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3 hours ago, Tjack said:

 What kind of game are you looking to do, or is this more of a philosophical question?

It was a philosophical question about gaming and using the D20 system. 😉 I run Champions for those who prefer a highly-detailed character and rules system and ICONS for those who prefer a more rules-light approach to superhero gaming and also brand-new players.

2 hours ago, SCUBA Hero said:

Look at Mighty Protectors (V&V 3.0).  It's a D20 based system with a point-buy system and consistent mechanics.  I think it works quite well for super heroes.  I *prefer* Champions, but there's nothing fundamentally wrong with MP.  I ran a one-off for my (Hero System) gaming group - a golden age simple scenario and combat.  They liked it okay, but prefer Champions.

The first superhero RPG I ever bought was Villains & Vigilantes and I have a digital copy of Mighty Protectors, so I'm familiar with that system as well (granted, I never fully considered it a D20 system since it wasn't marketed as such like Silver Age Sentinels D20, Vigilance, or other fantasy supplements like Sword & Sorcery). My preference is also Champions also because of the depth of play available. 😀

Thanks!

I'm asking this question because my experience with the D20 system is minimal (I briefly owned Silver Age Sentinels D20 but never played it) and never played D&D or Pathfinder. However, I know the basic mechanics involved with that use the D20 to roll for an action's success or failure based on bonuses versus a difficulty rating or opposed roll from reading a rules book or two.

There's been published superhero RPGs that use the D20 system (Silver Age Sentinels D20, Vigilance) and the reviews have been mixed. On the positive note, the rules were fairly consistent with the D20 system, but the impression I got was that D20 in the superhero genre has a "square peg/round hole" feeling to it. 

I remember way, way, back reading the old Deities & Demigods for D&D (1st Edition) that featured mythical gods (e.g. Zeus, Odin) and epic heroes/demigods (e.g. Heracles, Gilgamesh, Sir Lancelot of the Lake), which really aren't that different from superheroes when you think about it in terms of power levels as depicted in Hero Games' The Olympians published for 4th Edition.

If D&D enabled mythical gods slugging it out on the D20 system, could it really be that far-fetched to adapt it for the superhero genre? Or, is the D20 system really that incompatible with superhero RPGs? 🤔

On 1/16/2022 at 11:21 AM, Christopher R Taylor said:

While my favorite edition of Hero is 4th, 5th edition has way more content and a broader range of support material than any other edition.  I think 6th has a lot of great ideas that I strongly encourage people adapt to their favorite version at the least, but 5th has a ton of stuff to work with.

The more that I read 5th Edition materials and rules-heavy/textbook nature of the writing style in recent days, the more inclined I become to retrofitting and simplifying my 5th Edition materials to 3rd Edition (my sentimental favorite), especially to have pre-generated characters that are easy to read for brand new players with some of the mechanics from 5th and 6th Edition such as MegaScale and Unified Power, respectively.

Thanks for the advice!!! 🙂

I've seen that both Amazon and DriveThruRPG offer Champions 4th Edition in softcover format as a print on demand. I also remember someone posting that one version is better than the one in terms of readability from the digital scan, but was unable to find the original thread posted well over a year ago.

Has anyone purchased a copy? If so, which vendor provides the better reprinted Champions 4th Edition? Amazon or DriveThruRPG?

Thanks for your help (in advance). 🙂

On 1/27/2022 at 3:24 PM, DShomshak said:

4th edition will always be "mine" for sentimental reasons: I ran most of my Champions campaigns with it, and wrote Creatures of the Night and Ultimate Supermage for it. 

In terms of sentimental reasons, it's 3rd edition for me. It was my first introduction to Champions and the Hero System in general, and I ran my first Fantasy Hero and Champions campaigns under those rules systems with many happy memories throughout high school and college. The Adventurer's Club Quarterly publications were also a real treat for me since they were hard to come by back then...as I get older nostalgia seems to be more important to me than the latest rules edition, it seems. 🙂

Update: the figures have been claimed. Thanks!!! 🙂

Hello, Everyone!

As mentioned previously, I customized and used various HeroClix figures as my miniatures for Champions. Over time, I've collected an excess of figures that I don't need anymore and am willing to send free of charge to someone who'll put them to good use for his or her campaign or general figure collection. Attached is a photo of what's in the lot.

If interested, please send me a PM. It will be first come, first serve. Thanks!

4 hours ago, zslane said:

My preferred edition is what I call 4e+. It is 4e with stuff cherry picked from 5eR.

What a similar coincidence...I play what I refer to as "Hero System 5.5" where I pull stuff from 6th Edition to 5th (e.g. Unified Power instead of Elemental Control). 🙂

Over the past couple of years I have been updating characters and resources from earlier editions to 6th Edition while also picking up various 5th Edition publications in physical hard copy and digital format. After intermittent breaks in the editing and converting, I find myself drawn to simply updating older character versions to 5th Edition over 6th Edition...although I'm not really sure why.

Is it the artwork and layout? Possibly. Although close to a couple decades old, the exterior and interior artwork for the 5th Edition Hero System still hold up well compared to products published by other companies. The Book of Dragons remains one of my favorite sourcebooks, even though I haven't run a fantasy themed game in over a decade. By contrast, I wasn't a fan of the textbook approach to the 6th Edition Hero System rulebooks and while the Champions Complete cover was okay, the Fantasy Hero Complete cover remains a visual eyesore for me, especially when compared to the quality of the 6th Edition Fantasy Hero cover published as a sourcebook.

Is the nostalgic memories? Unlikely. I was introduced into Champions with 3rd Edition in the late 1980s, had 4th Edition (Big Blue Book) in the mid to late 1990s, ran a mix of Fantasy Hero and Champions my senior year in college (early to mid 1990s), and only played sparingly since then. It would not be until around 2016 or so when I ran Champions again at the local game conventions which used a mix of 4th, 5th, and 6th Edition characters.

Maybe it's just a "je ne sais quoi" sort of feeling, and was wondering if other people on this forum felt the same way regarding a previous edition that they are playing or using versus 6th Edition. In the meantime, I'm preparing my materials for a game convention that will hopefully occur in April 2022 (Pretzcon here in Omaha, NE), using Hero System 5th Edition as my own form of a 5th Edition Renaissance.

On 12/28/2021 at 6:43 PM, wcw43921 said:

You should find them in Alien Enemies (4th Edition), if memory serves.  They were a group of four anti-extraterrestrial extremists who went after aliens with plasma throwers.  They were much like the Ghostbusters, only xenophobic and not at all funny.

Ah, yes, I remember reading about them and adapting them for ICONS as a team called Ultraforce. I've since adapted them for ICONS as part of the Champions Conversions section that can be located here. They were a xenophobic and trigger-happy team dedicated to protecting the Earth from alien invaders. The Exterminators were armed with powerful but dangerously unreliable weapons and challenged by their lousy aim.

One of my side projects is to adapt them into a 6th Edition version with some subtle character changes that I had incorporated when I converted them for ICONS. They're the following:

Slick - No major change from his original Champions version (Stan Sneiderwind). He's your stereotypical narcissistic, fast-talking conman who's gained success through his smooth-talking and charm. I depict him like Ben Stiller's White Goodman character from the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

Specs - No major change from his original Champions version (Maxwell Sanders). An intelligent but xenophobically paranoid scientist.

Bruiser - My change is that I made him African American in ethnicity and named him Me'Shell Lister over the original character named Judd. He's still big, strong, and kind of dimwitted but loyal to Slick. I based him off of the character Me'Shell Jones from Ben Stiller's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

Gizmo - My change is that I made him Asian American and named him Dwight Aoki. His skills and role on the team is still the same as his original Champions version, but I portrayed him as a wannabe action hero.

Trekkie - My change is that I made her Latino and named her Silvia Vasquez. Other than that subtle change, she's basically the same as her original Champions version.

Well, I went out and purchased the core rules of FATE as a pdf from DriveThruRpg.com and read through the rules. While an interesting read and providing some ideas on how to design powers for the superhero genre, it didn't generate enough interest for me to purchase the follow-on rules expansion kit(s) about magic and super powers or Wearing the Cape. 😉

Thanks again for everyone's comments about this topic!

2 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

I still want a 4th Edition Style , 3 column sheet with no picture, for 6e.

You mean like Champions: The New Millennium? It used a three-column format. Or, what I would refer to as the "Classic Champions" format...that was something I tinkered with once. The draft is attached for you to download and modify as you see fit. 🙂

ClassicCharacterTemplate6E.docx

Another version I've toyed with was to adapt the character sheet template from how Silver Age Sentinels formatted its characters where one column was the image and background and all of the statistics were on the other column. I had done it previously for 5th Edition, and it came pretty well for 6th Edition also.

If there's interest, I will post it as a download. 🙂

Even without the COVID-19 restrictions in place, my Champions playing was limited to the two major game conventions held here in Omaha, NE. They are Nuke-Con in the fall and PretzCon in the spring. While many RPGers I met enjoyed Champions and Hero System in general, none (myself included) had a strong desire to meet to play on a regular basis (e.g. monthly). Based on their feedback and my own reflections from playing Champions since third edition in the late 1980s, the rules-heavy nature was definitely a factor, especially when trying to recruit new players. Right now I haven't been playing and been simply updating 6th Edition write-ups.

ICONS is a fun, rules-light superhero RPG that I also used, which was okay for the conventions, especially for brand-new players, but after running a campaign for several months back in 2019, its limitations emerged.

I guess that's why I'm looking for another rules-light superhero RPG system and posted questions about Wearing the Cape RPG that uses the FATE system as a possible alternative to Champions.

Some power ideas/descriptions for your consideration:

Might of the Oak: +STR Attribute, Strike, or Blast vs. PD

Thorn Barrage: Blast vs. PD with Area Effect Advantage

Wall of Brambles: Barrier

Trickbind, Tangleweed, Ensnaring Vines: Entangle

Fruits of the Spirit: Aid or Healing

Death Blossom: Ranged Killing Attack

Spores of Sleep: STUN only attack/NND (Life Support)

Wooden Carapace: Barrier or Resistant Protection (Armor)

Mist of the Woods: Flash vs. Sight, Area Effect

Strength of the Sequoia: +STR Attribute, Strike, Blast vs. PD, and/or Knockback Resistance

Shroud of Leaves (or Vines): Some type of concealment power

Nature's True Sight: Enhanced Senses

Commune with Nature: Telepathy

Touch of the Sundew: Entangle or Clinging

Snapdragon: Hand-to-Hand Killing Attack

Nature's Fury a.k.a. "Not-so-happy-trees": Summon plant creatures (or Ents)

"Are you offering me...a bribe?"

Here's the link:

15 hours ago, Derek Hiemforth said:

 

I really like this!  Is there any chance you could share the template?

Thanks! Yes, I will make the template available shortly and have the link posted on this thread. It's on Microsoft Word, making it easy to type in, edit, and print.

15 hours ago, steriaca said:

Maybe they are. Injustice perhaps (the DC fighter developed by NeverRealm Studios for WB...NeverRealm took over Mortal Kombat after WB closed Midway Games down.)

The Superman image was taken from the DC vs. Mortal Kombat video game. I adapt from images from various video game screen shots and promos.

20 hours ago, Tjack said:

   Nice character pics.  Where did they come from?

In this case, it was from DC vs. Mortal Kombat. I've adapted other superhero images from DC Injustice, Batman: Arkham Knight, and other video game promos.

Here's an updated version of the character template I developed earlier. Since it's intended for players to show up at a convention and begin from the start, some basic guidelines I followed were to incorporate between three to five of the main skills, talents, and perks for a character and to focus mostly on powers and hand-to-hand combat skills when possible. While it is not as detailed as other write-ups, a player can readily play the character and have a good idea of the powers and abilities. 🙂

Has anyone ever played Wearing the Cape RPG? It's a superhero themed RPG based of a series of novels by Marion G. Harmon. It runs on the FATE game engine similar to ICONS and is fairly rules-light from my understanding. It looks interesting, but am curious if anyone here sampled it as a rules light alternative to something as structured as Champions. 🙂

1 hour ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

City of Heroes had a great character creation tool as well, you can download just that still I think, and it is free to play now with everything unlocked.

Yes, I have it as well and use it periodically since I own a Mac and the Freedom Force Character Tool doesn't work on that platform without something like Windows Parallels. 😉

There's a pretty active City of Heroes fan community that posts their character creations as well that I've used to draw inspiration now and then.

17 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

By the way, there's a pretty enjoyable computer game called Freedom Force (silver age stuff) that's a lot of fun, but tough to play.  Not really on topic but I enjoyed the game quite a bit.

Yes, I've played both Freedom Force and Freedom Force Versus the Third Reich and really enjoyed them. I enjoyed the Character Tool the most where I spent a lot of time with the custom skins that I created and used from other fans as art for the Champions characters I created while also creating some custom characters in that game based on them (two samples are below). 🙂

So, while perusing the various racks at my local comic and game store, online stores like Drive Thru RPG, and stumbling upon game reviews by lucky chance, I've come across various new and also obscure superhero RPGs. I was wondering if others had experiences reading the rules or playing them and seeing how they match up against Champions. Some examples:

Brave New World - Superhero gaming is a dystopian U.S.

Aberrant - Published by White Wolf

Guardians - This version is based on the D20 system from D&D 1st Edition on the premise of, "What if Gary Gygax focused his energy in the superhero genre instead of the fantasy genre?"

Wild Talents - I don't know much about this game, but apparently it's a modern day follow-up to Godlike that took place during World War II where it's "superhero roleplaying in a world gone mad"

Truth & Justice - Rules light superhero RPG on the PDQ system

Sentinels Comics RPG - Published within the past year after a Kickstarter effort

Prowlers & Paragons - Print on demand and more recently an Ultimate Edition was released following a Kickstarter effort

Spectaculars - Blending of RPG and board game elements

Hearts & Souls - Rules light system by an independent company that's available on Drive Thru RPG

Any others worth mentioning??? 🤔

On 7/22/2021 at 8:53 AM, Ninja-Bear said:

Well even if you retire, hopefully you still pop in on the forums now and again. 😁

Yes, I'll still script some characters here and there for fun and nostalgia and post in the Downloads section. I'm simply not running any events once in-person gaming resumes at the local conventions as I had in the past.

Kings & Queens by Ava Max.