Christopher R Taylor

I confess that a Bronze Age game is really fascinating to me because its so old and fantastical back then. Egypt and Assyria and Akkadia, Sumeria, the old, old world lost in time where somehow magic seems more plausible.

Sad how wretched and cringing as a people we've become in such a short time. You said a word! A word! It shatters my inner child!

I think this is a good argument. Its like the difference between T ball and softball. The rules are harder the play is harder, the challenge is greater, and the fun is much greater, allowing for a more sophisticated and complex gaming experience.

Well aside from how this takes money that Hero Games doesn't have, that's not how a hobby grows. Hobbies grow by people loving it and spreading the word, pouring their passion into the world and bring new people into it. If nobody is willing to do that any more, well I guess we know why RPGs are not as big as they once were and Hero is suffering eh?

Batman in Dark Knight didn't kill anyone; he could have saved one helicopter with a bomb and chose not too, but while he put guys in the hospital and tortured a few guys, he didn't kill. Has batman killed a lot of people in the films? Yeah. He blew up a factory with people in it. I didn't like that, either, that one line he won't cross is very defining to the character, particularly given his past. The entire premise of the film is reversed, it should have been older, wiser Batman with experience teaching crazed marauding murdering alien Superman to calm down, care about life, and stand for something besides self defense.

The golden age hero player team I was running a game for defeated an attempt by the Klockwerk King (ripped shamelessly off from City of Heroes) to build a huge rampaging robot out of the Perisphere and Trylon at the '39 World's Fair, stopped a bunch of triffids, and protected the British royal family from a diesel electric train demonstration that went off the rails. Afterward I sent out emails with thank you cards by little kids, with hand-drawn pictures and carefully scrawled statements. There's tons of clip art and kid's pictures out there and fonts that mimic childish writing, it was super easy. That went over enormously well. Just little stuff like that makes all the difference.

I know more than one Hero GM (Including myself) who will run other systems because the other systems are LESS WORK to run. If I run a Savage Worlds Plot point campaign, everything is included. I don't have to build anything. If I want to run anything with Hero, I have to make everything or nearly so. While that was fun 20 years ago, I just don't have the time to do that anymore Sure, and that's not an unreasonable concern. One that can only be answered with people putting out complete products like Manic Typist describes, above. I'm working on it, others are (like Michael Surbrook). That's what it takes; people who love the hobby and have the passion to make it happen. Sitting back and complaining that nobody is dropping the goodies in your lap isn't gonna make anything better. I do about 1000 bucks worth of labor on each of my books, and I know the chances of me ever getting paid for that are slim to none. That's fine, I'd be working on gaming stuff anyway, so I just write it off: its a labor of love. When I put a book up on the catalog here and on RPGDriveThru and on my own site, its to further the hobby, have fun, and give people a chance to have fun, too. If you're concerned about the health of this or any other game system, there are five solutions: 1) buy the company and run it better 2) Invest in the company to give them a cash infusion 3) Buy lots of product to help them out 4) Make your own product to add to the catalog and bookshelf 5) Sponsor someone else making product, like on kickstarter, etc. And who here is at the local game store asking for Hero books, suggesting they be out there, putting on games to attract players, doing games at CONs? That's how this stuff spreads. That's how popularity builds. Gamers with a passion and love for what they do, out pounding the pavement, not their smart phone's screen.

I think you envision Hero Games as being an office somewhere with staff, a big sign out front, and lots of employees busily working. You know what Hero games is? Its Steve Long and he hires people to do some other jobs. Making a book is expensive and time consuming. You have to pay to get writing, art, layouts, editing, proofing, and printing done. It takes a rather large layout of cash up front in the hopes that enough copies sell to pay for that and hopefully make money in addition. If you do not have this cash... books do not get made, and that's the bottom line. Hero games got a big cash infusion by selling a lot of its intellectual property to a MMOG, which it used up to do printing and publishing of the books we have available now, work on the website, etc. Now to get a book out, they have to do kickstarters or rely on third party guys like me that grind out books on my own and put them out as pdf and print on demand. If you want to put your money where your keyboard is and start putting out books, knock yourself out, I'll even hire on to write. But acting like Hero could be doing this and just isn't is simply ignorant.

I just find the juxtaposition of "Ben Affleck does a great job as Batman" with "Batman is hyper violent, brutal, and murdering" to mean "I never liked Batman"

Again, I think the assertion that the Hobby is not changed or suffering is without merit or evidence. I think its stabilized, but has been on the decline for the last 15-20 years. Either way, the main thing Hero needs is better PR and an easier jumping on platform so people can get into the game faster. Which is connected, because the bad PR is 'too hard' which easy jump on addresses straight on. With a few easy intro scenarios and premade settings, the too hard part disappears.

So murdering Batman, too many characters, confusing first half, Grimdark, uneven and hurried intro of Justice League members and main bad guy sucked is worth almost 8 out of 10 to you?

I don't actually have a problem with stereotypes, the concern is with bad, lazy stereotypes (das Wall? really?).

Here's what I came up with for the outlines, please comment, critique, suggest, or edit as needed: CHAMPIONS BEGINS An introductory supplement for Champions This project is an attempt to create an introductory series of scenarios designed to act as a tutorial for teaching both players and GMs Champions and the Hero System. This adventure presumes that the GMs and players have little to no experience with the game and teaches step by step all they need to know while providing an exciting adventure as well as pre-built characters. The core of this adventure would be an updated and enhanced version of the old Viper’s Nest adventure from 4th edition Champions and earlier, with pre-built characters to provide players with a quick jump directly into the action. GM’S BOOK: OUTLINE A. Introduction: Role playing basics (as opposed to a computer game), the role of a GM and players. The difference between playing a Superhero role playing game and other RPGs 1) Goals - not treasure and advancement but protecting, justice, reputation, and contacts 2) adventures - not looking for treasure, but looking to help, fight evil, and protect people 3) Rewards - not increased power or loot, but contacts, esteem, reputation, and resources such as a base, vehicles, etc B. Be a Hero! The basics of the system in very simple, entertaining format with plenty of images and humor. This first primer simply gives the basics, and each stage of the scenario adds more. 1) Skill Rolls 2) How to hit 3) How to damage (stun only) 4) Dexterity and Speed C. The Characters: The 12 pre-made characters that are available for the players to choose between. A short description of each and their complexity level, as well as a diagram of the provided character sheets, with its features and what it contains. 1) Color coded sections to make finding things easier 2) Stripped down stats and abilities to only their basic description, no cost or builds 3) Combat values described as a roll rather than figuring out numbers 4) Complications and Quirks and what they are about Also included are notes on each PC and tips on running them as the GM, varying personalities, and enforcing complications. D. Running a game: How to GM, the very basics (it is assumed GMs have some familiarity with the basic task) as it applies to Superhero games 1) Enforcing the genre: heroes and crime fighters, not adventurers and mercenaries 2) Encouraging heroic behavior 3) Running villains 4) Tone and consequences of tone 5) Hero Points a) what they do when to give them out c) how many to start with (various perspectives) d) how they help enforce genre and role play e) what to use to designate them (chips, etc) E. The Adventure, as a step-by-step tutorial of the rules plus a thrilling story. Each session has quick write-ups of characters involved. Must credit George MacDonald 1) Session 1: stun only attacks, being stunned, no knockback a) Memories, searching for a 1930s crime fighter Only fight low-end VIPER agents as introduction to combat and skills 2) Session 2: adding in Investigation, Interrogation, and contested skill rolls; Spending Experience a) Assault on Tanghal Tower, finding the McGuffin More powerful viper agents and investigative work 3) Session 3: breaking things; body damage, damage to the environment, knockback a) Microfilm Madness, a breakin with a 4 way battle between VIPER, UNTIL, the Crusher Gang, and the PCs Agents and the first super powered foes 4) Session 4: Endurance, recovery, and charges - full character sheets a) I Love a Parade, with a defensive battle involving many civilians and innocent bystanders VIPER’s more powerful agents and some supers 5) Session 5: Mental powers, presence attacks a) Combat in Christopher Park, preventing an assassination First mentalist powers involved 6) Session 6: The works, a full superheroic adventure a) Doomsday, with a raid on a VIPER nest, a “dungeon crawl” Full power of VIPER and a full super team of enemies F) The GM version of PCs 1) 300 point character sheets for each character 2) XP blocs for each character to make advancing in experience points easier 3) Full, finished 400 point character 4) Assigning experience in a campaign G) Where to go from here, now that you know the game and have a group! 1) Hero products that are available 2) Online resources 3) Older hero adventures, etc THE PLAYER BOOK: A) Introduction, role playing basics and superhero role playing 1) Role playing basics (terms, actions etc) 2) Intro to playing champions vs other RPGs 3) Tutorial approach, little bits at a time Character Sheets 1) The intro to the sheet a) sections by color code how to read each portion (rolls, damage etc) 2) Summary cards with portrait and info on each a) double sided cards male on one side, female on other c) background, basic description of abilities, personality, and challenge 3) Simplified character sheets of each PC C) Playing Hero 1) Learning the very basics (dice, terms) 2) Stats and skills on the character sheet 3) How to use skills and characteristics 4) How to attack and deal damage NEED: interior art character art layout design writing for each section Rewrite and update for Viper’s Nest tips and suggestions interspersed through text and in sidebars Maps and diagrams Cover design Character sheet design Character cards

He did develop into a pretty great Lex Luthor, although he's a bit young and small for my vision of the character.

There is something to that, yeah. To me, the definitive Superman was done by John Byrne's Man of Steel run. He did a terrific job reimagining the character and that's been the template ever since... until these films.

Nobody has done a great Luthor yet, in my opinion. Still waiting for the definitive portrayal. Hackman is a great actor, but his Luthor was a cartoonish idiot. Spacey is a great actor, but his Luthor was confusing and made no sense. I haven't seen this one but a young web startup guy just doesn't fit the role at all. The animated versions have been far better: he's a Gilded Age super tycoon industrialist that wants to own and rule and control everything. He wants to win, always. Superman makes him look small and that infuriates him.

Well the big guns are going to be out dealing with planet-shattering stuff, while the PCs are probably going to be helping actual people in the neighborhood and getting to know people. That means they'll get real feedback and appreciation like a local sports team rather than a big franchise. Cards, letters, free coffee, hugs from kids, they'll know immediately who they help and why and how important that is to the actual people involved. Save the world and people probably won't even know what you did. Save a burning building and everyone knows.

I agree, we need someone to whip up good looking character sheets, and jazz up the simplified one I built. I'm working on a two-part product, with a book for the GM and a booklet for the players. Also, I am planning on having as much multimedia as possible. For example, I want to make double sided card print outs with the PC info on them (no stats, just background, images, etc) with the female version on one side and male on the other. That way people can look through cards of the PCs to choose one, rather than the character sheets.

Well it doesn't have to go that way. If you have a lighter tone in your campaign then the heroes might end up being heroes to the world, looked up to and admired for their selfless work for freedom, justice, and the American Way and all that What makes me curious is why that would come about, what would cause heroes to only show up in the USA? Not just one guy with powers, but all of them?

This calls for Spirit Rules! You could just hand wave all that, too: assign it presence and let it attack with DEX, CV, and SPD

Actually that would be an interesting twist: only one nation has superheroes, just one. Why? how would that work? What would that do to the rest of the world?

1) VIPER uses snakes to steal things, since they can crawl away to places people can't follow. 2) VIPER uses snakes as little assassins, supercharging their bite 3) VIPER uses snakes as spies. They crawl in places, hide, and transmit what they see and hear 4) VIPER uses snakes to spread terror ala Hitchcock's Birds then demands ransom 5) VIPER uses snakes to study a special series of venom weapons and bombs, enhacing their arsenal

This is probably the easiest and most direct way to do it. Anything else is pointlessly complicated, its just a personality and can try to prevent use of its abilities.

Well you can just assign a personality and intelligence to his magic sword and play it as an NPC. But it sounds like the sword its self can take actions, which is a bit more complicated to build. It can be done as a follower (the easiest cheat is to build a basically 0 point desolid/invisible person with affects solid on Strength and let them wield it and not be able to let go of the sword).

A house rule that normal attacks do half body would help a lot. And making characters pull their attacks more so they don't use full out all the time would be a big help too.