SCUBA Hero

This!  Most of the changes between editions have been in design or clarification, not actual game play.  With a few exceptions, such as "is END 1/5 or 1/10 Active Points?", "is range -1/x" or -2 per distance doubling?", "is it 2xEGO or EGO +10?".
 
And we do like to debate design (I know *I* do!), but actual play hasn't changed that much.
 
When I ran Pulp Hero at cons, I had the weapons play specifications on the character sheets that I handed out.  I had the builds  on my side of the GM screen, just in case it mattered, but it wasn't generally relevant to the players.  Also it was easy to describe in words what they did to someone not familiar with Hero System.  "This is a big-game rifle.  You get two shots, then need to take time to reload.  Whatever it hits tends to go down and stay down.  You may want to make sure the two chances you get before reloading hit the target."  Someone with Hero System experience can read 3d6 RKA, +1 STUN, +2 RMod, 2 Charges, Extra Time (1 Phase) to reload.  It worked well.
 
And of course I have my own preferences, but at the end of the day I'll play whatever Hero edition game is out there, with whatever house rules.  If I'm running, then I'll run my own preferences.  But IMHO the edition holy wars are a BAD thing for Hero Games, especially given the relative scarcity of players.

This!  Most of the changes between editions have been in design or clarification, not actual game play.  With a few exceptions, such as "is END 1/5 or 1/10 Active Points?", "is range -1/x" or -2 per distance doubling?", "is it 2xEGO or EGO +10?".
 
And we do like to debate design (I know *I* do!), but actual play hasn't changed that much.
 
When I ran Pulp Hero at cons, I had the weapons play specifications on the character sheets that I handed out.  I had the builds  on my side of the GM screen, just in case it mattered, but it wasn't generally relevant to the players.  Also it was easy to describe in words what they did to someone not familiar with Hero System.  "This is a big-game rifle.  You get two shots, then need to take time to reload.  Whatever it hits tends to go down and stay down.  You may want to make sure the two chances you get before reloading hit the target."  Someone with Hero System experience can read 3d6 RKA, +1 STUN, +2 RMod, 2 Charges, Extra Time (1 Phase) to reload.  It worked well.
 
And of course I have my own preferences, but at the end of the day I'll play whatever Hero edition game is out there, with whatever house rules.  If I'm running, then I'll run my own preferences.  But IMHO the edition holy wars are a BAD thing for Hero Games, especially given the relative scarcity of players.

This!  Most of the changes between editions have been in design or clarification, not actual game play.  With a few exceptions, such as "is END 1/5 or 1/10 Active Points?", "is range -1/x" or -2 per distance doubling?", "is it 2xEGO or EGO +10?".
 
And we do like to debate design (I know *I* do!), but actual play hasn't changed that much.
 
When I ran Pulp Hero at cons, I had the weapons play specifications on the character sheets that I handed out.  I had the builds  on my side of the GM screen, just in case it mattered, but it wasn't generally relevant to the players.  Also it was easy to describe in words what they did to someone not familiar with Hero System.  "This is a big-game rifle.  You get two shots, then need to take time to reload.  Whatever it hits tends to go down and stay down.  You may want to make sure the two chances you get before reloading hit the target."  Someone with Hero System experience can read 3d6 RKA, +1 STUN, +2 RMod, 2 Charges, Extra Time (1 Phase) to reload.  It worked well.
 
And of course I have my own preferences, but at the end of the day I'll play whatever Hero edition game is out there, with whatever house rules.  If I'm running, then I'll run my own preferences.  But IMHO the edition holy wars are a BAD thing for Hero Games, especially given the relative scarcity of players.

This!  Most of the changes between editions have been in design or clarification, not actual game play.  With a few exceptions, such as "is END 1/5 or 1/10 Active Points?", "is range -1/x" or -2 per distance doubling?", "is it 2xEGO or EGO +10?".
 
And we do like to debate design (I know *I* do!), but actual play hasn't changed that much.
 
When I ran Pulp Hero at cons, I had the weapons play specifications on the character sheets that I handed out.  I had the builds  on my side of the GM screen, just in case it mattered, but it wasn't generally relevant to the players.  Also it was easy to describe in words what they did to someone not familiar with Hero System.  "This is a big-game rifle.  You get two shots, then need to take time to reload.  Whatever it hits tends to go down and stay down.  You may want to make sure the two chances you get before reloading hit the target."  Someone with Hero System experience can read 3d6 RKA, +1 STUN, +2 RMod, 2 Charges, Extra Time (1 Phase) to reload.  It worked well.
 
And of course I have my own preferences, but at the end of the day I'll play whatever Hero edition game is out there, with whatever house rules.  If I'm running, then I'll run my own preferences.  But IMHO the edition holy wars are a BAD thing for Hero Games, especially given the relative scarcity of players.

I've been playing Champions in 6th edition, and at the table in play it's just as FUN as I remember Champions ever being.  If you didn't know which edition the GM was running you probably wouldn't know the difference among the second-gen games; you could tell between that and the first-gen editions if you were paying attention.  
 
I think I've said the above more than once even in this thread.  
 
Presentation has changed, for sure.  Rules have changed along the way; the 5th-6th changes are about as radical as the 3rd-4th changes.

Given that reality, I give Jason props for looking for inexpensive but innovative ways to build momentum for the Hero brand: Hall of Champions, Champions Now, Character Creation Cards, PDFing older materials... he definitely hasn't been sitting on his hands.

Hi Chris!  I have backed Champions Now, not sure if it'll fund though... 
 
Rules question (I have downloaded and read through the playtest doc):  I didn't see anything specific in the playtest doc, but in Champs I-III the X1.5 and X2 damage for Martial Arts were done by multiplying the character's Strength.  By that method, I get 18*1.5 = 27 5d6 Martial Punch and 18*2 = 36 7d6 Martial Kick for Greenstick (like the name!).  How did you derive 6d6 and 8d6?  (Am I missing something?)
 
-SCUBA Hero

Aye.  Sucked when SCUBA Heroine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, too.  We're still standing - glad to hear you are too.  

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
From last Saturday's Champions session:
 
1. [situation: The GM is explaining to a player who was not present at the session why all heck broke loose]
 
"The problem is, Iron Maiden has the social skills of an avalanche."
 
2. [situation: The hero team is debating the ethics of killing demons in front of their offficial govenment Secret Service liason]
 
Ryucin (Japanese mystical hero) "Technically, you don't *kill* demons, you just send them back to the Underworld."
 
Secret Service liason "Oh, then there's no problem; you're just extraditing illegal aliens."

Aye.  Sucked when SCUBA Heroine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, too.  We're still standing - glad to hear you are too.  

Aye.  Sucked when SCUBA Heroine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, too.  We're still standing - glad to hear you are too.  

Aye.  Sucked when SCUBA Heroine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, too.  We're still standing - glad to hear you are too.  

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
(In a Serenity campaign, though that's not all that relevant)
 
Annie (sharpshooter, located at warehouse where she's been in a fight, calling the ship, which is landed): "Come and get me. There's some stuff here we want to take, too."
 
Hopper (mechanic, one-legged amputee): "Will do. Where is this place?"
 
Annie: "You gonna bring the mule [ground vehicle]?"
 
Hopper: "I wasn't gonna walk."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 

 
Sorry, I apologize. I will confine all my political remarks to the NGD board in the future.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
"No, no, no. We're not negotiating with the guy. We're not gonna give him what he wants, whether it's 1000 deer or the Santa costume from the Nar-Cola commercials. We're gonna do what heroes always do--we're gonna find the bad guy, beat th'bejesus outta him, and hand 'im over to the folks at Stronghold so they can let him escape in 6 months to do it again." Hornet, when an UNTIL Major suggested that perhaps negotiating with Foxbat was something they should consider

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
My character has been killed and the discussion about new characters and a six month jump resulted in this exchange between Jose Allan and me:
 
(JA) Could be worse: you could have died, come back, only to have been lobotomized by your team mate, AND THEN given a cold nanite enema.
 
(ME)Personal experience?
 
(JA) Uh, kind of, I was the one who did the Lobotomizing, sort of…
 
 
CES

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
From out first Pulp Hero session last night:
 
"I have Physical Limitation: Unconscious and tied to the back of an elephant."
 
"And they have those knives with the wavy blades, the ones that give you +5 to a Presence Attack."
 
"You never know when a book might eat you.'
 
To the British archaeologist: "You're standing in a bloody pentagram."
Response: "Bloody hell!"
 
"Do you go around the elephant?"
"He had two swords. He can go through the elephant!"

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 

Favorite quotes from GenghisCon:


 
From my Champions game:
 
Illuminatus, the mystic (played by Bill Keyes): “It’s DARK SORCERY!”
Other player: “You said that when your hamburger came back underdone.”
 
 
Later, Illuminatus confronts Madame Diamond, a well-known celebrity psychic (think Shirley Maclaine meets Madame Cleo), who he’s convinced is a total fraud:
Madame Diamond: “DARK SORCERY is at work!”
Illuminatus: “Well...yeah okay.”
Madame Diamond: “We’re all in terrible danger!”
Illuminatus: “...Allright, I’ll give you that one, but...”
Madame Diamond: “And you need mystical protection.”
Iron Maiden: “Dude, she sounds just like you.”
 
 
Magnetica, a female PC (run by a very attractive female player) is searching an actress’ trailer for clues, but badly blows her PER roll. The player decides she got distracted by the actress’ lingere drawer.
Magnetica: “Ooo, she’s got some really nice stuff in here.” [Mimes holding up a teddie] “This would look great on me.”
GM: “You’re taller than she is; it’s a little short on you.”
Magnetica: “I don’t see that as a problem.”
The male players (and the GM) had a little trouble focusing on the scenario after that.
 
 
From BunnySue’s Pulp game:
 
As the goons with guns enter:
“I think you can get those 5 for a dollar at Wal-Mart.”
“The guns or the goons?”
 
 
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle (played by Yours Truly), who’s been forced into “civilized” clothes for a big reception:
“How am I supposed to fight in this? I can barely walk?”
Jane Greystoke: “Running in high heels is easy. *Stopping* in high heels is hard.”
 
 
After the GM’s description of the evil priestess in the chainmail bikini:
Player 1: “So can I assume she’s not wearing any armor?”
Player 2: [looking at the miniature] “If she is, it’s got one hell of an activation roll.”
 
 
From my Future Pulp SH game:
 
From the GM (me) as my laptop fails to boot up:
“Okay, we’re going to be doing some improvisation. More than usual, that is.”
 
 
From a 7-year-old player, after reading his character’s background:
“I grew up on the streets?” [pause] “COOOL!”
 
 
Same player, after the PCs contemptuously bat aside all my surface-to-air missiles (which in my playtests, blew up their ship every time):
“That’s it? Shoot some more missiles, it’s fun.”
 
 
Ghost-Angel: “I’m a pulp heroine who just got knocked out; it doesn’t get more genre than that.”
 
 
From Bill Keyes’ Arabian Nights FH game:
 
 
Following one-too-many Star Wars references:
Me: “Let’s stay in this universe, it’s better written.”
Darnet: “And none of us are CGI.”
JCFiala: [raises hand] “I am.”
 
 
Bad Guy: “You hurt me!”
Ghost-Angel: “Don’t be evil.”
 
 
As we prepare to assault the castle of my father, the Evil Sorceror:
Player: “I think you have some parental issues.”
Me: “Not for long...”
 
 
As we burst into the villain’s throne room:
Villain: “I’m on the throne, do you mind?”
 
 
From Bill’s Teen Titans game:
 
A young girl was playing Raven, whose character sheet included the Disad “Freaky Goth Chick.” That player’s mother – who IS a Freaky Goth Chick – looks over and says “Hey, who says that’s a disadvantage?”
 
 
Me: “So am I really the only one in this room who’s never seen the cartoon?”
Other Player: “And you call yourself a geek.”
 
Following a really effective coordinated attack:
"Wow, teamwork really pays off."
"And that, kids, is the moral of today's story..."
 
 
From an Arcanis (fantasy) game:
 
Following a REALLY good tracking roll:
“...and it has a poison bite. And black eyes.” Skeptical looks from the players. “OK, I suppose you couldn't get that from a tracking roll.”
 
 
“The fact that they spotted us tells me they have magic.”
“Really? The fact that they blew apart the tower with huge freaking lightning bolts tells ME they have magic.”
 
 
Various:
 
“If I was that cool, then I’d be that cool. But I’m not that cool.”
 
 
“The beer starts to get out of control. Gimme a STR roll to hold onto the beer.”
 
 
Overheard at the Serenity table: “Next time, Captain, we should bring the porn onboard.”
Players at my table turn around with: “So, who’s playing Jayne?” and “We’ll be in our bunks.”
 
 
And lastly from my beloved, who supports my weird hobby even if she doesn’t understand it, as I left for the con:
“Have fun with the other... imponderables.”

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
Top six moments from last night's Champions game:
 
******************
 
GM: "Do you have Demolitions skill?"
 
Kali: "I blew up a science lab once."
 
******************
 
GM: "He's walking back inside." (pause) "Going once." (long pause) "Going twice..." (really long pause)
 
Ryucin: "Okay, I'll blast him."
 
******************
 
Solar: "We like the bad guys. They give us something to fight."
 
******************
 
GM: "First damage roll... darn, that was crappy."
 
Kendrick: (the target) "Good."
 
******************
 
Kendrick: (after about four real-time hours in battle at 1:30 am, soliloquolizing for all he's worth twice and then failing the ECV roll to hit with his Mind Control, and trying for the third time on the opponent, Hex) "Hex... I need to make this f*cking roll!"
 
(The GM allowed it. Kendrick failed that roll, as well.)
 
******************
 
GM: (After the battle, describing the after-effects on Iron Maiden) "You hurt in places that should never receive damage."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 

 
Yeah, sounds like me (and yes, my last namei s Kendrick)

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
From last Saturday's Champions session:
 
1. [situation: The GM is explaining to a player who was not present at the session why all heck broke loose]
 
"The problem is, Iron Maiden has the social skills of an avalanche."
 
2. [situation: The hero team is debating the ethics of killing demons in front of their offficial govenment Secret Service liason]
 
Ryucin (Japanese mystical hero) "Technically, you don't *kill* demons, you just send them back to the Underworld."
 
Secret Service liason "Oh, then there's no problem; you're just extraditing illegal aliens."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
From last Saturday's Champions session:
 
1. [situation: The GM is explaining to a player who was not present at the session why all heck broke loose]
 
"The problem is, Iron Maiden has the social skills of an avalanche."
 
2. [situation: The hero team is debating the ethics of killing demons in front of their offficial govenment Secret Service liason]
 
Ryucin (Japanese mystical hero) "Technically, you don't *kill* demons, you just send them back to the Underworld."
 
Secret Service liason "Oh, then there's no problem; you're just extraditing illegal aliens."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
From last Saturday's Champions session:
 
1. [situation: The GM is explaining to a player who was not present at the session why all heck broke loose]
 
"The problem is, Iron Maiden has the social skills of an avalanche."
 
2. [situation: The hero team is debating the ethics of killing demons in front of their offficial govenment Secret Service liason]
 
Ryucin (Japanese mystical hero) "Technically, you don't *kill* demons, you just send them back to the Underworld."
 
Secret Service liason "Oh, then there's no problem; you're just extraditing illegal aliens."

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
After roleplaying the scene where the streetwise detective met with a contact:
 
Player 1: Why does your St. Louis underworld contact sound like he's from New Jersey?
 
Player 2: [knowingly] *All* underworld contacts are from New Jersey.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...
 
After roleplaying the scene where the streetwise detective met with a contact:
 
Player 1: Why does your St. Louis underworld contact sound like he's from New Jersey?
 
Player 2: [knowingly] *All* underworld contacts are from New Jersey.