Chris Goodwin

As for this... uhm... who DIDN'T playa ninja in the '80s?
 
I mean... who doesn't play ninja's now? Ninja's are freakin' awesome.

Seriously, one of the characters in my very deadly serious, modern campaign of guns and martial arts and X-files weirdness plays a ninja. A very traditional ninja, with very traditional ninja skills, and a very traditional silenced 9mm pistol.
 
 

Chris,
I would "like" your post because I appreciate all the detail, but I'm out of "likes" for some reason. 
 
So many things you described, like all the different campaigns (OMG we played the hell out of Danger International!) and such from the '80s... but I never had the issues that you described when we translated to 4th. It could come down to differences in expectations. I never tried to spell out huge campaign limits and write down significant house rules, and it wasn't until 4th Edition that we began playing Fantasy Hero in depth. I think that, while there were times where certain applications of powers broke the feel of the game (the use of force field by a mage and a character with wings, both of which were really over-powered), but I never ended up with player push back or frustration on that, as the "table" generally agreed pretty quickly that "whoa... that just isn't right" and we changed things.
 
With supers, we felt the 4th Ed expanded skill list was cool, but not necessary. It wasn't until 5th that I felt the expectation had changed from "General broad skills, and you can get specific if you want" to "Must deconstruct all skills into fifty different knowledge skill specifics for every possible situation"

The whole separation of Heroic level vs. Superheroic really worked for us. Over time, there were always questions of "Is this balanced?" but I never felt that it was up to a rule set to proscribe the kind of game to be played, but that Hero let us find our own.
 
Perhaps it was that I always wanted my Champs campaign to actually do away with most comic book tropes (or at least question them) and move more into the "people with powers in a chaotic, dangerous world" type of campaign. On the surface, you had costumes and code names, but wrestling with issues of the law and vigilantism, killing or not, how to use your power to change society, not just beat up bad guys... what were the ramifications for normal in a world of supers, etc.  Those things were essential to the game, and I don't think could have been done with Champions as it was originally envisioned, that enforced tropes like secret id's, DNPCs, etc.
 
Ultimately, I always found that rules and systems only went so far, and nothing in the book was ever considered absolute. What happened at the table determined what was right... work it out in play... then capture any change that meant to the rule set. This type of thing lead to dumping END as too much boring math in game, dumping the Speed Chart because it made SPD not just powerful, and the chart resolution clunky, but enforced some players as having more face time in the game than others.

Eventually, it is all about the players. I found a good test. Give a prospective player the BBB, have them read through it a bit, and then, "Tell me what you think?" If they say something like, "So it seems like I can play any cool character... like this guy who fights occult crime like the Shadow, but with magical trinkets instead of guns" and I'd feel they have a good chance in the group. If, on the other hand, they say, "So it seems that the character I should play has desolidification and ego attack, affects real world, because then I can attack everyone, but never be touched, right?"   Then I take the book back and say, "Effort appreciated, the exit is over there."
 
It was a good test about whether people wanted to role play, or game the system.

I'm excited that my favorite edition of the game will be coming back, in at least some form.  I had a lot of unhappiness ranging from minor to major with 4th edition, and some unsatisfying play experiences with it, including in some cases with the same people as with previous editions.  I've been following Ron Edwards' blog posts on Champions for quite a while, but had already come to a lot of the same conclusions he had.  
 

The "why" for me is a couple things:
- I am long time friends with Ron (thanks to the Champions APA the Clobberin' Times) and Steve (we gamed together many times in the 90's).  I support my buds.
- I played mostly with 4th edition but have very fond memories of the earlier ones (much of my world was built on the early rules from 1 to 3). I did not go to Fuzion or 5th edition as at that time I moved away from RPGs.
- I am startzing to get back in to RPGs again as I want to promote them via programming as I finish my librarian master's degree. I think teens (and adults) could really benefit from these kinds of games. 

At the $15 pledge (or more) you do get those classic PDFs plus the new Now PDF too. That seems like a very reasonable price just for the original stuff. If your physical books are as worn from use as mine are, having the PDFs is a great thing. Consider pledging $15 just to get those. 

Just over $17200 with just over two days to go.  Kicktraq has the upper side of the trend line over the goal, so it's definitely possible!  
 
Seeing if this works.. 
 

Ok... I did that... but if I don't get that second book, you own me one, Chris!    

You can click "Manage Your Pledge", which takes you to your pledge level, and a "Change Your Pledge" button.  That opens up your pledge with a space you can enter a new amount.  
 
Jason has run enough Kickstarters that I know he's savvy enough to know that an extra $30 means another book.

Just over $17200 with just over two days to go.  Kicktraq has the upper side of the trend line over the goal, so it's definitely possible!  
 
Seeing if this works.. 
 

It's close.  Just over $16K (out of $20K) with four three days to go.  I'd really like to see this succeed.

Up until a few years ago, the Hero Games website hosted a wide variety of book excerpts, supplements, and game aids for free download. However, with the most recent website upgrade, most of those items were considered not resource cost-effective to maintain, and were discarded. As a result most new Hero gamers are unaware they ever existed; and even some of the veterans may have missed the treasures they contained, or have since lost something from the collection they once had.
 
However, thanks to the magnificent Internet Archive Wayback Machine, virtually all those items are still obtainable if one knows where to look and what to look for. But since many people don't know, I thought it would be helpful to provide links to representative archived pages.
 
These downloads cover many areas: maps (from published books or supplementary), book excerpts and introductions (including supplementary info about the published official settings), wallpapers, color covers to PDF books, character sheets and hex maps, items cut from books for space (including supplementary forms mentioned in various books), adventure modules, character outlines for illustrations (under "Character Sheets and Hex Maps" for some reason), illos for cardboard mini figures, apps and utilities, graphics and sounds, and more. Many of these were generously created by Hero fans.
 
Because the website has gone through several revisions over the years since DOJ bought the Champions IP, and each version has made changes to the downloads it hosted, I'm including links to Free Stuff pages from different years to cover as many of the varied offerings as possible.
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20061201152750/http://www.herogames.com:80/FreeStuff/freestuffherogames.htm
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20071013030046/http://herogames.com:80/freeStuff.htm
 
https://web.archive.org/web/20110516165152/http://www.herogames.com/freeStuff.htm
 
NOTE: Sometimes a file linked to on one of those pages would not actually have been saved on the particular day that page was crawled by Internet Archive. At the top of each page you'll see a graphic representing how many times the page was crawled on various dates. Clicking on that to get to another date will bring up another page, on which the item you want may have been saved.
 
I recommend exploring. There's much there to enjoy.

I'd ask how you did that, but I'd never understand it or remember how. Cool.

Hey, look at what Google Docs can do!

It's close.  Just over $16K (out of $20K) with four three days to go.  I'd really like to see this succeed.

Continuing on with the Golden Age, a friend of Strike Force Liberty:
 

 
Snow Leopard
18 STR 08
26 DEX 48
18 CON 16
12 BDY 04
18 INT 08
12 EGO 04
18 PRE 08
16 COM 03
10  PD 06
10  ED 06
05 SPD 14
08 REC 00
36 END 00
30 STN 00
      -----------
           125
 
 
Powers/Skills
05 +1 All Perception (14-)
05 UV Vision
20 Regeneration, 2 Body
22 Instant Regeneration: Armor +6PD/+6ED, Hardened
10 Superleap, 2x Distance
08 +4" Running
10 +2 Levels with Close Combat
10 Acrobatics (14-)
05 Stealth (14-)
30 2d6 HKA (Claws)
--------
125
 
Char 125 + Powers/SKills 125 = 250 = 100 Base + 150 Disadvantages
 
Disadvantages:
-25 Hunted: Herr Gehirn, Individual, Superpowers, Ruinous
-30 Hunted: Russian Government, Organization, Superpowers, Manipulate
-15 Secret Id
-15 Unusual Looks 14-
-20 Berserk in Combat, Common 11-/11-
-20 Psych: Possessive of "Prey." Happens a Lot, Intense
-20 Psyc: Divided Loyalties between team and country, Happens a lot, Intense
-05 Unlucky 1d6
-----
150

Background:
Levka Lyalyushkin was abducted from the Russian Embassy in Berlin and experimented on by Herr Gehirn. She was rescued by Strike Force Liberty , and fought beside them for a short time before being returned to Mother Russia.
 
Powers/Tactics:
Levka is at this stage very feral. She has an issue with tunnel vision, often selecting a single target in combat (her "Prey") and pursues it with gusto. She also has a habit of toying with her opponents. This tends to limit her effectiveness. On the flip side, when she goes berserk, Libery Star has found it effective to toss her into the largest nearby group of Axis troops available.
 
Notes:
I originally wanted to write her up as a somewhat experienced operative with a small KA to represent claws, with a Martial Arts main attack and a couple of more skills. Unfortunately, KA has a minimum 15 buy in. An experienced version might gain Detective Work and buy down the Berserk to an Enraged.
 

I thought I'd adapt a character I first built for 4th edition, and started building for other systems I came across to help me understand them. This character is intended to be visible, famous, and inspiring.

 

 
Limelight


 
Disadvantages:

-15 Physical Limitation: Easily spotted in the dark, In certain situations, Debilitating/Negating
-10 Public ID
-15 Psych: Loves to be noticed, Happens a lot, Opinionated
-10 Dependent NPC, Whichever reporter(s) is underfoot this time Normal, Occasional
-10 Dependent NPC, Whichever member(s) of her fan club is covering this time Normal, Occasional
-05 Dependent NPC, Whichever employee (s) of her family is underfoot this time Normal, Occasional
-05 Dependent NPC, Whichever member(s) of her family is underfoot this time Normal, Occasional
-10 Susceptibility to Darkness Fields Uncommon
-15 Vulnerability to Darkness Attacks, Single Specific
-20 Hunted: Gloom, Individual, Superpowers, Manipulative
-20 Psych: Seeks Peaceful Resolution/Offers Parlay/Surrender to Opponents, Happens a lot, intense
-15 3d6 Unluck


 
Powers & Skills:

24 Pep Talk, 2d6 Recovery Transfer, 30 Active Points, Reversed Direction (Transfers from Limelight to target) (-1/4)

 [7 END]


 
30 Multipower, Lightray Form, 30 Active Points

06 15” Teleportation, 30 Active Points,  [6 END]

04 Missile Deflection, 20 Active Points,  [4 END]


 
15 Luck, 3 dice


---
79


 
Characteristics:

13 STR 3 [3 END]
11 DEX 3
18 CON 16
10 BDY 00
18 INT 08
17 EGO 14
60 PRE 50
20 COM 05
3 PD  00
4 ED  00
06 SPD 49
18 REC 22
36 END 00
26 STN 00
     -------------
       171


 
 Char 171 + Powers/Skills 79 = 250 = 100 Base + 150 Disadvantages


 
----
150


 

 



 

Presenting Greenstick! 
 
 

Character - Greenstick
Secret ID - Mark Tilford
 
VAL
CHAR
BASE
  Cost X
Points
  18
STR
10
  1
8
  28
DEX
10
  3
54
  28
CON
10
  2
36
  10
BODY
10
  2
0
  13
INT
10
  1
3
  11
EGO
10
  2
2
  25
PRE
10
  1
15
  10
COM
10
  1/2
0
  8
PD
4
  1
4
  8
ED
6
  1
2
  5
SPD
3.8
  10
12
  12
REC
10
  2
4
  56
END
56
  1/2
0
  33
STUN
33
  1
0
                          140
Total Points
 
Cost
Powers and Skills
END
18
Martial Arts - 6d6 punch, 8d6 kick
  10
Acrobatics 15-
  10
Find Weakness w/Martial Arts 11-
  5
1d6 Luck
  5
Stealth 15-
  10
Precognitive Anticipation: Skill Levels, +1 Universal
        10
Danger Sense 11- (12- with levels)
        30
Multipower: Limb Strike, all slots Goes Vs. Normal PD (-1/2)
  6
1: Arm Snap - Power Drain STR, 2d6; Destructive (+1), Energy Strike (+1/4) (45 Active Points); Goes Vs. Normal PD (-1/2)
9
6
2: Legbreaker - Power Drain Running, 2d6; Destructive (+1), Energy Strike (+1/4) (45 Active Points); Goes Vs. Normal PD (-1/2)
9
      110
Powers & Skills
  140
+ Characteristics
  250
= Total Cost
 
 
Pts
Disadvantages
15
DNPC: Older sister Alyssa, who knows his secret (competent, constant)
20
Hunted: Random martial artists who think he disgraces their sport (sm. group, unusual, manipulative)
35
Hunted: Shining Fist of Nostradamus (org., supers, ruinous)
20
Psych: Code vs. Killing (a lot, irrational)
20
Psych: Jumps into a fight before fully thinking through the consequences (a lot, irrational)
15
Secret ID (Mark Tilford)
10
Susceptibility: 3d6 STUN from exposure to other precogs (uncommon)
5
Unluck 1d6
10
Unusual Looks 11- (rep as overly violent)
    150
Total Disadvantage Points
100
+Base Points
250
Total Points

 
As a child, Mark Tilford always had these little flashes of intuition; his mom always thought it came from his deceased father's side of the family.  His teachers always thought he was a smartass or a cheater; other kids, especially the bullying types, thought he was making fun of them, and he had a knack for finding trouble.  His older sister Alyssa was always pulling him out of scrapes. In middle school he discovered martial arts, and he took to it with a passion. This helped him focus and get healthy, but didn't do anything toward keeping him out of fights.  At age 19, he was expelled from competitive martial arts when, during a match, he accidently broke the legs of three competitors in a row. Leaving the match, he was jumped by a number of other competitors; a secretive organization known as the Shining Fist of Nostradamus chose that exact time to try to recruit him, claiming he had some sort of destiny or something, and it didn't go well; confrontations with the Shining Fist caused him unexplained nausea, dizziness, and headaches.  He managed to escape the ensuing chaos, thanks to his big sister being there for him yet again and showing up in her car at just the right time.  She sat him down and gave him a good stern talking to about what he can do, what he did in the big fight, and what he should do.  He agreed, and does what he always enjoyed and was good at: finding the bad guys, mixing it up with them, and breaking their legs.  

This, a thousand time. All the ability to make the charater you wanted, to me, intuitively meant better story telling, less "the rule book says that in this instance I do this particular thing" and the constrictions of levels, classes, etc. It was transformative.
 
In our original High School group... 1981-85, we certainly embraced this, with a lot of copy cat characters that were only slightly different than Marvel and DC characters, but it was fully in the vein of the Bronze Age comics at the time... and NOBODY "ran the math."
 
When I got to college and taught friends there Champions, and later Hero 4th... I certainly influenced a certain playing style based on world building and characters and story telling, not "mastering the system."
 
No engineers, no programmers, no lawyers... but people who wanted to create cool superhero stories.
 
It has been a constant battle since them, for the past quarter century, to find the right playgroup, to avoid the Gamist mentality players, and realizing how Hero has become a system that ENCOURAGES that min-max, "run the math" bullsh!t (with 5th and 6th in particular). 
 
This is why I'm backing, but not too optimistic about, Champions Now. By returning to figured characteristics, and maintaining the labored point build aspect, it will just encourage the point shaving, n3 point breaks and all that crap. 
 
Like, I get, theoretically, why Edwards like END in the game (I dropped it 30 years ago and never looked back) as the idea of doing somehting big and splashy, but at an exhausting cost is cool... but too much damn math. I was hoping for something that focused on the in game of effect of exhausting the character (missed turns, vulnerable moments, dramatic decisions on whether to go "all out" or not) rather than going back to adding and subtracing incremental points over and over, calculating average END spend over a turn, etc.  BLEH!
 
And the fact that he is still using the Speed Chart. Something else I dumped decades ago, and it was a revelation how much more organically combats ran, while not making characters have to max their SPD or be left out of play much of the time, etc. 
 
Bringing characters back to an easy to read, simply built 250 points, etc, is really good. But bringing back a lot of the mechanics that led to the undermining of the play intent (we'll be back to mini-bricks with martial arts being the most efficient builds, and every character having their powers through 0IF and such) seems like a step backward into the bad stuff, not the good stuff.
 
Still, I backed it, and am interested in Ron's narrative set of rules for play, to see where he goes with that.

Healing is one of those self-inflicted problems that Fantasy Hero has always had.  First of all, it matters whether you're playing with hit locations and bleeding or not, and whether your healing spell is per-injury or not.  Then somewhere along the line it was decided to roll Healing into Aid, causing it to get caught up in all the efforts to fix Aid (which was admittedly broken).  At this point if it's 1st ed FH, I might know how Healing works, and if it's any other version, I definitely do not know how Healing works.
 
 

Ron and I had a video conversation via Discord over the weekend.  We talked a little about Endurance; that portion is here.  (I promise, in real life I do more than just go "yeah, yeah", and it was early Sunday for me so my resting grump face was in full force.)

Hi Chris!  I have backed Champions Now, not sure if it'll fund though... 
 
Rules question (I have downloaded and read through the playtest doc):  I didn't see anything specific in the playtest doc, but in Champs I-III the X1.5 and X2 damage for Martial Arts were done by multiplying the character's Strength.  By that method, I get 18*1.5 = 27 5d6 Martial Punch and 18*2 = 36 7d6 Martial Kick for Greenstick (like the name!).  How did you derive 6d6 and 8d6?  (Am I missing something?)
 
-SCUBA Hero

Here it is, blank!  Champions Now character sheet
 

Well, I don't think that's universal. But some fans are very passionate about the game, and their preferences for it. In some cases they also have strong opinions about what Hero Games should do to be more successful. When conflicting opinions and passions are expressed there's bound to be some sparks.
 
I'm sure that's why phoenix240, who started this thread, specified in his first post that it was "Just as personal preference, not as an attempt to 'save' it but just things you'd like to see. Dream as big as you like!" An expression of desires is a safer topic than a debate over strategies.

Oooh..yeah, licensed properties would be good!
 
An all-encompassing Disney license would bring Marvel and Star Wars, but also all the animated features and other properties. "Disney HERO," with a ruleset that's "fun for the whole family," perhaps? Heavy use of simple Templates, lots of pre-built characters from the movies and/or animated features, maybe a universal conflict resolution mechanic that's simple and dramatic, etc. Take a cue from Robot Warriors, and make a simple and fun game that's perfectly crafted to its purpose...and which could serve as a stepping-stone to the wider world of the HERO System. Take the 4e quote, "[HERO System] gives you the rules for creating a roleplaying game set anywhere in space and time" at face value. Use that sucker to create an awesome HERO RPG that will hook 'em young.

Those are all good wishes!*
*Bearing in mind that this is a "wishlist" thread, not a "is it practical to publish X​" thread.
 
Really the best ways I can think of to avoid 'supersizing' are to exclude the massive example excerpts Steve Long was (in)famous for, and fewer optional rules. However I kind of feel like Genre books generally deserve their larger page counts. Each of the genre books I've read (​Champions, Dark Champions, Fantasy Hero, Star Hero...) contained tons of invaluable research and advice, much of it relevant to any game engine capable of simulating multiple genres. We could cut some of the page count down by removing the excerpts from cinema and literature, but they give a lot of flavor to an otherwise somewhat dry read.
 
Other Wishlist items:
"Harry Potter" Hero as an urban fantasy campaign/setting with the students at Hogwarts as its cast.
"Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra" Hero as a high fantasy campaign/setting featuring a party of warriors and benders.