Hero Rules

[taxboy4]

I've bought electronic copies of all the Fantasy Hero rules - now I find it looks like I need a copy of the Original rules also - which version should i buy - not worried if its version 4 - and can i buy them elctronically - costs a lot to get them to me here downunder.

Any replies most welcome.

Cheers

[Super Squirrel]

Get 5th Edition. Although your Fantasy Hero rules are only 4th edition, you will be able to get tons of help from people here and I suspect tons more with 5th than you would with 4th.

[Celt]

Yes, sorry to tell you too late but those are source and genre books. They were written for 4th ed Hero (or BBB as you may hear it called) but you'd be better off going with 5th edition (or Fred). There were important changes but nothing that you can't adapt or post here for clarification.

[Lord Liaden]

Unfortunately, the core rulebooks have never been in electronic format, so you would have to pay to have the books shipped to you.

As far as a choice of which book to get, the 5th Edition is clearer and has more options than 4th, and all future Hero Games books will follow its ruleset, so as a long-term investment it's better value for your money. As Super Squirrel and Celt have indicated, the changes from 4th to 5th are rarely major, and your FH rulebooks would be easy enough to adapt to it, especially with the always-ready help from these boards. If price is a concern, your best bet to find a copy of 5E relatively cheap is on the eBay electronic auction website (we can show you how to find it if it's unfamiliar), but the Hero Games online store also has slightly damaged copies at a reduced price - just follow the link at the top of this page.

OTOH, the 4th Edition of the HERO System is perfectly usable, fully compatible with the Fantasy HERO books that you own, and should be available for far less than 5th. It came in various hard or soft-cover volumes packaged with the Champions sourcebook (Stock #'s 400, 450, and 451), as well as a softcover volume with just the system rules (Stock # 500). If you're not interested in super-hero gaming, the HERO System 4th Edition by itself would be the best buy. None of these are currently in print, so again, the best deals would likely be on eBay, although I could direct you to several reputable online used game dealers who often have copies and ship internationally.

[taxboy4]

Thanks

I might do that

I've emailed several New Zealand bookstores to see if they have a copy of 4 or 5 in stock in meanwhile.

Thanks

[keithcurtis]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
Unfortunately, the core rulebooks have never been in electronic format, so you would have to pay to have the books shipped to you.

Actually, the 4th Edition Hero System Rulesbook was available as an electronic download for a while during the Cybergames era. When DoJ came on board, they wisely discontinued it so as not to detract from their new flagship product.

I have the HSR 4th Ed pdf. I also have the full version of Acrobat and cross-indexed the snot out of it with links and bookmarks. I wish I could do that with 5th.

I agree with the others, though. Go with Fifth. You'll appreciate it in the long run.

Keith "Too little, too late" Curtis

[taxboy4]

Hiya

Any chance of emailing me the pdf?

I still like it.

Ta

B

[Celt]

Originally posted by taxboy4
Any chance of emailing me the pdf?

But that would be stealing food from the mouths of the creators of rpgs, of whom Keith Curtis is one.

[taxboy4]

Too true - but I'm relaxed about paying them a fee for it

[Celt]

Commendable of you but don't hold your breath. If they wanted fourth edition to be available they'd still have it available. I bought my own pdf copy as a download here back in the Cybergames days. I'd love to have fifth as pdf as well but that not the way they've chosen to make it available.

[Chris Goodwin]

Originally posted by taxboy4
Too true - but I'm relaxed about paying them a fee for it

Perhaps, then, they should be "relaxed" about allowing you to use their copyrighted information.

Really, dude. It takes big hanging brass balls to go on a company's discussion board on that company's web site and ask people to pirate that company's products for you.

Go away. Don't play Hero System. I don't want you playing in my favorite system.

[Lord Liaden]

Thanks for the correction on the Hero 4th rulebook, Keith. Completely slipped my mind. I still tend to associate 4th in my mind with the BBB, which didn't make it to pdf.

The rulebook pdf is no longer available from Hero Games, of course, but IIRC they were selling it up to the time that FREd made it to market.

[Lord Liaden]

Originally posted by archer
Perhaps, then, they should be "relaxed" about allowing you to use their copyrighted information.

Really, dude. It takes big hanging brass balls to go on a company's discussion board on that company's web site and ask people to pirate that company's products for you.

Go away. Don't play Hero System. I don't want you playing in my favorite system.

That may be a little hasty, Chris. Not everyone may be aware of the etiquette governing electronic books. Besides, when taxboy4 was referring to "paying them a fee for it," he might have meant that he would pay Hero Games.

Maybe not, of course, but it's easy to misinterpret what's written in haste.

[keithcurtis]

Originally posted by Lord Liaden
That may be a little hasty, Chris. Not everyone may be aware of the etiquette governing electronic books. Besides, when taxboy4 was referring to "paying them a fee for it," he might have meant that he would pay Hero Games.

Maybe not, of course, but it's easy to misinterpret what's written in haste.

I assumed he meant paying DoJ. If DoJ wanted people to be able to buy the book in pdf, it would still be available in their stores. It's not like they have to warehouse an inventory of it. Since they don't want to sell it, I can't either in good conscience.

Keith "Besides, You'll enjoy Fifth much better" Curtis

[Fitz]

Originally posted by taxboy4
Thanks

I might do that

I've emailed several New Zealand bookstores to see if they have a copy of 4 or 5 in stock in meanwhile.

Thanks

There's a copy on the shelf at Comics Compulsion in Christchurch. I'd grab it myself if I had the spare cash (I like to have a spare copy around if I can -- one for me, and one for the plebs).