What do I need to start GMing with?

[Direbadger]

Hello again everyone.

 

Rank and file newbie here trying to run a Fantasy Hero game (and also a supers game, but that's a story for another thread).

 

I currently own:

5ER

Sidekick pdf (printed out)

Fantasy Hero pdf

 

I plan on primarily using Sidekick for the first several adventures. The setting is one of my own design. Are there any other books that I really (almost) need to play the game? What other books would be helpful (or more helpful than others)?

 

I was thinking of one of the following:

Hero System Combat Handbook

Fantasy Hero Grimoire

Ultimate Martial Artist

 

Also, how often am I going to be referencing stuff in Fantasy Hero? Should I be printing a lot of it out on my laser printer?

 

Thanks!

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

If you only get one of the three you listed, I recommend the grimoire first. Unless you're not familiar with Hero System combat; then the combat handbook would be VERY handy for you.

 

If you can get all three, I recommend it.

 

The parts we use most often in our games is the parts about equipment costs and weapons. If you print out nothing else, print the price chart and the stats on damage and suchlike.

 

Most of the rest of it seems like, so long as you've read it and understand it, you're good.

 

You may want to look into the Turakian Age material. It's a FH setting, and, as I understand it, is ripe for the picking with plot hooks and ideas and inspiration. Could help make your job easier, at least.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

HERO System Combat Handbook makes a great reference if you're new to the combat system, especially if you want to make use of all the available options. However, you should probably keep combat simple to start with. IMO this should be prioritized as an important later purchase, but not immediately necessary.

 

Fantasy HERO Grimoire has lots of great prebuilt spells, but they're best suited to a "high fantasy" setting with fairly common and powerful magic, a la D&D. If your campaign is of that type this could save you and your players a lot of work; otherwise it's good for inspiration and examples, but not a priority purchase IMO.

 

Ultimate Martial Artist is pretty much required for any campaign in any genre that makes significant use of martial arts. If you don't anticipate a lot of MA action in your games, I'd also put it in the "important but can wait" category.

 

My recommendation for the next important book to pick up would be HERO System Bestiary. It has full writeups for scads of beasties from the real world (living or extinct), myth and fantasy, and sci-fi, with guidelines for using them and easily customizable templates to let you quickly build your own. There's lots there to use for fantasy as well as any other genre, so it makes a good long-term investment. IMO this is one of the most broadly useful books that Hero Games has published.

[Old Man]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

You are all set to go. Go create a campaign and find some players!

[Eosin]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

Lord Liaden speaks with the wisdom of a thousand mutated lamas. Heed his knowledge.

 

First, you probably don't REQUIRE anything more than what you already have. However, several of the books will cut down your workload (Beastiary, MMM, or Grimorie) or add to the versiltility of your game (Ultimate Martial Artist).

 

If you know what kind of game you are interested in running then it would be easier for us to give informed information. There are perks and draw backs to each of the setting construction methods - using one of the setting books, finding a website that converts a setting you are familiar with, or building one from scratch. It might also help to know what you intend there.

 

I'd say a good broad scope game needs the following one of the two beastiaries, the Ultimate Martial Artist, and I would pick up a setting book that most closely resembled the genre of the intended game (examples, ideas, and NPCs).

[Edsel]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

MMM = Monster, Minions and Marauders (a book full of fantasy critters).

[John Desmarais]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

Hello again everyone.

 

Rank and file newbie here trying to run a Fantasy Hero game (and also a supers game, but that's a story for another thread).

 

I currently own:

5ER

Sidekick pdf (printed out)

Fantasy Hero pdf

 

I plan on primarily using Sidekick for the first several adventures. The setting is one of my own design. Are there any other books that I really (almost) need to play the game? What other books would be helpful (or more helpful than others)?

 

I was thinking of one of the following:

Hero System Combat Handbook

Fantasy Hero Grimoire

Ultimate Martial Artist

 

Also, how often am I going to be referencing stuff in Fantasy Hero? Should I be printing a lot of it out on my laser printer?

 

Thanks!

 

 

What you need:

• Hero System 5th Edition Rulebook (or Sidekick) (you got dat)
  
• a story to tell.

What you want:

• Fantasy Hero (you got dat)
  
• Fantasy Hero Grimoire (if it lines up well with your magic system)
  
• Hero System Bestiary
  
• MM&M (if the critters in fit into your world)
  
• Ultimate Martial Artist (if you plan on using anything even remotely resembling martial arts)

Re: Combat Handbook. This book was released at basically the same time as the Equipment Handbook. Both are collections of material from other books. Personally, I find that I get more use out of the Equipment Handbook. YMMV.

 

Do you already have a game world? Turakian Age, in addition to being a nicely usable world, I've also found to be a nice example of how to create a FH setting.

[Frenchman]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

BESTIARY

That one will be a huge help if you plan on throwing any...beasties at your players. If you plan on more humans/humanoids then you don't really need one, though the part in the back of MMM will be real helpful

Whatever you decide you need to get next, the very next thing (after that) should be the Ultimate Martial Artist - I used mine so much I had to buy a second copy because I wore out the duct tape I used to repair it and pages won't stay in anymore. I actually had my g/f (who's father runs a print shop) re-bind it for me recently, so now I have two - One only slightly worn, the other is...custom.

 

As others have said, all of those books will help you, but with Hero you don't need them if you have the time and drive to do it yourself.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

Re: Combat Handbook. This book was released at basically the same time as the Equipment Handbook. Both are collections of material from other books. Personally' date=' I find that I get more use out of the Equipment Handbook. YMMV.[/quote']

 

The Equipment Handbook is another good long-term suggestion, although if you already own Fifth Edition and Fantasy HERO then you have most of the pertinent equipment for a fantasy campaign.

[mayapuppies]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

Hate to hijack a thread, but thus far everyone's suggestions are dead-on. I find that I use the Super Powers Database as well for idea's, particularly for Psionic characters.

 

Is the Combat Handbook a good buy? I'm passingly ok with Champions style combat but very trepidatious about Fantasy Combat (I do so love knockback) and I was thinking of picking this up on Monday to help alleviate the page turning and book searching.

[Savinien]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

I use the Combat Handbook incessantly in FtF play. But, I'm a self-confessed moron with the system.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

I should probably get it, then.

[ghost-angel]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

you need all the books. required by law. federal law. nothing we can do.

 

seriously though...

 

Beastiary

Monsters, Minions And Marauders

Combat Handbook

Equipment Guide

Grimoire (1 + 2)

 

are all pretty useful for a Fantasy game, but none are required.

 

you'll find in Hero that the only thing you NEED is the main book (or sidekick). After that all the other stuff is just making prep easier for you.

[Pentoth]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

As a Fantasy Hero GM I found the books that you don't have but would use are the Bestiary, Monsters, Minions and Marauders, the Equipment Guide, the Ultimate Martial Artist and the Combat Handbook. The setting books are nice and give you suggestions on making NPC's however they aren't neccessary if you already use your own setting. Same goes with teh Grimoires. They are useful to speed things up for the GM or players but you don't need them.

[Starwolf]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

Another couple that I have not seen mentioned are the Hero System Vehicle Sourcebook, and The Ultimate Vehicle. These books have googles of pregenerated vehicles for any genre including Fantasy Hero. Like stats for wagons, Chariots, Longboats, Caravels, etc, along with stuff for more modern or sci-fi games. I believe there is even a flying carpet in there somewhere. Plus the rules on how to build your own.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: What do I need to start GMing with?

 

*quietly plays the 'me too' card*

 

What?

 

Hey Direbadger. They're all correct. As a n00bas to the system, I actually strongly recommend the Combat Handbook, the thing is worth its weight in gold. In a Fantasy Setting, while you can still get it in hardcopy, I strongly suggest UMA (I'm often tempted to buy a third copy, because my other two get a ton of use). The largest of my three cats says 'Good morning.' Which means he's eating my calculator and walking on my keyboard.

 

The Bestiary is a great resource, but MM&M is much more genre specific; also, you can grab the Asian Bestiaries, which are very good, and remember that everything in hero is reasoned from effect. In other words, you pick up the Hero System Bestiary. You want the Pyrohydra to be a Cryohydra instead. FOOMP. you change the SFX of it and it breathes cold. You build a 'Drain SPD' on it, along with whatever else you think is appropriate, and otherwise leave it unchanged.

 

As I've said before: "The great thing about the Hero System is that you know when you buy a book by Steve, it doesn't suck."