BigJackBrass

Distance and Movement in the Beta ... current work
 
 

OK I have fixed up a fillable Character Sheet for Western Hero and put it in the downloads section.  This is also included in the WH rules.  Its two-sided, here's the front:
 

 
Also I edited and re-uploaded the Greatest Guns Who Never Were file.
 

For years I only knew of Supergame from the ads in Space Gamer magazine, but remarkably Precis Intermedia Games reprinted it a couple of years ago! They also did a "third edition" which is actually an entirely different system. Unfortunately it looks like it's following their typical path of buying an old IP and not following up with the promised supplements. 

I imagine this was due to his actions as part of the "Sad Puppies" fiasco targeting the Hugo Awards in 2014. 

That's exactly it. 

In addition the tutorials on Youtube have become a playlist
 
 

Yes, it's still going on. I work on Mythic Hero as much as I can, which lately has been a lot. Once I finish one (maybe two ) semi-related projects, I will be back on it full time. I don't care if I have to leave final instructions for publishing MH in my will, it is going to be published!

I also tried Champions Online when it was first released. I was disappointed by the zone designs, the missions, and the overall look. As natural as it may seem to do cel-shaded rendering for a superhero game, it just didn't work for me. But overall I think the biggest problem for me was that, in my view, City of Heroes got practically everything right, and so all other MMORPGs suffered by comparison, especially the superhero ones.
 
It is 2020 and the gameplay and graphics are well over a decade old at this point, but I still prefer playing City of Heroes to any other MMORPG out there. (In fact, I play twice a night with a buddy of mine, and occasionally play solo a little on weekends.)

I have completed and sent Western Hero to Hero Games to look over and build a cover for.  Its a complete book with all you need to build characters and play the game (minus powers and modifiers etc, as not applicable in a heroic game) with a full campaign setting adapted from the original Western Hero 4th edition, plus tons of adventure ideas, campaign tips, background, maps, etc.
 
Also, I have uploaded a file of The Greatest Guns Who Never Were, a file containing almost 50 fictional characters of western and western-inspired background from books, comics, movies, television, and radio, from Hopalong Cassidy to Mal Reynolds and all points in between.  Its free in the Downloads section and includes full Hero Designer write ups as well as a pdf containing them all and some notes on how they were made.

The Tabletop Simulator module is in playtest. 
https://youtu.be/UJcEtNXG2n4

Second video of the Tabletop Simulator Hero System module
 
 

Both the Android and iOS beta channels are now live so you should be able to get the beta build now.  There's a couple of things I know I need to do around the app going into the background and being suspended.  The next beta should hopefully address those issues but for now I would suggest you keep the app in the foreground to avoid strange behaviour while testing.
 
Thank you in advance to anyone who helps me test this out. 

Back by popular demand! This file, which is also available for free from the Hero Games Online Store, contains all the errata known to me as of today.
 
If you find an errata in the core rulebook which isn't listed here, please PM me to inform me about it. Please don't post it here, because I may not see it. Sending it to me directly ensures that I won't overlook it.
6E Errata 2020-02-09.pdf

Portraits will be available in the next build for the Hero Designer character viewer 
 

 
I'm still testing some scaling code I wrote but it looks like this one is a sure thing for next build.

Back home now (got off early!  Woo-hoo!)
 
I have the same sheet as C-Note, save that I reduced the margins to increase the size of the sheet itself (much easier to write in that way).
 
If you're interested:
 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-XssqvF7nIfcWM5TXJoNEJDV0d1MUVQa055cF9Ka3U5U1Y4
 
 

I have been working on some fundamental changes to how characters are managed by the app based on the anticipated future needs of the app.  These changes revolve around how characters are loaded and stored by the application.  The way characters are managed by the app is changing in order to support loading multiple characters into the app and other features like "Notes" and freeform "Equipment" entries.
 
To understand the changes I think it's necessary to describe how character management currently works:
The app can manage one character as time by picking it from the filesystem Loading a new character will erase any data about the currently loaded character like combat state Information about the currently loaded character is saved between sessions via platform specific data stores All the above means is that the app can only effectively manage one character at a time.
 
The next major release of the app will have the new model of character management, which is:
Importing a character will save them locally to the app You will have a list of characters that you may choose to load from You may delete characters as well Character state is saved in the local version of the character Basically, combat state and if you have the "Include Secondary Characteristics?" switch flipped Loading a character will also load their saved state into the app, if any Loading a new version of the character via the import button will overwrite the old character Here's a screenshot of the new character management screen:
 

 

Ah Jack, you mistake need and want. 😄
 
I think with just the default sounds it will make little difference.  If someone wants lots of sounds then the size will not matter to them...
 
Personally, since I asked for it, I think I will have fun using it. 
 
I feel greedy, but if Sentry is looking for further advancement, I would love a way of sharing the rolls made, so being able to set up a small group, the five of us round the table using the app and when a roll is made, it shares the result to everyone in the group...
 
I think an app like this removes some of the drudgery (though plenty of my players love rolling dice, many of them hate counting them up!).
 
I think it should also provide the potential of engaging more senses in the game - sounds can be really evocative and superheroes, to me, are about flash and colour.  That is what attracted me to comics when I was a kid and it is what keeps drawing me back to superheroes in my gaming.
 
 
Doc

You can choose not to play any sounds at all in the app by going to the settings screen and flipping a switch.  It was the first thing I thought of when Doc requested this feature 😂
 
All of the audio files add up to about 1.1m of bloat in the app.  That's roughly a 10% increase in size on the Android side... not too bad.  The PDFs I used to distribute with the app took up about the same space.  Actual runtime memory should be low too because I load sounds on demand and not all at once.
 
But yes, no one needs this feature but it's a nice little option for people to use if they want.
 
Also, I need something to keep me busy while I wait for the poll to finish 😉

Sounds
I finished the first pass at adding in sound effects... here's how it works right now:
You need to select a "Special Effect" for a power in HD The power must have a roll associated with it like a Blast or Entangle Sounds will play when you make your roll Each special effect in HD has a sound in the app... all 48 of them You can choose to not play any sounds in the newly redesigned settings screen of the app.  Alternatively, you may also choose to just use the dice rolling sound regardless of the SFX assigned to the powers.
 
All the sounds are here if you're curious. 
 
What I'm thinking for phase 2 of this feature is this:
I'll add a screen to upload a sound (and delete one too) You will pick from a dropdown on this screen what SFX it should play on When loading a SFX the app will first check the list of user uploaded files and load anything it finds for the SFX All SFX sounds are loaded on demand (and then cached) to keep memory under control Failing to find any user defined mp3's for a given SFX will cause the app to use the default SFX sound Tablet Support
While we're talking about features, I want to discuss what I mean by 'Tablet Support' as it is currently ahead in the poll.  I will be using a technique to scale up the UI to a reasonable size based on the device screen size and resolution - that's it.  I have no plans right now to make special screens based on the size of the device.  Making screens based on device size adds a level of complexity to my development process that I just don't need right now, especially when weighed against the other feature requests I have in the pipeline.  To reiterate, it will look better on bigger devices but there won't be a changes to the UI beyond the addition of scaling.
 
Perhaps this will change someday but for now I want to add in this first step and move on to other features.

I just pushed the 1.3.5 build to the app stores.  
 
Note: Clear your caches (under settings) before you use the build
 
Patch notes:
Added in a new tool called the "Effect" roller which replaces the "Free Form" tool Effect results now show a message regarding the effect such as the number of segments a target is flashed for Pressing a phase bubble will highlight it in gold to indicate the phase has been spent Long pressing a phase bubble highlights it on red which indicates the phase has been aborted or lost due to stunning Added Dexterity and Speed to the phases section of the combat screen Added the defenses section to the combat screen which lists PD, ED, Power, and Mental defense Fixed an issue with tabs not immediately updating when toggling the "Show Secondary Characteristics?" button Fixed a bug with custom martial maneuvers which caused a crash Complications now display more useful information as a glance You will probably start seeing the build on your devices later tonight would be my guess.

I've been sequestered in my home because of a snowstorm for the past day and a bit... the good news is there's plenty of time to program .  I've been squashing bugs and writing new features with the occasional break to shovel my driveway and watch The Witcher.
 
There's a couple of new things to go through...
 
The Effect Screen
I have replaced the "Free Form" rolling tool with a new tool called the "Effect" roller.  This screen still allows you to roll dice "free form" style but you may also now pick the effect you're rolling for.  When you hit the "Roll" button you will be taken to the "Result" screen per usual but there will now be an informative message.  For example; if you pick "Flash" as your effect type you will see the number of segments that target is flashed for when you press the "Roll" button.
 
In addition to using this tool stand alone I added in intelligence to the rolls you make from the Hero Designer character viewer.  When you roll for your "Flash" power effect it will automatically roll for you and tell you the segments your target is flashed for simply by pressing the die code on the power. 
 
Here it is:

 
Complications
I decided that the "Complications" tab on the Hero Designer character viewer needed a bit of love so it could fall in line with the ther tabs.  The primary issue I had with this tab was that it didn't tell you useful information at a glance.  It listed the type of Complication but no other useful information was present.  I changed it so there's more useful information available at a glance now.
 

 
Defenses
I finally got around to adding in a defenses section to the "Combat" tab of the Hero Designer character tab.  I won't bore you with the implementation details other than to say there's too many ways to get defenses in this game
 

 
That's all for now... I may push a build out later today or tonight depending on how things go.

I worked a bit more on the combat screen today for Hero Designer characters... here's a screenshot (apologies for the quality)
 

 
As you can see, the Dexterity and Speed of the loaded character are now displayed below the phase bubbles.
 
The phase bubbles themselves are now interactable:
Touching a bubble will highlight it in gold to indicate the phase has been spent Long touching the bubble will highlight it in red to indicate the phase has been lost due to aborting or being stunned  

While this is absolutely true, I respectfully disagree with this part:
 
 
 
Hero needs a game.  A complete playable-out-of-the-box game that people can pick up, learn in- well, preferably a couple of hours, but no more than an evening or two-  and have up and running for the weekend. 
 
Thats the point Chris has made before about 3e: those complete games were not just genre books.  Benchmarks and an already built magic system,  some idea about the world around you, a Theme a tone, and pre-built equipment to buy or at least to model your custom stuff after. 
 
Hero doesn't have anything like that.  The last one they had was MHI, which _vanished_.  One day people are bad mouthing the author of the source material while there are 660 copies in the store, the next minute they are _gone_. (I bought myself one to support my favorite game system and my views on "one thin book".  I liked it.  I decided to order my brother one (he's a fan of the source material; I am not), and dude: they were _gone_.) 
 
You can pick up MHI and be up and running in a couple of evenings.  You can't do that with Basic.   Sure: you can if you already know the system and a setting and campaign limits and style, but nothing has to offer will give you more than a place to play and some mechanics.  There is no complete game. 
 
A prebuilt D&D conversion is not my idea of a good time, but I am willing to bet I could read it and play a game from it, if I wanted, with no prior understanding of D&D or Champions. 
 
Look here:
 
 
 
Yet another "how to build a power" thread.  Fine: they're fun, right? 
 
Having a few known-up-front suppositions about the game itself would make it a lot less confusing.  I mean, Scott reached all the way back to campaign material published for an actual complete game (4e champions) to get an answer. 
 
Now if this was for a spell in Fantasy Hero, a pre built magic system might have pointed right at the answer; a pre-built spell list might have made the question superfluous. 
 
Hero bills itself as a toolkit from which any game can be built.  What hero needs is to sit down and prove it. 

Well, actually you are on the Hero boards and that thought is sacrilege
 
Years ago I and others made the same arguments we were subjected to the BBS version of “shouted down”.    
My version was to create the equivalent of a D&D starter with prebuilt everything for a small standard fantasy game through the 3rd “level”. 
All the lists shortened to just the basic delving needs.  Not details for builds in the “lists”.  Just what it does and the final point cost.  For example:
Spell: Fire Bolt, does 4d6 Normal Flame damage. Cost ## char points.
Weapon: Broadsword, 1d6+1.  Cost ## gold.
 
Just enough information to make 3-5 basic heroes that can go into a small dungeon and kill some goblins. 
And then “level up” a little.
The entire point to to simplify the initial character build by pre-packaging as much as possible which allows new FH players to exercise the game system before having to learn the build system.
An appendix in the “Fantasy Hero” starter would list everything that had been provided, weapons, spells, etc. and their point builds for the players after they have run through a few games and want to “customize”.  Being able to compare a build they have actually played in a game to the rulebook is very helpful.  Especially if they are self-teaching.
Take a humdrum “standard” or “typical” party of PC’s
1st level Human Fighter
1st level Elf Ranger
1st level Human Wizard
1st level Halfling Thief
1st level Human Cleric
There is practically no difference for these basic builds in D&D, Pathfinder, 13th Age, etc.  A thief is a thief.  A fighter is a fighter.  And so on.
The world they are placed into are also virtually identical, just bearing different sounding made up names/labels.  I have personally mixed and matched adventures between the systems. 
 
The point is not to present a unique and exciting all-encompassing world. 
The point to quickly and easily present a few stereotypical PC’s and run them through a small number of learning/practice games.
They can then use that experience to give them a perspective on the full rules. 
 
The difference between Hero and many other RPG’s is that most popular RPG rules give the players prepackaged options but do not actually release the underlying structure that was used to build the options.  They give you the rules to play and build PC’s, but not the rules to make the rules.
 
Hero plops the underlining rules needed to build everything and then expects everyone to simply understand with no frame of reference.   With each edition of Hero, any intuitive understanding of the game concepts was drowned in the unbelievably verbose walls of text. 
 
At least in my opinion.