Rolls: 3d6+OCV>=10+DCV is a hit.

B) Roll High On Skill Rolls: 3d6+{CHAR/5+9}>=21 is a success (3d6+{CHAR/5+9}/2>=21 is a critical success for some skills like Danger Sense)

[Vondy]

The character I made for my wife this week was presented in GUI instead of DOS format.

In other words, she got a list of characteristic rolls, skill rolls, pre-factored CVs, and notes on the character's effect.

I'll post it when I get home. Removing the source code from view really relaxed her a lot.

[Vondy]

Einav Nachman

Stats: ST 12-; DX 12-; CN 12-; IN 13-; EG 11-; PR 13-; Vision 13-; Smell-Taste 13-; Touch 13-; Hearing 15-; Run 42’; Swim 12’; Running Jump 18’; Max Lift 302 Lbs

Skills: Breakfall 13?; Concealment 13?; Criminology 13?; Deduction 13?; Fast Draw 13?; Paramedic 13?; Security Systems 13?; Stealth 13?; Streetwise 13?; Tactics 13?; Areas of Knowledge: Montreal, Seattle, Jewish World, Judaic Studies, Nachmanadies, American Law, Canadian Law, Legal World, Law Enforcement World 13-; Languages: English (Native); French (Native), Hebrew (Fluent), Latin (Fluent), Yiddish (Fluent), Ladino (Fluent); Professions: Attorney, Vampire Hunter 13?, WF: Small Arms, Crossbows, Blades

Combat Skills: Rapid Fire (Ranged); Block (CV 7/7); Punch/Kick (CV 7/5, 5d6); Escape (CV 5/5, STR 15-); Small Arms (CV 7); Crossbows (CV7); Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)

Notes: Stun 28; OCV 5, DCV 5, ECV 3; Phases 3, 6, 9, 12; Unarmored PD 8/5, ED 6/3; Armored: PD 14/5, ED 12/3

Disadvantages: Secret ID (Vampire Hunter); Watched: Saif L'Bnei Brit (8?); Ruthless, Methodical Hunter; Modern Orthodox Jewess; Somewhat Haughty; Frequently Skeptical; DF: Athletic Build & Movements, French Canadian Accent, Dark Haired Sephardi Beauty

[Killer Shrike]

Good luck. Let us know how it goes....

[Monolith]

I have a HERO System virgin joining my Champions game this Saturday as well. I guess there is still some new blood to be gotten. :)

Good luck with the new players. Teach them right so that they can take over your GMing duties post-haste. :)

[Killer Shrike]

We just added a FNG to our group this weekend. Over the years Ive transitioned a lot of players into the HERO System. It gets to be old hat after a while ;)

[Alibear]

I changed over 3 D&Ders to Hero recently. I even got a chance to play last night with another convertee from a few years ago.:D

Alistair "I'm a player now" Currie

[tesuji]

When i brought new players in, i used to do some conversion work for them...

first, i rewrote some charts to use meters and not inches. Having the in game units represent something real is just one less heroism they gotta put up with.

second, i agree with the inversions for the die rolls. it just seems easier to grasp for a die roll plus trait beating dc to be understood than a calculation based on opposed values..

third, the of course, you will be doing a lot of the designing, especially if there is a miz of old and new.

fourth, make up a number of sample characters, some rather straightforward but fully playable and others a little more complex. build them from the mindset of "they may just want to play it", "they may want to use it as a template and modify it" AND they may use it to see how to do things" perspectives.

hope it goes well.

[austenandrews]

Okay, I figured out what an FLGS is. What's an FNG?

-AA

[Tempuswolf]

Originally posted by austenandrews
Okay, I figured out what an FLGS is. What's an FNG?

-AA

Freaking New Guy?

[Herolover]

I left my previous gaming group due to differences in game style and the fact none of them would touch HERO due to a phobia of adding 1+1.

In my new group I have scored 3 cherries and added them to the (needs to be longer) list of players that have played HERO.
I have found it best to do what many of you on this thread have already said.

Start slow. I love the GUI/DOS reference. I ran several adventures at a Convention a while back and I plan on running all my convention adventures as GUI so as not to completely EGO blast the players.

Also, creating the FNG's characters helps a lot. Just be sure to liberally change it when they get a new idea. Of course with the USPD you almost don't even have to work anymore. :)

[MarkusDark]

I usually don't have trouble with adding in a completely new person to the Hero system into an existing game. You have other players that can help them along as well. This, however, was just ME with people who never played the game before.

The game went EXTREMELY quick as they apparently were used to the hack and slash of other games and just took care of the directives without investigating the whys or wherefors. They picked up the combat rather easily and were handling the system rather well by the end of the night.

Now, just to show them that there is more to it than just blasting away your opponent. ;)

[Captain Obvious]

Actually, the "more to it than blasting away" is still easy. It's the various permutations of blasting away that get complicated.

Even so, the best way to go with new players is to let them describe what they want, you build it, maybe modify a little right before beginning play if they have any more input, and then jump in with both feet. Nothing breaks down a learning curve like getting hands on.

And of course, once they've got the basic combat system down (and that's really not that bad), they can come to these boards and have the panel of experts help out in constructing all sorts of various and sundry powers.

[needo]

Originally posted by Herolover
Start slow. I love the GUI/DOS reference. I ran several adventures at a Convention a while back and I plan on running all my convention adventures as GUI so as not to completely EGO blast the players.
[/B]

I'm an utter newbie. What is GUI/DOS and what is the difference?

Thank you.

[Nato]

Don't feel bad. I'm not a newbie and I still don't know what they mean by that. I'm pretty sure it's not a game term. I think it's a figure of speech for something. Who knows.

[Mutant for Hire]

Originally posted by needo
I'm an utter newbie. What is GUI/DOS and what is the difference?

Thank you.

I use the terms "compiled sheet" and "source code" sheet.

Look at what the D-Man came up with. He didn't indicate the character's raw DEX, instead he indicated that the character's base DEX roll was 13-, which is a lot more useful in actual gaming terms. Likewise there were no indications of how many points were sunk in skills. All it was was dice rolls. That means that players have to do almost zero math during the game.

[Pattern Ghost]

GUI = Graphic User Interface (Windows)
DOS= Disk Operating System

They're just invoking the power of analogy for a simplified character sheet that doesn't show how everything is derived, just the results. Or, just what you need to click on to get the thing to work...

Which is a really cool idea.

[Nato]

This would be a great aid to new players especially, or even for a GM wo wants a condensed sunopsis of his characters. So for powers with all kinds of limitations, do you maybe write a blurb of how it performs, minus technical jargon?