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Icons struck me as "FASERIP meets SAGA meets FATE" in its construction. Not a bad game, but a bit quick and interpretive. My favorite version of Hero has always been 4th ed. The rules were a tad less crunchier, the game had a slew of content, and it was when I ran it the most.

Chaosium BRP did have a supers game called Superworld, which was created by Steve Perrin. Very influenced by Champions (or so it felt), and was the rules used in the famous Wild Cards setting.

I believe there are a few on the web still. Surbrook's Stuff still is up IIRC. Plus there are some in the downloads section of this site.

a) Give your episodes titles? Yup. Often give campaigns "Title Names" with "Issue" names and numbers, and have done some crossovers in the past. b) Do you give origins to all your villains Yup. Most have a Handbook-style sheet available with stats and an illustration. c) Are your important NPCs stated out? Yup. As part of my city guides. d) Do you go above and beyond the duty with special props for any of your games? I've made reward cards in the past, as well as having some illustrations drawn up of important characters, a semi-weekly news update with fun info and adventure hooks, and have offered players a solo session as needed. e) anything else? I try to make my settings "Living" for the players. My superhero setting has been relatively consistent over the last three decades, changing only to make it more modern (or post-modern) as needed.

First, let me preface by saying the game I mentioned wasn't exactly a superHERO game. More a superTEEN game. 1. There is nothing saying that they wouldn't. I would rely on my players and trust them to play their characters as needed. Does a 12 year old understand what's happening? Of course not. That's why the age was chosen. I also never said there wouldn't be people to check them. 2. The burnout wouldn't be at first, and it doesn't always occur at 20. Sometimes the brightest flame burns the fastest. 3. Of course it's not stable. Again, the reason why it was chosen. I've had players using characters in their 30s who don't understand wanton destruction as much as others. How is this different? 4. I had plans for training, but it might be a combo of outside help, reflexive understanding, and basic training. The more you use your powers, the more you would get a better grip on them. 5. That's a great question, and one that would be posited toward any player in such a campaign. You might get a bit of column A and column B mixed in a group setting. 6. There would've been outside forces looking to solve the burnout issue, as well as people looking to solve the power problem entirely. Some would see it as a curse, while others would see it as a gift. But I would imagine I would have a few players who might have tried to tackle the issue once it presented itself. For example, if your power is Incredible Intelligence, you might try to understand your gift more. Might being the operative word there. I should also note that the concept I posted was never full fleshed out or played. Not because it wasn't something that folks were or weren't interested, but rather something I just didn't have time to push forward.

I'd considered running a game where the "super-gene" appears at age 12 in humans and has potential of burning out by the time they hit 20. Think Strikeforce Morituri meets Teen Titans. In the concept, I was going to start it on Day One. No experience with the gene, the players would be the first heroes who could inspire the future. Each year of the campaign would be a year in real time, so they had potentially 7 years to solve the gene issue. Too bad it never went forward.

I would love to see a 4th ed reprint with modern design sensibilities. Nice color pages, beautiful colored illustrations, well organized headers and chapters, etc.

As many have stated, without Hero/Champions, we might not have some of the options we have today. But, in a world where Hero was removed but games still evolved to where we were? I think I would've latched onto Villains & Vigilantes more, or maybe have played more Palladium. But, eventually, I would've played more FASERIP (which I played the hell out of in the '80s). I think, eventually, I'd have found myself playing Silver Age Sentinels, and eventually Mutants & Masterminds, much like I do these days. But maybe with a different perspective than I have now. If we view this as game evolution having mutated due to Hero's absence, and the game not existing to inspire others? I think I'd have just stuck with FASERIP, honestly. Always loved the game, and have always been curious how it would look if it had more game evolution over the decades.

How anyone uses the power is kind of irrelevant, isn't it? The trend of "how to build" becoming "how you should use in you game" is becoming a bit tedious on the boards as of late. But to answer the question, the character in question is designed as a foil for the group in my campaign. Not really about controlling the heroes so much as others around them. But there's a certain emulation that I'm looking for that's not Transform, for example.

I'm not seeing the color shift as a power... there's no advantage to it. Rather it's a drawback of the Mind Control and really should be a Limitation.

Arise! Arise thread of old! I have a question in which this thread it could be told! Ia! Okay, now that the necrothreadancy has been properly cast, I was wondering something about Purple Man's powers. How would you emulate the purple-ness of his pheromone power? Is it just a result of Perceivable? In the comics, when someone is taken over by PM, they turn purple. Thoughts?

Wow. Accusatory much, Steriaca? Sorry you don't like bases. Maybe you should find a different thread to be grumpy on? Just as an aside, which part of the examples I cited (see below) were about an apartment or just a living space? None? I thought so too.

Bingo! Ouch! I've had a few similar "End of Game" scenarios. I think the most infamous one was when I was in high school. Ran a game for a few weeks before dealing with a player who argued with me about our fathers during a session and I ended up kicking him out of my house. Craziness. Sometimes a group just needs to end to move on to something cooler. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WomenInRefrigerators

Yeah, but it's not the same. I like bases and think they have a place in games.

Well, he was a friend at the time.

Super useful! Thanks, @unclevlad! Man, I miss the Mastermind Option.

Got psyched to run Target Hero back in the day. Read through the module, made notes to modify the characters... then lent the book out to a friend. Who told the group and shared the notes. And never gave me back the book until AFTER the session.

I'm open to see anything. One of the biggest issues I've always found when it comes to Hero bases is the Size stat. I really wish there were better examples of each rank in CC or TUB. I mean, sure, we start at the size of the Empire State Building. But what about a penthouse apartment? Or an underground cave?

Howdy Herodom! I was working on a few things and got to thinking about bases. We see so many heroes and villains statted up, but rarely do we see the bases they use. Has anyone worked on things like the Batcave? The Fortress of Solitude? A Helicarrier? Xavier's School for the Gifted?

For Sleep, what about a Transform based on CON?

I'm working on bringing XML into InDesign one of these days. Just need to figure out the coding on the InDesign side.

I don't know if it needs less detail, just good organization and clear navigation.

Most definitely one of the drivers. With Matt Mercer working on some 5e stuff, as well as creating their own content for the game, I really don't think we'd see the surge in popularity without Critical Role.

What is everyone's opinion on the best Export option for printing? I've looked at a few of the HTML ones and there are some offset page breaks that can be deal breakers for me. Anyone know of one that works pretty well, particularly for newer players?

I agree that 4th edition had something special going for it. The rules weren't as heavy as they feel now, and there was some fun still left in the tank, even with the figured characteristics and such. As for the books, I've beat this dead horse a few times, but we just need a solid design structure for the books. Color books that have well laid out sheets and info. Support is also key, but the books need to stray from the text-book layout and come into a more modern graphic design. I ran Mutants & Masterminds for years partially because the books LOOK like a superhero game. I agree that we need more engaging settings and materials. But there are some "special sauces" that D&D has that few other games do: Critical Role. The idea that a bunch of voice celebrities come together weekly (for the most part) and run a game of D&D on screen for MILLIONS to view really has helped D&D out. A LOT. If Hero could tap into that kind of energy, it might see more people playing and getting excited about it. And not just with Champions, but with other settings as well.