lazarus Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 a few things. First - I'm new to the HERO system, having just bought Sidekick, and nearly done reading through it. There are very few things I can think of doing that I can't do with that book (Rogue's power, for example, or a decapitation - would that be an attack targetting the head - rules for which doesn't exist in Sidekick). Anyway, what I'm really wondering is what's missing from Sidekick? I know they've got a bunch of stuff listed in sidebars, but they don't mention VPPs anywhere, etc. Second - if I end up buying a "Monster Book", which would be the more "ideal" book to get for generic purposes? Mainly, what's in MMM and what's in the Beastiary? How do they compare? Which do you prefer? Why? Third - are these monster books really necessary? How much do you find you use either or both of them? How do they compare to the various lists online? ... speaking of, I lost my link Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper-Man Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. First off welcome to HERO, FREd gives you access to more rule variations and examples of how to apply them. Sidekick was intended as an easy way to introduce the core system rules to a new player without overwhelming them with the full rules that can admittedly be a bit much to take in all in one chunck. FREd does include rules for hit location as well as for VPP's. The Beastiary is the 'generic' creature book for ANY campaign setting, MMM is complementary to the Beastiary but is targeted more towards 'Fantasy Hero' games. They are both good reference material. If you plan on running a Fantasy Hero game and decide to pick up the FH Grimmoire you would probably need to get both creature books as many of the summoning spells refer to specific creatures in both books. If nothing else all the mentioned books are good as reference material on how to construct certain combinations of powers. If you are looking for information on constructing 'supers' check out the UNTIL superpower database. Hope this helps, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. FREd has all the rules, to do all the stuff you can think of. At least three different ways. The other books are useful, but not required for play. I personally only own StarHero and the Bestiary right now .. mostly for idea hunting. I probably will never buy Fantasy Hero because I know exactly how I would do that genre myself... having done so many times. The Ultimate Series looks the most useful to me for pure idea hunting purposes. I can't wait for TUB since I never can manage to build a decent brick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. Welcome to HERO! Buy FREd. Don't read it. Just use the index to find what you need, looking in Sidekick first. Keep using Sidekick until you find yourself looking more in FREd for the answers than you are in Sidekick. As far as other books, I'd recomend the Besteary first and foremost. It's not geared to any genre, though it leans toward Fantasy with it's list of "fantastic beasts." It has all the rules for making animals as well as the lists, which can be a bit help when trying to write up your own unique creations. I haven't looked at MMM, so I couldn't say anything about it (other than it must be great, because it's part of the Hero System). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demonsong Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. As far as other books, I'd recomend the Besteary first and foremost. It's not geared to any genre, though it leans toward Fantasy with it's list of "fantastic beasts." It has all the rules for making animals as well as the lists, which can be a bit help when trying to write up your own unique creations. I would agree with this. If you want NPC beasts this is the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted April 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. Thanks for all the info. Fortunately for my cheque book, I found the Dungeon Hero page (after finally remembering what it is) ... which has a HUGE list of D&D creatures. Eventually, though, I think I'll get more books Just not when I don't have any cash... Laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. First - I'm new to the HERO system' date=' having just bought Sidekick, and nearly done reading through it. There are very few things I can think of doing that I can't do with that book (Rogue's power, for example, or a decapitation - would that be an attack targetting the head - rules for which doesn't exist in Sidekick). Anyway, what I'm really wondering is what's missing from Sidekick? I know they've got a bunch of stuff listed in sidebars, but they don't mention VPPs anywhere, etc.[/quote'] Welcome to your new addiction! Sidekick is sort of a summarized Hero System. I'd highly recommend buying FRed because of the more detailed descriptions of powers, rules, options, etc, as well as a variety of "fluff", the fun stuff that lets you put it all together. It's not genre-specific so it'll walk you through character creation, give you GM ideas and provide a solid foundation for using any other Hero Games product. Sidekick is a handy resource to have around, but in my opinion it's secondary to FRed itself unless you're an experienced Herophile. Second - if I end up buying a "Monster Book"' date=' which would be the more "ideal" book to get for generic purposes? Mainly, what's in MMM and what's in the Beastiary? How do they compare? Which do you prefer? Why?[/quote'] Go with "Bestiary". It's much more generic than MMM, and it can be used with just about any genre. IMO, the MMM is fantasy-oriented, with a definite slant for that fantastical creatures you see in movies and books. I prefer the Bestiary, myself, because it offers a much broader range of creatures for use. Third - are these monster books really necessary? How much do you find you use either or both of them? How do they compare to the various lists online? ... speaking of' date=' I lost my link [/quote'] Necessary? No. Fun to have? Yep. I haven't used MMM at all yet, but I haven't finished mapping out my Fantasy Hero campaign. I expect it'll come in quite handy. I've used the Bestiary a couple of times thus far, and plan on using it again in both my superhero and fantasy campaigns. I'm not sure which lists you're talking about being online, so I'm afraid I can't help you there. G'luck, Laz, and good gaming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Re: Sidekick v FREd, among other things. A) Welcome to the Boards and the HERO community You dont need any book other than Sidekick. FRED will come in time or not depending on your preferences. C) If you want to save some time and dont mind sparing the cash all of the 5th Edition HERO System books are quality pieces of work and you really cant go wrong. As far as the Bestiary or MMM goes, I would recommend the Bestiary first. D) If you are into fantasy, I humbly forward my own website http://www.killershrike.com as a place to start for ideas and what not. Finally, a salient point to keep in mind is to remember that everything you see in print or on the boards or on various web sites are all just examples of various ways to do things and not definitive. The HERO System is the ultimate "have it your way" game mechanic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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