Hero Games 2022 Update

[Jason S.Walters]

Fellow Hero System Fans-


I’d like to take a moment to talk about our plans for Hero Games in 2022. I believe they’re both modest and realistic, in that they can be accomplished on time and using our limited resources. At the same time they are also ambitious, as I intend to release four projects in 2022; one each quarter of the year. They will be the following:


(Quarter One) HERO2023 Champions Begins Created by a group who wish only to be known as “Hero Fans.” This high-quality free electronic product provides everything you need to play your first game of Champions! It’s designed to teach people new to Champions how to play the game, but isn’t a complete presentation of the rules set; it provides you with just enough to play for the first time. The zip file contains a 52 page GM book, a 20 page Player book, a villain book, hero book, paper figurines, and Hero Designer files.


(Quarter Two) HERO2017 IHA: Pride & Prejudice Created by Thomas Stadley. To most people the Institute For Human Advancement is best known for its boring spokespeople who appear on talk shows that only their parents watch. But the Earth’s superheroes know better: the IHA is an insidious, genocidal threat to the planet’s mutants – and anyone else who gets in the way of their plans! Packed with agents, villains, weapons, and equipment, IHA: Pride & Prejudice contains everything you need to introduce the IHA into your campaign.


(Quarter Three) HERO2018 Champions International Created by Steve Long and Jason Walters. There are a variety of imaginary and unusual locations that have been mentioned in Champions Universe books over the years, but have never been fully explored or detailed. Champions International does exactly that, providing an in depth look at locations such as Awad, Lugendu, Larisagrad, and Costa Azul. It also includes some new locations like Transnistria and Prosperidad. Previously released individually in 2021 and 2022, these articles will be further edited and reworked to become chapters in the final version of the book.


(Quarter Four) HERO2024 The Chimera System Created by Philip J. Guinchard. The Chimera System is a hybrid of the Hero and OpenD6 systems in which elements from both have been combined together by the author to create a unique, new game system. Like the recently published Champions Now, it’s a joint undertaking by ourselves and a creator to publish a variation of the Hero System fans will find interesting and useful.


Additionally, if things go well with Champions International, Steve and I are considering creating a Patreon account to fund the creation of the HERO System Advanced Player’s Guide III, Champions Martial World, and other projects starting in 2023. But we’ll see how this year goes before we commit to a long-term project like that!


If you have a manuscript you would like to submit to Hero Games, contact me at jason@herogames.com with a one to three paragraph description of your work. If it sounds like something we would be interested in, you can then send me the full manuscript for review. And, of course, feel free to post any comments or questions on this thread.

 

- Jason Walters, Publisher

 

[Ninja-Bear]

Very Cool! Best wishes. I think what you have is very reasonable!

[Ninja-Bear]

Fwiw the Chimera System has really piqued my interest.

[zslane]

Would still love to see the 6e Vehicles core book that never got published.

[Ninja-Bear]

3 hours ago, zslane said:

Would still love to see the 6e Vehicles core book that never got published.

I would think that with the completists out there and the majority of work done already, it would be a sure thing to do. But perhaps there isn’t as much demand for it to justify it.

[Duke Bushido]

I think N-B is likely on the nose.  Given the nature of HERO, equipment books are kind of boring, since ultimately, each entry is a cluster of powers and limitations, and that is about it, they are not nearly as enticing as such books for other games where that equipment isn't simply built like it was just another character.

 

 

[HeroGM]

IMHO 90% would be a rehash of 5th with the changes for 6th, maybe some updates to new tech. I'd rather see something like Long has done for Dark Champions packages/templates and Gun Fu, just the facts and no filler

 

I would support Kickstarter's for Hero books, provided budget concerns, even if they were just at a PDF level.

 

8 hours ago, Ninja-Bear said:

Fwiw the Chimera System has really piqued my interest.

 

As long as it doesn't end up like Fuzion. Great effort by all concerned, just...fizzled and misunderstood.

[Ninja-Bear]

2 minutes ago, HeroGM said:

As long as it doesn't end up like Fuzion. Great effort by all concerned, just...fizzled and misunderstood.

I was just going to post that that is why I like the name Chimera for the game. It’s clever in that it’s using two different games for its elements. But more importantly, I think it will be harder for it to be misunderstood like Champions Now was.  I do like the D6 system (and still play WEG Star Wars at times). I even picked up D6 Powers (though never played it. I’m curious as to how the blended system would look like.

[steriaca]

Nice to see IHA finally getting some love. Just a note for Tomas Stadley: try to minimize true mutants as willing IHA agents or rulership. There are various ways to have supervillains who agree with their outlook. Cyborgs, tech wielders, martial artist, power suits, the infamous Minutemen robots...no need for mutants.

[Jason S.Walters]

Let me do my best to answer a few questions/comments-

 

1) There were bunch of books slated for publication back in the day; including, alas, several that were to contain my own work. HERO System Vehicles was one of them, and I would most certainly publish it. If someone (or several someones) wants to send me a manuscript, I'll consider it for publication. I suspect Ninja-Bear is probably right, and it already exists among you in some form. In fact, I could release a pretty good sized book using only the work shadowcat1313 has done already.

 

2) The Chimera System project is "it's own thing." It's not much like the Fuzion System - or for that matter Champions Now. Nor is an attempt to replace or update the Hero System. It's an interesting project - and we're open to interesting projects. 

[shadowcat1313]

I havent publihed anywhere near everything I have done that could be useful... but I am a terrible writer when it comes to rules and manuscrpts, give me a framework to work in/with and I can do wonders

 

[Duke Bushido]

Shadowcat combined my two favorite things and gave us an official Traveller HERO.

 

On the strength of my appreciation for that alone-- and I probably shouldn't admit this publicly, but oh well-- I will blindly buy anything with his name on it.  Shadowcat rocks.

 

 

[Ninja-Bear]

12 hours ago, Jason S.Walters said:

Let me do my best to answer a few questions/comments-

 

2) The Chimera System project is "it's own thing." It's not much like the Fuzion System - or for that matter Champions Now. Nor is an attempt to replace or update the Hero System. It's an interesting project - and we're open to interesting projects. 

This is what I figured though it’s good that you spelled it out clearly. I’m still interested with it though. Does the author have his own website? Just seeing if I can get an early peek. 😁

[Steve]

I'm looking forward to Hero Games starting a Patreon account and plan to join it as a supporter, and I'm especially excited to hear about the Martial World supplement.

[Ninja-Bear]

1 hour ago, Steve said:

I'm looking forward to Hero Games starting a Patreon account and plan to join it as a supporter, and I'm especially excited to hear about the Martial World supplement.

I must’ve missed the Martial World Supplement but to that, take my money!

[IndianaJoe3]

On 1/7/2022 at 7:13 PM, Jason S.Walters said:

Additionally, if things go well with Champions International, Steve and I are considering creating a Patreon account to fund the creation of the HERO System Advanced Player’s Guide III, Champions Martial World, and other projects starting in 2023. But we’ll see how this year goes before we commit to a long-term project like that!

 

 

I've supported a Hero Patreon for a long time, and look forward to subscribing.

[Jason S.Walters]

Good to know you guys are enthusiastic about the Patreon idea. I'll pass that along to Steve.

[Sketchpad]

Jason, any chance we might see POD books that are full color and hardcover this year?

[Gauntlet]

On 1/8/2022 at 5:15 PM, steriaca said:

Nice to see IHA finally getting some love. Just a note for Tomas Stadley: try to minimize true mutants as willing IHA agents or rulership. There are various ways to have supervillains who agree with their outlook. Cyborgs, tech wielders, martial artist, power suits, the infamous Minutemen robots...no need for mutants.

Thanks. One thing I did add was a little bit of Magic. 

[steriaca]

52 minutes ago, Gauntlet said:

Thanks. One thing I did add was a little bit of Magic. 

Magic can work. If used sparingly. 

[Duke Bushido]

On 1/9/2022 at 3:36 PM, Ninja-Bear said:

I must’ve missed the Martial World Supplement but to that, take my money!

 

Ditto.

 

Is that a thing that happened, or was meant to happen?

 

 

[ScottishFox]

All of those items seem pretty interesting, but I can't help but wonder if the pressing need isn't instead a standard setting and adventures that take place in that setting.

 

Forgotten Realms and Fifth Edition have ignited D&D like nothing we've ever seen before along with the wild success of Critical Role.

 

My vote would be for HERO to have some professionally done adventures.

[Lord Liaden]

For Champions there isn't as much need for an official setting in which adventures are based, because most gamers' supers campaigns are set in some variation of the familiar real world. There are quite a few professionally-done adventures in that genre, particularly for 6E:

 

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/94-king-of-the-mountain-pdf/
https://www.herogames.com/store/product/506-evilution-unchained-pdf/

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/87-imaginary-friends-pdf/

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/107-pretty-hate-machines-pdf/

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/53-the-crossroads-blues/

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/28-unkindness-pdf/

https://www.herogames.com/store/product/23-war-of-worldcraft-pdf/

 

For fantasy and sci-fi the adventure list is far shorter, and more could be done with them. However, DOJ would have to choose one of the four official fantasy settings, and two official sci-fi ones, that Hero Games has published to set them in, or else design a completely new one (which strikes me as an unnecessary expenditure of energy, given what's already extant).

 

[Jason S.Walters]

12 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

 

Ditto.

 

Is that a thing that happened, or was meant to happen?

 

 

 

Martial World was a thing that was meant to happen back in the day, but never did. Maybe we can change that.

[Terminax]

Gotta say, I'm not keen on yet another fragmentation of HERO's rules. But hey, maybe it'll appeal to others.

 

The only two products I'll be interested in will be the IHA and Champions International books. I've already put money into CI with buying the "unfinished" versions so my interest has already been shown.

 

Champions Begins, while I appreciate the concept and admire the hard work put into it's not for me. I hope it goes well, I do but I'd kill to see more support that goes beyond a basic entry-level point.

 

Patreon down the road? Sure maybe?