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Scott Baker

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Posts posted by Scott Baker

  3. What makes Hero System, Hero System?

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    That is, it's a plot device. An asset for the GM as much as the PC.

     

     

    I always found those "cost no points" things had one clear downside:

    The GM can just disable or abuse them as plot devices at any given time.

    @Christopher: What's your point? That you agree with Assault? That you agree with the rules (and all the advice Steve and others have given over the years)?

  7. Having Trouble Visualizing Explosions

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    I am having trouble visualizing the area of effect of an explosion on a map with 2m hexes. Is the target point the target hex or something different? How does the explosion degrade from that point? Any graphics?

    Which rule book are you using? Everyone answered for 5E. Presumably because you mentioned 2m hexes.I can't remember what rules you may have mentioned using in the past.

  13. Permission to send a PDF to a POD service like Lulu

    in Print On Demand

    Posted

    ...How exactly does one POD a .pdf through Lulu for personal use?

     

    I tried that a few days ago, and while there's plenty of advice for exporting from various word processors, it's not applicable if you just have a .pdf.

    I may be misunderstanding the question, but PDF is one of the formats you can upload for printing. (http://connect.lulu.com/t5/Publishing-Process/What-types-of-files-can-I-upload/ta-p/33469)

  14. Traveller Hero

    in HERO Games Product Line

    Posted · Edited by Scott Baker

    cool... what did Marc send along as a bonus?

    2 Traveller Dice. An Imperial Cr25 coin. And it looked like a Travellers' Aid Society membership card a Patent of Nobility. Along with a thank you note explaining the extra goodies (from the Emperor).

  17. Discussion of Hero System's "Health" on rpg.net

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Which means nothing vis-a-vis whether or not the example is proscriptive.

     

    Different word. Different meaning. One mandates, the other forbids.

     

    The example only identifies one type of skill and prescribes its relevant breadth.

     

    Inferring non-characteristic based skill levels are not types of skills does not follow. Again, it is not proscriptive.

     

    AK, KS, PS, LS, and SS are also types of skills.

     

    And, just to put a bow on it, here what Steve said about it:

     

    "As indicated in the Rules FAQ and TUS 301, a character has to buy 5-point Skill Levels with a specific type of Background Skill (e.g., all KSs, all SSs)" 

     

    Its not just in TUS. Its also the Rules FAQ.  

     

    In other words, that the categories of background skills are skill types is RAW.

     

    If you read it with a careful eye, the meaning in FRED is plain.

    I wasn't addressing any of your ongoing "discussion", just pointing out the specific reference in the rules regarding what an Agility skill is, which you seemed unaware of or were ignoring. I have no idea how you think that infers anything I might think regarding non-characteristic based skill levels, or that Background skills aren't RAW.

  21. Discussion of Hero System's "Health" on rpg.net

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Does anyone know what program they are using to note where the players and NPC's are? Does the Combat Manager have a visual effect like this?

     

    I think I may have found it RPTools.net can anyone confirm?

    I'd say it's RPTools. Hero Combat Manager is not a virtual table top (VTT) system, so it does not present maps like this, etc.

     

    EDIT: I should say that HCM does not do this now. I can't speak for the future.

  22. Why have Dual attack MP/EC?

    in Champions

    Posted

      Thank you, had I read the darn maneuver in detail I could have answered my own question... And also my thanks to the person that pointed out that when combining multiple powers in a single attack Defenses are applied seperately vs. each power, makes it SLIGHTLY less rude... Though most of my players will probably use it as an attempt to get around campaign DC limits (not that I have hard limits).  Ah well, let them "accidentally" kill a few people and have to deal with the consequences I guess.

    Since the attacks don't add, they really aren't getting around the DC limits. If the attacks in your game normally use END or charges, this option can burn through them rather quickly, perhaps leaving them to face an opponent completely exhausted. If they buy all of their attacks to 0 END, etc., it can be more of an issue.

  23. HKA and STR-increase by the book

    in Champions

    Posted

    Also, hand killing attacks of that magnitude tend to occur in superheroic games - where resistant defense is common.  If the target of the 4d6+1 killing attack has even 15 rPD the brick was better off using his 12d6 punch.  Both will do 0 body but the 12d6 regular attack avoids the Stun Roulette of a killing attack.

    That's expected. The changes in 6E were to emphasize that KAs do BODY. It's not even a matter of Stun Roulette any more. The maximum stun of a KA is less than the average stun of an equivalent normal damage attack. Unless a character's KA has significantly more DCs than any other attack, don't use the KA if you want to do STUN damage.

  25. Discussion of Hero System's "Health" on rpg.net

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    If we look at a publisher that is not games + RPGs, but are focused on RPGs, like Green Ronin or Monte Cook Games, you get a more direct comparison to Hero. Both started as single person companies: now Green Ronin has 12 employees, Monte Cook has 8. Both are apparently doing well, with comments about increasing sales - both appear intermittently on IcV2's top 5 sales, which tracks the sales of physical product via shops, confirming the sales talk from the companies. These companies (and they are not unique) are yet more counter-arguments to the 'shrinking market' shtick: there were damn few gaming companies other than TSR and WoTC employing more than a 2-3 people 20 years ago. Now there are quite a lot.

     

    So let's look at what they have in common.

    First off, slick production. Their websites look good, their product looks good. I don't care for their gaming systems, but I kind of want to buy their stuff anyway, for the same reasons I buy art books.

    Second, multiple products. This allows them (I believe) a broader customer base and a staggered release schedule for different products (which means a continuous revenue stream). I'm pretty sure the same people are not playing "No Thank You, Evil!" and The Strange. There is probably a fine line between too many products and not enough, but they seem to be straddling it comfortably.

    Third, they actively market their games and themselves, both with physical product and online.

    Fourth, both lay heavy focus on their gaming worlds, not their gaming system. Nobody bought Numenera because they desperately wanted a game with a dice pool mechanic, or Dragon Age because they wanted another SAGA-system style game. No, they bough the books (in large quantities for the latter) because they wanted to play in those game worlds.

    Thereafter they diverge - Monte Cook has their own lines and concentrates on that, apart from some side work for D&D. Green Ronin has a number of well-known licenced brands (which appear to be among their best sellers) as well as their own lines. That suggests that there is not just one way to be successful.

    Side note:

     

    I believe that Monte Cook Games may become more of a direct comparison to Hero Games, which will make it interesting to track (to whatever extent we can) how they perform. Post-The Strange, they broke out their core rules (the Cypher System) so that you could create your own worlds. In their latest Kickstarter, they are creating add-on books of additional settings. Sounds a lot like Hero System + setting.

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