borbetomagnus

@Ninja-BearModern game with Silver Age mentalities is the way to go.

I love 1963 too, and there were plans for an Annual to end the limited-run series, but I always heard that 1963 didn't sell well enough for the final book to be produced. It'd be great if Image would collect all of the issues, including the unpublished Annual and perhaps some additional unpublished material, into a collected edition. I'm sure that it would sell better today. I think the satire would be appreciated now. The 1963 letters column penned by Alan Moore was hilarious!

Image also published the Silver Age Kirby homage series G0DLAND by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli. I enjoyed it too.

On 12/10/2020 at 4:16 AM, tkdguy said:

Guitar and violin duets are nothing new. But make the instruments electric, and maybe you can get a new kind of sound.

 

 

Add some special effects to enhance the performance.

 

 

Electric violins are cool.

I once had the pleasure of watching a high school string orchestra performance lead by Mark Wood, the inventor of the solid body electric violin and co-founder of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and it was incredible!

@Ninja-Bear The images of the unpainted Old Glory miniatures are just OK. They could just be bad photos, slightly out of focus. The painted ones are pretty good. IME, a good paint job on a mediocre miniature can make it look fantastic. I prefer metal miniatures over the inexpensive plastic ones that are being produced these days. I've painted a few of the WizKids unpainted plastic miniatures being produced for D&D and Pathfinder and had good results from from brush. I'm not the greatest painter, and there are some features on the WizKids miniatures, such as noses or brows that are not fully rendered in the plastic miniatures, but with a little patience and a few good brushes you can do wonders.

I'll probably pick up some of the Old Glory superhero miniatures and see how they look in real life.  I noticed that they have two sizes -- a larger than the typical 25-28mm size -- they are 33mm. Wow! That's pretty cool. I also noticed that they have some in 15mm size. I may pick up a few of those to use with the larger ones to represent mini-supers like Marvel's Ant Man.

Aces & Eights does have some neat ideas, and while I've not actually played it, I would expect that a combat with greater than two participants would take a very long time to run at the (virtual) tabletop. I think I'll stick with Western Hero instead.

I can't find any links to the Marvel Heroclix unpainted Deep Cuts miniatures, but I did see some at a FLGS and they look pretty cool. I don't care about the Heroclix part or the accompanying stats cards for each character, but they could be fun to paint and use in Champions games.

Does anyone know of any lines of superhero miniature figures produced currently or in the past? I've love to get more 25-28mm figures to paint.

My approach with miniatures is to not go into a tactical boardgame, but to use them to represent facing, proximity and distance, and surrounding terrain and features (buildings, vehicles, trees, etc.) appropriate to the scene. 

As for figures that I've used:

Marvel Hero Squad, though these are larger than typical 25-30mm figures.

Silver Age Sentinels official figures from some years ago.

Paper printout cardboard heroes from Autoduel Champions.

This is totally awesome, @Christopher R Taylor !!

I've always loved the Western Hero genre book and still reference my copy of the 4th edition version.

I enjoy painting miniatures, mostly Glorantha figures, but I also have a few superhero miniatures. But...

I've never used them in any superhero RPGs. I'm interested in how you've used miniatures with Champions games. Have they worked well or did their use in-game impede or interrupt the shared theater of the mind feeling of the gaming group?

I would imagine that probably Champions Complete since it includes a more extensive treatment of Powers than Fantasy Hero Complete. I would think that the various powers of the Exalted would be modeled in the HERO Power build during character creation. It would also accommodate the cinematic or four-color theme of Exalted better than Fantasy HERO Complete in my opinion. 

I have a huge collection of GURPS 3rd edition books too and I'd definitely use them to convert to Champions Complete. No problem for when I run a Star Hero campaign. For the current game that is kicking off the GM wouldn't go that route. He's stuck on GURPS and only played HERO in a short swords and sorcery fantasy campaign using the Valdorian Age setting book.

@Chris Goodwin Thanks for pointing me to an early edition that is complete in itself. The one thing that I like about 6E is the change to non-Figured Characteristics. But, I can live with it for a complete book. Unfortunately, for this specific GURPS sci-fi campaign the GM is stuck on using GURPS because he has many GURPS worldbooks to draw from (Ultra-Tech, Psionics, Aliens, etc.), so proposing HERO System will be for naught. Now, when I eventually run a sci-fi RPG I can use HERO and will look at Star Hero 3E. The players will be inclined to play since the single book is not cost prohibited. 

@tkdguy I enjoy all the links and videos in this thread. My gaming group is starting a space opera campaign and these are informative.

The thing that immediately comes to mind when I think about spacefaring Star HERO campaigns is a space race, and specifically for a vast interplanetary society, a race that extends across the vastness of space. Fans view it through VR headsets or some other tech. Or perhaps it's a race along the outer surface of a ringworld. When I think about these types of racing sports involving vehicles that we're familiar with and placing that into the setting of a galactic-spanning society, I think the vastness they're accustomed to is an inherent feature that they take for granted. Much like gravity generators on spaceships are fundamental as the electrical grid is to us.

What are your thoughts and reactions?

1) I'm not aware of links to forum threads that compare the various Star HERO editions.

2) I can only refer to Star HERO 6E, and cite specific Powers that are appropriate to Transhumanist sci-fi. Note: Transhumanism isn't explicitly discussed in Star HERO 6E, but Cyberpunk is discussed. Here are a few page references from Star HERO 6E that discuss "transhumanist" topics without stating the term:

• Cyberpunk genre: pp 16 - 18
• Transform power: pp 82
• Alien Species chapter, specifically, Creating Alien Species, Super Intellects and uplifted animals: pp 150
• Computers as Characters: pp 193
• Biotechnology: pp 197 - 198
• Nanotechnology: pp 199

You may also find the Worlds of Sci-Fi miniatures by Infinity-Engine of interest.

Now that we have Champions Complete and Fantasy Hero Complete, is it time for Star Hero Complete? 

My gaming group is starting a GURPS 3rd edition Space Opera campaign and even though I and the GM are GURPS players from the 90s, I'd prefer if we were playing with Star Hero. However, I know the entry point is monumental (HERO System 6E volumes 1 & 2 + Star Hero 6E are the essential basic books) for a GM that has a lot invested in the GURPS system. So my next thought is whether a Star Hero Complete is sensible. I think it would help sell the HERO system as an alternative to GURPS for a cinematic space opera RPG (150-point GURPS player characters). Hero has the cinematic mode built in from the start, while GURPS is based in realism.  So, help me Star Hero Complete, you're my only hope!

Thank you for the link. We're using some of these starship maps for a GURPS 3rd edition Space Opera game. I'd love it if we were using them with Traveller HERO, but the GM is a GURPS guy from way back (as am I) and getting to play in an RPGs these days is good. So, I can't complain too much.

McFarland might be worth considering as a publisher for EMMA. They've published a couple dozen gaming books, but have a diverse field of subjects. 

This is the kind of gonzo stuff that I love. I would, however, prefer a HERO version. Perhaps that can happen one day. Original Suicide Squad is one of my favorites, especially the Silver Age adventures. The art from those early Suicide Squad comics is the pinnacle of mid-century American art. It's similar in style with Pink Panther, The Jetsons, etc. Love it. Maybe you can get artists to illustrate in that style for Explorers of the Fantastic.

I enjoyed the interview with Ken & Robin.

This is exciting news!

1 hour ago, grandmastergm said:

 

I've never been down to DragonCon. Have you ever been to MACE in Charlotte North Carolina?  I'm running 4 HERO games. 

I've never been up to MACE. It's great to hear you'll be running HERO System games. The con looks like it has a diverse schedule of many different games. I noticed a whole page devoted to Pulp HERO System 6e being run by Robert H. Hudson. I won't be able to attend this year, but will look at next year.

It was a great convention, and the Gaming Track and gaming schedule was packed with goodness. Unfortunately, the two Champions sessions that I and others pre-registered for were canceled before the start of the convention. They were the only game sessions using the HERO System, so it was disappointing that they didn't occur. Both sessions were full to capacity (8) players too. 

If you're planning on attending DragonCon 2020 then let me know and perhaps we can organize some HERO System games with the Gaming organizers.

Will anyone on the HERO Games forums be attending Dragon Con 2019? I'll be in attendance and have signed up for the only currently listed HERO System game sessions (the Saturday night sessions). It's a 5th edition Champions two-part scenario. Details for parts 1 & 2 can be found at the embedded hyperlinks. Here's the Dragon Con Gaming site where you can search for events and sign up. Open slots are still available.

Let me know if you're planning to attend and would like to play games.

Hi Steve, 

I know you have Chinese mythology listed, but I urge you to consider the mythological beings (gods, creatures, etc.) and folklore of Taiwan. Taiwan folklore is different than that of the mainland since it incorporates native islanders (aboriginal) myths which are unique, and a fascinating mythology in itself. Here's one site that has maintained a repository of Taiwanese folktales and traditions.

Thanks in advance for considering Taiwanese mythology.