Black Omega
First Post
Hero System Fifth Rules Edition (often called FREd) is the first new rule book in 13 years from Hero Games, newly bought and revitalized by Steve Long's DOJ, which I'm given to understand means "Defenders of Justice". I'll give alot of credit here to Mr. Long. The manuscript for this book was given to the old Hero Games people like four years ago and they did nothing. Just a few months after buying Hero Games, the book not only is reality but the first supplement has already been shipped to the printers. They seem serious about reviving the Hero System, certainly a welcome thing.
At first glance (I like how Psion does his reviews
Hero System Fifth edition is a 373 page hardback book, a black cover with a variation on the Herogames logo 'man in hexagon' instead of actual cover art. Predictably the black cover picks up fingerprints like no one's business. I can say that at least with all the bright cover art commonly on books, the plain, functional look stands out a little, and seems to get around the problem that generic covers tend to suck. The pages are a heavier stock than normal, so the book seems even thicker than it is. Since much of the interior art is reused from past books (something it might take a Champions geek like me to notice) I suspect part of how they got the book out so fast was not putting much money into the art. With FREd evidently selling very well, opefully future books will have more original art. The layout is greyscale but pretty nice and very functional.
At first glance the biggest change and only real paradihm shift is that for the first time this is truly a Hero System book. Past editions were always first published as 'Champions: the super roleplaying game'. And as a afterthought "and you can do more with it." Now Hero System is being pushed as a universal RPG that happens to be well suited to superheros.
In depth
They start with basics of character creation with discussion on heroic/human level and Superheroic games. Interesting the standard superheroic level has been increased from 250 pts to 350 pts, but the rest is as before. Characteristics have also changed very little. But happily alot of work has been done on skills and talents, not only in balancing and adding on to them, but in frying up some old sacred cows that had survived into 4th ed. There was never any good reason fast draw was not considered a skill someone could learn. Now in FREd, it's one of a new catagory of Combat Skills.
The best thing is that so much has become even more flexible. Hero System has always been a very flexible system but now even more is customizable. For example, in the past Life support had a few simple catagories. For 5 pts you did not age at all. Not there is a scale from 1 pt to 5 pts that slows your aging. For 5pts you still don't age, but say, 2 pts your lifespane is 400 years. Powers are more clearly defined and balanced with more examples given and more options with the advantages and limitations.
A new advantage called Megascale actually seems to cover a grey area Hero System had been weak in. In the past there was FTL flight and normal flight but supersonic flight was way to expensive. Anything on a large scale cost more than it was worth. With the megascale advantage you can create someone who can teleport halfway around the world or set up a laser on the moon that can reach Earth. It's just that the laser won't be much good against someone standing 20 feet away.
The one thing I've found in the book I didn't like was that..well..it was too universal. Unlike in 4th Ed, there are no example characters at all. For Hero System vets this is no big deal. But for someone who has never used the system before, a few examples characters would have gone a long way toward showing them what the system can do.
A related quibble, Champions Ironics got the shaft! Seeker, Defender and the rest were totally left out. It's my understanding there will be genre books, in the fashion done for Gurps I suppose. So the Iconics will appear in the Superhero Genre book. But still, it's a disappointment.
Overall
FREd is not a paradihm shift like 3rd ed DnD was. The rules function in much the same fashion as they did before. A character built in 4th ed. will look much the same, though the costs of powers will change some and there are some new options that might be worth adding on. For those people who dislike Hero System for being open and complex..well..there is even more to dislike. The system is even more flexible and there are even more options. Highly recommended for Hero System fans and people who want a more flexible break from d20.
After literally years without any new Hero books, it's a pleasant surprise that with the release of FREd, the second new Hero book, Ultimate Martial Artist, has been sent to the printers and should be released in mid May. And Ninja Hero, a genre guide to martial arts campaigns, is underway, being written by Michael Surbrook.
At first glance (I like how Psion does his reviews
Hero System Fifth edition is a 373 page hardback book, a black cover with a variation on the Herogames logo 'man in hexagon' instead of actual cover art. Predictably the black cover picks up fingerprints like no one's business. I can say that at least with all the bright cover art commonly on books, the plain, functional look stands out a little, and seems to get around the problem that generic covers tend to suck. The pages are a heavier stock than normal, so the book seems even thicker than it is. Since much of the interior art is reused from past books (something it might take a Champions geek like me to notice) I suspect part of how they got the book out so fast was not putting much money into the art. With FREd evidently selling very well, opefully future books will have more original art. The layout is greyscale but pretty nice and very functional.
At first glance the biggest change and only real paradihm shift is that for the first time this is truly a Hero System book. Past editions were always first published as 'Champions: the super roleplaying game'. And as a afterthought "and you can do more with it." Now Hero System is being pushed as a universal RPG that happens to be well suited to superheros.
In depth
They start with basics of character creation with discussion on heroic/human level and Superheroic games. Interesting the standard superheroic level has been increased from 250 pts to 350 pts, but the rest is as before. Characteristics have also changed very little. But happily alot of work has been done on skills and talents, not only in balancing and adding on to them, but in frying up some old sacred cows that had survived into 4th ed. There was never any good reason fast draw was not considered a skill someone could learn. Now in FREd, it's one of a new catagory of Combat Skills.
The best thing is that so much has become even more flexible. Hero System has always been a very flexible system but now even more is customizable. For example, in the past Life support had a few simple catagories. For 5 pts you did not age at all. Not there is a scale from 1 pt to 5 pts that slows your aging. For 5pts you still don't age, but say, 2 pts your lifespane is 400 years. Powers are more clearly defined and balanced with more examples given and more options with the advantages and limitations.
A new advantage called Megascale actually seems to cover a grey area Hero System had been weak in. In the past there was FTL flight and normal flight but supersonic flight was way to expensive. Anything on a large scale cost more than it was worth. With the megascale advantage you can create someone who can teleport halfway around the world or set up a laser on the moon that can reach Earth. It's just that the laser won't be much good against someone standing 20 feet away.
The one thing I've found in the book I didn't like was that..well..it was too universal. Unlike in 4th Ed, there are no example characters at all. For Hero System vets this is no big deal. But for someone who has never used the system before, a few examples characters would have gone a long way toward showing them what the system can do.
A related quibble, Champions Ironics got the shaft!
Seeker, Defender and the rest were totally left out. It's my understanding there will be genre books, in the fashion done for Gurps I suppose. So the Iconics will appear in the Superhero Genre book. But still, it's a disappointment.Overall
FREd is not a paradihm shift like 3rd ed DnD was. The rules function in much the same fashion as they did before. A character built in 4th ed. will look much the same, though the costs of powers will change some and there are some new options that might be worth adding on. For those people who dislike Hero System for being open and complex..well..there is even more to dislike. The system is even more flexible and there are even more options. Highly recommended for Hero System fans and people who want a more flexible break from d20.
After literally years without any new Hero books, it's a pleasant surprise that with the release of FREd, the second new Hero book, Ultimate Martial Artist, has been sent to the printers and should be released in mid May. And Ninja Hero, a genre guide to martial arts campaigns, is underway, being written by Michael Surbrook.
