bluesguy

As GM I never track END for NPCs; I tend to do one or more of the following:
 
1) Buy charactes enough END / have powers with Reduced END so it shouldn't be an issue, unless the fight goes well beyond a Turn or someone gets KO'd and becomes conscious again.
2) END Reserve.
3) Guesstimate -- if someone has high END powers I keep using and/or he Pushes his powers, I have him lose a Phase doing a Recovery, or just not have END (or occasionally burn STUN) to do a particular power.
4) In some cases, a team might have a mechanism in place to not worry about END.  For instance, a group of androids (the New Gods) had a broadcast power truck nearby, feeding them energy (an Aid to STUN + END).  When the players got wind of this, they started seeking out that truck to take it out.  After it got trashed, I started guesstimating the androids' END levels.
 
- - - - -
 
Regarding agents, I group them into single "meta-characters" with extra END and attack damage based on the size of the group (the number of doublings in size).  For instance, a squad of 10 VIPER agents, each with 25 STUN and 9d6 blasters, would become a single group-character (three doublings) having 55 STUN and doing 12d6 (but only rolling one of that attack).  Each loss of 10 STUN reduces their damage by a DC (and cuts their size roughly in half).  I also differentiate between area attacks vs. individually-targeted attacks against groups; the former does straight damage, the latter is divided by the number of doublings in the group.
 
It requires a bit of mental math on my part, but the savings in dice rolls / tallying damage / tracking which individual agents are up or not is tremendous.  Using this, I once ran an all-out VIPER attack on the local PRIMUS base - something like 6 squads of VIPER agents with multiple vehicles versus maybe 3 squads of PRIMUS agents, plus the PC heroes.  It was still pretty complex, but instead of tracking 60 VIPER agents and 30 PRIMUS agents (80 individual characters) I was running 6 VIPER "characters" and 3 PRIMUS "characters", plus the vehicles. 
 

My money is on ninjas.

IMHO bringing law into a fantasy game is mostly a plot device. Usually specific laws should be applied only as a springboard to an interesting story. A lot of common crimes should be self-evident to any reasonable player: theft, trespassing, disorderly conduct, murder, blasphemy, etc. It's not at all unreasonable for a GM to deal with such situations on a case-by-case basis, rather than working out a whole system beforehand.

Dude, I have just sat here for two hours, typing, and eventually deleted it all.
 
The answer, I think, it "no; despite thinking I could, I clearly cannot."
 
In the telling, nothing came across as truly unique (though none of it came off as "kingdom" either).  The problem is that what makes a setting truly unique or compelling isn't the overview, as much as it is the details, and those are really hard to "sum up."  
 
Let me try one more time, keeping in mind that this time I'm not even going to bother trying details:
 
Nine Clans of the arid plains is just what it sounds like: it's a collection of 9 nomadic clans that used to fight constantly, and steal and raid from each other all the time-- little more than barbarians.  Eventually a "visionary" leader was born to one of the tribes and he spent his life creating peace between his own and two other clans through trade and, eventually, the sharing of certain secrets of craftsmanship, farming, and even raiding.  He stressed most of all that no one Clan should rule all three Clans, and implemented a system by which the three leaders were always under the protection of a troupe of guards composed of equal number of guards from all Clans but his own.  One guard was changed each day, so as to slow any possible plotting.  One leader made all decisions for Three Clans, and remained "In office" for a single season, then the leader of another Clan took over for a season, etc. To ensure fair treatment of the other Clans, the new leader's first decision is always a ceremony in which he judges the previous leader's decisions and treatment of the Clans other than his own as "worthy of the ruler of Three Clans."  If he judges yes, the old leader is returned to lead his Clan and there is a great celebration, etc.  If he judges "no," there is a public execution and great celebration, etc.  Theoretically, in this way and Clan leader can stop a potential alliance between any other two leaders.
 
Over the course of the next few generations, all nine of the arid plains Clans have been united into what is known as Nine Clans.  Honestly, the larger the alignment became, the easier it was to sway the remaining Clans.  The Clans are still nomadic and responsible for their own, and still travel their traditional Clan routes, though there is much more mingling between the Clans than before, and they still meet for seasonal celebrations and the transition of power.
 
 
There.  That's one, and it went on too long and told too little.
 
One more:
 
Sway (as opposed to rule) by sharing
 
A much more educated people, far smaller in number, and decentralized as student travelers, are defacto "rulers" of  a small forest continent.  Originally arriving here to study, they found native tribes of people similar to themselves and, out of compassion, helped to heal the sick.  They were first revered as god-like beings, which to a being they denied (though it may have stuck with them that they were somehow "better" than the natives, from person to person).  They never settled with the people, and continue to travel as "students of science ("science" in this case being magic, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, all practiced as aspects of botany or meteorology).  They will happily offer advice to natives (when asked, or even volunteer when a clear problem is evident: farming techniques, harvesting of animals, preparations of medicines, or even advanced warnings of great storms), but have never forced it on them.  Over the generations, the native villages noticed that those who accepted the advice of the "wood walkers" tended to fare much better than those who didn't, and eventually the "Storm Seers" became so influential as to be sought out for counsel on all manner of issues, even as villages grew into towns, cities, and eventually small city-states, independent of but peaceful with (on the advice of the Wood Walkers) each other. These mystics (as seen by the natives) do not try or even wish to rule, but they sort of do regardless
 
 
There is a small fortification known as the Peasant's Keep.
 
A castle, ostensibly, is a fortification in which the rulers and their closest confidants live, and in which the peasants and serfs may seek shelter in times of invasion.
 
These castles are "fed" by a feudal system, peasants working farms that ultimately provide food for the nobility and its army.  The larger the nobility and its army, the greater its need for material.  Spread out too far, and even the army is charged with spreading out and making sure that the peasants are performing their due diligence for the nobility  (when they should be drilling, or at least not skipping leg day).
 
When a kingdom gets so large that the peasants realize that during an invasion they have a seventeen mile sprint to the safety of the king's fortifications, problems arise.
 
One such kingdom once existed, and it's furthest-flung reaches were so far flung that the nobility dispatched to keep it governed ordered the construction of a walled fortification at this location, as it was ridiculous to think anyone could make it to the castle.  In this fortification, the army dispatched to enforce the king's law could drill and barrack, and the local nobility tasked with running the poor in this area could live in relative comfort.  The spoils of the poor could be stored here until proper transfer was arranged, and peasants could more readily reach the safety of these walls than those of the great castle beyond the hills.
 
The military quickly realized that this fortification would well-serve a warlord and his men, and upon the completion of the fortification the put on a great feast, at which they slaughtered the various dukes and governors and lay claim to the small castle and the peasants beyond.  Things were never great for peasants, but after two separate battles between the renegade mercenaries and the distant king, things were downright _bad_ for the peasants.  A daring raid had resulted in the food stores of the king's castle being poisoned  (largely though magic), and the king's men became desperate, laying absolute siege to the small keep to gain access to the stores within.  During the battle, the storehouses were burned.  No one had anything worth fighting for, and those were weren't dead or poor simply _left_.  The king's influence dropped considerably, back to a supportable level enjoyed by his ancestors.
 
The peasants slowly repaired the smaller castle, expanding and reinforcing it as time went on, and using it largely as a store house for their harvests.  They take turns training as an army, but today exist largely on trade with caravans and the king up on the hill.   To date, Peasant's Keep has never been taken: the owners fight with a ferocity not seen in any paid mercenary, and they have learned a great deal about repelling invasion (step one being "invade no one else.")
 
 
Meh.
 
Still not working.
 
 
In short:  the king and feudal system doesn't work unless you're willing to let it.   A world filled with kingdoms is a world filled with cowards.  I have no doubts about the reality of a world full of cowards; I really don't.  However, I adventure so that I may _leave_ it once in a while.
 
 
Duke
 

Well bluesguy is, in my experience, a rare example of a GM who takes the time to work out a reasonably plausible legal framework for his medieval fantasy RPG world. Most GMs I've encountered don't do that, and the most disappointing example of this was the GM who ran a GURPS Fantasy campaign that I played in and who used the generic world supplied by that supplement. He, and a number of like-minded players in the group, kept applying modern social/cultural ideas and expectations to the game, including how the law worked and how they would be treated by it. It was pretty cringeworthy, and I'd like to encourage all GMs to do as bluesguy does.

About 1/2 of the countries in my campaign world have a "Roman-culture" so for those countries they have a kind of Roman civil law.  I tried to read up as much as I could about how Roman's dealt with legal matters.  A couple of my players really are into stuff like that so I have some help there.
 
A couple of countries are kind of Nordic/Viking in nature so I tried to match what we know about them.
 
I have one country that is unique because that country is primarily made up of bipedal felines (think Vincent from the 80/90's Beauty & the Beast).  In that case the first two players who played characters from their helped with formulating the society/laws.  I had some basics.  Smallest societal unit was a pride (like a lion pride).  One alpha male and potentially multiple partners.  Seems patriarchal except the females in the society controlled all the wealth and really made most of the economic decisions.  The males made decisions about fighting/warfare/exploring.  There was a complex honor/vengeance/vendetta system. Females who didn't want to be tied to a pride would often pack up and leave for other lands to start out on there own.

I am finally getting to play (many years of GMing) and I have been using version one of your Android tool for a couple of months now.  I have found it very helpful during our games.

I maintain one, check my sig for links.

In Nyonia (my campaign world) magic is accessible by almost anyone. 
 
There are two basic people who can use magic (cast spells), people with a natural talent (born that way) and those who learn how to cast magic later in life.
In game terms:
Naturally born/talented mages need to pay for a custom magic talent (10 pt talent) which allows them to buy a VPP for their spells People who learn magic later in life, don't pay for the custom magic talent, can not have a VPP or MP Both kinds of casters have the access to the same power levels of magic but mages with the custom talent don't need to worry about what happens if they don't make  a spell roll.  Those mages without a natural affinity to magic will have bad things happen to them if they miss a spell roll (sometimes fatal).
 
All spells have magic skill rolls, components, gestures and invocations/
 
The second thing with magic in my world is that the kind of magic you can use depends on your character's race or cultural background.  So some races use magic to protect themselves and their communities; and improve and preserve food stuffs.  One culture might be all about fire so they can forge and make unique metal objects.  Another culture might use magic to enhance their abilities to buy and sell.  Characters can pick on and only one type of magic and that is 'permanent'.  Nyonian history is littered with mages who tried to learn more than one kind of magic.  The best result is the mage only kills himself and nearby inhabitants (dozens of yards from where she is casting the combined spell).  Worse case results have resulted in world changing events.
 
I did both of these things so that magic would be unique between cultures.  Every culture/race has a set of spells to start with.  Players have 'researched' new spells.  And I also wanted someone to have the ability to buy one or two important but not necessarily overwhelming spells.

In Nyonia (my campaign world) magic is accessible by almost anyone. 
 
There are two basic people who can use magic (cast spells), people with a natural talent (born that way) and those who learn how to cast magic later in life.
In game terms:
Naturally born/talented mages need to pay for a custom magic talent (10 pt talent) which allows them to buy a VPP for their spells People who learn magic later in life, don't pay for the custom magic talent, can not have a VPP or MP Both kinds of casters have the access to the same power levels of magic but mages with the custom talent don't need to worry about what happens if they don't make  a spell roll.  Those mages without a natural affinity to magic will have bad things happen to them if they miss a spell roll (sometimes fatal).
 
All spells have magic skill rolls, components, gestures and invocations/
 
The second thing with magic in my world is that the kind of magic you can use depends on your character's race or cultural background.  So some races use magic to protect themselves and their communities; and improve and preserve food stuffs.  One culture might be all about fire so they can forge and make unique metal objects.  Another culture might use magic to enhance their abilities to buy and sell.  Characters can pick on and only one type of magic and that is 'permanent'.  Nyonian history is littered with mages who tried to learn more than one kind of magic.  The best result is the mage only kills himself and nearby inhabitants (dozens of yards from where she is casting the combined spell).  Worse case results have resulted in world changing events.
 
I did both of these things so that magic would be unique between cultures.  Every culture/race has a set of spells to start with.  Players have 'researched' new spells.  And I also wanted someone to have the ability to buy one or two important but not necessarily overwhelming spells.

New Dice roller with support for killing attacks, 1/2d6 and stun modifiers for 6e/5e.
 

Welcome back, it is a much quieter board than it used to be.  Same old arguments though. 🙂

Yesterday Brennall and I spent time on Discord & TTS to see all the work he has done.  I have to say I am very impressed.  He is very close to creating an extremely usable/viable way of playing Champions (any Hero genre really) using TTS that really could pave the way to bringing new players into the game.  They would only need a good GM, who knows the Hero System pretty well.

Yesterday Brennall and I spent time on Discord & TTS to see all the work he has done.  I have to say I am very impressed.  He is very close to creating an extremely usable/viable way of playing Champions (any Hero genre really) using TTS that really could pave the way to bringing new players into the game.  They would only need a good GM, who knows the Hero System pretty well.

I am close to having the hero system supported and ready to release for TTS.
 
Have most probably 2-3 things to finish.
 
 

If you are looking for an out of the box Hero System supported VTT you will not find it.  IMO the best thing is to find a VTT that is game system agnostic.
 
I would recommend Epic Table as the fastest way to get going with a VTT.  I spent a lot of time doing research.  I looked at all of the big names.
 
Cons: 
Windows only Clunky interface Top down perspective You can't add any 'game system mechanics' (no adding macros or modules) One man shop - updates are few and far between.  He is working on a newer version which will improve the UI quite a bit. Pros:
Very very stable software Simple to setup dice rolls and save them Fog of War is workable Importing maps and tokens is easy Hex grids 🙂 No game system mechanics are built into the system Windows App - less likely to be unavailable (i.e. all the web based VTT) Cheap - only the GM needs to pay for a license (~$60)  
Now that we have an established group and I have been learning about how to use Tabletop Simulator we will be transitioning to TTS in the future
Cons:
Steep learning curve Parts of the interface are a pain to get use to Everyone has to buy a license ($15/$20).  Sometimes there are sales on Steam for 4 packs Pros:
Stable software Updates are put out on a regular basis Hex grids No game system mechanics are built into the system I believe it runs on Windows, Mac & SteamOS boxes Huge community of people who are adding assets for people to use Scripting language is available (Lua) It is possible to model an entire board game with the tools that TTS provides. Importing simple maps and tokens is easy Building encounter maps can be as easy or hard as you want them to be.  Last night I imported a couple of One World compatible maps that other people had built.  One of them needed to have two 'texture skins' fixed (15 minutes).  Total time - 30 minutes.  I have also built custom maps based on a 'flat map' that I already owned.  I made it into a 3D map, added some additional rocks/trees (models other people built), and it probably took 2 to 3 hours.  When I build maps or buy them (both for VTT and IRL tabletop games) I get maps that are generic and I can use over and over.
 
Of course opinions may vary 😉

What I would do with a hypothetical Seventh Edition is avoid it like the plague.
 
By this point the rules have been combed through, deconstructed, revised, game-balanced, clarified, optionized, and hair-split to within an inch of their lives. There are no more pressing problems in the system that need to be addressed. Any further modifications would simply reflect the personal opinions and preferences of whoever was given responsibility for creating a new edition; and we all already modify the RAW to suit our preferences anyway. For alternative ways of doing things, we have earlier editions to draw from.
 
I see no need and feel no desire to invest time and money learning yet another iteration of Hero.

Thank you for this post.  Many of my past gaming groups have had a number of women in them.  They would be turned off by such posts.  +50% of the population is women and many of them don't game ... Yet... The above two posts are not helpful to the community or the industry as a whole.

I will be releasing the app with support for both types of characters.  Just reading in a HD character still leaves a lot of work on my plate to do things like calculate costs, totaling modifiers, calculating STR damage, etc.  The end result is that there are a lot of things that I have to code for.  Which means more bugs.
 
What I'll end up doing is provide people with messages to inform them that they're either using a deprecated character format (the XML export) or the experimental HD format when they load a character.  This will keep people  informed about upcoming changes to the app in regards to loading characters and provide a fallback if you come across a bad bug in the new format.
 
Not that it means much to people but I will be bumping the version number to 1.3.0 when I release this feature.  This will include a deprecation message for users of the export template.  At some point in the future (once the bugs are worked out) I will remove support for the export format entirely and do a 2.0.0 release.

Thank you for this post.  Many of my past gaming groups have had a number of women in them.  They would be turned off by such posts.  +50% of the population is women and many of them don't game ... Yet... The above two posts are not helpful to the community or the industry as a whole.

Thank you for this post.  Many of my past gaming groups have had a number of women in them.  They would be turned off by such posts.  +50% of the population is women and many of them don't game ... Yet... The above two posts are not helpful to the community or the industry as a whole.

At the time when I bought it I was exploring possibilities for a new campaign setting.  Something that I could use with many gaming groups, taking place in different locations and spanning many different time periods.  As I studied the material in Narosia setting I was impressed with the detail and balance that was provided.  It gave me ideas.  I came to the conclusion about 1/3 of the way thru the material that I could spend a lot of time organizing the material in a way that I could use for a campaign world or I could create my own campaign world.  For me the second choice became a good option.
 
I would encourage anyone looking for something outside the box of a typical Fantasy Hero setting to get a copy of Narosia and use it as their own.

Thank you for this post.  Many of my past gaming groups have had a number of women in them.  They would be turned off by such posts.  +50% of the population is women and many of them don't game ... Yet... The above two posts are not helpful to the community or the industry as a whole.

FHC is intended for people who do not have 6E1, 6E2 and older 6E Fantasy Hero books.
 
The rules are the same but are focused on running a Fantasy Hero game.
 
6E1 & 6E2 is a toolbox that lets you build any kind of RPG genre game you would like.
 
FHC is a toolbox and a specific build kit for building any kind of Fantasy RPG game you want.

If you are playing face-to-face, you can also make buildings (skyscrapers, etc) to populate your table.
 
From a Champions game, the cardboard box is actually the trailer part of a semi-truck on its side (yes you can buy vehicle paper models).  I can't find a photo from when we had the skyscrapers up.  We were using Heroclix figures and when a character was flying we used the little 'pizza tables' that come with delivery pizzas.
 
A different session, which I ran at a game day event at a local store.  Aliens crash in Northern MN.  The heroes were pre-generated and had a MN theme to them (literal man of steal - fell into a vat of molten steel, Paul Bunyan avatar, DJ who used Prince music to create sound effects, etc.)  Trees and logs...