ProfessorM@ss
Feb 23rd, '08, 09:25 PM
I suppose I'll be crossing into "sacred cow" territory here, but here goes...
One of the complaints frequently heard about the Hero System is the complexity. GMs love it, but players scratch their heads and get confuzzled, especially people coming from the d20 world.
I have a few humble suggestions that have worked with my gaming groups over the years.
1) Simplified Character Sheets: This is likely something that could largely be done as a function of Hero Designer (which is how I do it currently). My players get character sheets that list their basic Characteristics, their skills (with a roll), and then their Powers, etc. Specifically, under the Powers, they get a Power name, range (if any), damage or defense value, and then a textual description. No listing of advantages and limitations, no fractions or point costs, just plain old text. They know their Lava Blast does 6d6 and has a range of 200". They don't need or care to know that it's a Penetrating Energy Blast with Cannot Be Bounced as a limitation.
While this is something that can be done with character generating software, it might be useful to promote the idea of "special effects," not just as a game mechanic, but also as a useful tool to simplify character sheets for players who are scared of the number-crunching complexity of the system.
2) Skins and Hero as a Metasystem: An earlier poster talked about skins, and while I disagree with the way he wants to see the numbers translated to emulate other systems, I do agree that Hero can be presented in different ways.
One of the ways of doing so is by recognizing its capabilities as a metasystem, i.e. a system to create other systems. In my Fantasy Hero game, I did a bunch of prep work to make it D&D-ish, by building races (with preset stat bonuses and negatives, skills, powers, etc.), classes (with preset "packages" of talents, skills, powers, stat bonuses, etc.), magic items (ditto) and so forth. It was easy enough to duplicate a D&D-styke method of character growth via "levels".
Intrigued, I tried to duplicate White Wolf's famous "five dot" escalation of powers and abilities. No problemo! It was easy.
By pushing the next version of the Hero System as a standalone game and as a metasystem (with examples), it opens both increased licensing opportunities and shows GMs how they can attract players to the system.
3) The Hero OGL: Why, for pity's sake, is there no Hero version of the OGL? I've read a lot about concerns over intellectual property and quality control, but let's face it -- the OGL was just about the smartest thing WotC could've done, and had Hero emulated it six years ago, we might be seeing a lot more Hero-based stuff on the market. Especially if the core rulebook or free supplemental material on the site had demonstrated the ability for the Hero System to be used as a metasystem to develop other games. And then, as people wanted to do more with the content based on this "Hero OGL", they'd be funneled back to the main source material and software.
4) Smaller Rulebook: I like that I only need one book to play the game. I also like that I handed out Sidekick to my group, and had a half-dozen people go, "Ooooooh. That makes sense, now!" as they tackled a much less intimidating book. Sidekick is a concept that should go forward as a necessity.
5) Less (Visible) Math: I see Steve talk about "system granularity" and my temples start to throb...and I like the math in the game! But it's one of the biggest complaints about Hero, and it drives away fans who somehow think D&D's reams of charts and restrictions and such are somehow simpler. In the minds of most people, math equals scary. Save the in-depth rules analysis for, I dunno, a "Hero System GM's Nerdopedia" or something. 80% of your readers don't care.
6) Better Low Level Semantics: Okay, two guys walk into a room. One guy is dead average, physically. The other is the pinnacle of untrained human strength. Otherwise, they're equal. The latter should be able to kill the former in very short order.
The difference between characters is too minimal, when 99% of game Characteristics are under 20 and most people have fewer points than, say, 200. This is part of the reason why a lot of people claim Hero is best for superheroic RP. I'm not entirely sure what needs to be done about that, but I do know it's a complaint a lot of people I've gamed with have had -- they just prefer other systems for lower level games.
Conclusion: I find the Hero System needs little modification for playability. What it needs, to win over a new fanbase and keep the old, is not breaking what already works; demonstrating that Hero can work for lower level games and in any genre; opening up the system for more licensed games (especially in the context of Hero's eminently cool use as a metasystem), and demonstrating that Hero can be simple and math-light for the players.
And that's my two cents.
One of the complaints frequently heard about the Hero System is the complexity. GMs love it, but players scratch their heads and get confuzzled, especially people coming from the d20 world.
I have a few humble suggestions that have worked with my gaming groups over the years.
1) Simplified Character Sheets: This is likely something that could largely be done as a function of Hero Designer (which is how I do it currently). My players get character sheets that list their basic Characteristics, their skills (with a roll), and then their Powers, etc. Specifically, under the Powers, they get a Power name, range (if any), damage or defense value, and then a textual description. No listing of advantages and limitations, no fractions or point costs, just plain old text. They know their Lava Blast does 6d6 and has a range of 200". They don't need or care to know that it's a Penetrating Energy Blast with Cannot Be Bounced as a limitation.
While this is something that can be done with character generating software, it might be useful to promote the idea of "special effects," not just as a game mechanic, but also as a useful tool to simplify character sheets for players who are scared of the number-crunching complexity of the system.
2) Skins and Hero as a Metasystem: An earlier poster talked about skins, and while I disagree with the way he wants to see the numbers translated to emulate other systems, I do agree that Hero can be presented in different ways.
One of the ways of doing so is by recognizing its capabilities as a metasystem, i.e. a system to create other systems. In my Fantasy Hero game, I did a bunch of prep work to make it D&D-ish, by building races (with preset stat bonuses and negatives, skills, powers, etc.), classes (with preset "packages" of talents, skills, powers, stat bonuses, etc.), magic items (ditto) and so forth. It was easy enough to duplicate a D&D-styke method of character growth via "levels".
Intrigued, I tried to duplicate White Wolf's famous "five dot" escalation of powers and abilities. No problemo! It was easy.
By pushing the next version of the Hero System as a standalone game and as a metasystem (with examples), it opens both increased licensing opportunities and shows GMs how they can attract players to the system.
3) The Hero OGL: Why, for pity's sake, is there no Hero version of the OGL? I've read a lot about concerns over intellectual property and quality control, but let's face it -- the OGL was just about the smartest thing WotC could've done, and had Hero emulated it six years ago, we might be seeing a lot more Hero-based stuff on the market. Especially if the core rulebook or free supplemental material on the site had demonstrated the ability for the Hero System to be used as a metasystem to develop other games. And then, as people wanted to do more with the content based on this "Hero OGL", they'd be funneled back to the main source material and software.
4) Smaller Rulebook: I like that I only need one book to play the game. I also like that I handed out Sidekick to my group, and had a half-dozen people go, "Ooooooh. That makes sense, now!" as they tackled a much less intimidating book. Sidekick is a concept that should go forward as a necessity.
5) Less (Visible) Math: I see Steve talk about "system granularity" and my temples start to throb...and I like the math in the game! But it's one of the biggest complaints about Hero, and it drives away fans who somehow think D&D's reams of charts and restrictions and such are somehow simpler. In the minds of most people, math equals scary. Save the in-depth rules analysis for, I dunno, a "Hero System GM's Nerdopedia" or something. 80% of your readers don't care.
6) Better Low Level Semantics: Okay, two guys walk into a room. One guy is dead average, physically. The other is the pinnacle of untrained human strength. Otherwise, they're equal. The latter should be able to kill the former in very short order.
The difference between characters is too minimal, when 99% of game Characteristics are under 20 and most people have fewer points than, say, 200. This is part of the reason why a lot of people claim Hero is best for superheroic RP. I'm not entirely sure what needs to be done about that, but I do know it's a complaint a lot of people I've gamed with have had -- they just prefer other systems for lower level games.
Conclusion: I find the Hero System needs little modification for playability. What it needs, to win over a new fanbase and keep the old, is not breaking what already works; demonstrating that Hero can work for lower level games and in any genre; opening up the system for more licensed games (especially in the context of Hero's eminently cool use as a metasystem), and demonstrating that Hero can be simple and math-light for the players.
And that's my two cents.