RamrodTheWizard Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 I recently was lent a copy of HERO 5ER by one of my friends and have really taken a shining to the system and would like to pick it up. My only concern is that by the time I would probably be able to get any use of out of it, the new edition will be out. HERO has struck me as the kind of game where you would be able to find a group regardless of edition, but the concern still remains. Is it a good idea to pick up the system despite my concerns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Well, you've got a year before 6E, so I would say very probable you'll get some use out of it. And the changes between editions aren't that drastic. Sure some powers may be, but the basic flavor is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest voodoo54 Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Order Now, you can never get to much Hero gaming goodness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamrodTheWizard Posted August 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e I picked up the core book and Star HERO, so expect me to be on these forums a good bit as I try to understand this beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Welcome to Hero. We're here to answer any question you've got - as many times as it takes to get you all the correct answers. Which, for the average question, is about 4-6 correct answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e I picked up the core book and Star HERO' date=' so expect me to be on these forums a good bit as I try to understand this beast.[/quote'] We're here to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Welcome aboard! Folks around here are about the friendliest and most helpful you'll find anywhere. But watch out for that bunneh guy. He crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Start investing in metal neck guards. But you can listen to his advice on Hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maelstrom Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Welcome to Hero. We're here to answer any question you've got - as many times as it takes to get you all the correct answers. Which, for the average question, is about 4-6 correct answers. Too true! Try that in 4e! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Welcome to the fold. Don't taunt the (other) inmates and you'll be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Waters Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Hello! 6th ed is coming and there will be some changes but I don't think any of us are anticipating anything so sweeping that we'll have to burn our old stuff. If you get the rules now I'm sure they will give you an excellent grounding for the next edition PLUS you'll get a year playing Hero PLUS you could well help to shape what is going to be in 6th edition - there are very lively forums on the subject and the actual authors both read and contribute and are more than willing to base their views on decent ideas they see here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Long Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e That's certainly a fair question, Ramrod, so let me see if I can provide some information that will help you make your decision: 1. First and foremost, at this time I don't anticipate making any changes to any of the core mechanics of the HERO System in 6E. Characters will still be built with Character Points, rolls will still be made with 3d6, and so on. Buying 5ER now gives you a year to learn all that stuff so you can hit the ground running with 6E, if you choose to buy it. In particular, working with 5ER will help you come to grips with HERO's bedrock philosophy of using "special effects" to create powers, abilities, etc. out of the "generic building blocks" and tools of the rules. 2. Since we're soliciting extensive fan input on 6E, learning the system now would allow you to participate in those discussions, if you wanted to. And we're always very interested in hearing how newcomers approach and learn the system; it gives us ideas for making that whole process easier on other newcomers! 3. Even if #1 weren't true, you'd still get a year's enjoyment out of 5ER. Compare that to most other forms of entertainment out there and I think you'll see that gaming in general, and the HERO System in particular, are a bargain. 4. If you don't want to invest in the full 5ER, you can always pick up HERO System Sidekick, our easy-learning/quick-play version of the HERO System rules. That'll help you learn the basics and prepare to dive into 6E a year from now. But whether you choose to buy 5ER (or Sidekick) or not, you're of course more than welcome to hang out here on the boards, talk HERO, learn from peoples' examples, ask questions, and become part of the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e I'd say your concerns are justifiable...in general Hero today is the same system it has always been. But some of the proposed changes for 6th look like they Could be large enough to make it a total change...so grab Sidekick and wait.....or grab 5th and look for "old schoolers" in case of massive change.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e I'd say your concerns are justifiable...in general Hero today is the same system it has always been. But some of the proposed changes for 6th look like they Could be large enough to make it a total change...so grab Sidekick and wait.....or grab 5th and look for "old schoolers" in case of massive change.... As long as there isn't a massive break like they did elsewhere, shunting the older version of the game's forums off somewhere, locking a lot of others, and making the new forum a sewer (although I admit I have some fascination with train wrecks). Hopefully the forums won't suffer major changes. If I see 6eVengers and garbage like that here.... Just my concerns for the forums, but to the OP: Welcome, learn it now - you won't regret it, because no matter what happens with 6e, you'll have learned a great system and way of looking at games (I admit to being a system junkie, but since Hero I have a habit of looking at other games and thinking of how I can do it better in Hero ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e I'd say your concerns are justifiable...in general Hero today is the same system it has always been. But some of the proposed changes for 6th look like they Could be large enough to make it a total change...so grab Sidekick and wait.....or grab 5th and look for "old schoolers" in case of massive change.... My own impression of what Steve has implied he's actually considering -- versus what some fans have requested -- is that the changes may be comparable to when all the earlier distinct Hero games like Champions, Fantasy Hero, Justice Inc., Danger Intl. and so on, were unified into Fourth Edition HERO System. I.e. many specific Powers, Skills, Modifiers and so on were mechanically modified, costs changed, options redefined; but the core was still recognizably HERO. If 6E goes no farther than that I'm confident that anyone familiar with 5E will be able to adapt themselves and their earlier HERO materials without great pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e As long as there isn't a massive break like they did elsewhere' date=' shunting the older version of the game's forums off somewhere, locking a lot of others, and making the new forum a sewer (although I admit I have some fascination with train wrecks). Hopefully the forums won't suffer major changes. If I see 6eVengers and garbage like that here....[/quote'] Did you mean the Hero Games forums, or those for some other game company? Just my concerns for the forums' date=' but to the OP: Welcome, learn it now - you won't regret it, because no matter what happens with 6e, you'll have learned a great system and way of looking at games (I admit to being a system junkie, but since Hero I have a habit of looking at other games and thinking of how I can do it better in Hero ).[/quote'] Heck, I know quite a few people who are still playing Fourth Edition, and lots of others who have ported 4E and earlier characters to the current ruleset. With the vast quantity of 5E material available, I expect lots of Fifth Edition campaigns to merrily roll along for years after Sixth is published. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e My own impression of what Steve has implied he's actually considering -- versus what some fans have requested -- is that the changes may be comparable to when all the earlier distinct Hero games like Champions' date=' Fantasy Hero, Justice Inc., Danger Intl.[/i'] and so on, were unified into Fourth Edition HERO System. I.e. many specific Powers, Skills, Modifiers and so on were mechanically modified, costs changed, options redefined; but the core was still recognizably HERO. If 6E goes no farther than that I'm confident that anyone familiar with 5E will be able to adapt themselves and their earlier HERO materials without great pain. And so long as my HD program doesn't suffer major trauma - I just bought the 2-year deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sindyr Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Relative newbie here - used to play Champions 4th Ed a long long time ago, picking up the 5th Ed Hero System for the first time, having recently come to the conclusions that superheroes is where I belong in RPGs. Looking forward to Champions Online too (as well as playing CoX now, and looking forward to DCUO.) Anyways, I decided not to wait - I bought about $450 worth of Heroes stuff - a couple of 5th Revised, all the Ultimates, some of the guide books, such as combat and character creation, etc... I figure I will at least get a year out of them, and maybe more, and with luck that will be several hundred hours of gaming. Plus hopefully when 6th Ed comes out it will be more or less compatible with the splat books, like the Ultimates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Even if 6E is not compatable, nothing says you have to upgrade. I've been working hard on the 6E discussion trying to keep the 'total overhaul' crowd at bay (someone suggested totally removing charcteristics! ) so that 6E will be compatable with 5E and (to a lesser extent) 4E. I can always use help though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badger3k Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Did you mean the Hero Games forums' date=' or those for some other game company?[/quote'] When 4e was released, they locked down or moved (supposedly) all threads for older editions somewhere (but given that they have some 6 million forums, I am not sure where they are, and given the lack of support I am not sure how busy they might be). You also have both the detractors and "protectors" of 4e who are really rabid on attack just about anybody. It gets real old, real quick, and I took the drastic step (for me) of actually putting people on ignore. I don't want to see that here. Heck, I know quite a few people who are still playing Fourth Edition, and lots of others who have ported 4E and earlier characters to the current ruleset. With the vast quantity of 5E material available, I expect lots of Fifth Edition campaigns to merrily roll along for years after Sixth is published. I know people playing 2nd ed D&D, I've run old Pacesetter Chill campaigns, and I've actually thought of running a few "nostalgia" games, with Tunnels and Trolls, Runequest, and others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Even if 6E is not compatable, nothing says you have to upgrade. I've been working hard on the 6E discussion trying to keep the 'total overhaul' crowd at bay (someone suggested totally removing charcteristics! ) so that 6E will be compatable with 5E and (to a lesser extent) 4E. I can always use help though! Wow. the premise of this statement assumes that Steve would even remotely consider such drastic overhauls - when he has said several times he won't. Why argue with people who propose such things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcan Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Just to make sure. I wouldn't want my silence to be seen as tacit approval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Seems to me it just clutters it all up. Just post what your thoughts/views/desires/concepts are for 6E and let Steve sort it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Neilson Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e Seems to me it just clutters it all up. Just post what your thoughts/views/desires/concepts are for 6E and let Steve sort it out. This is the Internet. We all know the odds of good common sense advice being taken, don't we? There is a point where some discussions need to be noted with "I don't think we can add anything further to our differing viewpoints that will illuminate the issue any better for Steve." Probably way earlier than I, for one, normally identify that as being the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 Re: Spectre of 6e For me, that point is right around the time I put down my thoughts, maybe a post or two later. Any discussion beyond that becomes counterproductive in my opinion. But that's my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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