The HERO System 6th Edition

[Rapier]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I have today marked down as "6E Probably Hits US."

 

I imagine they are most likely in Customs right now (or at least rather close). They should be picked up by truck within the next 3 or 4 days.

 

We're getting CLOSE!

[ghost-angel]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Actually.... they didn't get on the boat until yesterday. Steve's sad news from last nights chat.

[Rapier]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Actually.... they didn't get on the boat until yesterday. Steve's sad news from last nights chat.

 

Ohhhhhhhh.

 

But that can't possibly be!! It's ON MY CALENDAR!!!

[Enlightened]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Will Hero 6E be available through Amazon?

 

Or is ordering it directly through Hero Games the only way to get it?

 

I ask because I don't see it available for preorder on Amazon yet.

[culhwch]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I do not see it listed on Amazon. I've seen it listed at other online sites, though (paizo.com fer instance).

[lordkangarew]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I am also hoping there will be a Combat Book, I am glad to see an Advanced book and Basic book.

 

I will be buying the all

 

Also are there any plans for a Martial Arts book for 6th?

[JmOz]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

those 4 are the only dead tree products I plan on getting for 6th edition

[Steve Long]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I am also hoping there will be a Combat Book ...

 

Also are there any plans for a Martial Arts book for 6th?

 

Yes, HERO System Martial Arts for 6E is a book I'll be working on in the near future.

 

As for a Combat book, at this point there's really no need for one, since 6E2 is pretty extensive as it stands (and HSMA will expand upon it in some respects). The 5E Combat Handbook came about after years of expanding the combat rules, and most of those expansions made it into 6E2. If, years from now, there are enough new rules to merit a new Combat Handbook, we'll definitely consider doing one, but right now I don't see a strong need.

[lordkangarew]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Yes' date=' [i']HERO System Martial Arts[/i] for 6E is a book I'll be working on in the near future.

 

Sweet . Thanks for the info. I will look forward to buying it.

[StGrimblefig]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Here's a suggestion for 7th Edition:

 

Embed a circuit card into the front & back covers which incorporates a GPS receiver, satellite phone transmitter and auto tweeting software. That way, the books can be periodically reporting their positions via twitter.

 

 

Okay, maybe putting this in EVERY book is a bad idea. Just a few key ones, then. We do not want to fry the ship's crew with the massive outpouring of RF energy, now, do we?

[ghost-angel]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Volume One - Character Creation:

The Upside:

 

Warning: This review is long. It tries to take into consideration those new to Hero and long time Hero fans interested in Sixth Edition.

 

Caveat: In the Special Thanks section Steve Long mentions a small group of people labeled the "Sixth Edition Technical Advisory Committee." A group he pulled together to bounce ideas off of during the writing process, I was on that group of people that provided a sounding board for Steve. While I did not agree with every change Steve made, I was witness to some of the design process itself.

 

Since publishing the Fifth Edition Rules Steve Long as stated her has learned a lot about design, and accumulated a lot of input, as such he felt it was time for the Sixth Edition. I'm going to try and aim this review at both new potential fans and long time fans of the system to give everyone an idea of what's in the Hero System and what changes have been made.

 

Book one is Character Creation, it is the thicker of the two books, and takes all the elements of putting a Character together into one volume. Starting with the unification of the system into one full set of rules with Fourth Edition some twenty years ago, Hero has constantly moved forward to unify the rules into one body of work suitable for any play style, in any genre.

 

For those new to Hero, the System is a Universal Toolkit, it is not a Game in the sense that you open the book, create a character and start playing. Before you ever get to creating a Character you need to decide on what Genre (superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi, etc), the Campaign Parameters, and some of the style you're going for, and power level. There is a lot of up front work that pays off later once the group sits down to play. Character Creation is point based, everything in the system has a cost and a mechanic behind it, however that's not the whole story. The biggest aspect of the Hero System is Reasoning From Effect; instead of buying abilities from a list you decide what you want to do first, and then build that using the elements of the system.

 

I'll cover the gameplay aspects in the review of Combat And Adventuring.

 

Before the book even starts there is almost thirty pages dedicated to looking at the Philosophy behind the Hero System and how to use it starts off the book. This section also includes some basics in playing Hero; the dice mechanic uses the 3D6 bell curve, how Hero rounds, and other considerations. There are two major kinds of Rolls in Hero - Roll Under for Success Rate and Effect Rolls (such as Damage, where you want to roll high). This section also provides guidelines for point totals for various kinds of games and power levels. From the Standard Normal who has 25 Points to the Cosmically Powerful Superheroes with 750 or more points.

 

For those who are moving from 5th Edition, the Heroic levels have moved up twenty-five points and Sueprheroic up fifty points. Mostly due to how Characteristics have changed. And yes, a large base of published characters were taken to help identify those point increases as being useful to help make the same kinds of Characters that have been around for years.

 

Chapter One - Characteristics. There are seventeen Characteristics in the Hero System, divided into a few categories. The six Primary Characteristics are pretty standard; Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Ego, Presence. The three physical Primaries are fairly self explanatory. Intelligence is not how smart a character is, but more a nebulous intuitive grasp, speed of thought, and memory retention all rolled into one. Ego can be thought of as mental constitution, and Presence is the social interaction Characteristic. The second block of Characteristics are Combat Characteristics, Hero has two Combat Values - Normal and Mental Combat, each one is split into Offensive and Defensive Values. This break down allows you to customize your Character's combat interactions, if you want an accurate hitter than never bothers to get out of the way of attacks, buy more Offense than Defensive Combat Value for example. The fifth Characteristic is Speed, the Hero Turn is divided into 12 Segments, a Characters Speed determines how many, and which, Segments a Character can act on. The final block is the Defensive Block; Physical and Energy Defense are the two main defenses in the Hero System for resisting damage, Recovery determines how fast a Character regains lost Endurance, Stun and Body. The last three are Hero's only Characteristics that get reduced through normal play. Endurance is the characters 'fuel' as most abilities use it to function. Body is how hard it is to kill the Character, and Stun how hard it is to simply knock them out. Starting characters all have a base value that can be bought up or down.

 

Characteristics form the base of a Character, while all the other elements presented later on may or may not be on any given character, everyone has these stats to interact in the game world with. Provided with these is an example block of how you can assign values as benchmarks in a campaign.

 

There are a few changes here for those thinking of changing editions. First, Figured Characteristics are no longer figured, nothing has been removed from the system, they have been 'decoupled.' No Characteristic is dependent on the value of another. This allows for you to buy any given ability to exactly where you want it, and all the math tricks and efficiency builds have been placed aside for a more fully realized concept. The second is a little less drastic, Normal Characteristic Maxima are now a campaign parameter that can be used or not used, they are no longer a Disadvantage you can take. The last change is the removal of the Comliness Characteristic. Something that was an interesting aside in the system but was routinely so poorly defined and so often ignored as to make it an extraneous feature. I am not a fan of the Characteristic being removed from the system, however I am a fan of the Mechanic that replaced it. Enough of a fan that in the larger picture the removal isn't a concern for me. The one aspect here I don't like is that Dexterity costs 2 points where all the other Primary Characteristics cost one point. It adds an unnecessary bias to the system that I don't think should exist.

 

Chapter Two - Skills. Skills define trained, learned, and sometimes inherent abilities. The Hero System has defined sixty-seven skills that cover almost everything you can think of. They are divided into categories based off the Characteristic they derive a base Skill Roll bonus from. Agility Skills, Intellect Skills and Interaction Skills make up the majority of the list. The other two categories are Background Skills and Combat Skills. Background Skills don't base themselves off a Characteristic by default, but you can purchase most of them like that, only Languages and Transport Familiarity have no skill rolls here. Skill Rolls are the most common use of the first major type of Roll in the system, the more you roll under your Skill Level the higher success rate you have. The chapter has a section regarding ways to gain bonuses, based either on favorable Skill Modifiers or Complimentary Skills. Using two skills in conjunction with each other opens up a wide breadth of ideas. Background Skills generally cover any learned topic, from Knowledge Skills of specific topics, Professional Skills for performing jobs, or Science Skills which are a more hands on form of Knowledge. The last type of skill are Combat Skills. And here is the biggest, and only real change, to the Skills.

 

Because all the Primary Characteristic costs were changed, and because Combat Values are now their own Characteristic, the Combat and Penalty Skill Levels needed to be changed as well. The costs not only changed, but how they worked was slightly modified. There are five levels, Single Attack, Small Group, Large Group, All Hand To Hand or Ranged, and All Attacks. The division of Small and Large groups adds a level of granularity and clarity that previously didn't exist. General Skill Levels have also changed slightly in cost. The other change here is that Seduction was renamed Charm, a minor change at best.

 

Skill Enhancers are still in the system, and still provide a discount based on a tight group of skills, such as Science Skills, Professional Skills, Languages and other Background Skills - as well as Contacts and Favors from the Perks chapter.

 

The only thing I think was missed here was an opportunity to take a few of the new Skills from the Ultimate Skill and add them to the core skill list. Specifically Feint, Instructor and Research are broad enough for use in any genre that they could have become part of the core list.

 

Chapter Three - Perquisites. Also known as Perks, these aren't abilities but resources, privileges and other items that a Character has access to. Cover identities, special access, favors, contacts, vehicles, bases, money and other benefits are covered here. If your super hero has a trusty sidekick, or a vehicle, or your spy has many identities to use, or a positive reputation, they have a Perk.

 

Fringe Benefit is the most varied Perk, it's not a single Perk but a collection of items a Character can buy when it's important to the genre. Things like Starships Licenses, Weapon Permits, Law Enforcement, and the like. The only real change here is that Followers are now entirely on a 1 point per 5 points cost basis, there is no point that switches to a 1:1 cost ratio. It's a minor change overall, and makes book keeping easier.

 

Chapter Four - Talents. Talents are innate abilities possessed by a Character, they are similar to Powers, but can be appropriate for Heroic and games that don't want a wide range of Powers in them. Talents are built directly from Powers, though this chapter does not provide the builds, they are tucked away in the Appendix. Building Talents from Powers allows a GM to create new Talents for their games easily without worrying about making sure points are balanced. Talents cover small things like always knowing where North is, being Ambidextrous, waking up at the slightest noise, or speed reading. To more fantastic abilities like Danger Sense, Combat Luck, and Deadly Blow.

 

Several Talents have been retooled slightly. The biggest and most appropriate change is that Ambidexterity is now reduced back to a more reasonable price compared to how it usually sees use. Topping out at 3 points instead of the 9 under fifth edition. Deadly Blow has been completely rebuilt, and added the core rules, to be more universal in application, and more 'rules compliant' - now it's built with Combat Skill Levels for adding damage. This makes it more expensive, but I feel the cost change is appropriate to the utility.

 

The other new Talent is Striking Appearance, which is what replaced Comliness. It more directly applies appearances to the Social Interaction Mechanics. It works very similar to the Positive Reputation Perk in that it adds direct situational modifiers where appropriate. In games with heavier social interaction I think players will welcome the more defined approach, and games that feature very little of it can get along as they always have. I think this is an addition to the system with a lot of potential, more so than most. The last new Talent is Weaponmaster, which is a companion to the reworked Deadly Blow Talent, another option aimed at more Heroic games looking for an epic feel.

 

Chapter Five - Powers. To a lot of people Hero System is and always will be Champions, which means Superheroes. That makes this chapter the bread and butter of the Hero System. This is arguably the core of what makes Hero a toolkit. The most basic premise in the System is that nothing (almost nothing) has an attached Special Effect, it's all generic blocks until the Player comes along, puts them together and provides the Special Effect - the flavor text. This core idea is Reasoning From Effect, in Hero you don't pick a power, you decide what you want to have happen and work backwards to the Power that best fits your imagination. Powers are divided into various groups - Attack, Defense, Movement, Adjustment, Sense Affecting, Mental, Body Affecting and Automaton. For anything that doesn't fit into those there are Standard and Special Categories, though many Powers will overlap into multiple categories.

 

Before Powers are even discussed the Chapter covers how they interact with each other. Duration is divided into Instant, Constant, and Persistent - defining how long a Power lasts, and if it lasts while a Character is Unconscious. The system has redefined the visibility of a Power - one of the best changes in the Powers section. Visibility is not only more clearly defined, but easier to work with. Now there are three stages; Obvious, Inobvious, and Invisible. This little thing went a long way to making working with Powers in game easier.

 

Each category gets a description of how the Powers are defined within it, how they interact, and any Modifiers specific to that set. After that the Power descriptions take up most of the book, filled with examples. Many of the Powers have had their descriptions tightened up. There are literally dozens of minor changes throughout, I couldn't possibly cover them all here. But I will hi-light some of the biggest changes. There are now sixty-four total Powers. While any Power in the system has a potential for abuse, and there is no substitute for the GM, the system does provide some guidelines for potentially very unbalancing or easily abusable Powers. These are Caution Signs and Stop Signs. I don't advise anyone to ban their use outright, too many options would be lost, one just has to be careful that these Powers aren't used to cause an imbalance in gameplay.

 

There are two completely new Powers: Barrier and Damage Negation. Barrier takes parts of Force Wall and Entangle and creates a new Power that works to form walls. It's not a simple rework of Force Wall, it adds Body to the construct, and provides a new set of ideas for creating objects with. Damage Negation is completely whole clothe new - instead of reducing damage after Attacks are made, it removes Damage Classes (dice) before damage is even rolled. How this will play out, I don't actually know personally, the idea is intriguing and I think it can add to some games. The Armor and Force Field Powers were both combined into a new Resistant Defense Power, which unifies the the entire mechanic of resistant defenses, which is a welcome and positive change.

 

Other changes; Absorption works on a set amount, not dice anymore. Aid is reworked slightly, and Succor is removed and replaced with Boost, which is Aid with Modifiers. Energy Blast was renamed a more generic Blast, which falls under one of those small but useful changes. Ego Attack was also renamed Mental Blast, again a more generic name, putting more Universal into the toolkit. Endurance Reserve was tweaked in lieu of Endurance being a full Characteristic with a price change of its own. The ability of Entangle to form barriers was removed, bringing it line with other powers of having a Single Mechanic. Life Support Immunity costs were reduced. Missile Deflection was reworked into two separate Powers: Deflection and Reflection, removing Special Effect from the Power, they are an enhancer for the new Ranged Block Maneuver. Regeneration was reworked again, creating a new Power based off the Recovery Characteristic. Automaton Powers are now moved to the main Power section, though they have STOP and CAUTION signs. The Automaton Powers include Does Not Bleed, No Hit Locations and Takes No Stun among others. Adding these to the main list opens up more options to the game, which I like. Suppress was removed and is now a Modified Drain, giving it consistency with Aid. All Attack Powers are now Ranged by default and the inherent Area has been removed from many Powers, notably Darkness and Change Environment. Growth, Shrinking and Density Increase have all been reworked to bring prices in line with the new Characteristics Costs, and are more logical as well. Gliding has been folded into Flight, though it still comes with it's own set of rules so the combining both does and doesn't make sense. There are likely many more minor changes I haven't mentioned that didn't immediately pop out at me.

 

All of these changes have done a lot to unify and tighten up the system, options have been opened up that hopefully allow groups to more fully realize concepts and ideas. One other major change to the system is that everything is now measured in Meters, instead of the nebulous and made up "Inches" - you buy all Movement Powers at 1 Point per 1 Meter, which isn't an actual cost change but is enough of a conceptual change to warrant mention.

 

One nice touch in this chapter is Power Tricks, going beyond simple Example Builds it goes into more depth of how to use a Power for something a little outside the box, or how to use other Powers in conjunction with each other for common Special Effects. These Power Tricks are helpful to new players looking to create a suite of Powers, especially around ideas like Stretching or Telekinesis.

 

Chapter Six - Power Advantages. These are Modifiers that enhance a Powers ability, from making affect an Area, reduce its Visibility or Endurance Cost, or any number of other beneficial utilities. For those new to the system Hero has three costs that a Power looks at: Base Cost, which is buying the Power straight. Active Cost, which is the Power after Advantages have been added, and Real Cost, which is the Power after Limitations are added (see below). The Active Cost is a gauge that can be used to determine any given Power Build's overall effectiveness. There are some significant changes here that expand and unify ideas. Attack Versus Alternate Defense and Alternate Combat Value replace a whole hodge podge of Advantages from previous editions, now it's easier to change what Defense a Power works against, or what Combat Values are used when creating a Power. This streamlined how Powers can be used to affect targets, creating a wide variety of attacks with ease. Area Of Effect was significantly changed, the Area is no longer based on the Active Points in a Power, instead you simply buy the shape and size area you want for a Power. Also added was Surface Area Of Effect, which can be used to create Damage Shields (which has been removed as a separate Advantage), or any number of other effects. Armor Piercing had its cost changed to make it more useful. Damage Over Time is a completely new Advantage that allows a Power to cause incremental damage over a specified time. Indirect was changed to be more intuitive. As was Invisible Power Effects, to comply with the new stepped arrangement of Obviousness. Megascale was slightly altered as well. Usable On Others has been altered significantly to be easier to work with and more straight forward. Now it's a table of options to choose from, instead of a few set concepts.

 

All these changes have created a more option rich set of Advantages, instead of a series of prebuilt constructs for specific ideas, they have been retooled and opened up to help create more variety in games.

 

Chapter Seven - Power Limitations. As mentioned, the third cost for Powers is Real Cost. When all is said and done this is the Points a Character pays to get the Power. Limitations are restrictions on how a Power can be used, or aspects that reduce it's overall utility, and even effectiveness against certain things. There are few changes in this section. Only In Heroic Identity was changed to Only In Alternate Identity to follow with the systems shift towards more neutral phrasing. And Obviousness has changed from the old Visibility Limitation to fit the new visibility rules. Requires A Roll folds the old Activation Roll and Requires A Skill Roll into a single unified mechanic, a logical and useful shift. And the biggest addition is Unified Power, which replaces the removed Elemental Control Framework. This addition removes a lot of problems, fills a lot of holes, and allows for a lot of flexibility in the system. In short Unified Power ties two or more Powers together into one Meta-Power based on Special Effect.

 

Chapter Eight - Power Frameworks. Power Frameworks are a method of providing a cost discount based on common special effects, or other similar considerations. They use a Pool of Points that limits how many Powers can be used at once, though allowing more flexibility in choices. There are only two Frameworks in the system - Elemental Control was removed completely. Multipower Pools are a way to purchase a Pool, and then purchase a list of Powers that can be used within it. Traditionally they are purchased for Attack Powers, or used as ways to allow Fantasy Games to give Mages built on Heroic Points to have a wide range of spells. Variable Power Pools are the other framework, very similar in idea to Multipower Pools, a common pool to determine how many Powers can be active, and a list of Powers to choose from. Power Pools have the advantage of being able to change out what Powers are in the list either during or between Adventures, or sessions. They have had one major change from previous editions, now you purchase the Pool and Control Cost of the Variable Power Pool separately. The Pool limits how many Powers can be active based on Real Cost, and the Control dictates how many Active Points any one Power can have. This separation is a major, and welcome, change in utility.

 

Chapter Nine - Complications. Disadvantages are now Complications, and bring a conceptual shift in how they are perceived in the system. Instead of taking on Disadvantages to add to your Base Points, you have to meet a GM decided level of Complications. It's a small distinction at best, but an important shift in thought. There are less matching points required than in previous editions. So what are Complications? Story hooks, character flaws, life's little drawbacks and obligations, and the like. They are tools for GMs and Players alike to create a more rounded character life and personality. Life has ups and downs, and Complications model the downs more or less. They can be used to affect a characters decisions, how they approach situations, or to spotlight a character for a short period.

 

One change made to Complications is that they have all been unified in execution. A Player chooses the Frequency and Severity that any given Complication will affect their lives. The Frequency is how often the Player wants to deal with the Complication, and the Severity is how much effect it should have in the overall picture. It is by far one of the most interesting aspects of the Hero System.

 

Chapter Ten - Example Characters. This chapter walks the reader through the Creation process to create the Pulp Hero Randall Irons. This is a good example of creating a Heroic Character. After that there are a series of brief write-ups of Average Individuals, from small children to competent normals. It's a short chapter, the walk through of creation is helpful, but it would have been nice to see a Superheroic Character creation walk through as well.

 

Appendix And Index. The Appendix has the Size Templates in it, for creating large and small characters. It also contains all the builds for the Talents so a group has examples to go off if they want to create their own Talents. The Index is the combined indices from both Volume 1 and 2 of the Core Rules, for ease of cross reference. As usual the Hero Index is thorough and complete.

 

The Character Sheet has also gotten a makeover, It's broken into three columns on the front, with boxes for major elements. It has been cleaned up, streamlined and every part should be useful for almost every game. The back is essentially unchanged, though it too has been cleaned up, giving a little more space to those of us that don't write in 2-point fonts.

 

The book is thick and sturdy, and in complete full color, which adds a lot to the already slick layout common to Hero products. A number of nice aspects were applied to the layout, first chapter makers are on the page sides for easy navigation to the right spot. Full color also gives a little more oomph to things like breakout boxes in the text. Sixth Edition has added one element to the rules that really expand on the idea behind the system. Tool Kitting Options are sections that expand on or provide optional rules. While the Rules can, and likely will, be used As Written by the majority of groups the Tool Kitting sections that are throughout the text really emphasize the idea that the Hero System is supposed to be modified to fit your groups play style.

 

From a wide perspective the whole system, despite having more pages, feels better put together than ever before. Things seem to integrate more easily, more options have been opened up within the system itself. All these options and ideas come at a price - the GM has to more closely monitor their game. The advantage is that almost every idea can be accommodated within the rules without requiring House Rules.

 

The Downside:

 

Entire discussions can, and have been, started on the various changes to the Hero System. Of all the changes made, I would have liked to see Comliness stay, if for no other reason than it being an interesting quirk in the System. But I can't actually say I find that its removal to be detrimental to the system. I think an opportunity to add a few more Skills to round out the system was missed as well.

 

The Otherside:

 

Overall, you will either have use for a universal toolkit to create the game you want with, or you won't. This is not a middle ground system, it requires a lot of up front work to get from start to gameplay. This is neither a good nor bad thing, for those that enjoy the process of creation itself I believe they will find exactly what they are looking for with the Hero System - even more so with the Sixth Edition.

 

For those thinking of moving from previous editions of Hero, I can only say that after sitting down and reading the Creation Rules from cover to cover, things are actually less complex than before, parts fit together more logically and more consistency has been applied to the system. While adding even more choices for ways to do things.

 

The layout of the book is clean, easy to follow and read, especially for such a thick book, and makes excellent use of white space to help reduce the density of the text.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I didn't see this on the errata list; apologies if it's been brought up before.

 

The Index lists the Selective Desolid Advantage as being on 6E1 192, but it is not mentioned on that page or anywhere else I can find. I'm guessing it went into the Advanced Character Creation Handbook (which I haven't picked up yet)?

 

BTW Steve - as someone who was initially very skeptical about the new edition... WELL DONE! I've been very pleased so far.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

The Index lists the Selective Desolid Advantage as being on 6E1 192' date=' but it is not mentioned on that page or anywhere else I can find. I'm guessing it went into the Advanced Character Creation Handbook (which I haven't picked up yet)?[/quote']

 

Yes, it's on APG 90.

[Steve Long]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

BTW Steve - as someone who was initially very skeptical about the new edition... WELL DONE! I've been very pleased so far.

 

Glad you're enjoying it!

 

And as IJ3 mentioned, Selective Desolidification is in the APG. Sorry for the confusion!

[drrushing]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Question about paperback editions...

 

I searched for the Hero System books online, and after considerable effort, found them. I also found 2 books, paperback versions...of slightly different names, but appear to be at least similar to the hardcover Basic System and Advanced Player books.

 

Are they similar, compatible, just paperback versions of the hardcover books?...I was leery of them because they have different names, and before I purchased them, I wanted some clarification.

 

Sorry, I haven't found any other reference to them...maybe I'm just blind, or my google-fu is weak.

 

Thanks in advance.

[drrushing]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Ah...found it...are the Basic System/Advanced Player's books adequate as replacements for the Hardcover books, or simply supplements and I'll need the two Hardcover books as well?

[ghost-angel]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Basic Rules are just that - Basic. Some things are left out, somethings are given a slightly hardcoded version. A lot of examples are removed, and so it a lot of the advice in the back of Volume 2. You can play the system with this book easily, but it's not Everything.

 

Advanced Rules are alternate, optional, or otherwise expanded rules ideas a group can use to supplement the Core Rules. You can't play with this book alone, it's entirely optional.

[SteveZilla]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

BTW, is 6E (1 and 2) hardback or softback? What about the Advanced guide and the Martial Arts book?

[Escafarc]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

BTW' date=' is 6E (1 and 2) hardback or softback? What about the Advanced guide and the Martial Arts book?[/quote']

 

6E 1&2-Hardback APG/HSMA-Solfback

[SteveZilla]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

6E 1&2-Hardback APG/HSMA-Solfback

 

That'll work. The ones that will likely get the most (ab)use are the hardbacks. And I just ordered the full set of those and their PDFs. Just doing my little part to keep DoJ afloat.

[Talon]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Question: my PDF copy of 6E1 has a bookmark issue -- all of the powers are under the "POWER EXAMPLES: ABSORPTION" header. This isn't the largest problem in the world, but if there's an updated version of the PDF I'd love to get it.

[Nicholiathan]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Is there any estimate on when Volume 2 Combat and Adventuring will be available again. My local game store can't get it in stock and my online order is stuck in pending.

[hartm1967]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

Is there any estimate on when Volume 2 Combat and Adventuring will be available again. My local game store can't get it in stock and my online order is stuck in pending.

 

I would be interested in knowing about the availability of the 6th edition rulebooks from the Online Store myself. I am planning on ordering a spare set of copies of both volumes, but the "item detail" for the bundle indicates "[Note: Books still in transit from printer. Will ship upon arrival]"

 

Is there any indication of how long a wait this might entail? If there is likely a long wait involved (i.e., more than a month), then I will probably hold off placing an order for these books.

[QuietusEmissary]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

I have the same question as the above two posts. I prefer hard copies because they're easier to navigate and cause way less eye strain when read for long periods, but I might not be able to take them with me when I leave for school in the fall. So I'd really like to be able to get the book+PDF bundles for 6E Volumes 1 and 2, but the only copies of 6E1 right now are marked "damaged cover" and 6E2 is "in transit". Any idea when you'll get new copies of either/both? If new copies of 6E1 aren't on the way, just how badly damaged is this "damaged cover"?

 

HERO looks completely amazing, and I can't wait to get the books and start playing.

[Steve Long]

Re: The HERO System 6th Edition

 

We have no set date for getting a new print run of 6E1 adn 6E2 done, and thus no specific date when they'll be available. Because we no longer want to print the books in China, we have to transition them to our current color printer in Texas, which will be extremely expensive. So it's not something we can just do whenever we want, we have to make sure it's all in the budget, etc., etc.

 

On the upside, this will allow us to correct typos, errata, etc. from the first printing, so the second printing books will actually be a smidgen better.