The HERO System Resource Kit

[Steve Long]

Here’s our back-cover text describing the RK:

 

SOMETIMES IT’S TOUGH BEING A HERO...

 

...so Hero Games has put together a few things to help you out! The HERO System Resource Kit contains play aids and gaming utilities to make your HERO System games more fun than ever!

 

The Resource Kit includes:

 

—a five-panel GM’s screen featuring all the tables and charts commonly consulted during play

—a 48-page booklet containing summaries of all the character creation rules and elements, the combat rules, combat templates for use with miniatures, and nearly a dozen forms to make character creation and record-keeping even easier

—36 paper miniatures (12 fantasy, 12 modern-day, and 12 science fiction)

—three double-sided 22”x17” maps (one with two fantasy scenes, one with two modern-day scenes, and one with two science fiction scenes), each marked with a 1” = 1 inch scale hex grid

 

Whatever type of HERO System game you play, the HERO System Resource Kit will make it even better!

 

ISBN: 1-58366-003-8

SKU: DOJHERO103

Price: $19.99 US

 

You can buy this book in our Online Store.

You can buy this PDF in our Online Store.

[Steve Long]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

Here’s a copy of ghost-angel’s review of the RK. Feel free to post other reviews, or links to them, if you like!

 

The Upside:

 

 

I picked up the Resource Kit some time ago as a hard copy and have used it to good effect, mostly at Conventions. I also picked up the PDF recently and have discovered a few different uses for it.

 

First, what the packet is, and what it isn't. The hard copy contains four parts - a forty-eight page booklet, three 22x17 double sided maps, three cardboard miniature pages, and a five panel GMs screen.

 

The Booklet. A short reference guide to help with character creation and game setup. The booklet contains no rules explanations, only tables and costs of various game elements. The book has four main parts to it.

 

Character Creation lists the basic character elements, point levels, costs of Characteristics. It also lists the basic elements and costs for all the creation elements. A complete Skills List, Base Movement, Martial Maneuvers, Perks, Talents, Powers, Power Advantages & Limitations, Power Frameworks and Character Disadvantages. Only Power Frameworks get any kind of description, the rest are simply lists of the costs for each item.

 

Equipment Creation covers costs for Automatons, Computers, Vehicles, and Bases. All in about two pages, again no descriptions just quick cost references.

 

Combat Summary starts with the combat sequence checklist, and covers all the major points of basic combat from figuring OCV and DCV to adding damage, Normal and Killing Attacks, Effects of damage, Knockback, Endurance and Pushing. It does not cover the optional rules.

 

Forms And Templates is the part of the book with all new resources. Starting with the basic two page character sheet. The new tracking sheets are a Character Bio Sheet for putting down a complete character background. Campaign Guidelines sheet for GMs to pass out to set power levels, tone and house rules. Campaign Checklist Sheet which allows a GM to give out a quick checklist of permitted, required or forbidden elements (Skills, Powers, etc...). Combat Record Sheet for the PCs and major NPCs. Minion Control Sheet for quick reference of lesser NPCs. Adventure Record Sheet for GMs to track major events for each game session or adventure. Vehicle and Base Record Sheets. And several Hex Templates: A four part Range Template (four 8 hex long strips that can be cut out and stacked end to end) that gives range modifiers out to 32 Inches/Hexes. And three Area Of Effect Templates for 2, 3 and 4 Inches Areas.

 

The Cardboard Figures. There are three sets of Cut out miniatures included (base stands not included). One fantasy with two human warrior variants, a human thief, a human shopkeeper, a human bard, two female priestess variants, a human mage, two goblin/orc warrior variants, and two ogre/giant type creatures. One Modern set with a girl on a bike, a fire fighter, a bum, a young woman, kid on a skateboard, a businessman, young man, a mailman, a female reporter and three cop/security guard variants. One Science Fiction set with a technician, two powered armor soldiers, a psionic, two human soldiers (one male, one female), human military officer, human rogue and four different aliens. The hard copy are on heavy cardboard stock, single sided. The figures are black and white, which gives the electronic copy a bit of an edge if you wanted to add a bit of color to them it's much easier with that version than the hard copy.

 

The Maps. Twenty-Two Inches by Seventeen inches. There are three double sided maps provided in 1 Hex = 1 Inch scale. The first one is a modern street and a modern warehouse. The second a fantasy tavern and a farmstead. The last a science fiction bar and the bridge of a spaceship. It's definitely easier to get the hard copy of the this than to try and print out the maps on your own. The hard copy are printed on thick paper stock.

 

The GMs Screen. A five panel affair containing just about every table the average Hero Gamer references during a session. Double sided so the players have a set of tables to look at as well as the GM. There are suggestions at the start of the booklet on how to modify this screen if needed. I actually found the PDF version of this more useful as you can print out the five panels separately and have them free floating to pass around the table (even nicer is having them laminated to make them more durable). Though the GMs screen itself is extremely useful if the GM uses one. It's printed on heavy card stock, so it doesn't fall over too easily.

 

The Downside:

 

For a system deeply rooted in Super Hero gaming I was surprised to find the miniatures didn't include a set of generic Supers or thugs for Super PCs to beat up. Or at the very least some Supervillains from Hero Games' own line. But seeing as how wildly individual people like their superheroes the lack of them doesn't disappoint me very much.

 

The Otherside:

 

Being a reference resource for the HERO System you might think this has no use at all for gamers of other systems. Mostly true, but not completely. The three pages of paper miniatures are useful to anyone who needs some more, especially some generic ones. The six included maps are also fairly useful, even if you don't use hex maps.

 

For a quick reference guide this set is more than adequate. Hero Games also gives explicit permission to copy any part of the set for personal use only, which is helpful in today's world of copyright awareness. For about Thirty Dollars US you can pick up both the electronic and hard copy of this supplement, which gets the most use out of it I feel.

[CTaylor]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

OK I have a problem with one part of this otherwise great resource, I highly recommend it to people.

 

The problem is your AE templates. You're presuming the first 1" of an Area Effect starts at the hex in the center, and as I understand it, Area Effects start at the first hex out (you get the center hex free). That means a 1" radius means the center hex and all adjacent hexes (aka a megahex, for old TFT fans). You've got that labeled and depicted as a 2" radius, which makes no sense. Even from a strictly measuring point of view, that's a 1 1/2" radius at most.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

OK I have a problem with one part of this otherwise great resource, I highly recommend it to people.

 

The problem is your AE templates. You're presuming the first 1" of an Area Effect starts at the hex in the center, and as I understand it, Area Effects start at the first hex out (you get the center hex free). That means a 1" radius means the center hex and all adjacent hexes (aka a megahex, for old TFT fans). You've got that labeled and depicted as a 2" radius, which makes no sense. Even from a strictly measuring point of view, that's a 1 1/2" radius at most.

 

Well, this is a quotation from the rulebook description for Area Of Effect: Radius, FREd p. 159/5ER p. 248: "A 1" radius is thus one hex, a 2" radius has a 7-hex "footprint," a 3" radius has a 19-hex footprint, and so on."

 

As per this description, given that "The area is 1" in radius... for every 10 Character Points in the Power..." it would be possible to apply AOE Radius to a Power of 10 AP, and have it only be 1" across. Of course there's already an AOE: One Hex Advantage that costs less. IMHO the very fact that we do have a 1 Hex (i.e. 1") option makes it more appropriate to start labeling larger Radii at 2", to avoid confusion.

[CTaylor]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

That's how it used to be in the rules: the center hex was free unless you specifically bought the single hex AE (in which case it was just that hex). It just makes more sense.

[ghost-angel]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

That's how it used to be in the rules: the center hex was free unless you specifically bought the single hex AE (in which case it was just that hex). It just makes more sense.

 

I love that "Used to be" argument that's trotted out every now and then .... because the Area Of Effect in 5E is the same exact description as in 4E. So we've got almost 2 DECADES of the same AoE rules behind us now.

 

1" AoE Radius = 1 Hex

2" AoE Radius = 7 Hexes.

etc. . . and so on.

[CTaylor]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

Whether it's new or old isn't an argument for keeping or changing it, I simply was stating my preference and referring to how it was at one point. There's no reason to be rude about this, is there?

 

My copy of the Big Blue Book doesn't have the same description of radii as the 5th edition. The picture of the AE cone actually shows specifically you getting the first hex free, then the area starts. Which would seem to indicate that you did, in fact, get the first hex free in any area effect (except 1 hex) as I stated above.

[ghost-angel]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

picture on what page and description on what page?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

My copy of the Big Blue Book doesn't have the same description of radii as the 5th edition. The picture of the AE cone actually shows specifically you getting the first hex free' date=' then the area starts. Which would seem to indicate that you did, in fact, get the first hex free in any area effect (except 1 hex) as I stated above.[/quote']

 

Um, no. It means that for AE Cone, each side of the cone has a length of 1 Hex plus (Active Points/5) additional Hexes, which is the same under Fourth Edition (per BBB p. 91) and Fifth Edition (pages I cited in my previous post). AE Cone is a different construct than AE Radius, and what applies to one isn't necessarily a precedent for the other.

 

I also checked the wording for Area Effect (Radius) in the Big Blue Book, p. 91. It's nearly identical to what I quoted above for the Fifth Edition rulebook. Now, you can certainly assert that you don't agree with it or that it isn't logical; but it has demonstrably been done this way since Fourth Edition.

[Fudge]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

That's how it used to be in the rules. It just makes more sense.

[Steve Long]

Re: The HERO System Resource Kit

 

This isn't the appropriate forum to be holding rules discussions; if you want to do that, please carry the conversation to the Discussion board.