Brian Stanfield

You just won’t lay off the eye wear, huh?  
I guess you need a villain, the Cataract Kid. 

Mentally, Captain Contacts takes me in a completely different direction.
 
Imagine a HERO with a transparent Captain America style shield (contact) on one arm and a nano-tech lens launcher on his other arm.
 
Fun powers like:
1-  AoE severe transform - glasses / goggles / eye wear into contact lenses - which then fall to the ground and are near invisible unmitigated visual difficulty on the previous eye wear wearers.
2-  Dusty Lens - Nano-tech contact drones fly at an opponent and attach sandy, gritty lenses to their eyes inflicting NND stun + flash.
3-  Opague Lens - Nano-tech contact drones fly at an opponent and attach inflicting a single-target darkness field on their eyeballs.
4-  Frisbee sized hard lenses shoot forcefully from the launcher inflicting armor piercing normal damage that can bounce to additional targets.
5-  He can fly standing on his anti-grav lenses.
etc.
 
Frustrated by years of overpriced, ill-fitting glasses and a host of bullies a high-tech villain was born.  Captain Contacts!  His goal - to destroy all diabolical purveyors of eye wear!

That works well enough right up to the point where Captain Contacts with his shining 33 PRE whips out his electronic rolodex of 15,234 contacts because he "knows a guy".  Since that's a very viable ability/concept, would you, the GM, shoot it down?  If not, would you, the GM, flesh out all 15,234 of them in advance?  Or would you, the GM, think a pool is in order … with throw-aways making logical sense?

While Captain Contacts is an extreme/absurd example, it's this sort of thinking (to a lesser extent, of course) that makes Resource Points a thing.  i.e. Some contacts -should- be willy-nilly because they just aren't important outside of being one-time plot movers.

For me yes.  The High Society roll will cover an incidental meeting with someone you have just met or only know casually.  Locating the slightly gullable bell hop at the Grand Empire Hotel.
 
But a Contact isn't a chance meeting with a "Bob the Bell Hop".  It is meeting with Robert "Deadeye" McCabe the you spent 3 years with back to back in the trenches and you've lost count of how many times you saved each others life. 
 
I try to flesh out Contacts into full fledged NPCs that will be reused.  A Contact is not made willy nilly on the fly, it is a detailed build.

By the way, I’m out of likes for the day, so I can’t pat you all on the back for your help. So here’s one universal like for all y’all: 

By the way, I’m out of likes for the day, so I can’t pat you all on the back for your help. So here’s one universal like for all y’all: 

I generally treat contacts as player accessible abilities.  In other word, you can have "contacts" without paying points for them, but they may not respond to you if they are busy or etc.  It's more a role playing exercise/plot contingent contact and slightly beneficial.  If you want someone who will drop what they are doing to try and help you out when you need it, then the contact perk is for you.  
 
Example of the difference (YMMV): 
You know a lawyer.  He's good (18- PS: Lawyer) but he's not bought as a contact.  You get framed for the murder of some punk.  You call him for help but get his secretary.  She says she'll relay the message to him.  A day goes by and this kid fresh out of college come by your prison cell.  Kid lawyer has been referred to you by the big shot lawyer.  When you get out of jail on bond a day later, the press tries to crucify you outside the court house.
 
You know a lawyer.  He's good (18- PS: Lawyer) and he's bought as a contact.  You get framed for the murder of some punk.  You call him for help and get the roll.  His secretary puts you through to the big shot lawyer even though he's in a meeting.  15 minutes later, you are out of jail on bond.  The lawyer has gotten a gag order on the press in place and is already talking about how to defeat the accusations.
 
You know a lawyer.  He's good (18- PS: Lawyer) and he's bought as a contact.  You get framed for the murder of some punk.  You call him for help but you failed the roll.  His secretary gives him a message.  A hour later, a junior partner from the firm gets you out of jail on bond.  The press already has wind of your problem but he's arranged for a press release to give your side of the issue.

I personally feel there's a vast world of difference between a pool of physical or social resources a character can access …. and a pool of things a character KNOWS.  Key to this is that foci get taken, lost or broken; contacts don't always respond; followers aren't always around; vehicles break down or are destroyed; bases get sabotaged or must be abandoned; other misc perks (like driver's license, concealed carry license, etc.) change depending on locality; etc.  … whereas what one knows and can (or can't) recall (such as Area Knowledge, Science Skills, Professional Skills, etc.) … is what one knows and can (or can't) recall.

For this reason, I do not see any Skills of any kind making sense within Resource Pools.  Certainly if you want to house rule it that way, you can, but skills are Skills, i.e. they're not Resources as Resources are explained in APG1.  Both I and Gnome have already provided you with the conventional way GM's handle large numbers of AK's -- which is to say: they lump them into broad categories, provide a roll level that makes sense for the character when appropriate modifiers are in play, and then work from there.  That's what I think you should do with the AK's -- figure out which regions the character would have knowledge of … and to what extent … and buy the relevant AK's appropriately.

As for languages, the Universal Translator path is a solid one if the character will have perfect, colloquial fluency with literacy in 4 or more languages.  James Bond is fluent in French, Italian, German and Russian, has a solid grasp of Greek, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese … and has a degree in Oriental languages.  Think he paid for a bunch of languages?  Nope, he's got Universal Translator with some limitations, I bet … and likely has Oriental Languages bought as a Science Skill as a cherry on top.
 
 

Brian:
 
I can't tell you how to do it 6e style, but in the past I have allowed characters to buy "contact network" - a home-brew perk (costing is equal to 3 Contacts) so long as 1) it fit their background/conception and they bought one other complimentary perk such as world traveller--which maybe another home-brew; I'll have to check when I get home-- or "law enforcement" or something to further justify or define the network. 

Remember, the idea is to be able to capture the "I know a guy/gal" concept … so from a Resource Point/Pool perspective, every contact is a floating one from scenario to scenario.  Also, from a storyline perspective, the specifics of Contact X who got called on mission Y just aren't all that important (long-term) unless the contact is (or might in the future become) a recurring one.  We keep track of recurring contacts … but they're ultimately akin to a Power in a Variable Power Pool -- i.e. just a pre-arranged configuration that serves a specific purpose/function and has a specific cost/value.  
 
 
Easy enough.  Build the Resource Pool for Followers/Contacts ("Gun Runner Contacts" ??), give the character Well-Connected since you see him being exactly that, and then pre-design some Contacts.  Doing so will cause them to be listed out in a numbered list beneath Well-Connected. When you name each, put the real cost in parens, brackets, braces, or some other indicator (so that you will know how many real points it is … after adjustment by Well-Connected … for pool use ... just by looking at the name)… and then as a final step, add a Custom Adder to each Contact whose value is negative that of the Contact's active cost (i.e. if active cost of the Contact is 5, the Custom Adder is -5); doing so will result in the Contacts now costing 0 CP on the character sheet ... while leaving you with pre-built contacts that are listed out with costs readily usable alongside a pool.
 
Since the entire point of such a pool is to avoid limiting the character to just a few contacts … in order to represent a rolodex (or head) full of them without the character spending every CP s/he has on contacts, I wouldn't limit the character to only the pre-built items. Rather, I would strongly encourage the player to come up with new contacts that make sense for the scope of the pool.  If you're worried about being taken by surprise, then have the player run new ideas past you outside of game time such that you have to pre-approve them.  However, if you're the sort of GM who can take a NPC concept and run with on the fly (give it a name, role play it, etc.) as well as make a solid ruling on the spot, you might find it more fun to just roll with new contacts as they come at you.
 
Your international son of a gun runner probably warrants a Miscellaneous Resource Point pool, too -- to obtain IDs, passports, diplomatic immunity, and all the other things one needs (which change from country to country and shipment to shipment) to move arms under the radar.  Just a thought.
 
 
To my knowledge there isn't a knowledge-centric Resource Pool -- which makes sense, since Knowledge entails what one knows/understands, not what one has at one's fingertips (like guns, vehicles, bases, contacts, etc.).  Thus, unless you cobble something custom together for the AK's and languages, there's going to have to be some serious point expenditures, there.  If you truly see this character as knowing a crap-ton of languages, Universal Translator limited to only modern communication forms used by humans …. which requires a successful INT roll (whose result determines how well he does or doesn't understand or convey something)… might address your language issue.  It should add some comedy, too, I'd think, when a roll is missed and the character translates "meatballs" into "donkey balls" in some backwater language no one else knows.

As for AK's -- perhaps you have one big one ("The World") with a very high skill roll to which you, the GM, must always apply penalties.  (Because the AK is very, very broad, if the character wanted to know something specific/granular about a backwater place no one's ever heard of, you'd assess a big penalty … and have the character make (or miss) the modified roll to see what s/he does or doesn't know about an area. If the character knows some places better than others, then perhaps you break it down by regions and give the character several such AK's with big numbers -- that you again modify based on granularity of info to which the roll pertains?  (I could see a character knowing North America, Central America, and South America -- but having little knowledge of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, or Antactica … if they were into running coke.  But if they ran opium, well, that's probably Asia, the Middle East, and North America.  Since dad dealt Arms, I could see North America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.  You get the idea.)

 

In Hero Designer, simply add Resource Points to the sheet.  Once done, drill into what you just added and change the Type from its default (Equipment points) to Follower/Contact Points.  Then, if the GM (presumably you) is giving everyone a starting number of contact points (much like Everyman skills … because everyone knows someone, right?), set the Starting Points to whatever the campaign starting value is.  
 
That's all there is to it. From there, simply increment the 'Levels' of Resource points (in 2pt increments since the cost of Follower/Contact Resource Points is 1CP per 2 RP) to reflect how many Resource Points have been purchased.  There are no lists to manage; nothing needs to be predefined like traditional contacts -- unless, you the GM, want to try to apply the Kit and Armory concepts of Equipment-based resource pools to Follower-contact-based resource pools.

A Follower/Contact Resource Pool helps respresent a character's ability to say, "I know a guy" … and reach out.  Thus, if you had 10 CP tied up in Resource Points for Followers/Contacts, that's a 20pt pool … and your character who is an honourably discharged U.S. Army Captain might pick up the phone and dial a special forces buddy (Very Good Relationship, 14-) that would use 7 pts from the pool.  Next in the same scenario he might dial a General under which s/he served when they were both younger and lower rank (Good relationship, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has access to major institutions, Organization Contact, 12-) that would use 11pts from the pool.  That's 18 of the 20pt pool used for the scenario, so far. 
 
Note:
It generally helps to give some sort of special effect/theme to the pool … so, in this case, it'd likely be a Military Contacts Resource Pool … and I would name it as such on the sheet -- as that's sort of what justifies the pool I used in my examples, above.  It also works for famous people, rich people, and the like -- with appropriately scoped Contact pools, of course.

The complete rundown on Resource Points and how to manage/use them can be found in APG1 p191.  If you the GM want to pre-define Contacts for pool use, that's certainly up to you … and if there's no unifying theme (a la Military contacts) for the pool, it may be prudent/necessary.  However, with a solid theme for the pool, it may make sense to avoid such definitions.  Totally up to you.  I've seen both ways done, and the less structured, theme-based approach tends to work best (IMHO) when representing a changing cast of contacts.

Example Contact/Follower pool themes I've either used or seen:
Military Contacts Pool Police / Law Enforcement Contacts Pool Masonic Contacts Pool Legal Contacts Pool Press Contacts Pool Mutant Contacts Pool (in a game where mutants were not the norm)
You get the idea.  Remember, villains might have one too (Terrorist Network Contacts Pool?)...
 
Surreal
 
P.S. Well-Connected is highly complimentary to a Contact pool -- especially if the character is prone to using a number of cheaper contacts in a scenario (as opposed to using a big, spendy, organizational contact in the scenario) … as it effectively shaves 1pt off the Contact cost for each Contact manifested via the Pool (as well as any static Contacts the character may have).  Note, however, that Well-Connected must (per RAW) be purchased outside the Resource Pool. 

Assigning of Resource Points to items is not a character creation issue -- that occurs and changes at game-time.

Perks tab - Resource Points

I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, but I’m asking about the Perk: Contact (as in a person to contact). 
 
Im wondering if there’s anybody who’s actually used the Resource Pool approach on this problem? Any advice?

I was thinking about using the well-connected perk enhancer as a “buy in” for a resource pool. That way they pay some points for the privilege without getting totally hemmed in by the individual costs. I may run with this idea for now, since I have to come up with something by Saturday and my time will be better spent solving other problems (like coming up with their first Pulp adventure?!).

Partly the reason I ask is I've seen a good number of how to questions on here. I'm thinking of doing a thing called "Hero Bits"... not full code just samples on how to do different things - my main languages (as a web developer) is HTML/CSS/PHP/JavaScript. I'd want to do it if there was enough people interested and I'd prefer to use things that anyone can get ahold of for free or easily (i.e. Atom, Brackets, etc)...and since Atom seems to code in pretty much ANYTHING...

I would say that if you want to start the game with Contacts, then you'd buy the Perk.  If as a player you ever need to ask the GM, "Do I know someone who...?", this definitively answers the question.  
 
But another reason to have them in the game (I'm not sure if anyone was questioning this, but I'm addressing it) is so that NPCs can buy them.  
 
If you as GM don't want to mess around with Contacts, you might think about repurposing Well Connected.  Someone who is Well Connected obviously knows people, so they're more likely to know someone in situation X, so they get a bonus to whatever you roll to decide if they know someone.  Or work up some other kind of perk that gives a character a bonus to that roll.  

Perception roll at minus 4 to spot them on an opponent.
 
For the person buying back their normal vision with the IIF contact they should take the Real Contact limitation.  Wash regularly or make CON rolls to avoid an eye infection.  Dislodged or broken on an 8 or less whenever you're critically hit (or hit in area 3 if using hit locations).
 
Can get 1 level of striking appearance with some of the cosmetic options (cat-eyes, hypnotica, etc.).

I always give the players the option of floating contacts. That is, the contact isn't defined until the player needs one. Then they get to say, "Luckily I know someone in Casablanca. He knows everything that's going on there." Or "My old army buddy now works for British Intelligence." You can take it further and allow them to spend spare XP to buy a contact as and when they need them. This alleviates some of the problems you've mentioned. They only spend points on Contacts their going to use at least once.
 
You can give them more points to spend on contacts and AK.
 
There's also Skill Enhancers (Well Connected reduces the cost of Contacts, I'm sure there's an equivalent for AK.)
 
As the GM you can make sure their contacts are worth the points they've spent on them. But it occurs to me that it can be difficult to make it believable with a Globe Trotting campaign... "Buddy! What are doing Kinshasa? Didn't I just see you in Shanghai last week?"
 
Oh, there's always a VPP (which I guess is how resource points work anyway) for Contacts that represents an ability to make friends wherever you go. You can call it Makes Friends Easily. Say 15 points with limitations like requires a conversation skill roll. Something similar for AK. Call it a Collection of maps and Baedekers, has a bulky focus, takes a little Extra Time.
 
Not that I mind the players spending their points on these things. I'm pretty generous with the XP (3 pts per session isn't uncommon (1 for showing up, 1 for role play, 1 for danger)) and the XP has gotta be spent on something.

I can't help you with making them more "points effective" or such as that, but I can tell you that when a player wants a Contact, I generally ask them what _sort_ of Contact (easy, as they usually have an idea in mind), and then I ask them _why_ they want that contact.
 
Specifically, what is it that they would like a Contact to be able to do for them?
 
Sometimes they start off thinking they want an "in" with a police detective who can share certain case information with them, but when you're done talking to them, you work out that an FBI or national-level contact is more appropriate: a police detective in Campaign City isn't going to know much about what's going on in Empire City, after all.  But a Fed who works "the east coast" or "super-crimes" or something like that-- he might be more likely to produce the sorts of info or favors the player is hoping to get from a Contact.
 
I guess the only thing I can really offer you is this: make sure that the scale of the contact is appropriate for the scale of the campaign you're running.  Don't get a street informant thinking he knows the first thing about Perth, Australia.

I like crunchy game systems, I really do.
 
But things like "you count some advantages for this thing but don't count others for this thing" makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and walk in circles for a couple of minutes until I calm down a bit.
 
Buying a HKA to zero END increases the damage output because the person can use it every phase rather than having to stop when he runs out of END or charges. Every advantage given to an attack power increases the damage output of the character: that's the purpose to giving an advantage to an attack. Even making the attack fully invisible increases the damage output of the character because he'll be able to use the power in more situations than he would be able to otherwise.

It's worth it! Everyone on these forums would pretty much agree with that. Its accuracy and completeness is top notch, and there are many, many prefab/character packs to supplement Hero Designer so that you don't have to build everything yourself. These are especially helpful if you have a lot of equipment in your campaign like I do, but also if you are looking for pre-made write-ups of the characters provided in the rulebooks, etc. I can't recommend it enough.

I don't know what kind of compensation deal NCSoft has with the artists and creators of the game to potentially compensate them if NCSoft were to revive the game. Maybe something, maybe nothing.
 
But I know those people won't get anything at all from the ones who are ripping of NCSoft's intellectual property.
 
Sometimes I wish the world were filled with easy ethical decisions: that creators would always get compensated and that intellectual property would never disappear from the people who want to enjoy it.

They are in the HSEG p107-108 but I have never seen them in the HSEG prefabs, or any other prefab.

The tears started for me when they got back... and Nat wasn't there. Again... the actors were on their game and those characters displayed sincere grief and the loss reverberated. I was pretty much sniffling or outright crying for the rest of the movie, after that.