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John Desmarais

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Posts posted by John Desmarais

  3. Freedom from the Reich

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Freedom from the Reich

     

    ...I suppose it's akin to you writing up an American super team with a bunch of cliched names and concepts--"Uncle Sam' date=' All American Girl, Quick Draw, GI Jane, etc."[/quote']

     

    I like these names (well, not Uncle Sam, as it;s been used a bit too much). I'm seeing a new NPC super team for my golden age game.

  4. A Storeowner's First Impression

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: A Storeowner's First Impression

     

    Why isn't Champions your flagship, your focus, with the generic Hero rules coming out later? The era where gamers are looking for a generic system is no longer here; that is a definate niche market.

    I disagree with the above statement, in that I prefer the more generic approach of the modern editions to the old editions where the game was actually "Champions."

     

    And I think it would be backward to come out with Champions:HERO, and then create (and re-release all the rules) for Generic:HERO.

     

    To a limited extent, I almost agree with Scott - not that I would have wanted to see Champions come out before the core rule books, but I do think that it would have served the game well to have the Champions genre book hit the streets are roughly the same time (with a flashy, comic-booky cover).

     

    Champions is still the more familiar brand, and having it on the shelves will pull people towards the rule books - which is ultimately what we want.

  6. And 6e print books start to arrive

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: And 6e print books start to arrive

     

    Yay! I've got a tracking number! Well, for Charcter Creation & Combat and Adventuring. Apparently, ordering the Advanced Player's Guide a couple of days kept it from getting into the same shipment - but it should bubble to top soon. (I guess if I had thought of it sooner i'd have PMed Tina so the could have combined the orders and saved a bit on the shipping fee.)

  8. Love for Non-Casters?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: Love for Non-Casters?

     

    I was looking over my notes for my old 5th Ed Fantasy Hero campaign and I came across a list of magic spells I'd made. At the time, I was using the Taurakian age divide RC by 3 for spell casters rule. And I came across this potent, high level spell I'd made for my elementalist school that could, essentially, route an army thanks to its mobile AOE and duration. It was 200+ real points and then after all the limitations and the div 3, it cost 8 points.

     

    Then something struck me. What the heck could a non-caster buy for 8 points that was even roughly comparable? An all combat level? 2 more DCs with their MA?

     

    And then I started thinking about all the various spell systems I've seen that essentially create a way to allow casters to exist as we expect them to in the typical fantasy environment (with lots of spells). Free normal equipment (even magical equipment) is a boon to everyone, especially non-casters with their plethora of weapons and armor... but does any of that gear compare to the utility and breadth of their mystical counterparts?

     

    Not really.

     

    So, has this become a point of contention for high level play for people? What do the noncasters spend their points on? Even if the casters don't use div 3 system, if they get to benefit from frame works, they still get cost breaks the fighters and rogues lack.

     

    Is this a problem for anyone? Am I over thinking things?

     

    Just a clarifying question: Did your magic rules make the Requires Skill Roll mandatory for spells?

  13. Paying for Magic Items

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: Paying for Magic Items

     

    I know this is an old chestnut...

     

    What are people's preferred method of dealing with magic items? do you charge points for them? give them away for free? Give them a reduced Real Cost?

     

    If you charge character points for them, how do your players deal with losing the items?

     

    When do you charge the points? How do you ever allow really expensive items into a campaign (ie how could a player ever afford a 20+ point item)?

     

    If you don't charge them for it... how do you keep it in hand?

     

    I'm basically coming back to fantasy hero after an extended break and I'm reexamining elements of my old campaign. Paying or not paying for magic items is something I'm wrestling with.

     

    An alternative I'd thought of for weapons and armor (or any item that has a normal 'cash item' equivalent) was that Players only had to pay the RC difference between a normal item and their item. So if a sword's real cost were 13 and the magic sword was 17, they'd only pay 4.

     

    But... I don't know if I even want to go there.

     

     

    For Magic Items acquired in game play, I treat them the same way I did in D&D. They are simply part of the reward for adventuring.

     

    Now, if the resident PC spellflinger wants to create a custom item, then there's gonna be a point expenditure.

  15. New to Fantasy Hero

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: New to Fantasy Hero

     

    There's always running one of the established D&D worlds and use the spells/races/monsters and equipment as they are presented in Fantasy Hero and The Hero System Bestiary.

     

    That way your D&D loving friend can play in the world he's grown accustomed to and you can use your favorite rule system.

     

    Once you get used to it, converting critters to hero is pretty simple.

     

    Tasha

     

     

    I ran Fantasy Hero in the Forgotten Realms for years, just to give all of my old AD&D players a familiar frame of reference - and this was pre-5th edition. Now, with the Fantasy Hero Grimoires and the professions & races from Fantasy Hero, and magic rules created for Turakian Age, it would be even easier. Everything "Turakian" is very similar in feel to the major xD&D settings, so it's a snap to bolt it on.

  16. What's a good introductory adventure?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What's a good introductory adventure?

     

    I've decided to see if I can start a Hero gaming group at Church. To this end, I'll need 6th ed. (Birthday soon), some PCs and NPCs (Hero Designer and ask-yoinking from the boards) and an adventure.

     

    So, what's a good, clean introductory adventure?

     

    Thanks for any and help.

     

     

    Keep on the Borderlands (and, convieniently enough, our own Kestrel has a Hero System conversion).

  20. Urban/Modern Fantasy Questions

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: Urban/Modern Fantasy Questions

     

    How many folks have ran a urban/modern fantasy setting? What setting (location/time - ex. London/Victorian) did you use? Did you have any problems with power abuse? How well did the game go?

     

    The last one I did was set in New Orleans (present day). Game lasted for several years until the gaming group went their separate ways.

     

    Since the characters were built on a 50 point base plus disads, there wasn;t much power to abuse :P

  21. Heroes from All Fifty States

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Heroes from All Fifty States

     

    MISTER MICHIGAN becomes available for review

     

    Teh Mich. Wolvirene will be the spelling I use. There are so many copywrited concepts relating to the wolverine animal its not even funny.

     

     

    Its kind of funny as Wolverines are not - and probably never were - indigenous to Michigan.

     

    (How about the Michigan Marten?)

  22. Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers

    in Pulp Hero

    Posted

    Re: Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers

     

    Hopefully that's no frill' date=' not no thrill. :P Would be pretty disappointing if it was a no-thrill e-book! :([/quote']

     

    Now offering special deals on no thrills Pulp!

     

    "Pulp, just how I like it."

    Fred James, survivor of three heart attacks

     

    "It's just like reading a history book. Kids will love it!"

    Janice Sprang, third grade teacher

     

    "All the facts with none of those lurid embellishment."

    Jason Mangrove, Editor, Encyclopedia Britantica

  23. Heroes from All Fifty States

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Demographics

     

    I did some breakdowns of the submissions.....

     

    Powers:

    11 Bricks

    5 Energy Proj

    6 Detectives

    5 Wpns Master

    4 Water Based

    6 Speedsters

    2 Mystics

    1 Psionic

    7 Martial Artists

    1 Meta-Morph

    3 Animal Controllers

    1 Shrinker

    3 Gadgeteers

     

    Racial:

    30 Cauc

    9 Alien/Other

    3 Afr-Am

    4 Natv

    2 Hisp

    5 Mix Race

     

    Gender:

    16 Fem

    35 Male

    2 Robots

     

    Kind of brick-heavy. What states are still un-heroed?

  24. Heroes from All Fifty States

    in Champions

    Posted

    Re: Heroes from All Fifty States

     

    It was a good game, but Damn. I mean, at its height, a turn was over two hours long.

     

    Next time, fewer replicants and more insects. Always a good thing. I mean, not as good as intelligent apes with laser cannons, but it is close.

     

    Feh! Giants insects are nasty - I want something I can successfully beat up on at least once in while.

     

    The 50 are a neat bunch (although only a subsection were present). Personally, I'd like to have seen Wind-Talker in play - but beggars (and volunteer players) can't be choosers.

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