Completely Comic HERO

[Michael Hopcroft]

I know there are occasional references in various HERO books to running a comedy game, but I don't know of anyone actually doing it. Something about the mechanical precision of HERO character creation and character modeling,. and the overall seriousness of (and emphasis on) combat seems to de-emphaisze humor.

 

I, on the other hand, would love to see some characters who may not have any combat capabilties but have character quirks and foibles that make them funny. Sometimes funny in obvious ways, sometimes in subtle ways, but funny nontheless. Some series I am very fond of would be very difficult to translate to HERO but a lot of fun to play in, from Urusei Yatsura to Kiko-chan's Smile and Azumanga Daioh. And that's just the anime examples -- wouldn't it be fun to take your favorite TV comedy and turn it into an RPG? Especially if you get the opportunity to actually have your characters develop over time?

[Snarf]

Most of the time I like to do action comedy, with action and comedy either taking turns or happening at the same time. I like to use Hero for parody games because it's pretty easy to simulate the most ridiculous shows or movies with balance and mechanical precision.

 

The disadvantage system helps the comedy some, but only to a point. If the players really get into it and roleplay the disadvantges funny then it's great, but if not it's like words on paper which restrict the actions they can take.

 

For completely comedy games, I think almost any system works as long as the players are into it.

[BobGreenwade]

I don't know that Sitcom Hero would be a worthwhile endeavor (except perhaps as a Digital Hero article), but I would like to eventually see something along the lines of Saturday Morning Hero, sort of a HERO Games answer to Steve Jackson's Toon. This could take the flexibility of the HERO Game System to a whole new level -- try to imagine how one might write up, for example, Donald Duck or Wakko Warner.

[Lord Liaden]

IMHO HERO would work marvelously for Toons. The division of STUN and BODY already allows for lots of non-lethal mayhem; mix in Healing or Regeneration and the Toons could fall off cliffs and drop anvils on each other all day long. Variable Power Pools are just the thing for pulling giant hammers out of your pocket, defying gravity or any of the other stunts that Toons can execute at will. Use simplified combat, Knockback and Powers for a superheroic campaign, and you're good to go.

[Sociotard]

I could see comedy hero being possible, but all must admit the time it takes to generate a hero character, and even with a steller gm, gameplay isn't the fastest. When I play comedy, things seem to work better with a unnaturally simple system. Namely B.E.E.R. System (by 9th level games), used to play the classic "Kobolds ate my Baby" and my personal favorite "NinjaBurger" (though in NinjaBurger they call the system S.A.K.I.) Ninja Burger has the characters play ninja who deliver fast food into highly secure areas. Great stuff.

[Lord Mhoram]

I played in a comedy game with hero. It was supers... the PCs were a little blue guy with a 60 pt variable power pool that he had no control over (a wand of wonder thing), a small flying dragon (think the Lockhheed from Kitty's dream) and I played a variation of Slimer from the Ghostbuster cartoon. It was a blast.

 

Very much in the mode of Toon.