All-in-one box games

[Chris Goodwin]

Brought out here to avoid mussing up the 6th edition discussion, per Steve's requests to keep that forum focussed.

 

I think a thing that will really help 6th edition will be books that you can use "out of the box". Something that you can pick up and in an hour have characters made and be playing. You could do that with first edition Fantasy Hero' date=' but since 4th edition I don't think I've seen a Hero System book you could.[/quote']

 

And here I have to disagree with Chris. I do not need another fluff filled role playing game. Give me the mechanics and I will steal the fluff from somewhere else. Of course' date=' I am alone in this. You better go with Chris. Kids these days can't think for themselves and want one stop gaming all pre-packaged with pretty pictures and pre-built worlds.[/quote']

 

Who said anything about fluff?

 

I'm not 15 anymore. I have a wife and a kid and a job and a mortgage. What I don't have is hours of time on a telephone line in which to sit and create just the right magic system and just the right spells to go with it. And I'm not the only one. Like it or not, for years our hobby has been aging and acquiring all of those things. If I had a book that gave me a mini-setting, an inobtrusive, yet useful and somewhat customizable default magic system, a couple of dozen each of spells, packages, magic items, and monsters, that I could use with Sidekick or the core books, I'd be a happy man.

[Silbeg]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Yeah, I hear you!

 

I always enjoy getting genre (or other) source books. I am always looking for "clever builds", and ways that I can make better, more interesting characters with less time spent. Adventures are always good, especially if they are complete and well thought out.

 

While I can munchkin a character with the best of them, I still like the Ultimate books, as well as things like the USPD. If I played Fantasy HERO, or ran more mystical characters in my Champions game, I would probably even consider the Grimoires. Mystic World was a great boon for my game... in fact, I would love some expansion of some of the areas.

 

Characters, characters, and more characters... that's what I want! I recently picked up Everyman, a book that I thought I would never want, and am now chomping at the bit to use the characters. No more will I have the "receptionist of the day", or the like (I tend to forget to note these things down while playing, and don't get 'em noted before!)l

 

I know that I have to tweak pretty much all "book characters" to balance in my game. That being said, I have been generally more satisfied with published characters than the fan-created ones I have seen...

[Guest steamteck]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

I loved GURPS 3rd ed genre books. I never liked GURPS enough to play instead of HERO but I loved the genre books. I have dozens of them. Mined them for ideas and characters.

Aren't the fantasy HERO setting books kind of like you describe though? Tuala Morn seems to be that sort of thing.

[Mike W]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Brought out here to avoid mussing up the 6th edition discussion, per Steve's requests to keep that forum focussed.

 

 

 

 

 

Who said anything about fluff?

 

I'm not 15 anymore. I have a wife and a kid and a job and a mortgage. What I don't have is hours of time on a telephone line in which to sit and create just the right magic system and just the right spells to go with it. And I'm not the only one. Like it or not, for years our hobby has been aging and acquiring all of those things. If I had a book that gave me a mini-setting, an inobtrusive, yet useful and somewhat customizable default magic system, a couple of dozen each of spells, packages, magic items, and monsters, that I could use with Sidekick or the core books, I'd be a happy man.

 

I like the idea of an "out of the box game" a lot. Maybe include A) A basic adventure a roster of basic characters to play it with. No fancy adjustment powers, just martial arts, bricks, and energy blasts that sort of thing and C) a "cheat sheet" that you can run off that lists all the basic rules on one page. You know, the basic combat maneuvers, turn modes and basic movement rules, SPD Chart, END Costs, Damage dice, hits and hit locations, and basic modifiers - the stuff you use all the time. Once you get the basic system down, the in game stuff goes pretty quick and you can start adding the other stuff later as you need it.

 

Star Wars did this once. They created a "basic set" that had basic characters, a simple adventure, and a very streamlined core rules set up that gave you everything you needed to know to crack it open and be gaming in half an hour or so. Once you had the basics down, you could add the other stuff later. But the "base box" gave everyone a good, fast start on the basic system.

[FireTiger]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

If I had a book that gave me a mini-setting' date=' an inobtrusive, yet useful and somewhat customizable default magic system, a couple of dozen each of spells, packages, magic items, and monsters, that I could use with Sidekick or the core books, I'd be a happy man.[/quote']

 

Sooo...that would be something like a Sidekick for 6th ed. boxed set? (The way I bought a lot of games back in the 1980s.) With contents something along the lines of: A copy of Sidekick for 6th ed., maybe some D6s, a few not-too-complex pregen characters, and a mini adventure or three?

[JmOz]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

I've long pimped a "Sidekick line"

 

Each sidekick book would be called (Genre name) Sidekick

 

To use Fantasy as an example

 

It would give a brief overview to the genre (Fantasy)

It would then give a brief overview of the primary Hero Setting for the genre (Turakian Age)

A entirely new sub setting in that setting (So a new city located in the Turakian Age setting)

A powers section, that in this case would include some basic equipment that is not listed in sidekick, price tables for equipment for players, and a few spells

A small group of PC playable characters

A small Beastiary

 

This book and a copy of sidekick is allyou would need to get started, if any rules from the main game were needed they would be in the sidebars

[Korvar]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Agreed, and repped.

[gojira]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Yes, I'd like a "complete in one book" game too. I think that's what you mean by an "out of the box" game.

 

Basic rules (a la Sidekick), genre notes and starting characters all in one books. Big emphasis on players and the sorts of folks who might want to pick up a game at a Con and give it a try. More rules in the Big Book and refinement and expansion in supplements, that what the supplement are there for.

 

I'd love to see this for both Champions and Fantasy/Turk Age. DOJ doesn't have to do it for each genre or product line. Just the ones that are likely to be the best sellers.

[Narratio]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

People, all-in-one game boxes are still the best and easiest way to drag people into the hobby. How many times have you done a convention game and the visitors sit entranced, listening to the verbal by play, watching the stories unfold and then blanche at the percieved costs and learning curve required? That's why 'Sidekick' was put out in the first place, as 'Hero Light', to help pull in gamers who wanted to try out the system.

 

The tricky bit is for we grognards to not show total disdain for these all-in-one game boxes. Think of them as not being for us, we don't need them. These things are bait, pure and simple and as such are to be applauded. You can't catch fish without bait.

 

Heck, we should look forward to them. Buy them as Xmas gifts for youngsters, throw down copies to friends, play them in the lunch hour in the office... Hmm, best with a couple of pre-painted figures of course.

 

I say go for it.

[Chris Goodwin]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Yes' date=' I'd like a "complete in one book" game too. I think that's what you mean by an "out of the box" game.[/quote']

 

Correct, I should have been more specific. It doesn't literally have to be in a box (though that would be cool, but unlikely).

 

Basic rules (a la Sidekick), genre notes and starting characters all in one books. Big emphasis on players and the sorts of folks who might want to pick up a game at a Con and give it a try. More rules in the Big Book and refinement and expansion in supplements, that what the supplement are there for.

 

Sure. Rules don't need to be included, but it should be designed to Sidekick. The Big Book gives you all kinds of room for more options and more customization, but you should be able to sit down with this book and Sidekick, and in an hour have characters made and "You all meet in a tavern..."

[Opal]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

Maybe something like "Wildstrike" as a lead-in to 6th ed (I think that was the name: simplified Fuzion as a super-powered gladiator microgame).

 

I actually did get my Champions!-fearing gaming group to play it, and a couple of years later, got them to try Champions!...

[bobrunnicles]

Re: All-in-one box games

 

I'd be behind this idea 110% - kind of like the ASL Starter Kit sets for Advanced Squad Leader, another one of those 'perceived as insanely complex but actually with a moderately straightforward core system' games. They've been selling like hotcakes for MMP.