Nemblamenchisus

On 6/23/2022 at 12:55 AM, Ndreare said:

 

Yeah, 
I feel like the softcover would be great if there was a color option. But the differnce in visual pleasure when reading between a quality color print and a black and white is pretty significant. 

It always struck me as weird because we have created print on demand products for Driver through RPG, the file for color and black and white was the same, so we just chose color as the primary option. Then let the client pick what they wanted. I do not understand why DoJ would not let us have that option.

I've seen many examples over the years of businesses and IP holders pulling products or making them unavailable for reasons I can't understand. Remember a decade or so ago the app "Flappy Birds" went viral? The maker pulled it when it was bringing in $100k PER DAY because of personal reasons. Even though he was not wealthy and this was probably life-changing money for him and his family. Then there was Gary Gygax's widow simply not wishing to let certain products be published or republished even when it was all set to go with the business partner that Gary had chosen. And then there are certain decisions by DoJ/Hero Games which I won't get into.

It's all a mystery. But owner of stuff can do what they want with their property.

Thanks Steve, Jason, and Darren. The fun continues...

I like names that have a story or seem to require one. Non-obvious names, like Piccadilly Circus or Elephant and Castle, locations in London that have visitors wondering what the story is. So, in this case, something that is non-nautical. What about the name of an old god that is no longer worshipped, or is even reviled and hated, but the name lingers on. In the same way that days of the week kept pagan names even under Christianity.

On 4/2/2021 at 7:07 PM, Old Man said:

 

Storm Druid

Plant Druid

Fey Sorcerer

Dragon-pact Warlock

Shaman Warlock

Ice Cleric

STR-based Monk (see Unarmed Brawler)

Jester Bard

Barbarian Shaman

 

 

Kinda proud to say I have no idea what the D&D-specific conceptions of "sorcerer", "warlock" and even "druid" may be...warlocks have pacts with an entity? Druids shapeshift into beasts? (there's a recent concept, nothing to do with druidism in my mind) Anyway, Hero can obviously do them all, and better 🙂

On 2/7/2021 at 5:48 AM, Panpiper said:

In the HERO System 6th Edition selection in the Store, what is the difference between the "Fantasy Hero Complete" and the "Fantasy Hero 6th Edition"? 

How much income has Hero Games left on the table by not having previews or even page counts listed in the store? As an ecommerce professional, I would say that the conversion rate of more casual browsers (those not knowing exactly what they want, and not part of the hardcore community) is probably reduced by 90% due to these factors. It's difficult to understand, frankly. 

Concept was excellent, writing and crunch was good. Design, layout and marketing was terrible. Hats off to Christopher Hackler for writing it, but Hero Games (what's left of it) is not even trying anymore in 2020. 

An interesting fact is that while D&D5e is perhaps the most successful edition of D&D ever, it hasn't brought popularity to a long tail of secondary RPG systems  in its wake. Leaving Hero aside, there has been NO superhero game in the last decade which has capitalised on the popularity of superhero movies. (The Marvel RPG of a few years ago was not all that successful).

I find that quite remarkable - in a world where comic book movies and characters are mainstream, and where I can buy Dungeons and Dragons again in toystores in my mid-size town for the first time since the 80s, I can't reach out to the shelf next to D&D and find any superhero RPG. Since that is the case, it's hard to argue it's an anomaly the Hero isn't being played in force these days. Even Mutants and Masterminds has had its day - it was much more popular 10 years ago. Weird, but there it is.

On 11/28/2019 at 5:16 AM, Steve Long said:

Unfortunately setting books just don't sell well enough for us to keep doing them, or to expand on the ones we have -- which is a shame, because I'd love to have the chance to do that. I'd love to do my own Swords & Sorcery setting (different from Valdorian Age, which was primarily Allen's creation), try some Low Fantasy ideas, and maybe some really weird High Fantasy stuff.  Perhaps sometime in the future.

I for one would love to see more of your fantasy setting material. All of those ideas sound good - especially your take on sword and sorcery, and low fantasy.

It doesn't have to be a doorstopper like Turakian Age. Perhaps an ongoing series of short PDFs which could eventually be collected into a book? 

On 10/28/2019 at 1:51 AM, Duke Bushido said:

 

 

Dude, I have just sat here for two hours, typing, and eventually deleted it all.

 

The answer, I think, it "no; despite thinking I could, I clearly cannot."

 

In the telling, nothing came across as truly unique (though none of it came off as "kingdom" either).  The problem is that what makes a setting truly unique or compelling isn't the overview, as much as it is the details, and those are really hard to "sum up."  

 

Let me try one more time, keeping in mind that this time I'm not even going to bother trying details:

 

Nine Clans of the arid plains is just what it sounds like: it's a collection of 9 nomadic clans that used to fight constantly, and steal and raid from each other all the time-- little more than barbarians.  Eventually a "visionary" leader was born to one of the tribes and he spent his life creating peace between his own and two other clans through trade and, eventually, the sharing of certain secrets of craftsmanship, farming, and even raiding.  He stressed most of all that no one Clan should rule all three Clans, and implemented a system by which the three leaders were always under the protection of a troupe of guards composed of equal number of guards from all Clans but his own.  One guard was changed each day, so as to slow any possible plotting.  One leader made all decisions for Three Clans, and remained "In office" for a single season, then the leader of another Clan took over for a season, etc. To ensure fair treatment of the other Clans, the new leader's first decision is always a ceremony in which he judges the previous leader's decisions and treatment of the Clans other than his own as "worthy of the ruler of Three Clans."  If he judges yes, the old leader is returned to lead his Clan and there is a great celebration, etc.  If he judges "no," there is a public execution and great celebration, etc.  Theoretically, in this way and Clan leader can stop a potential alliance between any other two leaders.

 

Over the course of the next few generations, all nine of the arid plains Clans have been united into what is known as Nine Clans.  Honestly, the larger the alignment became, the easier it was to sway the remaining Clans.  The Clans are still nomadic and responsible for their own, and still travel their traditional Clan routes, though there is much more mingling between the Clans than before, and they still meet for seasonal celebrations and the transition of power.

 

 

There.  That's one, and it went on too long and told too little.

 

One more:

 

Sway (as opposed to rule) by sharing

 

A much more educated people, far smaller in number, and decentralized as student travelers, are defacto "rulers" of  a small forest continent.  Originally arriving here to study, they found native tribes of people similar to themselves and, out of compassion, helped to heal the sick.  They were first revered as god-like beings, which to a being they denied (though it may have stuck with them that they were somehow "better" than the natives, from person to person).  They never settled with the people, and continue to travel as "students of science ("science" in this case being magic, astronomy, astrology, alchemy, all practiced as aspects of botany or meteorology).  They will happily offer advice to natives (when asked, or even volunteer when a clear problem is evident: farming techniques, harvesting of animals, preparations of medicines, or even advanced warnings of great storms), but have never forced it on them.  Over the generations, the native villages noticed that those who accepted the advice of the "wood walkers" tended to fare much better than those who didn't, and eventually the "Storm Seers" became so influential as to be sought out for counsel on all manner of issues, even as villages grew into towns, cities, and eventually small city-states, independent of but peaceful with (on the advice of the Wood Walkers) each other. These mystics (as seen by the natives) do not try or even wish to rule, but they sort of do regardless

 

 

There is a small fortification known as the Peasant's Keep.

 

A castle, ostensibly, is a fortification in which the rulers and their closest confidants live, and in which the peasants and serfs may seek shelter in times of invasion.

 

These castles are "fed" by a feudal system, peasants working farms that ultimately provide food for the nobility and its army.  The larger the nobility and its army, the greater its need for material.  Spread out too far, and even the army is charged with spreading out and making sure that the peasants are performing their due diligence for the nobility  (when they should be drilling, or at least not skipping leg day).

 

When a kingdom gets so large that the peasants realize that during an invasion they have a seventeen mile sprint to the safety of the king's fortifications, problems arise.

 

One such kingdom once existed, and it's furthest-flung reaches were so far flung that the nobility dispatched to keep it governed ordered the construction of a walled fortification at this location, as it was ridiculous to think anyone could make it to the castle.  In this fortification, the army dispatched to enforce the king's law could drill and barrack, and the local nobility tasked with running the poor in this area could live in relative comfort.  The spoils of the poor could be stored here until proper transfer was arranged, and peasants could more readily reach the safety of these walls than those of the great castle beyond the hills.

 

The military quickly realized that this fortification would well-serve a warlord and his men, and upon the completion of the fortification the put on a great feast, at which they slaughtered the various dukes and governors and lay claim to the small castle and the peasants beyond.  Things were never great for peasants, but after two separate battles between the renegade mercenaries and the distant king, things were downright _bad_ for the peasants.  A daring raid had resulted in the food stores of the king's castle being poisoned  (largely though magic), and the king's men became desperate, laying absolute siege to the small keep to gain access to the stores within.  During the battle, the storehouses were burned.  No one had anything worth fighting for, and those were weren't dead or poor simply _left_.  The king's influence dropped considerably, back to a supportable level enjoyed by his ancestors.

 

The peasants slowly repaired the smaller castle, expanding and reinforcing it as time went on, and using it largely as a store house for their harvests.  They take turns training as an army, but today exist largely on trade with caravans and the king up on the hill.   To date, Peasant's Keep has never been taken: the owners fight with a ferocity not seen in any paid mercenary, and they have learned a great deal about repelling invasion (step one being "invade no one else.")

 

 

Meh.

 

Still not working.

 

 

In short:  the king and feudal system doesn't work unless you're willing to let it.   A world filled with kingdoms is a world filled with cowards.  I have no doubts about the reality of a world full of cowards; I really don't.  However, I adventure so that I may _leave_ it once in a while.

 

 

Duke

 

Did I just read aright.

You're enraged at the people of of the Middle Ages, because they were all cowards? 

I've heard everything now.

And then you were ALL WRONG and they POD'd them anyways!!  WOOOT! I win!! Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

 

OK. I'll calm down now.

I wouldn't say "wrong" it's just that the universe was edged into the "PoD" fork of reality by this forum's collective consciousness.

I do love several different RPG systems, not always because of the quality of the rules, but there are other reasons like nostalgia, nice shiny books with nice art, popularity making it easier to find other players, etc. But Hero is the best ruleset bar none. It's not even a contest. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but if only people could see that in play, once chargen is done, it offers a simple and fast-moving experience. Flexibility of character concept is not the only selling point.

So anyway, I've bought sets of Hero Games books several times over and will continue to do so. My most recent thing is collecting all the different 3e genre games. I was kind of surprised how sophisticated the rules and presentation was already by the time of Fantasy Hero (1985), it was already comprehensive only 4 years after the first release of Champions. 

I've played a lot of both systems, but when I look at RM these days I just think how much easier it is just to do things in Hero. So many exception-based rules in RM and so much needless complication. Take a look at Construct Companion or Fire and Ice which drill down into niches and it all seems like pointless complication. Building a construct (automaton) is child's play in Hero. And the magical realms of power in RM have poor differentiation while in Hero they can easily be given their own unique feel.

I don't know much about pulps. I remember seeing pulp magazines - small digest sized publications with color artwork covers, with western or true crime themes - on newsstands as late as the 1990s or even early 2000s. These seemed to be the real old-school thing, not hipster revivals. Does anyone know what I mean and are any still around?

I'm so envious. I've built up and sold off several collections through the years, and now have a lot of pdfs and a small number of hard copy books.

And even though I have all I need, practically speaking, I still go weak at the knees when I see a bookshelf full of Hero and other RPG books. It's definitely irrational.

I'm just going to chip in by saying that actually, Hero isn't doing too badly. It's in print. It still has a dedicated base, and name recognition outside that base. How many systems from the classic era of RPGs are really doing much better? The competition from newer systems is astronomical. Hero isn't one of the top handful of systems, like it was perhaps in the past, but now there are 100x the number of games on the market.

We all have ideas on what could be done to make it more successful, but I'm pretty happy with what we've got, and I'm still having success running games and introducing new players.

Any tips or examples for how to use Spell Law on the fly in Hero?

Neither important nor relevant to the discussion. So probably not ever. 

Tight lips eh enforcer? Maybe a little forehead vein poppin' action... :-D

Yeah this forum is a bit like that.

More importantly, when will we get lower strength maxima for females baked into the Hero rules? 

Thanks Spence for your advice.

 

As it turns out, i was lucky. Seems Hero 6th and me are meant to be  ...why? Well i found two different places, one had the Vol 1 book for a reasonable price and the other had Volume 2 for a reasonable price...so i am all set.

 

If i like what i see with those two books, i will consider buying into Fantasy on a later date (i am mainly a fantasy guy).

 

Btw, does anyone know, is Hero Games supporting Bits and Mortar? So can i expect to get the pdfs of those two books if i can prove purchase of said books? Thanks again for all your replies, guys.

That was a good find. As I've stated before, I'm not a big fan of the Complete books for those new to the Hero System. I think it would be difficult for most to tease out how it all works in actuality, due to the lack of examples in those books. The big books are excellent for that, although they have their own issue of being overly verbose. Still, with a bit of persistence and using the forums as a resource, you'll be able to get where you want to go with either presentation of the rules.

For fantasy gaming, having the two core books plus FH6e (not Complete) is a mind-boggling cornucopia. Pretty much the only three books you'd ever need.

For those who are interested in such things, in response to a question from Ron I just posted a 1,400 word "comment" detailing my personal gaming experiences that gave rise to Dark Champions.

Having just read Steve's guest post and the long "comment" I feel like I have just attended a master class or seminar on Hero...

Nice implementation of Rolemaster magic. I've thought of doing something similar, even starting to recreate some of the Spell Law lists in Hero. However, that would be a huge project to complete.

I love the 2 volume core rules, but Hero Basic is really poor when compared to the Complete books.

That's true in some ways, but for a newcomer to learn the game with no-one to guide him, I think Basic is better. The whole structure of the game is clearly laid out. For example the extended combat example and the sidebars are very helpful for newbies, the kind of things lacking in Complete which is a dense compendium.

I did manage to get the two big books (6E1 and 6E2) in hardcover. In fact, received them in yesterday's mail. Wow! Even with the photos on eBay, I didn't realize they'd be this BIG! I'm glad I found them, though. Back to the topic at hand, I guess I'll have to search out my first foray into POD, based on what the Hero Games store does or doesn't have, printed-book-wise.

Nice purchase! Hope you get a lot of value from them. My copies are certainly prized. Yes, they're big, a lot of that is due to the thick page stock which I've never seen in any other RPG books.

Seems like Hero Games would have pocketed some money if they'd had them available as PoD...you might not have gone to eBay, right? Hmmm...

Champions Complete and Fantasy Hero Complete are the new core rulebooks for 6e, although some people still prefer 6e1 and 6e2. For whatever it's worth, more people seem to like the two small books than the two big books.

Couple of counterpoints to that...the two big books are still for sale in PDF. Steve Long still gives official rulings on them in this forum. And I'm not sure how you know whether more people prefer the Complete series (I don't). Even if your gaming group and your buddies on this forum have that opinion, that's not necessarily the best rubric.

Bring back the big books! 

No, actually it's understandable that they were too expensive to reprint and the game remains accessible through Complete. So that's fair enough. 

But as a newcomer, I would prefer to learn through Basic Rules then use the Big Books. Coming completely fresh through Complete would be tougher - there just aren't enough examples and explanations in my opinion. Basic teaches the game very well.

It's also true that the best fantasy books to read are not necessarily the most inspirational for the gaming table, and vice versa. Some terrible dreck contains gameable material, often because it may as well be a write-up of a D&D campaign...