The best approach?

[tcabril]

Hi All!

I am looking best approach advice here - so thanks in advance.

 

I purchased the 6th Ed Hero System 2 book set and was very impressed and wow'd by it. Then I started working my way through it and was daunted by the amount of information that I had to keep straight and in my head. I then bought Champions Powers in an attempt to help me learn by sort of "reverse engineering" the powers to learn how they are built. Well it works great sometimes and I am stumped other times...

 

So I came up with this approach to working my way through this system and I am so impressed by it that I am determined to figure this all out! I purhcased the Hero System Basic rulebook and I am reading through that and where I want/need I go to the Big Books and read more and I am going to run my first game by letting my players just choose powers from the Champions Powers book rather than trying to work them up. I will limit myself (at first) to this tactic with the NPCs.

 

As for gadgets and equipment - the Champions Powers book suggests applying either "Focus" or Charges aspects to them to make the powers equipment of Gadgets (any help here? is just a formula?)

 

So what do you think? I have heard nothing but great stuff about this game and though no one that I know plays it - I want to bring it to my group!

 

Thanks!

Todd

[Doc Democracy]

Re: The best approach?

 

Todd

 

I have never tried to 'learn' the Hero System. By that I mean I never sat down and began reading it to get to the point where I knew it. Even in the early days that was more than my head would permit.

 

Instead, I began by playing the system. I created characters and fought them to see if they 'worked' in practice. I introduced players into a controlled environment (characters created by me as pre-gens) so that I could see what the players wanted to do with the stuff I had given them and learned the mechanics of gameplay through that.

 

Over time, I found that I had used pretty much all of the rules in one way or another and probably knew those rules inside out. It took time and lots of playing the game but most of it has stuck. Everything since then has been gentle evolution rather than revolution (though you'd never believe it look at some of the debates we've had on changes! )

 

You have a major advantage in that the boards are here to bounce things off and suggest other ways to accomplish things. That should make the learning process much quicker. You also have the possibility of starting in pulp or fantasy rather than in superheroes where all of the rules have a decent chance of being needed. Both pulp and fantasy give you a great excuse for presenting much more limited options.

 

 

Doc

[Fearghus]

Re: The best approach?

 

Doc has a bunch of valid points. I first began the system as a player with a GM who knew the system. I will say this though: the system seems daunting at first but there are enough constants in it that once you have the basics down in your head the rest can be referenced as needed. The system doesn't really do exceptions to the rules like other systems do, so things tend to be more consistent. The daunting part is the free form aspect to character creation which just makes alot of players brains explode (including mine).

 

Since you are all starting as new players and GM alike I think your idea of beginning with previously generated powers is a good one. I would not try a long complicated campaign if I were you I would probable start with one or two shot adventures, and try to create/use a wide variety of powers to get accustomed to how various different powers work. Don't be afraid of using the stop signs and exclamation points, so that you can find out about why there is a warning.

[tcabril]

Re: The best approach?

 

Thanks for the advice! I will say that this is a rather friendly board!

 

Can I run another question by you all?

 

If I wanted to create a Batman type grappling hook gun is this how it would be done?

 

1. Purchase CLINGING power at STR +15 [just for number generation] so base = (10+5)=15 [i got that from the base of 10 then the STR +15 would be 15/3x1 = +5]

 

2. Advantages a) RANGED +1/2;

3. Disadvantages a) CHARGES(3) -1 1/4 OAF -1

 

So the Active cost would be(?); 22[ 15*1.5] and the Real Cost would be 7pts [22/1+(1.25+1)]

 

Am I even in the ball park here?

 

Thanks

Todd

[Fearghus]

Re: The best approach?

 

There have been a number of write ups for the grappling gun. I think my favorite is built as a multi-power with swinging, stretching, and entangle with various appropriate limitations. You have to start with what you want the power to do. He can climb walls with it, he can swing from it (swinging) he can strike objects at a distance (stretching) and he can grab/snare people with it (entangle). I would post this as a separate How to build question. I am sure you will get a large number of responses.