DreadDomain

A strange statement indeed. I would say GURPS 4th moved far closer to HERO than the other way around. I don't believe I ever played GURPS Super 1st edition but it so happened that, years ago, we moved our Golden Age campaign from HERO 4th to GURPS Super 2nd edition (we wanted to try something different). Surprisingly, of all the other superhero games I tried, it was the second most satisfying after HERO. Mind you, if GURPS has one design flaw is that it doesn't scale nearly as well as HERO does so when we played our modern, more high powered campaign once our Golden Age campaign was over, we ended up after a while, moving the game from GURPS to HERO.

I'm the total opposite. Over the years I've played The Dark Eye, Pendragon, RuneQuest, Stormbringer, Talislanta, Fantasy HERO, Warhammer, Rolemaster/MERP, AD&D, Harnmaster and probably others I have forgotten, but the system I have enjoyed the most for Fantasy (both as player and GM) is GURPS. We've had grim and gritty campaigns where combat was deliciously visceral and dangerous and others high powered, cinematic epics.

Sorry to learn that. Best of luck Hyper-Man

Scenarios are also best when they introduce new characters, vilains and organizations, describe locations, include equipment, widgets and MacGuffins. Unless it is very specific to the scenario, I am less keen when they add new rules but all of the other examples, might boost interest in the book for gm and players alike and provide hooks and leads for a longer term campaign. 4th had a few good supplements like that.

Hey Mark,Long time no see! Exciting stuff. What system will be used for the relaunch of SA:CoH if any?

The best games we've had were with 4 players. In a comic book, I prefer 7 or 8 members.

To my post you replied: Well, I am backing the KS so let's call it highly probable?

Personally, I loved EC and was using it extensively. However, I believe Unified Powers just work better and is way easier to use as a tool to incentivise players to build characters that are tightly themed. The same goes for figured characteristics. I absolutely loved them and was shocked when I learnt they would go. Without them, it is now so much easier to build the character you want. In the end, I had to admit dropping EC and Figured Characteristics were good ideas for 6e. So no, it doesn't (only) come down to folks who don't like ECs and probably never did. That being said, absolutely reinstate them in your game! I would be tempted to do it just for tghe fun of it.

That's a good stab. I feel it should also highlight HERO's scaleability and capacity to model any power level. It is a very big differentiator from GURPS. Something else to consider, and I am not sure how to convey it properly, HERO strikes a balance between consistency of mechanics while keeping the individual flavour of the sub-systems. To express it differently, in HERO, various sub-systems have different flavours. Martial Arts, Presence attacks, Mental powers, all feel distinct in their application and how they impact the game. In other games (Mutants & Masterminds, Fate, Heroquest, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, etc...), they are merely trappings with a very high level of mechanical sameyness. At the same type, in HERO, they do retain a high level of cohesion and balance in the sense that they follow the same mechanical logic (roll versus target, roll effect, deduct defense, apply effect) and seamlessly integrate together. In contrast, a game like GURPS have very distinct sub-systems (magic, imbuement, martial arts, powers, tech, ritual magic, etc) that are highly individualized. They do not necessarily balance well together and a high level of gm overview is required to combine them in the same game.

Ouch... a revised edition with the much better Savage World cover perhaps

Wild inaccuracies? Would you care to elaborate?

What is missing in my opinion: Kickstarter, finished text, editing, layout, art, publish

You have put a lot of work into to! I like it!

I mean that removing powers to have them created by other powers (Transfer, Instant Change) or folding them into another power (Gliding, Suppress) were unnecessary simplifications (aka, they were not simplifications).

Personally I believe Transfer, Gliding and Instant Change were all unecessary simplifications.

Champions 6E has the Superhero Gallery which is a pick and choose, non-random type charater creation. Steve Long has also published the Expanded Superhero Gallery. Champions 5E has the Superhuman Quick Generator which is random/semi-random.

Darren Watts’s Golden Age Champions: I bought it through KS (but still miffed we missed the full colour mark) Michael Surbrook’s Ghosts, Ghouls, and Golems: Sounds interesting. Probable buy. Champions Character Creation Cards: Super interesting. Intrigue by how it will work. I still believe the Superhero Gallery in Champions 6E was great and that it should have been in Champions Complete. It should also be availble through Hero Designer. This is a buy. Danger International: Buy!. Aaron Allston’s Strike Force Organizations: Buy! Champions Villains Four: Organizations: Buy! Michael Satran’s Imperial Throne: Potential buy. Invictus! Potential buy. Jason Walters’s Santa Muerte: Probable buy.

That they don't make it look so damn complicated everytime they put it on a character sheet. I have no problem whatsoever with the way Instant Change is built in 6E but I am annoyed when I see on a published character sheet: 3 Instant Change: cosmetic transform 1d6 (one set of clothing into one costume and vice-versa; method of healing back varies based on character), trigger (changing clothing is a zero phase action, trigger immediately automatically resets; +¾) (5 active points); limited target (the clothes currently worn by character; -½). Instead of this: 3 Instant Change (one set of clothing into one costume and vice-versa) It's like DOJ insists to perpetual the meme that HERO is complicated to the extreme. Granted, the real issue here is not Instant Change per say, it's the GUI. More on this below. You obviously don't know me. My favorite books on my bookshelves are 6E1, 6E2, APGI, APGII and HSS. I like the power HERO gives my. The possibilities are endless! I am annoyed by unnecessay complexity, even more so when the complexity is only perceived but happily perpetuated. Instant Change is an example of that. Another example is Equipment. More often than not, DOJ makes a point to write something like (from Adventure The Val of Stalla for Fantasy Hero Complete): War Captain's Spear: Game Information: HKA 2d6, Armor Piercing (+¼), Area Of Effect (1m Radius, Accurate; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (67 Active Points); OAF (spear; -1) (total cost: 33 CP) plus Reach 3m (total cost: 3 CP) plus Sight Group Images, Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +¾), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (spear; -1), Only To Create Light (-1), No Range (-½) (total cost: 6 CP). Real Cost: 42 CP. You are right, the GUI is important. I participated in the Extreme Earth KS as soon as HERO stats were included. As a long time HERO player, I believe the CS, the GUI, for HERO looks a lot more complicated than the others even though, I know it is not significantly more complicated than the others. DOJ has decided to use a Stat bloc that is very, uh, blocky. From the start, any character looks a bit complex just because of the long list from STR to STUN. A better organization would help. Reduction of hermetic write-ups (Instant Change, equipments), would help. None of this makes HERO more or less complex. A better GUI would make it look simpler (aka no more complicated than it really is). Another aspect where HERO could decrease complexity is by providing the tools to make powers intuitively. As an example, building Super-Running with Flight is not intuitive. There is not a whole damn lot that I would change in 6E for a mechanic perspective (and for some changes, I would lokk back at 5ER and even more so at 4E) and I believe 80% of the perceived complexity would fade with a better GUI and sourcebooks that actually make mechanical decisions as opposed to reshowing the engine every times. EDIT: By the way, apologies but responding to a post a few days old, I am totally out of sync with the current discussion.

I wasn't suggesting you were not working hard but simply that the KS page felt... unloved. KS updates are for everyone to see. That being said,I understand posting on other gaming boards might provide greater exposure. Thanks for posting there and for making updates on KS. As for my suggestion regarding the other systems cs, it was to generate interest from other crowds (I personally don't care about the other systems). If they don't exist, they don't exist. Good luck with the conventions!

Darren, I think I failed to make my point. I wasn't asking for an excerpt for me here on the board (but thanks for that). My point is the KS is very slow, earning a few dollars a day, with no comment in a week. Interest needdb to be generated here, on the M&M and SW boards but even more do on KS. How about you post your excerpt as an update? Wait a few days and post the character sheet of one of the characters on the cover? Than another excerpt. Than a M&M sheet? Than how about an update with shipping rates estimate? My point is the KS needs to be actively supported. If the creators don't bother to show up why would potential backers? Anyway, apologies about the critics. I really want this to succeed at the hardcover level. DD

I suspect that ADDING Instant Change as a power would make the game simpler. Consider Instant Change in 6E. Instant Change: cosmetic transform 1d6 (one set of clothing into one costume and vice-versa; method of healing back varies based on character), trigger (changing clothing is a zero phase action, trigger immediately automatically resets; +¾) (5 active points); limited target (the clothes currently worn by character; -½). total cost: 3 points. (to transform a costume into any clothing, add improved results group (+¼), for 6 active points, total cost 4 points.)

Guys, I believe this KS needs a bit more love. It is moving ohhhh soooo slowly. More updates would help. More art preview would help. More excerpts would help. Heck, knowing how much shipping will cost would help. Come on guys, a bit more active support!

That's a good list! Will they be converted similarly to the Champions Gallery in Champions (something I thought was cruelly missing from Champions Complete). Also, any indication of cost of shipping to Australia? Finally, would you care to name the characters on the cover?

Do we have any indication of cost of shipping? I'm particularly interested about Australia.

Looks good. Not sure how much control you have over this but he would look a lot more sinister with a black cape and the yellow replaced by silver.