What should I buy?

[RevHooligan]

OK here's the deal: I am three sessions into the first tabletop game I've run in five years after wasting my time on that LARP garbage. I've resurrected my old Champ's campaign and advanced the timeline 40 years. I only have one return player and he's playing an all new character. The world is entirely homegrown, as I've never used CU stuff for my games (although I have swiped a bad guy or two, in a pinch).

 

My big question is: What sourcebooks do you feel will give me the most use for my (limited) dollar? I have 4thEd Ninja Hero, Kingdom of Champions, Dark Champions, and the 5th Ed Hero System book, whose best new upgrade is a decent binding. I love not chasing pages 101-156 all over the basement every week. I like the new and improved but I simply can't buy it all. Are my 4th Ed books good enought or should I go out and grab the revised NH and pals? I've played Champions since 1983 and love Hero system over all others. Only poor companions and cute females lured me to that White Wolf nonsense. Forgive me.

[Thirdbase]

It would depend upon what you need.

 

If you want a bunch of prebuilt villians get CKC.

 

If you plan on using vehicles then TUV.

 

Martial Arts either UMA or Ninja Hero, although you might want to see if your Ninja Hero is good enough.

 

The upcoming The UNTIL Superpowers Database may be of use.

 

Best bet would be to go to your local game store and check them out.

[Hitchhiker]

Like Thirdbase said: There's no MAIN sourcebook for all genres, techniques, chars or else (except FREd, that is).

 

Pick what you like or need - that's what I always do. I've bought UMA and Bestiary five months ago and both of them were helpful for my campaigns.

[Killer Shrike]

I would strongly recommend trying the new Champions Universe -- its much much much (did I mention much) better than the old one (IMHO of course).

 

If youve been away from supers for 5 years, Champions (the Genre book) may serve as a timely refresher for you -- I know it did for me once I gave it a chance; Im running my 1st supers game in about 5 years as we speak after a long foray into other favored genre's.

 

Baring that, Im particularly fond of the UMA, but in truth your old "venerable master" copy of Ninja HERO has maybe 85% of the material in the new UMA and you can easily extrapolate the rest.

 

Id have to say, if you are dead set on running your own campaign setting, get Conquerors Killers and Crooks and file the serial #s off. It will save you a lot of time populating your upgraded setting with villains.

[Lord Liaden]

You are forgiven for wandering into the lair of the White Wolf. Hate sounding like a broken record, but your needs and interests would govern what choice would help you best.

 

You're obviously a veteran Champions gamer, and presumably own the BBB ("Big Blue Book", or 4E Champions), so the new Champions genre book probably isn't a high priority now. I'm sure you would find useful things in it, but you should do fine until you can afford it.

 

Of the multi-genre supplements, the Bestiary is IMHO the most useful overall. Animals and monsters of all stripes, for any type of game, from domestic pets up to things than can make a snack of most supers. Plus guidelines and templates to help you build your own.

 

If martial arts make up a significant portion of your game style, the new Ultimate Martial Artist greatly expands upon the basis developed in Aaron Allston's Ninja Hero, giving you many more options. If you anticipate dealing much with vehicles (including mecha and starships), Ultimate Vehicle gives you a lot to work with. As Thirdbase said, Conquerors, Killers and Crooks for premade villains (scads of them, at all power levels), and the upcoming UNTIL Superpowers Database which should really help any new players build their characters, giving them literally thousands of powers to choose from.

[BobGreenwade]

Other than the new edition of Champions (which has a lot of new and significantly useful stuff) and the UNTIL Superpowers Database when it comes out, I'll simply agree with others' comments that anything else you buy should depend on your needs. Buy TUV for Vehicles (cars, planes, mecha, starships, flying carpets, whatever), TUMA for martial arts, HSB for animals, Star Hero if you plan on having a lot of space adventures, and so on.

[Redmenace]

What do you use 4th Ed. Ninja Hero for? Is that the Ultimate martial artist book or Aaron Allston's, (ie Storn Cook's cover or Butch Guice's?

 

The two books, other than the new core, I use the most are the 5th ED. UMA and the 5th ED. Ninja Hero. UMA 5 is mostly what you got in 4th ED UMA, martial arts maneuvers, weapons uses for them in various genres, etc.

 

Ninja Hero 5 is like an expansion of the roleplaying and simulation advice of UMA 4. It has plenty of stats, weapons, maneuvars as well but is most useful for expanding, exploding really, the gameable boundries of martial arts in Hero.It's the book I consider a must have but as a poster above advised, go to a store and read the index to see how useful it is to you.

 

In a sense, the two books are kind of expansions of the single UMA 4.

 

 

Also, as a final comment, unless you have much more time and or creativity than the average, I'd highly reccomend Conquerors, Killers and Crooks. If for no other reason, It's too useful as a character book for when you are pressed for time or just want to see how other people build powers.