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Besides Deadpool & Wolverine with my daughter before she headed off to college? I re-watched Stephen King's Thinner out of nostalgia that featured Kari Wuhrer in one of her earliest roles and more notably, Joe Mantegna as Richie "the Hammer." Even though he dies in the book, he lives and wreaks havoc in the film...I wonder if his skilled acting and role on The Simpsons as "Fat Tony" had anything to do it that script change from the source material. 🤔

8 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Only a couple of thoughts on it, first it looks nice and dramatic.

I'd add "Value" to the Mental Combat line

I'd add "NPC" to the Dependent: Guienevere, so its more clear that she's the one dependent on him rather than he needing her.

Moran LeFay might be more a hunted?

Thanks for the feedback, although the topic was more about the visual presentation versus game mechanics/rules since there will always be campaign or scenario-specific nuances. Guinevere is a player character in the scenario I run that players could select and not an NPC (players could select a version of her as a noble as portrayed in the stories or as a knight as depicted in a storyline I developed). Morgan le Fay was designed in the scenario to be a rival and had her own retinue and followers. I think I omitted "Value" in Mental Combat because I couldn't fit it in the Microsoft Word template, but may tinker with it a little more to squeeze it in if it will help new players.

My goal is also to avoid acronyms as much as possible, even things that seem basic like NPC. Based on previous experience, to a brand new player, all of the acronyms, especially in Hero System, were a major turnoff (OCV, DCV, OIF, IIF, DNPC, etc.)

Recurring questions that keep coming up for me regarding Hero System is, "What good is a game if no one wants to play it because of the excessive data?" and "What good is a game if everyone fixates on minutiae of what should be added/omitted/altered instead of playing it?"

2 hours ago, Doc Democracy said:

I like the lean look of the sheet.  Much cleaner than the stock character sheet.

 

I would break up the Characteristics box into characteristics (like STR, DEX etc that give rolls you might ask for) and Combat (CV, STUN, END defences etc). I might pull the relevant skills from the skill setion into the combat section.

 

I wonder whether you need the actual characteristic values on the sheet rather than just the roll?  Do you use the core numbers at the table?

 

I am also wondering whether you should have the PRE in the characteristic box incorporate the Rally Cry (not least because the Cry requires a 14- roll).  I might have an asterisk in front of PRE and in front of the Rally Cry (to link them).

My goal is to keep it simple. Breaking it up into different sections and omitting characteristic value would likely confuse new players or ask, "Where do these rolls come from?"

Previously, I reviewed the character with the player before we started and described how the different abilities are connected. Previously, this is where it got challenging with all of the acronyms (OCV, DCV, ECV, OIF, OAF, etc.) At the conventions players who participated were those who played Hero System before but getting turned off by the excessive rules in later editions and I seldom got brand new players willing to try it out. Those that did enjoyed the scenario but did not enjoy the excessive data on the character sheet.

I've been painting various miniatures lately in my spare time, so I've been watching a b-movie festival while I paint, although it could be considered a cinematic poop-fest of sorts. These were films that required a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief to watch:

Wild Wild West (1999) - I briefly caught a glimpse of it while waiting in an airport years ago while I was deployed overseas around 2008-2009, and finally saw the whole thing. Yes, it was as awful as my friends described. It's hard to believe that actor Will Smith declined to star in The Matrix in favor of this film. He later disclosed that it was among the worst decisions he made as an actor.

Scorpion King 2, 3, 4, and Book of Shadows - I caught a few minutes here and few minutes there while overseas in 2012 for a couple of these films, and finally sat down and watched them while painting figures. It was b-movie/SyFy channel stuff at its purest, campiest form, and reminded me of the campier Xena: The Warrior Princess episodes at times. It was kind of nice to see UFC/WWE stars get their shot at acting, though (Randy Couture, Kimbo Slice, Dave Bautista). Of note was Bautista, who during an interview mentioned that one of the directors gave him some negative feedback on his acting ability at the time. Bautista took that feedback to heart and enrolled in professional acting lessons afterwards, which really improved his craft and enabled him to excel as a film actor (e.g. Guardians of the Galaxy, My Spy, Dune: Part Two, Glass Onion, etc.)

2 hours ago, Barton said:

Do you have a Hero Designer export template done for this?

No, the template used is on Microsoft Word. I type in the information after I use Hero Designer.

One of my ongoing goals/challenges is to introduce Hero System to new players at game conventions, who often feel overwhelmed by all the data and game details. Here's a character template example that I've tinkered with that has all of the information on one sheet. Some design notes based on previous player feedback are the following:

1) There are no acronyms and everything is spelled out as much as possible. OCV was modified to "Total Offense Value" that includes all OCV bonuses from skills. The applicable modification was done for DCV.

2) Skills, Talents, and Perks were consolidated and I only covered the main skills and attributes. If I covered every aspect as much as possible as before, the excessive data would be a major turnoff to the prospective players.

3) The points invested per skill/statistic/ability is on the Hero Designer file and not listed on the character sheet. Players, especially new ones, were not interested in seeing that data granularity.

Here's a screenshot of the final product, using the example of King Arthur that I had previously written before. The font is Arial, 10 pt. Attached is the PDF version if you want a closer look. If there's interest, I'll post the template for download.

Arthur.pdf

I have Mac Sonoma 14.5. Last night, I was able to install HD on my daughter's PC which is Windows based and didn't have any issues. 🙂

6 hours ago, Simon said:

Unfortunately, debugging your specific system is not something that we're going to be able to do here.

The problem that you're describing is not endemic to MacOS Sonoma.  There were known (different) issues with Java on Sonoma 14.4, but those don't really apply here and have been resolved in the current (14.5) release.

 

You're going to want to look into what is distinct about your setup and start there -- if the mouse/trackpad is bluetooth, try resetting the connection. If the mouse/trackpad is USB-C, reconnect them. Etc.

 

Also, not to be the "have you tried turning it off and on again" guy, but have you tried rebooting your system since updating the OS?

The trackpad is part of the computer itself and the mouse is connected via USB-C. I've reconnected it multiple times and have not had success, even though the mouse works fine for everything else. Yes, I've also rebooted the system since updating Java and reinstalling Hero Designer still have the same issue.

Thank you for responding and trying to correct the issue.

14 hours ago, Simon said:

It’d be more mysterious if it was one and not the other. I’d look to permissions and security settings for Java on your system.

I checked Java permissions and security settings multiple times and there's nothing related to using a mouse/touchpad. If there's something specific I should select on those menus, please let me know and will go from there.

38 minutes ago, Simon said:

The answer remains the same - this is not an issue with HD or with MacOS Sonoma (I code HD on a Mac). If your mouse is not being recognized, you’ll need to determine what in your system is causing it.

Both the mouse and touchpad on the Mac are not being recognized when I use HD;  it'll remain one of those computer mysteries.

21 hours ago, Simon said:

You’re going to want to look into your Java installation - the issues you’re describing are not due to anything in HD’s code.

I uninstalled Java and then installed the latest version (April 2024) and still have the same issue as before.

Ever since my Mac received a software update (Sonoma), Hero Designer no longer works correctly. I can open it via Java, but cannot use the mouse to go to each entry and at best, tab from Characteristics to Skills via keyboard but not back. I've deleted the previous version, and then downloaded and reinstalled the latest version (dated March 2024) and still no success.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

In movie theaters, Despicable Me 4, which I found more enjoyable than the third one. The villain cameos at the end of film that connected all of the previous Despicable Me and Minions films together was a nice touch.

Vikings: Valhalla. I watched History Channel's Vikings since the beginning and the follow-on series featured on Netflix. Netflix announced that this is its final season and it definitely has the feel of closing out the life-paths/story lines of the major characters.

Blood of Zeus. I watched seasons one and two and love the storytelling with the mythology I read about since I was a kid. The different interpretations of the various characters that followed, combined with its beautiful animation style and story development are amazing.

My Lady Jane. This is a campy, tongue-in-check reinterpretation of history following the death of King Henry VIII with some magical elements involved featured on Amazon Prime.

15 hours ago, L. Marcus said:

That's all it needs. That rabbit's dynamite.

Thanks! The change was made for the final print. Thanks again, everyone! 😀

Thanks for everyone's input...I blended some of the comments with the Jackalope in the Hero System Bestiary (5th Ed) and notes from a D&D Homebrew to come up with my version of the Killer Rabbit of Caebannog for the upcoming game convention. 😀

Has anyone written up stats for the Killer Rabbit featured in the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail (clip link included as a refresher)? In one of the scenarios I'm developing for an upcoming game convention, the players bounce around the multiverse in the pursuit of an evil wizard who's stealing magical artifacts. Along the way, they come across a fleeing King Arthur and his knights ("RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!") who are being pursued by the Killer Rabbit and can't stop him because the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch was stolen.

I'm starting from scratch with the write-up for a rabbit in the 5th Edition Bestiary, so some ideas about the ballpark of his abilities and stats (e.g. SPD, Physical and Energy Defense) would be helpful. 😄

Updated versions of the characters for Hero System 6th Edition can be found here: Legends of Camelot

On 1/6/2024 at 7:19 PM, Rich McGee said:

Interesting.  What's next, another sequel to Freedom Force? 

Although unlikely, a relaunch/sequel to Freedom Force would be great. I loved the game and the Character Tool feature that allowed fan to create character modifications. Some fans did some amazing work creating DC and Marvel skins along with their own.😀

I noticed that in recent years Chaosium relaunched its classic role-playing games in conjunction with updated versions of others. Of note was Super World, which I heard a lot of good things about in reflecting the style and feel of the superhero genre. I also came across similar reviews for its fantasy themed RPGs. More recently, Chaosium has released Basic Role Playing, which is arguably the counterpart to the core system rule book published by Hero Games.

How is Chaosium Basic Role Playing compared to Hero System? I haven't read Chaosium Basic Role Playing or games under that system like Super World yet, but previously ran Pendragon (1st Ed.) many years ago, so I have some familiarity with Chaosium products.

3 hours ago, Doc Democracy said:

 

I think it is important, if you are going to have END in the fame, to list the cost for using the power.  It can be "power description [5]".  You can nake it stand out by listing END in green, and all the end costs in green, so that you link those things for players.

However, I don't. In the previous scenarios I ran during game conventions, END wasn't a big factor and tracking it slowed the game down significantly. The only time it mattered was when a player was hit with a Power Drain attack of some kind.

If I use the full rules while trying to replicate every minute detail of each character write-up, I'm back to square one: a game that no one wants to play and has no interest in being introduced to because of all of the excess information.

7 hours ago, Sketchpad said:

I'm a fan of leaving the build points off the sheet. I've been toying with the idea myself, tbh. 

 

As for the Wasp, if this is mainline Marvel, shouldn't she have PS: Fashion Designer and the Van Dyne fortune?

Yes, and in previous write-ups that was annotated. However, player feedback has been along the lines of, "Why is this listed when I'm not going to use it in the scenario?"

This goes back to the ongoing issue I've had in trying to introduce Champions to new players so they're not overwhelmed with information. If I listed every detail such as professional rivalries, access to S.H.I.E.L.D., bases, etc. that Wasp had, the players would have information overload while trying read the sheet.

Even if I listed it, someone is going to say, "Shouldn't Henry Pym be listed as a contact? Or Nick Fury? Or, since Janet Van Dyne and Henry Pym are divorced, shouldn't he be listed as a Rivalry now instead of a Social Complication?" At some point I have stop and have something that a player can use for a scenario that will hopefully generate future interest in Champions/Hero System.

1 hour ago, Mark Rand said:

I thought Wasp had a public ID, not a secret one.

It could go either way based on what I read in the comics over the years. 😉

After a little more modifying using a previous template I developed, here's the latest version. Some general design notes:

1) The Hero File has all of the rules-specific details such as Unified Power, OIF, etc.

2) I kept the Skills, Perks, and Talents to a bare minimum.

3) I added a box that listed the main attacks for the character.

4) I didn't list the END costs for powers. The END stat is listed when the player is hit with a Power Drain attack.

5) I went with 10 pt Arial font, which is much easier to read than Minion Pro.

I may run with this format at the next local game event down the road....wish me luck! 😀

19 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

I think my first step would be to assess whether the sheets could be customized for the specific Con game.  For example:

 

• If no characters have mental powers, and no villains will, do we need Mental Combat Value or Mental Defense?

   

• Do we need rDEF at all?  Only if the game will see killing attacks.  I guess Supergirl has one, so it needs to be explained.

   

• Will there be adjustment powers?  If not, noting “unified power” isn’t relevant to the player.  If they will, Unified Power  will make them extremely complicated to deal with.

 

I’m trying to look at this like I have never played Hero before.  Some thoughts:

 

• There is some extra space in the bottom right of the Characteristics box.  Stretching Defenses into that area would allow “Resistant Defenses” to be more clearly identified.

   

• So what’s this “Endurance” stat?  None of the abilities indicate their END cost, so this will be opaque to a new player.

   

• The various “+x Characteristics” risks confusion as a player looks at Supergirl (for example) and thinks “OK, she has an OCV of 12.  I’ll use her Enhanced Physiology and Battle Training to increase that to 20”.

   

• Flight could have a better explanation of Megascale (e.g. just “30 km out of combat”).

   

• The player needs to know what “Absorption” does.

   

• The player needs to know what “Damage Reduction” does.  This may be another unnecessary complication

   

• A lot of abilities “Requires INT Roll” – the player needs to know what to roll.

   

• A note that she can use only one Multipower ability at a time would help the player. 

   

• Having these and the UP powers numbered suggests they have some common mechanic – one group is all usable at the same time and the other only one at a time? This will not be intuitive to a player.

   

• Are all of the Complications necessary?  The player doesn’t need to know about Hunteds, and either the Danvers Family will be relevant or they won’t in the Con game.

   

• A summary of attack options (especially for Supergirl’s STR) could be helpful to a player.

   

Dropped to Wasp here

 

• An explanation of “Autofire” would also be useful. 

   

• Is there any reason the player would choose the 8d6 attack instead of the 10d6 attack?  Maybe the 10d6 was not intended to be autofire?

   

• Do any of her powers require that she shrink? 

   

• Is that +5 OCV over and above the 11 at the top of the sheet?

   

• Striking Appearance is unclear – does it add to the stats already presented?  Is it always applicable?  What does “+1 PRE” mean?

   

 

 

 

 

 

On the Builds

 

•  I assume the intent is not to run Supergirl and the Wasp together.

   

• If the goal is to introduce players to the game, I like the Wasp’s power level a lot more than Supergirl’s. 

   

• Neither have much investment in skills.

   

• As Doc D notes, having a two-sided sheet would open up more explanatory notes and more “how to run the character in a game” options.

   

• I would also consider “full build” sheets, but only for interested players after the game, perhaps with "campaign guidelines" like DC and defense ranges, an expected focus on superhuman powers over skills, etc.

   

Thanks for the feedback. Everyone has highlighted the joys and challenges of Hero System associated with providing enough detail for those who played it before while making it easy to introduce to new players. My intent of minimizing skills, perks, and talents was to focusing more on powers, but you're right in that the characteristic and skill bonuses already totaled need to be annotated with an asterisk or something similar so that the players doesn't misinterpret the stats.

Previously, I provided an overview of the character to the player and what everything on the character sheet means and once tried organizing the powers and abilities under "Offense" and "Defense" that outlined the main powers/attacks and main defenses with mixed results. Additionally, players have used Wasp and someone similar to Supergirl in terms of power level (e.g. Power Girl) during a game convention session. The scenarios I developed had crossovers built-in between the DC and Marvel Universe with humorous results (e.g. Iron Man hitting on Wonder Woman, the Incredible Hulk noting that everyone he meets from the DC Universe wears their underwear on the outside). 🙂