Virtuoso

Let's hear it for Old School Hero! Seriously, I'm glad to know there are still people playing the older editions -- which is pretty cool, especially considering how long those rules have been unavailable for purchase. Makes me wonder what would happen if Hero would do reprints (premium, regular, or print-on-demand) or even sign off on a retro-clone! (I know I'd buy a few copies.)

Huh. While I've encountered players who never moved 4th, that group doesn't seem very well represented on this discussion board. The vibe I'm getting (from an admittedly limited sample) is that a lot of people here haven't switched to 6th but have just stuck with 5th, and that, whatever the virtues of 6th edition, it doesn't really seem to have caught on. Would you folks say that's true of the bulk of the Hero community? Just wondering.... (The people I've dealt with have only really played the 2nd-4th editions.) As I mentioned, I've purchased all the new stuff -- and swiped source material from all over the place -- but the version of the system I work from is 4th, just because it works for me and my players. (I couldn't agree more, Doc Democracy.) Sure, there are tweaks (like the block mechanic you mentioned, Ninja-Bear), but overall, that version seems the best fit. (Incidentally, one thing I've imported is the Striking Appearance mechanic, but I use it as an effect of Comeliness, which I have costing 1 CP per point. I have a simple Comeliness table similar to the Strength table where every 5 points of COM above 10 have +1d6/+1 effect, with every 3 points adding half a d6, as with Strength and damage. Simple, and the only thing that changes on the character sheet is the doubling of the cost of Comeliness.) Anyway, thanks for the responses, all!

Hello, all. I'm curious about something, so I thought I'd throw out a general question for the boards. Since shortly after I first encountered the Hero System, it's been my go-to system for pretty much every game I run, and over the years, I've bought a LOT of Hero books -- to the point of tracking down the editions that were out before that first encounter and building a collection that takes up 12+ linear feet on my bookshelves. Though I've used material from all the game's editions, I've stuck with the 4th edition ruleset for actual play, converting material to that edition as needed. System-wise, I've imported a few tweaks in the form of house rules, but that's about it. I don't have a problem with any of the other editions, so don't think I'm turning my nose up at them or anything. 4th edition just seems to me the best balance between mechanical development and simplicity. I'm wondering how many other people are using an older version of the rules. Is just about everybody "latest and greatest," or is there a significant "old school" crowd?

Re: [New Product] Champions Complete Well, my wife and I just pre-ordered our copies at FRP Games -- one each, naturally -- plus a new set of dice for each of us to help commemorate the occasion. (We both got Chessex Scarabs; mine are royal blue with gold, and hers are jade with gold.) FRP Games lists the book as having a planned release date for October 30th. (Here's hoping!) Really excited about this book....