Chris Goodwin Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 (edited) I thought I would make a thread here to collect threads full of helpful information. Hero In Two Pages - Complete by Narf the Mouse and Teh Bunneh Link to the Downloads page for the PDFMy character building technique (How to build Hero System Characters) from Tasha Link to Tasha's blog Hosted by Michael Surbrook How to play HERO (in two pages) by Christougher How to Play HERO System Google doc linked from that threadChargen Help Booklet Suggestion by Tassyr Experiences teaching people Hero Game system by Bluesguy Post #21 on that thread with discussion of tacticsHow to play Hero with children? by Steve Create a character for something! Walk us through it! Lucius' post at RPG.net going through creating a character for HERO System 6e. [HERO 6E] Help me streamline HERO a little bit Another thread at RPG.net, by Claire Redfield A similar thread Claire posted here.Surbrook's Stuff: Surbrook's Guide to Adapting Fictional Characters to the HERO System Surbrook's Eight Steps to Character Building Feel free to respond with additional links or with helpful info; I will try to keep this post up to date (a la Question Man). Edited September 19, 2014 by Chris Goodwin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ndreare Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hopefully they make this sticky, lock it and delete my post. Do you think it would be apropriate to report it and see if Dan, Jason or whoever is in charge would be willing to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted September 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Sticky would be great. I don't think it needs to be locked or anything; replies are helpful too, especially with stuff I've missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Some GM Tips would be good too. Stuff like: -Always be vague and imprecise in your descriptions; don't use absolutes. So instead of saying "you see an empty room" say "you see a room that appears empty." Don't say "you killed the orc" say "the orc falls down and seems to be dead." That way, when things aren't as they seem, players don't feel tricked and you have room to maneuver for the story and entertainment. -Be more descriptive. Tell the players more of what they see in more dramatic terms; you are setting the scene. If you go too far, the players will let you know but everyone will get a kick out of it. -Ham it up. Give the different creatures unusual voices, act out their gestures, give them dynamic, even flamboyant personalities. Being laughed at is okay here, because your job is to entertain. -Try to end each session with a feeling of accomplishment or movement. Even if its a cliffhanger, make sure the players feel that they've gotten somewhere and accomplished something moving toward their goals. Otherwise the game feels pointless and without direction, even if it is going somewhere. -Try to give each character a chance to shine each adventure at least once. If one character is a technician, give them a chance to solve something using their skills. -Try to give each player a chance to have the spotlight and shine each adventure as well. Try to key your stories and encounters in ways that they like to solve things, enjoy, and do well. -Use rewards to encourage behavior more than punishment. Giving extra xps for good role playing will encourage it more than penalizing people for not doing it. -Be willing to fudge the dice if it makes everything more fun. The purpose of the game is not to tell your story or make you feel good but for everyone to have fun. -Learn from your players. Their guesses, comments, and interplay will give you ideas. Remember them and work them in; they're telling you the stuff they would like to see. -If you have to capture or defeat the characters, try to do it "off stage" so the game starts "OK you were captured by Parthian raiders and are naked in a slave cart, what do you do?" rather than playing out the miserable failure. People hate to fail and lose in RPGs because a lot of us play to get AWAY from a life where that happens all too often. -Be willing to bend and change. If your story runs into a wall, change it so the players can get through it. Your perfect mystery might be great for you but maybe not the players you have. -Always be willing to teach people how to play and learn the game. Be a salesman for your system and game. The best way to learn to GM is to sit under a good GM and see what they do, but this couldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted September 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 The Apocalypse World basic reference, especially the MC's section starting at page 27 in the PDF, is basically a concentrated course in how to GM, packaged into a handy distilled shot for immediate injection. Replied rather than edited in because it's not a HERO System resource. It's also slightly not worksafe, but not blatantly so. Edit: Superhuman, a superhero game Powered By The Apocalypse. GM advice in this document is in pages 24-28, and might be slightly more applicable to HERO System games (especially Champions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christougher Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Thanks for the include. Guess I need to finish and polish it up. Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted September 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 Thanks for the include. Guess I need to finish and polish it up. Yeah, I had to do the same with mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Sticky would be great. It can be Lucius Alexander But I don't want to know what this stuff is I'm shampooing out of the palindromedary's coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 This looks like it might be useful Lucius Alexander Then again I find a palindromedary useful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted November 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2016 I've updated my "How To Play HERO System" Google doc, linked in the first post and in my signature (also here). I've added a section for combat, finally. Suggestions and comments are gladly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Goodwin Posted January 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks to a number of new folks I have added additional info to How to Play HERO System. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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