Star Hero

This won’t be a problem for the jutnjawed Heroes of the Galactic Union with their Ship’s Nuclionic Cannons and Force Shields, but for those of us on small fragile ships and equally fragile planet side cities and towns, welll: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/03/04/Deflecting-an-asteroid-will-be-harder-than-scientists-thought/9261551713653/?sl=3

Dozens of free PDF's of West End Games RPG version of Star Wars. Rule books, Sourcebooks, adventures, guides, races, planets, ships, characters, even a couple of "choose your own adventure" solo books. Also some conversions of WotC's d20 Star Wars into the West End Games d6 system. Had no idea all of this existed until a few minutes ago but it looks like most everything Star Wars that WEG published. http://www.starwarstimeline.net/Westendgames.htm

So what is your favorite sci-fi RPG setting that isn't an adaptation from pre-existing material? "My own" is a perfectly valid answer, BTW, and if it is please describe your setting! I ask this largely because I have yet to stumble onto a sci-fi RPG setting that really captures my imagination and makes me desperate to play in that universe. I figure that may be because I'm not familiar with all that many, so I'd like to hear from others about their favorites.

A modest approach to the Idirans as imagined in The Culture series. Criticism welcomed. Idiran Warrior Val Char Cost 30 STR 5 20 DEX 30 30 CON 40 30 BODY 34 23 INT 13 18 EGO 16 25 PRE 15 0 COM -5 12/32 PD 9 8/24 ED 2 4 SPD 10 10 REC 2 60 END 0 60 STUN 7 Characteristics Cost: 178 Cost Power 23 Idiran Body: Growth (+15 STR, +3 BODY, +3 STUN, -3" KB, 800 kg, -2 DCV, +2 PER Rolls to perceive character, 4 m tall, 2 m wide), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (34 Active Points); Alway…

So, I started re-watching Star Trek The Next Generation on Netflix. And as I go, I will note some things I noticed. Both about how to translate stuff to Hero game terms and some things people mentione before as "bad design". Episode 1&2 (Encoutner at Farpoint): Saucer Seperation and Recombination This was clearly establsihed as a "non-combat maneuver". I would say, mechanically it is build as a combination of Extra Time and Concentration (throughout). Alternatively any implemnetation of a "Extended Test" might work. In theory it would be able to do it quickly. In the same way one could open a locked door with a single action by kicking it at the right place.…

The AI Rebellion. A staple of sciene fiction, so it propably will make a appeareane in a Star Hero Setting. Computerphile is a nice channel and right now, they have a number of of things on the Mater of how AI could go utterly wrong. And I mean actuall scientific examination. First a minor mater of terminology, as there are 2 types of Robot/AI wich are easy to mix up: - AI as part of the Engineering Deparment. Also "Smart Technologies" or Dumb Agent AI. This was a huge success. This is what we have now, in Computer games, your Diswasher, your Selfdriving car. - AI as part of the Cognitive Science Deparment. This was a complete disaster.…

I have been running now for just over 2 years a science fiction campaign originally fully based on the Star Wars universe using Fantasy Flights Edge of the Empire game. This morphed into a hybrid Star Wars/Starfinder lore game as i got a bit burned out on the Empire vs rebels stories and wanted to branch out and use the amazing Starfinder lore and setting. So the players went into Hyperspace and came out somewhere strange? It was in the Pact World System of Starfinder but still with elements of the Star Wars universe somewhat twisted. This helped me reboot the campaign into whatever i wanted as the players do not know the Starfinder lore at all and freed me fr…

How would one go about writing up The Mule from Isaac Asimov's Foundation series? Mind Control doesn't seem nearly strong enough. I was thinking Major Transform, Based on Ego Combat Value. What other Advantages and/or Limitations would be appropriate? And how many dice of effect would be needed? (I admit that I'm handicapped by the fact that I haven't read the series in at least ten years. I'm not even exactly sure where my copies are at the moment.) Also, what else would you buy for the character? A couple of Disads Complications seem obvious: Secret ID, Distinctive Features, Physical Limitation (Hunchback), Hunted, etc. Or…

this almost 200 page **FREE** pdf was put out today... the plans are in Traveller squares, but this can be worked around https://travellerrpgblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-starship-geomorphs-book-if-finally.html

If you ever wanted to see what a jump in a tech level (tech tree) looks like, here is the Royal Norwegian Warship Karlstadt in Trondheim harbor during this month’s NATO excercise. Similar angling of Hull plates as the Zumwalt class. It is smaller and probably stealthier than the Americans ship. Contrast it with the 20 plus year old vessels behind it. https://strategypage.com/military_photos/military_photos_20181026122859.aspx

Bruce has a new line of molds out that would probably be great for anyone doing futuristic board layouts. I don't make anything off his sales, just love his stuff. Not sure if you will be able to view without joining the group, but hoping so: Just in case, the group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/44641935828/. - E

What types of sf sources do you base your sf universes on in your games and campaigns? I tend to like classic star trek as a source, humanity has pulled itself up a little in most ways, not jsut technologically, but is still pretty human. People still work at careers. Machines still need engineers and maintenance. Maybe I add some touches from movies like "Alien", dirty it down a little. People use bad words, get greedy. But on the whole people are a little better, like a lot of civilization today is better than civilization 300 years ago. I may add a little touch from star wars here and there. Starships are easier to access and own than might be totally reali…

I'm particularly curious about the alien races used as PC races. Are many of them really unusual and, well, alien? Or are they like 99% of all the alien PC races I see in scifi RPGs out there that are bipedal and just some variant of humanoid? You know, reptile men, insect men, rat men, bird men, robot men, space elves, space orcs, space dwarves, etc. I sort of feel that Star Trek really stunted the imagination of scifi RPGs designers by establishing humanoid bipeds as virtually the only way to design and express "aliens". The limits of television budgets seem to have really limited the creative mental budgets of scifi RPG designers, GMs, and playe…

Years ago, there was a section on the old site that had player-created Star Hero items, as a supplement to The Spacer's Toolkit. I have a hard copy that I printed out back then, but I'm replacing that stuff with digital copies. I could scan it, but I'm trying to find the original. I've been digging through the Wayback Machine, but I'm having trouble finding it. Does anyone remember approximately when it was online and where it was on the site? EDIT: Never mind. I found it in 2006 under the Star Hero link on the right side of the page.

Han Solo wore a leather jacket all the time in any weather. Here is the challenge: What can you put into a leather (looking) jacket with 500 years of technology to work with? Temperature control is obviously one of them: if you're going to visit 50 different planets in a week, you want to be cool in hot climes and warm in cold climates. Basic tech stuff. What else can you fit in there?

On FB, not my thread but posting here in case anyone is searching for it. Group is "Role Playing Games & Miniatures (Sales & Trades )". $9 - E

There are two challenges I would like to overcome before running a StarHero campaign. The first is the constant wrestling match between the SciFi genre and Sir Isaac Newton. I like the realistic movement endurance rule and the realistic space acceleration rule, but I don't believe they combine logically enough for my taste. Sure, accelerating a big ship costs more endurance, but it still costs 15 points to buy 15m of flight. Combined with the maximum velocities per turn that the book suggests, there is no reason why a battleship wouldn't buy the same acceleration as a fighter. This makes interceptors unable to, well, intercept... I'm toying around with a few ideas to…

I admit I never thought about it despite seeing some of them in various shows. But a couple of YouTube videos got me hooked on the idea. After all, we have used flags for centuries. Why wouldn't we use them in the future? First, here are some flags from different sf shows and games: Next, here are some flags for the moons in the solar system: Which ones do you like?

Does anyone have an electronic copy of HPE1007 the Bright Future RPG? It would have been one the first of the Hero Games electronic products from the 80's. If so, could you contact me at [email protected]? I need a copy for a project I'm working on. Jason Walters, Publisher

So I'll start this with the prerequisite obligatory statement; I've been away for some time and am looking to bounce ideas and thoughts off of other GM sorts to help me build a better mousetrap. FYI I tend to be long-winded and explanatory, so either be ready for that or if this isn't for you... thanks for reading this far and goodbye. I run a 5th edition Hero game every Saturday up at a local game shop in Stafford TX called Golems Cate Gaming and Geekdom. It's currently a four hour game from 2 PM till 6. I started it at the request of another player GM who wanted to know more about Hero Games and how to play. He is an experienced player…

I'm Laika called. A Russian dog Who flew above The clouds and fog. No plans were made To bring me back. I died alone In the Big Black. And there I met A German crew Composed of mice And monkeys, too. Though we don't come From just one place, We're all the same Up here in space. And all of us Were kind of sad When we got a New fren called Vlad. Georgy, Viktor; Vladislav. Best frens in space A girl could have. Americans Have joined us, too. Two Shuttle's worth Of friendly crew. From Israel, one. And that's enough. To get new frens Up here is ro…

Note: I use "simplified" perhaps incorrectly here.... This was brought up in / by the "Balanced Starships" thread. For my Star HERO campaign, I was trying to make somewhat simplified rules for doing ship-to-ship combat with minimal use of minis or maps, since weapon and engagement ranges in my setting can range from a few hundred meters out to several light-seconds (or, more, using guided missiles or munitions - if you don't mind waiting a few days for results :D) I had the idea to adapt the very simplified Air-to-air chase / follow rules, from the 6E APG page 190-ish, but replacing "chase" with "advantage." Basically, al…

I'm looking for as many Hero Designer files for Sci-Fi weapons. I'd especially love to see Hero Designer builds of the weapons found in the Star Hero setting book. Does anyone have existing weapons write-ups available or know where I could find some?

This thread is for everyone who feels like it to post extraterrestrials and post-humans of their own device. Space Opera or Grit-In-The Spacesuit, Little Green Men or Starfish Aliens, PC or NPC species, write-ups, package deals, or just a description -- it's all good.

Elizabeth Tasker, The Planet Factory This book on exoplanets is very good. Science writer Elizabeth Tasker supplies an overview of exoplanet research from the first detections to more-or-less now. The best thing about this book, though, is that it isn't just a "book of marvels" (i.e., "Planets orbiting a pulsar? Golly!") or even a statement of current knowledge and theory. Tasker chronicles how theories of planet formation change with each new discovery, describing the explanations and theories that didn't pan out as well as the current best guesses, and she doesn't shy away from admitting the areas of controversy and phenomena yet to be understood. It's a loo…