Yes, it’s that time again. Here’s my thoughts on Digital Hero #10, and if nobody else throws their $0.02 in, I will assume my viewpoint is the only one that matters.
Cover Art: Cool cover! I’m not a fan of most anime art, but this avoids the gross exaggerations that normally grate on me. The colors are distinctive without being glaring, and the facial expressions show individual personalities nicely. Very nice!
One question: Are the Japanese characters on the left just for show, or do they spell out / stand for something?
When Last We Left Our Heroes: Just curious: are starship write-ups in the Spacer’s Toolkit going to include any deck plans or layouts? I doubt they will, but it would be much appreciated for the small- to medium-sized vehicles. If not, perhaps a later product?
HEROglyphs: I guess if we can’t find any WMD in Iraq, we can always look in Digital Hero.Nice job of detailing the various effects of a 1MT nuke. At first glance, I thought Dispel was completely wrong for EMP, but after reading the actual rules description on Dispel, I guess it works. I’m still not 100% comfortable with it, though.
Hero Universe: I like the choice of powers for Amazing Man. Transmutation fits well with the science skills and mentality. I might have made the Atmosphere Creation UBO (filling his hex with air), though this can be covered in his first VPP.
As to Kid Chameleon, does he leave his costume behind when he changes forms? Or is it “unstable molecules” or some such, disappearing in animal forms but reappearing when he turns human (to keep those pesky Comics Code people at bay)? Also, I hope he didn’t go with a mullet along the way (the hairstyle, not the fish).
Art wise, I’m not big on the characters’ eyes, but I love AM’s pipe and expression.
You Gotta Have Character (Andrew Jackson Davis): I’m glad you provided a “powered-up” write-up, Jason. Very well done, and it fits the actual individual well. I hesitate to think what you would do with Nicola Tesla. (Actually, do you have any plans to do a YGHC on Tesla? Just a suggestion.)
Typical great job on the history, and I really like the Campaign Use and Plot Seeds. I would think the Astral Double would have Inherent on the Desolidification, and the Magical Staff of Healing needs the Affects Real World Advantage. But other than that, very nice.
Your Horoscope For: Gemini: A nice quick-and-dirty way to pull off the Mirror Universe bit. As a Gemini, this is the YHF I was most looking forward to, and I wasn’t disappointed. Janus even had Ambidexterity (as well he should!). I think his KS should be split between Left- and Right-Hand Earth History, but that’s pretty minor.
Great picture, too. I liked the pixillated effect, and the Left/Right globe in the background is a nice touch. Janus’ face captures his amoral personality, too.
Thinking Outside the Lead Box: First of all, I love the title. This article presented some nice ways to handle overly sense-itive characters without completely disallowing them. The point about the comparative costs is well made. I would be interested in a similar article on dealing with telepathic characters, which can similarly unbalance a game.
The $50 Million Dollar Man: This was my favorite part of this issue. I especially appreciated the sample soldier writeups including the equipment stats. They are going directly into my game (prototypes will be used by a rogue military group the heroes have already tangled with). BTW, if you get a chance, check out National Geographic’s January 2003 issue, pp. 64-65 for a great “photo” of the Stealth Suit in action (with a description in the back of the issue on how they did the picture).
Incomplete Character Rules: When I read the first sentence, “It all started with spirits,” I thought maybe you were implying Steve had too much to drink when he wrote the Fifth Edition rules.
Variations on Areas Of Effect: This was a fun read, mostly due to the creative use of existing Advantages and modifiers, but also for the examples. (The “Penny Loafer of God”?!?!) I will probably use these AOE’s with the simplified bookkeeping options.
Force Fields Enhanced: Another keeper article. I like the Adaptable advantage. It’s actually a bit more expensive than my normal way of simulating this: a Multipower with two multi-slots. However, Adaptable is neater, IMO. All in all, this article had a very Star Trek feel to it, prompting me to ask why it wasn’t titled “Raise Shields!” or something of that ilk.
Mathias Aromak: A nice sinister master villain for Star Hero, well thought out and presented. I think the lack of Persuasion skill is a rather significant omission, as is any mention of his son’s mother in his Background. But other than that, I like.
On the artwork, I like the sidebar pictures (nice blend of respectable and sinister), but I’m not all that hot about the big picture on p. 59. I’m not sure if it’s the bleeding planet or the casual-wear Mathias, but something about it didn’t suit me.
Stonework: [Jealous] No fair! Two articles in one issue! [/Jealous] This is a good side NPC for a Champions game, with enough personality details to make him more than a typical brick (no pun intended… okay, maybe a little pun intended).
I like the picture, especially how the stone mace merges with his hand.
Okay, now it's time for other people to chime in. I refuse to believe I'm the only person subscribing to Digital Hero. How about a few other opinions?
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