Roter Baron

Deaf and stupid murderers - that's a new one.

SAT was originally founded by Nazi super-villains: - Hitlerjunge Quex (Hitleryouth Quex - after a popular Nazi-movie of the same title, a Speedster) - Der Siberne Schädel ( The Silver Skull - a Mystic Mastermind Mentalist) - Die Vergeltung (The Vengeance - female femme fatale Martial Artist) - Widukind (the name of a famous Saxon king who fought and lost against Chalemagne - a magical weapon Brick with a Saxon theme) and - Endsieg ( Final Victory - aflying Brick with eyebeams). They escaped with the help of the Vatican to Argentina and Chile and then infiltrated the USA's super law-enforcement and para-military by getting new identities. It shows in the acronym SAT which really stands for "Super-Adolfs Traummannschaft" (= Super-Adolf's Dream Team), a tongue-in-swastika name so to heil ... It was Quex' idea which was supported by Vergeltung and installed on command of Der Silberne Schädel to the dismay of Widukind and the enragement of Endsieg - but, hey: So it goes if you have a villain team organized after the Führerprinzip, the Rule of the Leader! The goal: To clone Adolf Hitler into some kind of Über-Adolf to rule Amerika, then the rest of the world! VIPER is still quite angry that they did not make Schädel an offer to join in 1946 ...

So, it is proven: Some candidates are not acting like informed buffons at all. They are just being themselves.

L. Marcus is in rality Suram-El, half-brother to General Zod and a cousin thrice removed of Kal-El (a.k.a. Superman). He has also a superability: He can break winds at both ends at the same time! Not impressive you say? - You obviously haven't had the priviledge to ride in the elevator with him ... And YES! The "gas-attack" in Tokio in the 90s - that was HIM!

Death Tribble is the High Chieftain of the Un-Menschen, a strange people of three-headed carrots that live on the dark side of the moon.

That doesn't even make the slightest sense because it is all "crab" to Death Tribble! I accuse Death Tribble of discrimination against the over-mineralized and the sea-food disadvantaged!

Death Tribble is secretly engaged to Ben Nevis. So here, I said it!

I agree. He had not the right to threaten him, he had the duty to shoot the snail-jacker down! Bullet to the brain if there is no burger for my belly! That's how that is handled! (Yep, I am on vacation and left my medication in Germany ... Whioaskin'! Whatcholookin' so strange at me! HEH! Want trouble, HEH?!? Better bring me a burger, Jack, or I show ya Prussian Bullet-Time!)

NO! It doesn't! That guy has been totally full of himself since Inglorios Basterds (in which he was great, I agree) but since then he has been the "Villain of Today"s Movie" and is playing basically the same guy in different costumes. But thanks for the warning: Now I will avoid that movie like the Plague.

I can assure you that you are 100% percent correct that it is Japogerman but 100% wrong that it is an insult. It is actually a kind of Japanese-German cocktail consisting of gin ("nin" - 1940s Japanese couldn't speak the "g") and Jägermeister ("ya" - there was a war-related shortage of Jays at the end of WW2 and since Japanese has no umlauts so "ä" was changed to "a"). Gin is not excatly a Japanese beverage but both nations were rather confident that it would be after the occupation of the UK and its colonies. And, anyway, there wa sno way in hell that you could get Sake to Germany during the war anyhow (hey, we were alreday low on Jays!). And that is all and the full truth in that matter. Ehrlich!

Go Lions!

And it entered thus history: THE GREAT PIZZA WAR OF NORTH CAROLINA! And you thought the Houston Hot Dog Holocaust was as bad (and hot) as could it be ... well: Think again!

That sounds terrific! I wasn't interested in it as it sounded like "just another" superhero base sourcebook (and my group has never been very keen on building any bases for their superheroes - actually I had to "force" them to found a team) but that sounds intrigueing. Empire-Building and running an organization is usually either left out of roleplaying or there is a certain amount of handwaving involved (usually measured by miles, tons or lieghtyears) that makes it basically gm fiat. Well, gonna get me the book then. Thanks a million for the information!

I have read that the Hero Sytem Ultimate Base Sourcebook is not just a "How to ..."-guide for superheroes to build better bases but that "base" in the context of the book can also mean country and that it includes rather nifty rules to "play" whole countries bases on the true and trusted mechanism of the HERO characteristics (STR standing for military might, BODY for the population and so on). If that is so I would be rather interested in it. So, anyone with some facts regarding the usefulness of the book in "playing" whole countries? I am looking for an accessible system for ruling realms or smaller liegedoms in a fmedieval setting).

Another question: Why do I need stats for cats, mice, regular tiny ants etc. anyway? They are NO MATCH for a grown human, especially not people like Conman the Rogue, Sir Kill-a-lot, , Kansas Jones, James Blond or a Nerdy Knight with a Blazer Sword - or Captain Healthy! So, they are as much danger and excitment in an adventure as a dripping faucet or the wind in the willows. Don't need stats for that either.

Yes, and don't ask about the Dex 25, SPD 4, OCV 8, DCV 6, pony-sized scorpion with Running 24m and 1/2D6 HKA (poison is extra). Them critters sure are plenty radioactive, pilgrim!

Blue Winged Sword (if the weapon is part of her concept)

Which is sad because - as you can see from the people here sharing their oppinions and insights - it would not have taken much time and would make people (like me) appreciate the system even more by knowing the reason for the decisions. I can understand that he does not want to become entangled in a "why this - why not that"-discussion. But I wasn't to start one of those anyway. But okay, I think I have my answer and I am quite satisfied

Thanks to you all very much. Your answers regarding game balance, the design logic behind it and the experiences from actual play are very interesting indeed. Especially the hint that there is no STUN-lottery any more makes killing attacks really that - attacks to kill and destroy, not to roll a high number with few dice and then a lucky 5 for multiplier. Too bad that Mr Long would not share a word about it when I asked him that question in the HERO System 6th Question path. Maybe he thought that I wanted to "bash" his design while I was just curious about the decision behind it.

Drain is quiet heavy on the mechanics, especially if you play a heroic campaign and "drains" quiet a lot of points for a "skill" that a good fencer should know about. The other options are basically a complementary skill roll to your to-hit-roll but it does not take into consideration that a good fighter is harder to feint. It is all about Per-Rolls and Feint-Skill vy Feint-Skill. I would thnk that someone who knows how to hit people also knows the tricks to hit someone and thus can counter these tricks better - without the need to buy another skill roll. Likewiese, some hawkeyed hero may be able to see a lot - but does he really see this trick coming?

Thank you very much. Your answers have been very insightful.

Instead of attacking normally the feinting character make as normal to-hit-roll including all modifiers (levels, bonus of the weopon, Martial Arts Maneuver etc.), The opponent does the same, also including all the levels that he might have and is allowed to use (it's not his phase so he might use block or has to use the levels as used in his last phase). The we just see who made the roll and by what margin. The difference is - if in favour of the attacker) his bonus to OCV in his next phase. If it is zero or lower, he just wasted his attack. Analyse Style could be a complementary Skill for both. Thus, you can simulate a successful feint and (if you use hit locations) a kick to the groin or punch to the head n the next phase - usually very hard to do with -7 or -8. But if you (OCV 8, thus 19 or less) rolled a 8 and your opponent (OCV 7, 18 or less) rolled a 12 your in for a +5 the next round! Maybe the to hit bonus should only be vs hit locations, making the feint a way to strike an aimed hit? So, what do you think? It is surely only useful (or most useful) for experienced fighters with high OCVs because only they erae likely to make the roll by a high margin but feinting is something only experienced fighters would do. Edited: since there actually are rule sfor feinting that I forgot about.This is a fourth option.

I only cited the limitation offered "by the book". But I agree.

I am pondering of starting (after more than 14 years or so) another Champions campaign again (my player have been pestering me for about, say, 13 years, 11 months and 29 days ...). Anyway, I would like to run 6th Edtion (something fresh), ahve all the books I need (and then some), but I am a big "by the book" player and gm. But one thing that seems to be quite unballancing is HKA and STR - it does not max out at double the CD any more (yes, there is an option, I know). So, I would like to know how you handle it. The villaisn in the Villains Books seem to be build with sometimes quite powerful HKA if they have hight STR, too. Some have the "STR does not add" limitation. Both ways seem to be "unfair" to me: 1. STR 60 character wants to have a HKA to show off than he can bite through steel cables (rPD 8) and thus buys a 1D6+1 HKA (20 points - according to 5th Edition that's 2 1/2D6k). Now in 6th Edition he can bite through steel cables all right - and the head off a T-Rex (= 5D6+1K)! 2. He still wants to bite through steel cables and figures that 2 1/2D6 should do the trick, with the "STR does not add" limitation thrown in for good measure to keep them T-Rexes alive. That works, but now he has to pay 27 points! So, how do you handle this rule? What are your experiences during play?

I fully understand that according to HERO 6th as is, STR-DC add fully to a HKA. So it is possible to have a 4D6+1 HKA if a STR 60 character buy 1 pip of HKA for 5 points. I do knwo that I can houserule it diffrently. What I would like to know is why the old and proven rule of "HKA max out at double their DCs" was abolished. The new rule has IMHO "abuse" painted all over it. And if not that, it seems quite unbalancing.