Any love for Fuzion?

[Dannyalcatraz]

KawHyong
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Join Date: Feb 2012
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Reported.

 

[M.L. Martin]

A large part of the negative reaction was the sense of 'bait and switch'--HERO Games had been working on HERO 5E, it was expected to be coming out at about the same time, and so when Champions: New Millennium came out, it felt like something other than what HERO fans had been expecting. There was a sense that it was replacing 5E or the HERO System entirely, although I'm not certain how accurate that is.

 

[riotshieldnation]

Alright,

Well since it seems like most of the hate for the system is because of what it isn't (HERO) rather than what it is, I decided I'd throw the 11 dollars in to try out the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891933000/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details"]DBZ book[/ame]. At that price, I haven't got much to lose.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out when it gets here.

 

[Consonant Dude]

Hey all,

Has anybody here ever run/played in a Fuzion campaign? In my limited experience, it seems like a homebrew crazy GURPS light with all the option point complications, but being the first RPG I ever discovered (at about age 12), I have a burning desire to actually try it out now that I have a serious group going (about 10 years later).

I used Fuzion for a little while, using the generic version and some add-ons to run a fantasy game.

My bias at the time: I was very familiar with the Hero system but had abandoned it a long time ago. I was not familiar at all with Interlok. I guess I didn't see what the fuss was about.

Fuzion is a solid generic system, very similar to what was offered at the time. I find it very bland but really, the backlash against it was not entirely rational. It seems that Hero and Interlok fans took it as a personal affront when in reality, it was a smart move by two companies that were slowly sliding into irrelevance. It didn't work out and today, Hero Games and Talsorian are pretty much close to dead.

I think it's worth noting that Fuzion and FUDGE really helped change the way RPG companies looked at their properties. Without people like O'Sullivan and this move by Talsorian and Hero Games, I'm not sure we would have had the OGL. These pioneers really help push the boundaries and make rules more accessible to the fans and let them use these systems however they pleased. It changed the whole culture and empowered gamers.

For two very different takes on Fuzion, check out Usagi Yojimbo (very streamlined) and Artesia (very detailed).

 

[M.L. Martin]

Alright,

Well since it seems like most of the hate for the system is because of what it isn't (HERO) rather than what it is, I decided I'd throw the 11 dollars in to try out the DBZ book. At that price, I haven't got much to lose.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out when it gets here.

I've read the DBZ book (my local library had a copy), and I wasn't terribly impressed, especially since it uses the most stripped-down version of the rules. If you're a DBZ fan, it's probably a worthwhile purchase, but if you're only after the system, you can find it free (and legal!) here.

It didn't work out and today, Hero Games and Talsorian are pretty much close to dead.

R. Talsorian Games is in a pretty limbo-esque state, but that's probably due to Mike Pondsmith not having the time with other commitments as much as anything.

As for Hero . . . yes and no. As Steve Long explains it in 6E2:

In 1995, Hero Games severed its relationship
with Iron Crown, and shortly thereafter entered
into a similar relationship with R. Talsorian
Games. Hero also began granting licenses to other
game companies, notably Gold Rush Games, to
produce HERO System supplements.

. . . Unfortunately, by this point [the completion of the
Fifth Edition manuscript in May 1999], Hero Games was
suffering some difficulties. R. Talsorian Games had
effectively gone out of business, leaving Hero to go
its way alone. Without sufficient income to keep
employees working on developing manuscripts,
Hero was unable to publish the Fifth Edition.
In 2000, a potential solution presented itself
when Hero was purchased by a company called
Cybergames. Thanks to the resulting infusion
of cash and enthusiasm, Hero had full-time
employees for the first time in its existence.
However, various logistical and financial hurdles
again kept the Fifth Edition from seeing the light
of day. Hero lapsed back into hibernation.
Reluctant to continue its efforts to publish
paper games, in mid-2001 Cybergames began
negotiating with a company called DOJ, Inc. to sell
the assets of Hero Games. After several months of
discussion, during which some investors bowed
out of DOJ and others entered the picture, the
company finally concluded an agreement to
purchase the Hero assets.

"DOJ" included Steve Long, Darren Watts, and other folks who've been keeping the HERO System alive for about a decade. Unfortunately, the economic downturn, the slump in the industry, and the fact that HERO is a niche product have required further recent downsizing, and the future is iffy. On the other hand, Hero Games just met 150% of their target for their first Kickstarter, so don't count them out just yet.

 

[riotshieldnation]

I've read the DBZ book (my local library had a copy), and I wasn't terribly impressed, especially since it uses the most stripped-down version of the rules. If you're a DBZ fan, it's probably a worthwhile purchase, but if you're only after the system, you can find it free (and legal!) here.

Right. That's the beauty of Fuzion though: I can add or subtract whatever I want for MY dbz campaign. I found two great resources that are still around (three if you count the hard drive of my old Pentium 2 ) for plugins here and here.

I think it's worth noting that Fuzion and FUDGE really helped change the way RPG companies looked at their properties. Without people like O'Sullivan and this move by Talsorian and Hero Games, I'm not sure we would have had the OGL. These pioneers really help push the boundaries and make rules more accessible to the fans and let them use these systems however they pleased. It changed the whole culture and empowered gamers.

QFT. Here's one big salute from the free information crowd.

 

[riotshieldnation]

The DBZ book still isn't here :/.

After poking around the internet for a few weeks, checking out the remnants of Fuzion, I decided that there weren't any character sheets good enough to use with the Atomik WAR/AXE plugin, so I made my own.

If anyone with experience with either this system or modern type games has any constructive criticism of my sheet, I'd love to hear it.

As you can probably already see from the title on the attachment, I'm going to try to use Fuzion to run a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. campaign (at least until e20 comes out). If anybody is interested in hearing more, I'll probably have more up at my site in a few days.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Fuzion was an interesting system. Pretty decent - but being a Hero fan, it didn't do what I needed in a game - it was too simple/not rules heavy enough for that.

And all the plugins were not balanced against each other, so using multiple plug ins from multiple games would be problematic. If this was not the case, and it survived, I might be playing it now.