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Message: <blockquote data-quote="buzz" data-source="post: 3406929" data-attributes="member: 6777">The bare minimum you would need is <a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/SK.htm" target="_blank">HERO System Sidekick</a>. It presents a pared-down (yet very complete) version of the current rules in 128 pages for $15 (less if you buy the PDF). I would definitely use that and see if the system is up your alley, rather than dive in with the main rulebook.If you feel comfortable with the system, that book is really all you need. However, if you want some additional support for running a supers game, I'd suggest (in order of importance):<a href="http://herodesigner.com/home.htm" target="_blank">Hero Designer v3</a>Hands-down, the best chargen software I've ever used. I find it an indispensable tool for both playing and GM'ing HERO. Makes life really easy.<a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/USPD.htm" target="_blank">UNTIL Superpowers Database</a>This is a big, fat, book of all kinds of pre-built superpowers. It's both a great aid and a learning tool.<a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/CKC.htm" target="_blank">Conquerors, Killers, and Crooks</a><a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/AA.htm" target="_blank">Arcane Adversaries</a><a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/EU.jsp" target="_blank">Evil Unleashed</a><a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/EM.jsp" target="_blank">Everyman</a>These are the current NPC books. Statting up NPCs can be time-consuming, so these books save you a lot of time.<a href="http://www.herogames.com/Products/championsbook.htm" target="_blank">Champions</a>This is the guide to the supers genre for HERO (yes, it has the same name as the original Champions RPG you played). If you already have a good grasp of the genre, it's not all that necessary, but it's a good book nonetheless.The next on my list after these would be the various sourcebooks that flesh out the Champions Universe, i.e., Hero Games' supers setting. There are some excellent books here (DEMON is quite good), but you don't need them if you want to create your own setting. Likewise, there are also some scenario books if you don't want to roll your own.As for previous editions, I guess that all depends on your tolerance for Ebay and polling the various opinions of HERO fandom. E.g., I'd probably suggest 3rd edition if all you care about is supers. But that path is fraught with peril. Personally, I'd stick with the current, in-print products and make use of the excellent forums at Hero Games for additional advice. There's a good community there.As for M&M2e, I think it's also a great choice for supers, especially if your group is already comfortable with d20.M&M is essentially a d20 implementation of HERO. You build characters with a pool of points that are used to purchase ability scores, skills, feats, and powers. You build powers out of building blocks modified to achieve the effect you want. You can get more points by taking on weaknesses.There are no classes. Instead of hit points, there is a Damage save used when a PC is hit by an attack. The main rulebook also assumes that minis will not be used, ergo there are no AoO. A big feature are Hero Points, which are basically "fudge" points that let players nab a little narrative control from the GM.Green Ronin (the publisher) also recently came out with a M&M Pocket Guide, which is basically a stripped-down version of the rules for $20 (about half the cost of the main rulebook).The advantage to M&M over HERO is that it's a bit simpler to run, but about as robust, and the sourcebooks are of high quality, with awesome art. HERO, otoh, is good if you prefer more detail, and it has a metric frakton of sourcebooks available for all kinds of genres.</blockquote>

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