Chris Goodwin

I did check 5er, and 5er does state "Attacked from behind" and separates it into in and out of combat, (edit) and has a separate table entry for "Surprised", also separated into in and out of combat.  6e is as I indicated above.  (/edit)
 
In 5er, the penalties and effects of "attacked from behind, in combat" and "surprised, in combat" are identical to one another, as are "attacked from behind, out of combat" and "surprised, out of combat".  It looks to me that for 6th edition they were combined, and the bit above I quoted from 6e2 is the result. 
 
Having said that, the easiest way to stop the munchkin maneuver of moving behind your opponent in order to get the "attacked from behind" modifier, is common sense.  I'd recommend not allowing one combatant moving behind the other, in combat, to get the "from behind" bonus.  A third combatant, coming up from their 6 o'clock, might get that bonus.  
 
(When I did boffer fighting, many years ago -- and I know this is not real fighting -- we found that in a one on one combat, it was hard if not impossible for one combatant to get behind the other.  However, it was extremely easy for one of the combatants' teammates to come up behind their opponent unaware and tag them in the back, but it tended to have to be from directly behind, and you had to catch them completely unaware.  If the one you're coming up behind has any awareness at all that you're there (makes his PER Roll), he'll either move out from between the two, or parry the attacks that are coming from behind him.  I remember doing it and having had it done to me, both.  Like I said, for me this was play fighting; if anyone with real fighting experience has anything to say, listen to them over me.)  
 
Incidentally, I'm not a moderator, but I think the thread is starting to get a little edition-warry and a little personal.  I'd like to ask that people step back, take a few breaths, and chill.  (Crossposted with Doc Democracy above.)

I don't believe anyone should move from one edition to another over one rule.  I'd recommend using the particular rule from 6e. 
 
I'll admit that I think that a rule allowing one HTH combatant to make a half-move behind the other and get an "attack from behind" bonus is a stupid rule.  On the common sense theory, I'd advocate ignoring that rule.  If I were GMing 5th edition, I would ignore that rule.  I don't in the least think that just because you're using the very large black hardcover rulebook with the green and grey on it, you can't use a rule from 6th edition, or even common sense, and GMs ignore rules and change them in the face of common sense or any reason at all regardless of what edition, or even what game system, they're using.

I don't believe anyone should move from one edition to another over one rule.  I'd recommend using the particular rule from 6e. 
 
I'll admit that I think that a rule allowing one HTH combatant to make a half-move behind the other and get an "attack from behind" bonus is a stupid rule.  On the common sense theory, I'd advocate ignoring that rule.  If I were GMing 5th edition, I would ignore that rule.  I don't in the least think that just because you're using the very large black hardcover rulebook with the green and grey on it, you can't use a rule from 6th edition, or even common sense, and GMs ignore rules and change them in the face of common sense or any reason at all regardless of what edition, or even what game system, they're using.

And I'd just like to point out the following text from 5er p. 543 (also 6e2 p. 266), under "Eight Principles For Interpreting and Applying the HERO System Rules": 
 
 
You're allowed to use common sense, and it doesn't have to be GM fiat.  

Except you don't currently need those things.  6e2 p. 50:
 
One of the most common ways for a character to be Surprised is to be attacked from behind. However, that’s not to say that all attacks from behind qualify for the Surprised bonus. As always, the GM should apply common sense and dramatic sense — remember, combat is a dynamic situation where the rules reflect many variables. For example, if an opponent a character doesn’t know about attacks him from behind, that usually means the character is Surprised (though not necessarily, as discussed above). But if the character knows about or can see an opponent, that opponent can’t get a Surprised bonus just by making a Half Move behind the character before attacking. The opponent might get the bonus if the character is distracted (for example, if he’s already fighting one foe who’s in front of him), but moving behind a character before attacking does not per se earn an attacker a Surprised bonus.

And I'd just like to point out the following text from 5er p. 543 (also 6e2 p. 266), under "Eight Principles For Interpreting and Applying the HERO System Rules": 
 
 
You're allowed to use common sense, and it doesn't have to be GM fiat.  

Gentlemen.  There is a LOT of downvoting going on in this thread, some of it probably provoked by earlier downvotes.  I cannot remember seeing so many especially not in one thread.
 
Obviously there are no forum rules about use of downvotes but they have mostly been used, in my experience to denote bad behaviour than disagreement.  I have not seen much intemperate language or behaviour so the downvoting, to me, seems OTT.
 
Could I ask you to go back and think again whether you do actually want to be downvoting posts rather than simply expressing disagreement.
 
Doc

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In fact, I hereby declare that I, D.E. "Duke" Oliver, freely give "The Boneyard Scenario," detailed above, and without request for remuneration of any kind (though a byline might be nice-- hint, hint  ), to any and all who would use, publish, or otherwise distribute it in any HERO System-compatible product or website, with the understanding that I give exclusive rights to no one, as I _want_ there to be good stuff out there for HERO, and I _want_ to see HERO become the well-supported entity it once was.  I give these rights with the understanding that while this scenario may be published or distributed in a form compatible to any or all editions and genres of the HERO System, I deny the right to convert it to any non-HERO game format, and I require that the name "Boneyard" not be changed.
 
 
There.  It belongs to all of you now.  Use it far and wide, and use as much as you can: make our fandom the glorious thing it used to be.
 
 
Duke
 

"When we left our story last time, things were in _terrible_ shape!  Some of the nations smartest geniuses were being turned into _complete_ idiots!  It was all the result of a mean little man from a mean little country--"
 
Back to our show: What does a Champions campaign look like?
 
First: Yes.  I have been starting Champions games with that old Bullwinkle quote for thirty years now.  There's more to it, but generally the group comes to order before I get all the way through it, so, it's all good.
 
"Session Zero" or as I call it "the character party" had come and gone, and we were all stoked for the game itself, which was to commence the next Sunday.  When Sunday arrived, I sat patiently, working on my still not-quite-finished plans, seeing what could slot in or out as needed, and adjusting things for the characters we ended up with.
 
Not that it mattered, because four out of seven players didn't show up.
 
That pretty much tanked what I had right there.  Still, the three in front of me were excited, and wanted to play.  I hid my disappointment and we chatted and goofed around with the characters for a few minutes in the hopes that the rest would show up.  We talked-- _lightly_ -- about rules, actions, the Speed Chart, "just how fast am I?" and "am I really invincible to guns?"  You know: try to keep that enthusiasm up!  The back of my mind reeled and whirled.  These kids wanted to play, and I wanted them to play.  What I had lined up would crush three heroes.  Granted, I could tweak it on the fly, but what if everyone else showed up next time?  How to re-inflate it in a way that made some sort of sense?
 
Finally I chucked it completely, opting to run something more simple from memory.  I ran them through an old standby for new players we call "the Boneyard Scenario."  It's a total schlep, hitting _all_ the cliches, but it's got a lot going for it when it comes to new players.  I won't bore you with the details, but I would like to explain why it's great for new players (particularly those with no sort of tactical gaming experience.  I don't run tactics-heavy game for _any_ age group (they aren't the most fun thing in the world for me), but I _do_ use a map, particularly when there is either a large group or a McGuffin at a particular location.  I had several sheets of hex paper and tape for "emergencies," so I pulled it out, taped together a field, and rough sketched the playground onto that.  I then had the players select the little miniatures they liked best, and I placed them pretty much where I wanted them on the map (this is the easiest way to avoid that "how did you get together / why are you here / howcum all you kids are in this here tavern?!" problem).
 
The Boneyard scenario is a bank robbery (again: it touches all the cliches      ).  One or two players are in line at the bank in their secret ID (try to pick characters who have Instant Change, if possible.  It's just easier).  The guy a couple of people ahead of them seems nervous.  He will look all around, exhibit signs of stress and worry, toss glances everywhere, and generally try to hide his face.  His behavior is making one of the guards nervous, who signals to a second guard, and the two open their holsters (but do not draw their weapons!) and take strategic positions to flank him and an unobtrusive distance.  
 
Seeing this go down, as the person at the front of the line leaves and the nervous guy moves up to the counter, a scuzzy-looking guy from the back of the line races toward the guard nearest him (doing a move-by), snatches his weapon, and fires at the other guard, hitting him in the thigh and effectively removing him from play.  He is bleeding profusely, and needs first aid immediately.  The nervous guy begins to "Hulk out," making terrifying roaring noises, increasing in mass, and shredding his clothes as spikes, claws, and armored plating of high-density bone begin to erupt from his flesh; the man with the gun screams "nobody move!" while his buddy (no buddy if think it's too much for your new players) kicks the unarmed guard and moves to get the weapon of the downed guard.  Both these men are normal thugs from a local street gang.  Both silent and audible alarms are triggered.  The hero(es) patrolling nearby should now be aware there is a situation.
 
This is really more an exercise than an actual scenario.  However, it lets you, the GM, get a real good feel for who your players are and how they see their characters.  Let them handle the situation any way they see fit.  Seriously.  See if anyone moves to offer first aid (any successful attempt will stabilize the guard, but he will still be "out."
 
Sit Rep:
 
Two armed normals and a super.
Two casualties, one serious.
A small number of hostages (you decide)
 
What the GM knows, but should not let the players know immediately:
 
The nervous guy has nothing to do with the bank robbery, other than raising the hackles of an over-zealous, under-cautious guard who let himself and his partner get caught up short.
The two gang bangers simply took advantage of the bad placement of the guards and the distraction at the bank counter (which they will not appreciate for a few phases yet; they are focused on other things).  They grabbed the weapons, toppled the guards, and expect to clean out a till or two-- or possibly just grab some wallets-- and run like Hell.  If they make it to the street, down the block, and into an alley, the will have effectively escaped. (they will enter through a broken fire escape door on the ground level of a tenement; from there they can access a number of exits or hiding places. They are _gone_)
 
Seriously: it doesn't really matter how the resolve this, as it doesn't have to go anywhere else.  It's just a chance for new players to do a bit of Heroing, and maybe get into the papers or onto the news.
 
Here's what the players will have to decide:
How to handle the thugs.  How to protect the hostages and assist the wounded guard.  What to do about the super who _appears_ to be part of the robbery.  Don't push them in any particular direction (but be clear about the situation and answer all questions as honestly as possible.  For this scenario, don't rush them.  You are in Bullet Time, and a Phase can take as long as it needs to take. Remember, they are learning how to play.  The only thing you want to really caution them on is to remind them that they are the good guys (once; maybe twice. Don't push it)
 
Why I like this sad, uninspired cliche:
 
It's got everything a new superhero would expect: obvious crime, guns, hostages, and a super-powered someone else.
It's got _borders_.  That is to say, safety margins:  Back in the late 80s, with the increase in super-crimes, the Campaign City Council instituted a municipal law that banks, liquor stores, and other cash-heavy institutions be built such that, at a minimum, their exterior walls be completely bullet-proof, and preferable proof against up to whatever weapon you might want to create that can deliver up to 20 points of BODY.  If that institution was not free-standing (this one is in a strip mall), then the shared walls are considered to be exterior walls.  Insurance companies and construction companies cheered while bank presidents screamed "no fair!" and people working in the stores next to the banks felt a lot better about catching a stray bullet or optic beam simply by being too close to the wrong place.  For what it's worth, doors and windows are exempted, simply because there may arise an emergency requiring the people inside the building to break out of it.
 
Anyway, no matter how badly the players do here, they don't have to juggle the current interior situation _and_ the possibility of making things worse by breaking (or shooting through) a wall and hitting something / someone completely outside of the situation.
 
You have a test of how the players prioritize:  who wants to aid and protect before tackling the bad guys?  
Who wants to tackle the bad guys immediately?  Which ones?  How do(es) (t)he(y) propose to do it, and what regard does there plan make for the hostages?
How do they handle the terrifying super grabbing the counter and roaring incoherently at the tellers?
 
As I said: let it play out.  It's just practice for them, but it's also giving you some insight into these new players that may lead to you tweaking your planned adventures to make them more palatable for them, you, or something in between.  Besides, it's nice to find out early if you are dealing with sociopathic murder hobos.
 
At any rate, when the heroes have wrapped things up, they step into the streets to be mobbed by grateful bystanders and a half-dozen reporters, anxious to get interviews with these new heroes, push them for a team name, and all those other cliches.  Ham it up, and make them feel like they really were there.    
 
 
Here's a thing:
 
The super at the front of the line is Herman Sellers.  He is a twenty-eight year old construction worker, currently working a job in demolitions, brining down an old tenement block, and he is here to deposit a bonus check.  This is the very first manifestation of his powers, and he is absolutely terrified.  The roaring is primarily from pain, as his skeleton is literally changing shape and structure inside him, and he can feel the spikes, claws, and plates rip through his flesh.  He is frightened, confused, and pretty certain he is going to die.  Currently, large tusks are deforming his jaw and mouth box, making speech almost impossible, even if he could focus long enough form a coherent thought.  He will not institute an attack (though his actions might be construed as threatening, given his appearance), but if attacked, he will fight back, using his now-increased strength and long, sharp sword-like claws growing from his knees and forearms (think "Guyver" and not "Wolverine."  They're long and heavy and dangerous).  He won't fight like a pro villain, but he does have some boxing skills, as it's his sport of choice for staying in shape.  Stat him out appropriate to your new players: I recommend noticeably less powerful, but definitely threatening-- go somewhere between "agent" and "intro level PC."  
 
If approached carefully and calmly, , he will not attack.  If the PCs make overt gestures of aid, he will _gratefully_ accept, immediately.  At any rate, by the time the heroes have calmed him (if this is the approach they choose), he will have finished his metamorphosis and be able to speak, spilling his story and begging for help.  Further resolution is up to the GM and the players, and will largely be decided by what is or is not possible or available in your campaign world.
 
One way or another, the next time Herman pops up, he will have developed a small reputation as "Boneyard," a play on both his powers / appearance combo and his day job.  If the PCs handled him as a victim and rendered assistance to him, he will pop up from time to time as a street informant: he was so impressed with how the heroes protected the hostages, stopped the bad guys, and still found a way to help him through the scariest thing in his life that he took inspiration from them and decided to become a small-time hero on his own, primarily at the street level (remember he's far less powerful than the heroes are, but he can still help people).
 
If the PCs simply lumped him in with the bad guys and went after him with Fists of Pounding, not caring (or perhaps not noticing) that he wasn't _actually_ doing anything dangerous-- just scary--- then the next time they see him, he will be the night-stalking super villain Boneyard, bent on revenge against the high-and-mighty self-righteous bastards who decided to wreck the heist he had been planning since his powers first appeared last summer _and_ caused him to get a criminal record.  (This version of Boneyard should also be at least as powerful as any one of the PCs; powerful enough to easily take out any two PCs, if the group is large).
 
 
Another thing:
 
you will _never_ tell this to the PCs.  Never.  _NEVER_!  Do you hear me?  Never!
 
Why?
 
Well because they were _right_.  No matter which way they play it out, they were _right_; do you understand?  It was their very first adventure with a brand new game-- perhaps a brand new experience for those who have never role-played before-- and you will NOT dick up their satisfaction and their pump at the success of their very first outing by going "oh, if only you had paid more attention" or "but you never realized...."  You will _not_ come back at them ten session later with something that effectively says "Well, you totally screwed _that_ up!"   Remember the happy people in the street?  Remember the reporters?  Remember how much they appreciated the gratitude of the rescued hostages inside the bank?  Do NOT take that away from them, _ever_!
 
You can do it all you want when they get some experience under their belt, but you're not going to kick them in their fond-memory gonads with this:  if they treated him as part of the robbery, then he was indeed the mastermind behind the robbery.  If they treated him as a victim of circumstance, then he was indeed a victim of circumstance!  Always!
 
At any rate, I opted to run them through this scenario as an opener.
 
It went _wonderfully_, and played out pretty much as I expected, since they were a younger group.  I have noticed something over the years with the Boneyard Scenario:
 
younger players will _always_ notice that something isn't right and assist poor Herman.
Older players will _almost always_ start punching him in the head, even before dealing with the armed thugs.  Not every time, but damned near.
 
The three kids who ran through this scenario (including Neil, who you may have "met" earlier this evening  ) came through it with flying colors:  the high-defense sport brick stayed between the thugs and the and the crowd, urging them to huddle tightly behind him, all the while dancing and dodging to stay in the line of fire.  The Speedster (who is an MD in her secret id) swept up first the injured guard and placed him behind the crowd and began to shout orders for helping him, then drew fire until she could move the thugs away from the other guard while the sport brick used his laser vision to blast the vestibule open and began urging everyone through to the outside, cautioning them to not run straight away from the building.  In the meantime, the magic-wielding wild card showed up in time to place a force wall between the thugs and everyone else and used his hypnosis to put Boneyard into a calming trance.
 
Seriously: it went _beautifully!  If I have to be completely honest, it went easily three times as smoothly as it has _ever_ gone before, even with HERO veterans running through it.
 
I wasn't really sure where to go from there-- as I said, I had _nothing_ prepared for over half the characters not showing up, but it worked out well, because the players were so tickled with the media circus that we hammed that up for nearly an hour, and I decided to break off on a high note, go home, and figure out how to roll this in front of the adventure I had planned....  
 
 
 
 

Well pretty much. Though they had to be land holding lords to support their upkeep with herds of cattle. They would take marginal grasslands, or conquered territories. Hire staff, and Factors that represented their interests in court ( unless they knew the shapeshifter spells). The banks ran efficiently, but any irregularities might result in being eaten, so the numbers are scrupulously kept. 

I would elaborate more. But I have done simple law for simple lands, and complex law for civilizations with deep bureaucracies. I even had a bit for the Jaggiri. But since we have no electricity, and may have to evacuate I cannot elaborate further. Typing this at a Denny’s. 

In my Greyhawk game the PCs are now based in the Free City of Greyhawk. My take on the city is the council there is an elected body, with open elections every 5 years. There's a property requirement to qualify as a voter. The councilors don't change a lot with each election, as the voter's are pretty conservative, but there's some churn. But that's the City itself. Outside the immediate city surrounds the Free City is in the process of turning a confederation of allied cities into a realm ruled from Greyhawk by the Lord Mayor. Most decidedly not democratic.
 
The PCs found themselves hiring a lawyer in their first adventure in the city. They were accused of a crime they didn't commit. This was actually a ruse by the Lord Mayor who needed some outsiders to carry out an investigation for him. In the end they didn't need to be represented in court but they have since used that lawyer to help them purchase property & set up businesses.
 
Later they used their local fame (and a good amount of their own cash)  to campaign for the enfranchisement of a new borough of the city: Orctown! It lies outside the city walls and is home to people who had fled to Greyhawk City to avoid the Greyhawk Wars* some 20 years earlier. Once the PCs convinced the Council to enfranchise the borough they then campaigned hard for their preferred candidate.
 
Much later than that they engineered the overthrow of the King of Redhand (see the DnD3.5 adventure path Age of Worms for Redhand and Alhaster) and replaced him with an elected council. So they're sort of agents for the spread of democracy.
 
In a game my wife runs for me the PCs live in the Republic of Jataka. The game is inspired by the Jataka Tales, a collection of Buddhist tales with animal characters. The races in the game are all animal folk (monkey-, cat-, lizard- folk etc.) The PCs mistrust the state (I'm taking my Chaotic alignment seriously!) and most especially the president, Louis the Prez (who is basically King Louis from the Jungle Book.) One of our first adventures was investigating the mysterious death of a candidate in the upcoming elections. Much to our disappointment Louis was not involved.
 
Hmm, I realise now I spoke about political systems much more than day to day law.
 
 
*Greyhawk City was not involved in the Greyhawk Wars.  They're named that because the final peace treaties were signed in neutral Greyhawk City. It's all part of the official World of Greyhawk canon.
 

You've kind of hit one of my pet peeves, that being the notion that fantasy has to equal medieval (which I disagree with).  I went back through my copy of GURPS Fantasy, and the world there is in fact pretty medieval, with Catholic canon law, Islamic law, and Jewish law, among others.  Which kind of bothered me some, as the Banestorm was around 990 to the 1200's, with occasional aftershocks, and the "now" of Yrth is... I guess whatever now is IRL, so probably 2019?  They've had over a thousand years of development, but they're still working with a medieval system?  I'm interested in things that are not just default "generic medieval"; I know also that we don't get a lot of that in fantasy.  
 
Note that IRL, the Code of Hammurabi dates back to 1754 BC.  Athenian law dates to 621 BC; Roman law was in effect from 449 BC to 529 CE, and Rome had its own judiciary.  English Common Law got its start with approximately the court of William the Conqueror (1066).  The English Parliament's House of Lords got its start in 1215 with the Magna Carta, and the House of Commons was first elected in 1265.  None of these are exactly modern.  
 
(Also, why are all fantasy worlds not only generically medieval and feudal, but always with a generic "council"?  Never a parliament and never any political parties?)

And on to the thread tax!
 
You want to know what a Champions campaign looks like?
 
I would absolutely _love_ to tell you that every campaign is well-planned out, well-researched, and scripted in minutiae.  In fact, I _will_ tell you that, but not until I'm ready to lie to you.  
 
My youth group from this summer passed started strong!  Seven players from 11 to 14 in age, all ready to take up the mantle as superheroes.  Now to be fair, I _intended_ to have something planned: I even had a rough sketch and kind of an outline of where I wanted to start and where I wanted to end up, with a couple of thoughts on how far each piece needed to go each session to stay "on schedule," as it were.  I had a crib list of "neat but unnecessary" things that could be added if we got too far ahead, and a similar list of things that could be dropped if we got too far behind, all without really impacting the overall story.  I knew I wouldn't have time to create a whole new detailed setting (and to be fair: I knew from years and years of doing this just how unnecessary they are, but still: you want to have _something_, just in case, right?  Decades of well-placed sourcebooks have convinced us of that), and that I wouldn't really have time to digest an commit to memory a new one.
 
Okay, what have I got on tap?  Millennium City?   no..   Vibora Bay? no...  Hudson C-- what the Hell, dude?!  These are _kids_!  You can't take them to Hudson City!   
 
It was also at that point that I realized you can't really take them to _any_ of these cities.  I hadn't paid it much mind before, but these cities as presented aren't comic book cities.  They have the trappings, but they are all cynical adult cities presented in books that focus on adult concerns and adult issues-- well, they're just not especially inviting to new players, as there is a baked-in flavor to all of them, and a complete lack of wonder that would interest someone in exploring them.  Especially Gotham  Hudson.
 
Crap.  Let's look through what some of my players (from my regular groups) might have.  I found a few modules from games I don't play; some from games I've never heard of-- most of those had crisp, clean, twelve-page adventures, too, if anyone's wondering), but nothing I could really devote myself to digesting between my work and play schedule as-is.  Worse, time was running out.
 
Fine.  Old Faithful: use what you've already got, and take it back to what it was a few years ago-- before you all started adulting so damned hard.  We were going to play in Campaign City, the city I was introduced to in 1981 at my first Champions session (it wouldn't get named until about five years later), and which I have been the keeper and protector (and urban developer of) since about '92 or so...  It's where all my other Champions games are, and I know it cold, from it's founding to its future (we have set both Pulp games and Cyberpunk games in Campaign City, at different points in its history.  More out of "this is _our_ special place, dammit!" than any real need for timelines or what-have-you)
 
I've got an adventure and a fictional location.  Well, I _almost_ have an adventure.  I started fleshing out my adventure.  By the time the Char Gen party rolled around, I had a couple of scenarios lined up and pointing toward the plot.  Not as far along as I wanted to be at this point, but as long as I was ahead of them, I was golden.
 
Now I say "Char Gen party" because I have found over the years that the best thing for players-- even old, experienced ones!-- is just that: a party-type mood for Character Generation.  Dude, I mean "bring a cake."   Seriously.  Bring a cake; bring ice cream.  Bring drinks and salty crunchy snacks.  Set out peanuts and pretzels.  Bring genre-appropriate music and play it (but not so loudly as to be distracting).  Decorate a little: a handful of balloons and tissue streamers is _cheap_.  And if you've done this for twenty-odd years, you'll have an inordinate amount of decorations-- be festive, but don't go nuts.
 
I hear all the time on the boards "oh, but then there's that grind of character generation...."
 
I have never had a grind of character generation.
 
I suspect it's the party.  If you make something fun, then by God, it is _fun_.  
 
Set places for your players at the table, and each place should have pencils (at least two, because they'll want to fiddle with one), a cheap calculator, four character sheets, a few sheets of blank paper (people like to scratch out math, even when they have a calculator, and they like to doodle when they need to wait), a brand-new eighty-eight-cents 8-pack of Crayolas (spring for the Crayolas!  They work better on smooth blank white paper than any cheap-o crayons ever will!) and any kind of prep notes you want the players to have.  Big hint: keep those notes _short_.  Make sure they will fit on a single page with a _large_ font.  Don't make it look like homework!  If possible, shoot for half a page, and put festive decorations above and below it.  Each place should also have an empty paper plate and plastic cutlery to encourage snacking.
 
The table should have some thematically-appropriate educational decor.  I like to use a dozen or so comic books appropriate to the theme I wish to run (I have a few old Teen Titans from the 80s I fell into at a yard sale twenty years or so ago: I like the lack of soap opera but some slight friction between the characters, the cooperation, the brightly-lit scenes, and the _beautiful_ artwork and the colors, so I use them a lot.  They're pretty beat up now.    )  and appropriate game materials-- HERO books, specifically.  Now I am at an advantage there, as I play mostly 2e, so my books are _way_ thinner and less-intimidating than those folks playing 5 and 6e.  The art reinforces the theme (if you want to play supers, don't set out Star HERO, for example) that you're wanting to play, and anyone reading them is accidentally getting exposed to either source material or useful game info.  To this end, I've always got at least four copies of the 2e rules laying about, and at least one of the 3e rulebook from the boxed set (it's way thinner than the glue-bound all-in-one, so it's less off-putting) in case someone is more drawn to the busier artwork.  I've ever considered having a couple of those covers printed and replacing the original covers on my more "thoroughly-loved" 2e books.   
 
  If you do play later editions, I suggest hitting up eBay for a few spares of Sidekick or Basic.  Consider gluing attractive covers on them to generate interest.  For what it's worth, I find the light-blue-on-black of Re-Sidekick to be friendlier than the jarring contrast of emerald-on-black or the absolute eyesore of chrome-yellow-on-blue, but I'd still consider hitting up the discount bin at a comic book store and finding some nice covers you can just glue onto the books, if only in the interest of reinforcing the theme.  No matter what you do, I promise Sidekick / Basic is going to be _way_ less off-putting for new players than any of the full rules books / encyclopedias.
 
As a note: if you have access to inexpensive Kraft paper (big wide rolls of brown or green paper; lighter weight are often called "masking paper" because of their intended use), make a tablecloth out of it.  Not only is it recyclable (or throw-away-able and biodegradable), but it's great for writing on: you can doodle, make notes, whatever-- and it's _not_ a "school environment:" it's a party where I can mess up anything I want to!  Barring that, if you have some old single-side gift wapping paper, tape it from the back until it's wide enough to be a table cloth, then lay it plain-side up.  It'll work fine.
 
pace about and talk to them as a group-- about anything-- and see how they interact with each other.  Encourage them to get up now and again by doing the same, all the while discussing whatever comes to mind, but keep bringing it back to the game and their characters.  Toss out some teasers about the adventure you have planned-- this is _important_!-- and pay keen attention to how they react.  It's _way_ easier to make changes _before_ you begin then after things are rolling!  Tease out things from them about what sort of character they would like to play (while keeping in mind how that sort of character fits into what you have in mind: you may suggest slight alterations-- LATER!-- to include or drop certain things to better-suit your adventure).
 
Everyone's relaxed, everyone is talking....   If they know HERO, dive right into character generation.  If they don't, shoot down through the characteristics and give them a sentence or three to explain them.  Explain how build points work, then briefly touch on disadvantages.  While touching on disadvantages, question those folks who have an idea what sort of character they would like to be on the _personalities_ of those characters.  Mention, here and there, how this or that could gain them extra build points by listing it as part of their personality and making sure to role-play it.
 
Draw out their ideas for backgrounds and day-to-day "out of costume" life (unless out of costume isn't going to be a big part of your game.  For new players-- particularly young ones, I'd suggest that it not be, but hey: you do you) and again: mention how this or that could be worth extra build points as well.
 
Most importantly, get them talking _to each other_ about their characters.  If you have to, bring out two or three of your (more simple: don't use the complicated builds) old characters (preferably at a beginning power level) and talk BRIEFLY about them, just to get the ball rolling.  (use villains if you've been a GM all your life)  Most of the time, they will begin their own narratives (it's a fun, festive environment, right?) and refine their ideas to things that work well _together_  (except that one nitwit who dresses like pretty much everybody who wants to be unique-- you can get those people by the busload) who will want to be Wolverine or Batmunch or some other "I"m a loner!" type).
 
Pay attention.  Find the two (yes: the _two_) people who are the "most ready" to put things to paper and start making their characters.  At no point prior to this are you going to say "I want you guys to pair up" or "pick a partner" or anything else.  You don't want them breaking into little mini-teams, because before it's over, you've created competition between your players, and you do _not_ want that!  But when you think you've got two of them ready to start, sit down with _both_ of them and get busy.  Yeah, for reasons I have never understood, most GMs _hate_ doing character building with more than one person at a time.  I prefer it, and for several reasons:
 
No one likes to feel singled out, and that feeling kill the party atmosphere, one player at a time.  That's number one.
 
This is a _social_ event, and keeping it to a group of three (the two of them and you) is more social than one person versus the boss.  Plus, as you work with one, the other will kibitz, asking questions or making suggestions--  my favorite is "ooh!  You should do _this_, then my guy can do _that_, and we'd be like a team!", and if you do this right, it happens _all the time_!  Seriously!    The one that tickled me the most was in my college days was "and then we could be sisters!"  That's number two.
 
You only have to explain things half as often: that's number three, but it's _huge_, so we'll call it number THREE.  There.  That's better.
 
The kibitzer will often run back and forth to "the party," bringing that mood and energy back to the player you are working with.   Number four.
 
Now this is also important:  work with _both_ of them, at the same time.  Doing characteristics?  Do one player, then the other.  Or switch to whoever piped up first.
 
I won't lie, it's a bit aggravating until you get the hang of it-- and when additional kibitzers show up, don't rebuke them. Try something like "Hey, Steve; can you grab me another drink, please?"  and when he gets back, you can hit "you guys are next-- who's doing this with you?"  and that usually solves the problem.  If he doesn't already have a buddy, he's going to run back to find one, and odds are they are going to start working more detail into their character concepts.
 
Now we know that fine-tuning a concept takes time.  So what you do is get a working character: get the basic powers, disadvantages, skills, etc that make the character and you are _done_ with that person.  Tell them that "we're going to try this character, and we'll see how you like him/her/them/it." and then finish up with the other player.  If the other player is having a hard time or is well-away from finishing, then glance out for someone who is currently not engaged with someone else (or a person from a threesome) and invite them to start working on the character.  Before _any_ player gets up from character generation, make sure they have a solid grasp on the "to hit" system you are using, and at least a rough idea of how to count damage and subtract DEF.  Tell them they can earn some extra EP by having some sparring practice with some of the other new characters, and ask them to tell you if they would like to "tweak" anything based on the results having sparred with "a few" of the other characters.  Be sure to mention something along the lines of "remember: you're just sparring.  You guys are allies (or friends or whatever) after all."  This has the nice side-effect of getting them talking about _how_ they might know each other, and sometimes even gets them working on a bit of shared history to boot!
 
Yes; there's a reason for that sparring, too; several, really.  First and foremost: it keeps them busy instead of just waiting around, and it keeps them focused just a bit longer on the game instead of the snacks and non-gaming conversations.  They get some practice figuring "to hit," rolling to hit, rolling and counting damage.  Priceless stuff.  It keeps them busy.  It gives them a feel for the character _before_ the game begins (at least in a rough way).  Be sure to keep an ear out while they are doing this:  you can gently correct any mistakes they are making while counting damage or figuring "to hit."  Don't bother with anything else, as you haven't told them about range modifiers, anyway.  Just keep that party mood going.  You're just listening to see how they play.  If they spar around a bit, they get an EP.  If they _roleplay_ while they spar around, they get another one.  If they come back wanting tweaks to the character for solid reasons, give them another one: they are paying attention and really thinking about what they want.  Reward that.  Yes: three EP for character generation is ridiculous!   Don't sweat it.  It only happens once, and they're going to spend it tweaking anyway.  So what?  Did you play to have fun, or for the accounting?  Think about it as that sign-on bonus you got when you switched jobs.   It never happened again, did it?  Certainly you can't say it hurt anything.  
 
I told you if one players was "stuck" or way behind to bring over another player anyway.  For one, this keeps character generation rolling.  For another, perhaps going back through this with another person while you still work with the "stuck" person will help them to understand something.  if not, just keep working.  When possible, pick them in two for all the same reasons.
 
Once everyone is up and running with a preliminary character, see who is grouped with who, and get some feedback.  Who's ready for tweaking?  Don't spend too much time on it, especially with new players, as they won't even know what can be tweaked until they are more familiar with the system.  Small tweaks you can do one-on-one with the player, more complicated (or multiple small) tweaks do in pairs, just to expose more people to what you are doing.  When everyone is happy, grab one of you old underpowered characters and be the villain against two or three people at a time.  Play well, but play to lose.   When everyone has had a chance to beat you up, award the experience we talked about above.  Explain that it can be spent right now, it can be "banked" for later, or it can be used to help offset any characters who's points totals were off by a couple of points (remember I told you not to waste a lot of time on complex builds or matching points totals perfectly, right?     That's because, for new players, anyway, they are going to tweak these characters a couple more times, as they learn about the system.  Despite the emphasis on perfect math, at this point in their gaming careers, it's just not that important.)
 
As you are sparring with your players (giving them tips, like how to coordinate attacks or set each other up for maximum effectiveness; etc), talk to them both in and out of character:  "Where did you pesky heroes come from?"
Okay, so how do your guys know each other?
"Decide, Hero:  capture me, or save the child?"
How does your character make a living when he's not in costume?
 
Keep the focus on the _characters_, but remember it's a party.  Nothing heavy, and don't be a downer when they're having fun.  Answer any game-related questions they have just as honestly as you can, but also as simply as you can.  When the mood settles, and the conversation starts to drift to "real stuff," be _quick_:  don't let it.  Don't let it drift, but _immediately_ start into the next session:
 
Okay, guys; I'm glad everybody showed up; I hope you all had a good time, and I'm really pumped to see who excited you are about your new characters; I can't _wait_ to see how awesome they are in the game.   The next meeting is the first play session, but please be thinking about your characters, how they interact with each other, and if they really are exactly what you think they should be  (HINT: _never_ say "exactly what you wanted," because that will bite you in the ass:  "well I didn't _want_ to waste six extra points on that skill you recommended!  I _wanted_ another die of Laser Eyes!").  "what they should be" is far more suggestive of extra-character concessions: does he work well with his team and does he fit into the narrative we've been constructing?  What can I tweak that I think better represents this concept?  Things like that.
 
 
Next meeting we will start into the adventure, so be ready!  (assign snack duty, if this is something you've discussed prior to the character generation party).
 
And lastly, be completely prepared to have a very _short_ first session, advancement-wise, as more than half the time, there will be considerable one-on-one tweaking of builds or powers at that session  (toss an old villain or two on the table-- and maybe a map this time) and let them spar some more, but with one or more of the other players being villains.  Don't get them in the habit of actually rolling dice against each other, especially now that they are really invested in their characters    .    When you plan that first session, remember to give it _two_ endpoints: the one you'd _like_ to get to, and one about halfway (time-wise) to that point.  I'll bet you a dollar you use that first one.
 
 
 
And that's what I've been doing for decades now.
 
And it must work, because I seem to be the only guy who never has complaints about character generation sessions (other than the cost of snacks these days!).
 
 
I hadn't meant to get sidetracked with character generation, but it's just so damned fun, and I'd hate to see you become one of the "man do I hate Session Zero" guys....
 
 
I hope I've paid my "threadjacking" penalty.  I've got some things I have to get done, but I'll try to "show you the campaign" soon.
 
 
 
Duke
 
 
 
 
 

For all this study--which is both interesting and cathartic, as it's nice to know when you're not the only person with a particular issue-
 
My own solution was to rule that if you are in close quarters combat-- actually fighting or leading with an opening attack--  and the defender is aware of you, then you don't get the bonus.  The defender is assumed to turn with you enough to prevent you from getting behind him. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
it's possible for a second or third opponent to flank a character who is dealing with another.   In this case-- if the defender is already aware of the attacker-- I'll allow half the bonus to the second and subsequent attacker(s) on the grounds that it is harder to duck and weave more than one person.  Oh- almost forgot: the defender is assumed to be focusing on the guy who would have gotten the largest bonus, so that will be the guy who tries to run around behind the defender in the middle of combat.  Amusingly enough, this house rule was inspired by watching a demonstration of knife fighting. 

In the world of the Arcana Practica, the Thaumic Age began some hundred to hundred and twenty years ago.  This was the beginning of systematized study of magic.  Before that time, "wizards" (charlatans) would ply their trades, often getting hired on into official positions.  Some of these wizards had some actual power, by means of knacks (magical talents that some people, then and now, possessed), but being a wizard was as much about putting on a show as it was about working actual magic.  Often, wizards would take on apprentices, some of which had knacks of their own, many of which did not.  Their training methods were as much flim-flammery as their wizardry.  There was a big scandal, as most kingdoms, governments, etc., gave their wizards the choice of hanging or beheading (sometimes even burning at the stake was offered), but one group (a confederation of duchies) instead commissioned a study on why some wizards could actually do real magic and some couldn't.  It turned into a long running study on magic in general, that began the Thaumic Age.  
 
Arcana, singular arcanum, refers to a type of magic: air, fire, light, lightning, animals, etc.  Practica, singular practicum, refers to a magical technique: create, sense, bind, conjure, dismiss, cloak, etc.  Together, these are a spell's Arcanum and Practicum (often abbreviated as "A and P"), and the overall organized body of magical knowledge and pedagogy is referred to as the Arcana Practica.  The incidence of knacks has gone down in the general population as the Arcana Practica has taken hold; no one is sure exactly why, but there are a number of competing theories.  
 
Learning a number of spells that share a common practicum allows you to buy a Skill (PS) with that practicum, which you can roll as a complementary skill roll to your Magic Skill Roll.  Some individuals have an "affinity" with an arcanum, which in game terms is a few Skill Levels that apply to magical and mundane manifestations.  So, for instance, an affinity with fire would help you with casting spells of the arcanum of fire, as well as with building fires mundanely; an affinity with animals would improve your spellcasting on animals, as well as your Animal Handling and other animal related Skills.  Spells would initially be bought for full point cost, though as the game progresses you can work your way into Multipowers and potentially a VPP (based on arcana).  
 
Characters can also buy knacks, which are just a magical power with an A and P.  Sufficient study of thaumatology and Metamagic can help you turn your knack into an arcanum.  
 
Finally, spells are divided into tiers, based solely on the prerequisites required.  Tier 0 spells require no prerequisites; anyone who is not "athaumic" (nonmagical) can learn them, and none of them require a skill roll.  Tier 1 spells have a basic level of prerequisites; some might have a particular tier 0 spell, others might require a minimum skill in a practicum, or an affinity, or a knack.  Tier 2 spells have more extensive lists of prerequisites; higher levels in various related Skills, demonstrated minimum ability to cast certain tier 1 spells, possibly certain knacks or other magical talents.  There are no tier 3 spells, unless you are a disgruntled wannabee who has barely passed their basic Arcana Practica and thinks that there's some kind of conspiracy keeping you from learning tier 2 spells.  

I don't really play Fantasy Hero, but I like building characters from movies and books.  I've done a lot of tinkering over the years and I've got something I'd like to use if I ever got around to running a fantasy game.
 
My suggestion for a magic system is a tiered approach.
 
Tier 1 -- Entry level stuff
All the spells are created by the GM.  In D&D terms, these are 1st and 2nd level spells, maybe 3rd.  Spells are paid for with cash, not points.  If your "acid arrow" spell is the same damage as the fighter's crossbow, it's not fair to charge the wizard points for it.  Spells can cost similar to what an equivalent weapon or tool would cost.  Some spells may require spell components -- an Animate Dead spell that creates a zombie servant might require special powders, similar in cost to what it would take to hire a soldier for a week.  At this level, your wizard just needs Magic Skill 11- (or whatever), and then he spends the money to buy the spells.  Maybe he pays to have Weapon Familiarity with that type of magic.  His actual point expenditure is very small though, but he's also limited to fairly unimpressive "beginner" magics.
 
Type 2 -- Boosted spells
You can buy Deadly Blow (or whatever it's called) or other "enhancement" abilities to increase the power of existing Tier 1 spells.  You wanna be a Fire Mage?  Deadly Blow on all fire spells, and there you go.  This is a quick way to specialize.  Likewise you could just buy some extra dice on one or two spells.  +3D6 Mental Illusions, incantation & gestures, only on Harry's Hazy Hallucination spell.  It's a big step up in power for a beginner mage, and it maybe costs you 10 points or something.  A lot of starter mages will try to take one of these to distinguish themselves in some way.
 
Tier 3 -- Extraplanar entities
All the spells are created by the GM, but these can be significantly more powerful.  The player doesn't pay points for the spells (though he still may have to pay cash to learn it).  Instead the player buys a Contact with the appropriate extradimensional being.  You want to cast Dormammu's Destructive Disc?  Well make your Contact roll, and call upon Dormammu.  See if he's in the mood to give you that spell right now.  Effectively the points are "paid" by the extraplanar being, and you're just asking them to do you a favor.  These spells may be weak, or they may be extremely powerful.  The GM sets limits on when and how these can be used.  Many spells may be almost automatic (some beings don't notice or care that you called on them), while others may not always work, or may have consequences.  It's all up to the GM.  These kinds of spells are often the next step up for an aspiring wizard.  You get a lot of bang for your buck -- some entities may grant multiple spells.  But it has the drawback that you're not really the one in control.  It's kinda like buying Contact: Superman, 18-.  Yeah it's useful, and he's always willing to help, but calling on him too often will bring... scrutiny.
 
Tier 4 -- Paid-for spells
This is the default Fantasy Hero proposition.  You pick a spell and pay the points.  In my opinion, generic attack spells and other basics aren't really useful enough for this.  If you're gonna have a spell like this, it needs to be something good.  You probably won't have a lot of these spells, but it depends on how many limitations you put on them.  With only a few, it may be something character-defining for you.  If everybody knows your sorcerer can walk through walls and change into a dire bear, and you do it all the time, then maybe those are paid-for spells.
 
Tier 5 -- Summons, Frameworks, and Superpowers
At this level, you're basically just building a Champions character.  Your wizard can fly, just because he can fly.  Maybe Saruman has an 80 Presence, because he's magic.  Your character's got a multipower or VPP with a ton of different abilities, his magic can do almost anything.  Summon is a big points saver as well.  It can give you world-altering power for fairly cheap.  Summon Undead Army is not that expensive, especially if you can only do it on the full moon or something.  Every one of those needs to be looked over by the GM very carefully.

I was honestly wondering why that wasn't in sixth edition as well.  As GM, I'd house rule it in.  "Limited Power" can cover a lot of ground...
 
 

Normally in Hero, Images (light/sound) can't do damage while Mental Illusions (all in the mind, but usually against one target) can.  However, you could write up an "illusionary monster" and then make the spell Summon Illusionary Monster.  You can add Variable Effect to summon other kinds of creatures.  
 
To fill a hex with fire, use a Blast or Killing Attack with Area of Effect and Constant or Continuous and either Uncontrolled (to feed END into it at the start and have it run off of that) or Time Limit (to have it expire on its own). 

I don't like them because to me it seems to turn characters into superheroes with swords.  That's not the power level I like running or playing at. 
 
If you're fighting opponents that are slightly too hard for you to affect, the answer isn't supposed to be Moar DC!!!  Figure something else out.  Research its weaknesses.  Use the environment.  Lead it into a pit or off a cliff.  Tie it up with ropes.  Or run away and live to fight another day!  Come back with a dozen mercenaries.  It's not like you get XP per kill... And if you have ordinary  Combat Skill Levels, you can put two of them into +1 DC anyway.  
 
I don't believe that Combat Luck is overpowered, because even three levels is more or less within the range of heavy armor or a wizard's defensive spell, but it just doesn't seem to fit into the power level I like to play or run at.  
 
I also feel similarly about Penalty Skill Levels or any Skill Levels bought with "only for (X)" Limitations.  If your special effect is "I'm so good with a sword that I can do more damage with it," buy more CSLs.  You can also use those CSLs to make it easier to perform a called shot, either to a Hit Location with higher damage multiples or one that has less armor.  
 
Edit to add:  Take a look at my Low Heroic Protocols document, which might give you some ideas.

My apologies for taking so long to respond to questions — real life snuck up on me and got in a Surprise attacking, Knocking me Out for several Segments until I could recover.  I can't promise it won't happen again, but I'll try to Dive For Cover next time.

Fantasy Hero Complete in fact includes, electronically at least, 18 sample PCs (in PDF, RTF, and HDC formats!), a starter adventure (the Val of Stalla), 24 monsters, the Kingdom of Grishun setting, and five maps (kingdom, city, town, countryside, and dungeon).  So we pretty much have the Fantasy Hero starter set!  The only thing it doesn't include is the dice.  $20 for book + PDF, $10 for PDF only; both of those include the adventure, setting, PCs, monsters, etc.
 
We pretty much have the Fantasy Hero starter set! 

To start out the campaign, I'd give the players a rough idea of power level and setting, and then build the rest of the world through the choices they make with their characters.  The Marvel movies did that.
 
For instance, in the first Iron Man movie, they introduce the "arc reactor" technology.  This is really what sets the Marvel world apart from our world.  Tony Stark invents some really awesome stuff, and the "super" tech that we see all comes from him.  Of course his dad was brilliant too, and so if we need to have some existing supertech that Tony didn't invent, it probably came from his dad.  Then we get the Incredible Hulk, and we know that there's this serum the government has been messing with for decades, and if you do it wrong it produces monsters.  Then we get Thor, and we learn there are aliens who have been messing around on Earth for eons, and a lot of our old myths probably come from their exploits.  They've got advanced technology that looks like magic to us, and they aren't big on explaining themselves to humans.  Finally we get Captain America, and we not only see what the super-soldier serum does when it works right, but we also see the glowing cube thingy that (among other things) gives Nazis supertech.  This all comes together with the Avengers movie, where we get glowing cube thingy, brainwashing staff, alien armies, super-agents, and a flying helicarrier.
 
Everything we see in the early Marvel movies has its origins in something tied in with the "PCs" of that world.  Look at the origins of the main characters, and that gives you your villains.
 
So say you've got 5 players.  Bob wants to be a ninja.  Dave insists on playing a chain-smoking Scottish wizard who wears a trench coat and fights demonic creatures.  Ricky has designed a power armor character who spent all his points on the cool armor, and doesn't have any skills or wealth.  When forced to come up with an explanation, he says he's a military pilot and was given the armor for this special assignment.  Frank plays an alien from another world who gets his powers from Earth's reflected moonlight or something.  And Sarah wants to play an anime character she really likes.  She's got a teenage girl who changes into a super teenage girl and shoots rainbow beams of power.  She does this to fight off the evil queen from Planet X.
 
What do you do?  Well, you've got two characters with asian themes, so that'll probably feature heavily.  We know that ninjas are real.  You've also got two different alien races (Planet X people and also Frank's character, though you might tie them together somehow).  The government has advanced enough tech to hand out a power suit to Corporal Moron.  And we've got shadowy demon creatures running around in the background thanks to our cynical mage, Harry Trainspotter.  That gives you a lot of possible enemies for these guys.  Then you can gradually build out the world based on what happens with these characters.  Just go with the logical conclusions of their actions and how they describe their backgrounds.  It sounds to me like evil cults should be a thing, maybe they hire ninja clans to guard their meeting places?  And if the governments of the world know that aliens are real, perhaps they are trying to use their super-suits to prevent possible invasion.  That sounds like a good reason for them to build a lot of different experimental units, many of which can get stolen.  And then sometimes Planet X could send some advanced scouts to Earth, and maybe they get captured or they drop an important alien tech thingy  (and somebody else finds it).
 
Anyway, when you introduce a new villain, it can help to tie it to one of the characters.  Sorry Bob, but the cyber-ninja that tried to kill the mayor seems very familiar to you -- he reminds you of a dead man, someone you once killed.  You're honor bound to investigate.  And Ricky, that laser sword he used looks like something you saw in the testing center when they gave you your armor.  You're almost afraid to ask your superiors where it came from.  Something is definitely up.  You don't have to resolve the problem immediately, in fact it may be better if you just let it linger for a while.  Bob can get revenge and knock the villain off a building into the river (where he disappears), but Ricky is still left wondering who he can trust within his own organization.  Each game session, you might have a villain that is related to a different hero, or maybe multiple heroes at once.  The players end up being tied together by circumstances, because all the villains link back to their own backgrounds.