Newbie Question

[Eduardoh]

I wanna know if Hero can handle realistic settings? something like a WW II game, where players can die with one shot... nothing HEROIC... just plain simple realism!!

I´m asking this cause I read that HERO cant handle that situation, and as I´m thinking of buying HERO to be my Core system I wish to know!!

I also wanna know if I can make a big battle, like, 2 machine guns, a tank, 6 soldiers againt the PC´s....and make it a coherent fight and not take too much time.

Hope you understand my english, I´m a brazilian...)

Thank´s

[ogier300]

HERO can do realism... just use most of the optional rules, like hit locations and the like, and you'll drop people in one shot.

It can also handle people with MGs, tanks, and the like. However, the more "realism" you want, the longer the fight will probably take... though I think that's pretty much standard with any game system.

[Monolith]

Of late I primarily only play Hero for superhero games, though we did just start a Terran Empire game yesterday, but Hero can handle deadly realism very well. But to get this realism you need to use the combat options, not just the basic system. The most important combat option is Hit Location for lethality. Using the hit location rules a medium powered weapon can hit a vital area and kill the character (or at the very least put him at death's door) with a single hit. Here is a basic example:

An M-1 Garand does 2d6+1 damage. This means it does damage between 3-13 BODY per hit. Using the Hit Location rules, if someone is hit in the head or vitals the character takes x2 BODY; meaning the character will take between 6-26 BODY from the attack. This means a glancing blow will do 6, and a full-on hit will do 26.

The average character has 10 BODY and if it goes to -10 BODY he is dead. So using the HERO System rules it is easy possible to kill someone with one good hit. Out of 16 possible Hit Locations 4 of them have a x2 BODY modifier. That means there are pretty good odds of getting a major hit on someone during a combat. Using the Hit Location, Impairing, Disabling and Bleeding rules can make the HERO System a very bloody affair.

I do not play much Fantasy Hero (because I am not fond of the fantasy genre) but on my first adventure I played an elven ranger-type. We stormed an ogre's cave. My character runs through the door and the ogre flings his axe at her. The axe hits; the axe hits in location 3 (the face); the GM rolls 3d6 for damage and gets 15 BODY; my character takes x2 BODY from the head hit; my character is dead before I even had a chance to swing at someone a first time; I go and get pizza. That is how quickly a character can die using all the Heroic Level rules.

[Eduardoh]

Thank´s for the answers, that enough.

Just one more question:

Does The Ultimate MArtial Artist worth it? or I should get Champions or Champions Universe.

I wanna know if the ultimate martial artist really have new rules and possibilities in combat, that complement the core book?

Thanks

[zornwil]

Although the optional rules make things more realistic, HERO is still not a miniatures or tactical wargame, if that's what you're looking for. I don't think it would be well-suited to such a purpose. The way weapons work is not as granular in HERO as in tactical (squad-level) games, there are many other simplifications. But if you are looking for a role-playing game in WWII that is not just military (e.g., has sleuthing, personal interplay, dramatic moments), it probably is well-suited.

[Talon]

I would add that if you want to be truly realistic, you need to apply realistic penalties to Paramedics rolls. Often, someone will be wounded -- but there's nothing that can be done to save them.

UMA does have extended rules for building martial arts -- possibly useful for a normal, realistic game. If you're not running superheroes, I would get it before Champions or Champions Universe. (Conversely, I would get Champions if you intend to run a superheroic game.)

[Monolith]

Originally posted by Eduardoh
Does The Ultimate MArtial Artist worth it? or I should get Champions or Champions Universe.

It depends on what you want to play. If you plan on playing superhero/comic book games then I would suggest Champions. If you are familiar with the superhero genre and want a superhero world to play in, I would buy Champions Universe. If you do not plan on playing superheroes, but do plan on playing character who use martial arts quite a bit, then I would suggest The Ultimate Martial Artist.

I wanna know if the ultimate martial artist really have new rules and possibilities in combat, that complement the core book?

What the Ultimate Martial Artist has is lists of dozens of martial arts styles which add to the very small list that is in the core book. The rules expansions in UMA are basically about how to use martial arts in your game, how to make martial arts styles, how to create powers which simulate martial arts, and other things along those lines. What UMA does is expand on the martial arts rules in the core book.

There are not a lot of additional combat rules in UMA, though there are many additional types of martial arts maneuvers. Really all the combat rules are in the core book. UMA just expands on styles of martial arts and how they can increase a character's effectiveness in combat. If you plan on playing games where characters will be using a lot of hand-to-hand or martial arts fighing styles then I would definately recommend it.

[Lord Liaden]

The HERO System can handle multiple combatants quite effectively, but when using a lot of "realistic" details such as Hit Locations, keeping track of all elements of the battle can be time-consuming. Fortunately, the core HERO rulebook includes a very useful sidebar section, "Nine Ways to Speed Up Combat" starting on p. 252. Applying any of these guidelines will hasten the progress of combat considerably.

As to Ultimate Martial Artist, that book greatly expands and clarifies the options for the use of Martial Arts, with new maneuvers, rules for modifying Powers to simulate various MA effects, and a vast selection of pre-generate MA styles from around the world. If you have the 5th Edition core rulebook none of this stuff is absolutely necessary, but if you have a serious interest in using martial arts in your games, UMA will greatly enrich your experience.

[Chaosliege]

Originally posted by Eduardoh

I also wanna know if I can make a big battle, like, 2 machine guns, a tank, 6 soldiers againt the PC´s....and make it a coherent fight and not take too much time.

For this you want The Ultimate Vehicle.. As far as time, I'd suggest you settle in. Hero doesn't do fast battles.

[Talon]

Originally posted by Chaosliege
Hero doesn't do fast battles.

I don't think this is really true any more. I ran a Fantasy Hero con game (with Hit Locations)...in 4 hours I had two major battles and three major roleplaying scenes, with time leftover for minor scenes. I've been running a D&D 3E game for a couple years now, and combats now take at least as long as Hero. Obviously, a fight with tons of combatants is going to take a long time, but 2 MGs, a tank, and 6 soldiers shouldn't take long at all.

[GradonSilverton]

Originally posted by Chaosliege
For this you want The Ultimate Vehicle.. As far as time, I'd suggest you settle in. Hero doesn't do fast battles.

Speed of the battles ALWAYS depends on the GM....and the Players.... Good gm, bad players (when it comes to rules, attention, etc.) = mediocre battle speed.

Good GM + Good Players = Fun, fast paced battles.

[bjbrown]

It doesn't matter what game system that you are using. More realism in combat means more time-consuming combat sessions.

Of games I've played, Twilight 2000 (before it was revised) had the most realistic simulation of military combat for a roleplaying game. Minor firefights took hours to resolve. Keeping track of character equipment required a CPA. There are charts that determine what happens to each little component inside your ATV when hit by a shell, depending on the size of the shell and then angle at which it hits. It had realism, but the players spent a lot of time sitting around doing nothing that had to do with gaming while the GM rolled results on charts.

So when deciding what system to use and what optional rules to use, remember that you are always making that trade-off of time for realism.

[Chaosliege]

Originally posted by Geoff Speare
I don't think this is really true any more. I ran a Fantasy Hero con game (with Hit Locations)...in 4 hours I had two major battles and three major roleplaying scenes, with time leftover for minor scenes. I've been running a D&D 3E game for a couple years now, and combats now take at least as long as Hero. Obviously, a fight with tons of combatants is going to take a long time, but 2 MGs, a tank, and 6 soldiers shouldn't take long at all.

I can see this. Given the fact that they're all going to have speeds of around 3. All our guys in Champions have 5s and 6s and there are 6 of us and usually 6 or so oponents. But you're also talking about someone unfamiliar with the game. I remember the first time I played. It took me 2 hours to make a character....... Wait, it still takes me two hours to make a character...