kjamma4

Sorry, I just had one more. Yesterday, we were playing in our second session of Fantasy HERO. Basically, we had converted our existing characters from a D&D 3.5 campaign we had been playing for a while and continued using HERO. One character was sneaking up ahead of the two other characters. He came across eight goblins led by two hobgoblins, none of which noticed him. He was running low on endurance due to a combination of previous spells and combat. He decided that he would get no better opportunity so he let loose with a mana blast (I believe it was a 6d energy blast). He rolled really well and killed the goblins outright. All of us being new players, we were taking combat really slow to learn the ropes. We read carefully through the knockback rules and were happy when the two hobgoblins were pushed back two inches, enough to slam them into the wall behind them. They fell prone and had to use their phase to get up and move. My daughter’s and my characters then stepped forward and were able to deal the death blows to the injured hobgoblins, much to the relief of the spell caster who was down on END. The cool thing about the whole deal was that it played out perfectly in my mind’s eye. I could SEE the elf sneaking up and casting the spell. I could SEE the goblins scatter like ten pins and SEE the hobgoblins lifted off their feet and slam into the wall, landing in a crumpled heap. I could SEE them struggle to their feet, dazed, only to succumb to us taking advantage of their state. It was awesome. [As background, I have been roleplaying for about 25 years and have played a variety of games and have had many games where I’ve felt like I was actually in the game. However, most of our recent games of D&D have lacked something and seemed like just number fests – rolling dice and simply subtracting from a hit point total (and that may be more of a slam on the way we were playing rather that the D&D system.) The recent session of HERO have been a complete reversal and I’m glad to say that the other players in my group agree.]

Re: New guy likes END

In addition to the SPD chart, I am also digging the use of END. We are just starting a Fantasy HERO game (actually, we converted our D&D 3.5 characters somewhat and are continuing that campaign using HERO). Using END has put a whole new spin on the game. You can no longer just swing away endlessly but must rather budget your END. Your "kewl" powers are great, but they come at a cost. Thought must be put into when you use them and for which opponents (and the satisfaction is quite high when your gamble pays off.) Me likey.

Re: New Guy likes SPD Chart Issue 49, March 1982. I'm getting old.

Re: New Guy likes SPD Chart Not exactly. The newest version of Car Wars is version 5.0 which increased the scale of the game and comes in nine different booklets, each of which contain the rules and two sample vehicles (and variants.) It does not contain vehicle construction rules (which, combined with the "dumbing down" of the game, contributed to a lukewarm reception.) IMHO There is also a Car Wars card game which is non-collectible. Up to six players each have a vehicle with the same stats. You have a hand of cards representing damage from different vehicles, armor to possibly negate the damage, and cards for special effects. This, on the other hand, is a pretty cool game and is quite fun. A beer-and-pretzels game.

No real point to this but to heap some praise. I just started playing HERO as of GenCon this year. I am very impressed with the SPD chart to handle combat. Here's why: 1) It makes sense. Your attacks are spread out over the turn in a logical fashion based upon how many you have. 2) It seems "fairer" than an initiative system where you do all of your multiple attacks at once. 3) I'm an old-school Car Wars player. The concept of the SPD chart is almost the same as the movement chart in that game. I was able to grasp it right away.

Re: The limits of regeneration

Re: Tips/Tricks/Advice

Being a new player of HERO, I am interested in any advice on how to make the games run smoother/faster/easier. Based upon a fantasy game played recently, I will be bringing a chart outlining hit locations and damage classes to speed up combat. I am mostly looking for little tidbits that will help the game move along. An example of what I mean (as applied to another system) would be the tip in Deadlands to use colored paperclips to keep track of wounds and wind. [Tips for both players and GMs would be appreciated.]

I played HERO for the first time at GenCon this year. Since then, the members of my regular group have joined a twice monthly Pulp HERO game run by one of the players from GenCon. Yesterday was an off day from the pulp campaign so the guy in our regular group who normally is the DM for D&D 3.5 tried running a Fantasy HERO game. Unfortunately, due to work/school/home schedule, there were only two players instead of the usual four to five. The game went really well. As we are all new to the system, we made a few mistakes in regards to bookkeeping (especially our END). However, we were all impressed with the combat and the options you have. It was a bit less "hack-and-slash" and more using tactical options. The fact that we are becoming familiar with the system through playing in the pulp campaign helped alot. It will be interesting to see what happens when all the players are there. We also learned that we need to have "cheat" sheets for all the players. These will include the hit location chart, the damage class chart, and will probably be customized for each player's specific martial maneuvers. All in all, an enjoyable night. It seems like we will be putting the system through its paces in one genre or the other in the upcoming months.

Re: Lo, Our Savior is Born! Technically, the boy is not your wife's second cousin, he is your wife's first cousin, once removed. http://www.genealogy.com/16_cousn.html [sorry, I got hammered on this in an Estates class once and it's stuck with me ever since. ]

Re: 1/2 Dice and Stun Multiplier Dice

Re: 1/2 Dice and Stun Multiplier Dice I understand how to do it. I just thought it would be kinda cool to have dice that ALREADY had the calculations done. (apparently I'm the only one:confused: )

Re: 1/2 Dice and Stun Multiplier Dice

Re: 1/2 Dice and Stun Multiplier Dice Is this different from the die I described (six sided, 1-3 twice)?

I recently played HERO for the first time at GenCon. In the game I played in, the GM and the two experienced players had their own HERO dice. I picked up the revised edition recently and also picked up a set of the dice as well. One thing that kind of frustrated me was rolling 1/2 dice and the stun multiplier dice*** in that you rolled your regular dice, then if you had a 1/2 die, you rolled that (with the attendant calculation) and then the stun multiplier (with the attendant calculation). Has anyone modified dice to allow one roll for everything? There are a couple of ways you could do this. 1/2 die - I have a six sided die that is numbered 1-3 twice. You could drill small holes in both 3s and one of the 2s to simulate the body done (much like the official HERO dice). Stun multiplier die - paint in five of the pips on the six side to make a second one (or paint in all six and drill a hole in the center to make the second one). Alternately, there are some dice out there that have a picture or symbol for the six instead of pips or a number. You could simply use this result as a secondary "one" result. Both of these methods result in a die that has the following sides: 1,1,2,3,4,5 which eliminates any calculation for the stun multiplier. An alternative to either of the die types is to use blank d6s and simply make your own stickers to affix to them. ***I fully realize that this is not such a big deal and the calculations involved are not really that math intensive. Most people probably would say, "Why bother?" This is just thrown out as a possible alternative.