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Western Hero - just got a free copy


Barwickian

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Re: Western Hero - just got a free copy

 

I'm at the UAE's second minicon. Just finished running what I believe may be Arabia's first game of Car Wars. Busy proselytising Hero System - and have just been given (given!) A copy of Western Hero by a chap who's never used it (or played Hero).

 

Boy, am I happy. This is a true classic.

And written by one of the creators of "Deadlands", Matt Forbeck.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 months later...

To answer starblaze, here's a crosspost from minutes ago-

 

I'd like to run a HERO System game, The League of Extraordinary Americans, with appearances from the Lone Ranger, Tonto, the Duke, Kwai Chan Caine, The Man With No Name, Tom Sawyer, Dorothy Gale, James West, Artemus Gordon, and more, including original characters, who may be Player Characters.

"What's your given name, Agent Finn?"

"I'll be your Huckleberry."

For the first adventure, I'm thinking that the LXA (League of Extraordinary Americans) are all attending completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad in the USA, May 10, 1869, Promontory Summit, Utah. 

Kwai Chan Caine is driving rails. 

Tom Sawyer is a Union Pacific Detective, providing security.

There is a big ceremony, with President U.S. Grant scheduled to appear, protected by James West and Artemus Gordon. 

Royal Princess of Oz Dorothy Gale is also expected, defended by the Duke and The Man With No Name. 

The Lone Ranger and Tonto are there on their own recognizance, looking for trouble.

What could go wrong? 

LXA (League of Extraordinary Americans) Q & A

 

What's the Big Picture? What's going on in this setting that makes it ripe for adventure? What's changing, evolving, declining?

 
Become a legend of the Wild West; Lawman, Indian, Outlaw, Gambler, or any of the many possibilities. The States are reunited, and growing in power.  The Confederacy and the Second Mexican Empire have fallen.  
 
What's the world's culture? What are the cultural analogs? Analogs can be taken from historical earth, current events or fantasy works.
 
Inspired by Westerns and westerners of that period.  Liberties are taken with fictional characters. Expect real events and persons, too.

What's the conflict in which the characters are involved? What are the sides? What's wrong?
 
Protect your personal and community interests.  Last year, 1868, a second Fort Bowie was built on a plateau near your town of Promise City, to protect Apache Pass and Apache Spring.  It includes an adobe barracks, houses, corrals, a trading post, and a hospital. 
Fort_Bowie_1880.jpg

What physical place does this conflict take place in? What ecology, environment, place?

 
The Old West.

What's the name of the most important place in this setting? Not the capital or any dumb $#!+ like that, but THE PLACE where all the action goes down?
 
Promise City, in eastern Pima County, Arizona Territory, wildest part of the wild west. Rustlers are everywhere. Indians and badmen lurk in the hills. Robberies are common.  This area borders southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and northwestern Mexico's Sonara state.  One of four ceremonial commemorative spikes came from here for our first adventure, The Golden Spike.  
  • a blended iron, silver and gold spike, engraved: Ribbed with iron clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent and dictated a pathway to commerce. (Source:Deseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, April 24, 2007)

What's the name of a faraway place that folks talk about, dream about or mutter under their breath about?
 
The legendary city of gold, El Dorado.

Who are the antagonists? Who is opposing the goals of the characters?
 
The mad dwarf genius Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless, his accomplices the gigantic Voltaire and the beautiful songstress Antoinette, notorious outlaw John Bly and his gang, Count Carlos Mario Vincenzo Robespierre Manzeppi, a master of dark magic and leader of handpicked teams of assassins, and others.

Imagine all of the characters are standing a room/ruin/field with the antagonists or their minions. What do the antagonists want from that meeting? What do the characters want from that meeting?
 
Your foes demand your subservience or your death.  Your allies want justice and mercy for all.

Alternately, imagine the characters standing at the scene of some great disaster or calamity clearly caused by one of the antagonists. What's the disaster? How did it happen? What are the characters going to do about it right now?
 
U.S. Civil War, dispute over the spread of slavery.  President Ulysses S. Grant needs help to eliminate all vestiges of Confederate nationalism and slavery, protecting African American citizenship, and destroying the Klu Klux Klan.
 
What type of magic exists in this world?
 
Mostly shamanism.

What character stocks are in play in this world? Which are restricted and why? 

Human and only human for players. NPCs may differ.

What cultural traits apply to the characters of this game world? Pick three character traits for each culture.
 
American- advanced, imperialistic, reconstruction.
Indian- aboriginal, displaced, resentful.
Mexican- federalist, anti-clerical, and pro-capitalist.
 
Material world: What weapons and armor are available? Are some weapons and armor restricted to certain cultures or character stocks? What property is available? Are resources and gear otherwise restricted?
 
 Some Old West era weapons are free.  Anything more noteworthy than a .45 caliber firearm costs points.  Armor and shields and such cost points.
 
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Looking at my copy just recently. Has anyone tried running a campaign?

My group ran an adventure using it when it was first published. Our first and only gun battle ended badly. It's a great sourcebook, but use 5e or 6e rules to build characters. Esp if you want a game that plays like a cinematic western. (ie Combat Luck is a must for ALL PCs in a Western Hero game)

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Looking at my copy just recently. Has anyone tried running a campaign?

 

 

My group ran an adventure using it when it was first published. Our first and only gun battle ended badly. It's a great sourcebook, but use 5e or 6e rules to build characters. Esp if you want a game that plays like a cinematic western. (ie Combat Luck is a must for ALL PCs in a Western Hero game)

 

A long time ago.  But I agree with Tasha.  We ended up up making a LOT of characters before going back to Supers.

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Things change.  As our campaign opens, in Spring of 1869, Ohio and Indiana are "the West," not just points west of the Mississippi.  People in the Western Territories sometimes referred to the East as "The States."

 
Cowboys in the Sandwich Islands, later called Hawaii, are called paniolos.
 
Army cavalrymen were between 5'5" and 5'10", and were to weigh no more than 150 pounds, as horses and all their tackle could only carry about 240 pounds.
 
Army recruits earned $13 per month for their first two years, $14 for year three, $15 for year four, and $16 for year five, the last year of their obligation.  Subsequent pay was $18 until year eleven- $1 pay increase per each additional 5-year enlistment.  Corporals pay likewise ranged from $15-$20 per month, duty sergeants $18-$23 per month, first sergeants $25-$30 per month, based on years of service.
 
By 1868, four African-American regiments ("Buffalo Soldiers") were consolidated into the 24th and 25th infantry regiments.
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  • 4 weeks later...

Looking at my copy just recently. Has anyone tried running a campaign?

I've run several over the decades. As others have mentioned it can get bloody wicked fast. Most of my players quickly learned the fine art of taking cover and not blazing away from the middle of the street.

 

This is one of the books that I can only wish will come back. I seriously doubt that there is a strong market for the genre among Hero gamers.

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The old westdont get no respect in the gaming world.

 

Deadlanda was ok!

 

QM

And what little product we get is nearly always "Weird West." Apparently the genre is unpopular in the RPG world; or else no one has come up with the formula to bring in the fans. Aces & Eights was too rules-heavy for me and the alternate history default setting was a turnoff. I still resort to Boot Hill as GURPS Old West I didn't find to be very good.

 

Any opinions on Western Hero? I saw a used copy I am thinking about getting.

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And what little product we get is nearly always "Weird West." Apparently the genre is unpopular in the RPG world; or else no one has come up with the formula to bring in the fans. Aces & Eights was too rules-heavy for me and the alternate history default setting was a turnoff. I still resort to Boot Hill as GURPS Old West I didn't find to be very good.

 

Any opinions on Western Hero? I saw a used copy I am thinking about getting.

 

I thought it was ok. It was published in the same period as 1e Fantasy Hero. So it has background stuff, writeups of weapons. Famous Old West Personalities etc.

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Western Hero was a sourcebook/ genrebook for HERO 4th edition. It provides Deadwood as a setting (around 1876) and does it very decently - especially the description of the town itself was very well done IMO (only the map of Deadwood could be a little bit better, but does the job).

 

There are some short adventures and one longer once featuring a train-robbery with GREAT MAPS !!! of the train and plays out nicely. My group enjoyed it.

In the back you have an assortment of critters, some of them unfortunately a little faulty on the stats (the scorpion has DEX 25 and no Shrinking - so it is basically the size of a pony ...), but the generic stats for Outlaw, Brave, Soldier, Lawman etc are very good and the character write-ups of Jesse James, Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Will Bill etc. even better.

 

All in all very nicely done. And even if you just play the scenarios in the book and sandbox in Deadwood you have a nice little campaign.

 

Was well worth my time!

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Western Hero was a sourcebook/ genrebook for HERO 4th edition. It provides Deadwood as a setting (around 1876) and does it very decently - especially the description of the town itself was very well done IMO (only the map of Deadwood could be a little bit better, but does the job).

 

There are some short adventures and one longer once faeturing a train-robbery with GREAT MAPS !!! of the train and plays out nicely. My group enjoyed it.

In the back you have an asortment of critters, some of them unfortunately a little faulty on the stats (the scorpion has DEX 25 and no Shrinking - so it is basically the size of a pony ...), but the generic stats for Outlaw, Brace, Soldier, Lawman etc are very goood and the character write-ups of Jesse James, Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, Will Bill etc. even better.

 

All in all very nicely done. And even if you just play the scenarios in the book and sandbox in Deadwood you have a nice little campaign.

Was well worth my time!

Thanks for the information. As 4th is my go-to edition, this may be worth getting.

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