Hero Fifth Edition

[Andrew D. Gable]

Was thinking of maybe picking this up one day and just wanted to ask a few questions about it.

- Is it worth getting?
- How do the mechanics work?
- Would it easily work for, say, a supers game (something I'd like to try)?

And...anything else you can think of. This is all the questions I've thought up off the top of my head.

 

[Eosin the Red]

FWIW - Die Hard (tm) Hero fan here.


Yes, it is worth getting.

Mechanics ------ There is a thread hanging around here someplace with the mechanics. Maybe someone has an off hand link.


IMO - Hero has ruled the Supers niche for close to two decades. That without big name (Marvel/DC) support.

I think it does fantasy less well, but most disagree with me.

Hero is an involved system. Once you get the hang of it, it is a dream. It does have a high learning curve, but it allows you to do anything.

Some complain that combat is slow, I have never had that problem.

 

[Psion]

HERO is one very popular choice for Supers.

I also like DC Heroes a lot. It's not quite as adaptable as HERO, but it scales a lot better and is easier to use. Genereally, HERO would be my choice for low power supers and DC Heroes for high power.

DC Heroes is out of print, but the system lives on in a game called Blood of Heroes, by a company called Pulsar Games. Sort of hard to get but it is out there.

The HERO 5 book is very nice. The game is somewhat detail-heavy. The thing about the HERO system is that it is extremely adaptable. If there is a power, ability, or gadget out there, you can make it with the HERO mechanics. It does take some learning, though. And to be honest, if you can't handle multiplication and division during chargen, then look elsewhere.

The new book is nice primarily in that it gives you a lot of examples of how to use each power, limitation, and advantage. There is a good chance if you are looking for a specific effect, it will already have an example in the book.

 

[NLP]

Hero Downloads

You might want to run over to the Hero Games website and check out the "Free Stuff" section. There's a Genre by Genre download and an Intro to the Hero System download in pdf format. Those might be a good place to get started at.

The company's homepage also links to the Hero Chat and Hero Discussion Boards. Those are a couple of very good places to ask questions from the 1,500 registered members.

www.herogames.com

 

[Steve Conan Trustrum]

I picked it up and FRed is getting me back into the system after a 10 year absence. It is well organized and, thankfully, most of its errata involves minor typos and typesetting issues, not errors in the mechanics. I've also picked up the Ultimate Martial Artist and like it as well.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Yes it is worth getting, and I think it rocks for supers. Some here prefer other games like Big eyes small mouth for supers, I don't. Some find combat slow, again I haven't. Generally except the lowest levels D&D3 has had slower combats for me.

As for base mechanics check the hero website for a better lowdown than I could give.

And OT but Psion I dig the new sig.

 

[mmadsen]

Was thinking of maybe picking this up one day and just wanted to ask a few questions about it.

- Is it worth getting?
- How do the mechanics work?
- Would it easily work for, say, a supers game (something I'd like to try)?

Does Hero work for supers? That's what it's for! On the other hand, it is a very complex system -- flexible, but complex -- and while that lets you build the exact powers you want (with enough points), it's contrary to the freewheeling spirit of old-school comics.

Characters have many, many basic stats, more stats calculated off of other stats, and then powers built up out of base powers, limitations, special effects, etc.

 

[Thorin Stoutfoot]

I'll second Psion's vote for DC Heroes RPG

You can pick a copy up on eBay for less than $10, so it's heck of a lot cheaper than HERO.

I think DC Heroes is a much better system for high powered play.

 

[N Hammer]

Hero is worth every bit of money you spend on it...

It is the best universal system on the market...You can play any genre of game..

Hero is the best Super-Hero game there is....

 

[Yuan-Ti]

RPG.net fairly recently had two reviews of the latest edition... They are... thorough, to say the least.


http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_6365.html

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_6513.html