Two Posts in one day - MADNESS

No reason why I cannot have some fun with my titles for blogs.

So my first blog entry was about the video game - Destiny.  However I didn't want to clutter things up by continuing to write about something new in that blog post.  So I've started a new post, this time to talk about the other thing I enjoy - table top gaming.

I've been playing RPG's ever since I was about 14 years old.  Like a lot of nerds out there I cut my teeth on AD&D, or Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for those who are not familiar with the acronym.

My gaming group has a tendency of trying out new game systems every so often, but we do have some systems we always fall back to.  Our primary gaming system is:

Hero Games produces a game system known as the Hero System.  For those who don't know.  The Hero System is a point based game system that is currently into its 6th edition.  The game system allows for complete control over every aspect of making your character through the use of points.  Because of this the game is more of a sandbox set of rules and guidelines for making not only characters but settings, gear, and so on.

Least to say that because there are so many points floating around that your going to need a calculator to make your character as there is quite a bit of math involved.  Experienced gamer's can typically make a character in a day, but people new to the system will definitely need a hand.

But don't let this dissuade you from giving the system a try.  Unlike other RPG's out there, Hero Games has developed a Character Generator program called Hero Designer that makes building a character faster and simpler to do.

Worried about having seven or eight books laying around?  No worries they have PDF copies of all their books too that you can get.  And while they may have 6th Edition books available, they also still have the previous 5th Edition books too in PDF form.

Years ago before I first started to play the system I remember seeing this large black book in the hobby gaming section at the comic shop.  This book was thick and heavy.  I always joked that you could kill a person with the book and never gave it a second glance.  Then I fell in with a group of players who took time to teach me the rules and pointed out that I could get a PDF copy of the book too.  The 5th Edition of the rules had everything I needed to make a character, though other books existed that expanded upon the rules, such as Fantasy hero, or Champions.

The rules, while math heavy, could let me make any character I wanted.  If I wanted a character similar to one from a fighting game it was doable.  Or if I wanted a super hero then I could make it.  The only limitations I faced was:

1. The Setting - Super heroes are not going to be in a fantasy setting for example.
    
2. Points - When the Game Master (or GM) sets up their game setting they decide on how many points you have to make a character, you then build your character within these limits.
3. GM Allowance - Just because you can build it doesn't mean its allowed.  The GM always has final say on what stays and what goes on a character.

Hero System was also the only game system at the time that did Super Hero games right.  There were other systems out there but this was by far the best and still is.


--The System--
Moving on from points, the system itself makes use of only d6's (or 6 sided dice for those not familiar with the term).  When ever you wish to do something, whether its use a skill or attack an opponent you roll 3d6.  For skills the roll is easy to figure out.  When you buy a skill it will have a number of some sort assigned to it where you have to roll under that score.

So lets say you have Climbing at 12.  This means that when you roll your 3d6 you have to roll under 12 to succeed.  Thus if I rolled a 1, 3, and 6 my total would be 10, thus I succeeded by 2pts.

Combat is where things get a little more sticky though and is the point of irritation for many players not willing to give the system a chance.

Characters all have two stats, OCV and DCV (as well as mental versions of this).  OCV applies to when you are making an attack.  DCV is your defense against an attack.  Now before you get scared, know that the core rule books always have a chart present that can be referenced quickly to determine what DCV an attack hits.  Again you want to roll low.  Also other things can affect your rolls like range, or environmental conditions or other skills you may possess.

The actual calculation to hit is 11+ the Attackers OCV - 3d6 = The DCV of the Target hit.  Alternatively you can treat it as a skill, where you have 11 + your OCV and roll under it.  How much you made the roll by determines the DCV you hit.  Both methods work.  Though you could just as easily referent the table that all the books as well.

But because the game is a sandbox type game, the GM and the Group can decide how they want combat to work.  So if you want it to be more like other games where you roll high to succeed in an attack - that is an option.

The next side of things is damage.  Damage dealt applies to two things, STUN and Body.  and when you roll your dice you are going to do both of these, or one of these depending on how a power or attack is made.  Now depending on your game setting your typically going to be rolling alot of dice in damage.  For example - my character has one attack that does 12d6 damage...yes that's 12 six sided dice.

It is alot of dice, bot nothing compared to some villians in the games that can roll something along the lines of 20 dice damage.  Never mind the fact that you then have normal damage, killing damage, and mental damage, plus any number of advantages and limitations in the power or attack your using.  But it can be quite fun to roll a bunch of dice and get some big numbers.

Yes the books are thick.  The original 5th Edition was around 592 pages long!  The new 6th Edition was essentially broken up into 2 books, Volume 1 - Character Creation (466 pages); and Volume 2 - Combat & Adventuring (322 pages).  In all 6th Edition is even longer than the original 5th Edition.

But everyone has their preferences between the two which is why the company still sells 5th Edition.  And Hero Designer supports both versions as well.

One last thing I want to stress about this game system is that it is a sandbox system.  You can use it to craft your own game system if you like.  Now they do have other books for other game settings.  Fantasy hero deals with fantasy game settings, Star Hero deals with adventures in space, and Champions is their core super hero game system...and yes this is the game system that spawned the MMORPG Champions.


--Pass or Buy--
Well to say I'm not a little partial to this game system would be a lie.  I will always recommend people buy this game.  If anything its worth trying for a few game sessions to see if you like it.  Players will like it because they can build and play any character they can think of and not have to worry about being confined to a class and levels.


--My Game--
Anyway I'll be playing Champion's this weekend with my friends.  Our characters exist in the Champions campaign setting but not in the same city as the team of the same name, our team is in Seattle, we're called the Liberators.

Our team is made up of:

• Torrent/Agent Greyholme:  My character, flying energy projector, FBI Agent.
• Jack-Be-Nimble:  Speedster, resident smart alack.
• Theo:  Martial artist, c-list actor
• Valnovas:  Tank, fire breathing dragon-man from another dimension
• Augment:  GM character, tank/artillery

When we started our super hero game our characters were built in 5th Edition using 350pts.  Now we are somewhere in the 435pt region.

Our newest adventure has taken us to Monster Island to fight Nazi...and yes the GM has made this like the monster island of which Godzilla and his kin are resident.  And yes there is a book on Monster Island...just don't expect Godzilla to be in the book.

I'll tell you all about it the adventure next time.