Rinndalir said:
Hmmmm. You say HEROS can do any magic system...could it do freeform Ars Magica/Mage type magic? Where you do have "spells" but also the choice of making up something on the fly from what your magic strengths are?
Yes. There's an option for Variable Power Pools. With those you can create virtually anything that you might want. You can easily make 20-30 "pre-designed" spells that you can use in the pool. If you want to be able to create something on the fly, it's just a question of knowing a few simple power costs. For example, Energy Blasts cost 5pts per 1d6. So if you have a 50pt Variable Power Pool, you would know that you could throw a 10d6 Fire attack on the fly. If 1d6 is 5pts, then 10d6 is 50pts.
More importantly, this system sounds great but very newbie-unfriendly. I can show someone completely new to 3e how to make a playable character in about half an hour, even the mathematically challenged. If they can't add in their head, I can give em a calculator and they're good to go for gameplay. Is it possible for someone who has a solid character idea but isn't very good at math and isn't the type who actively takes an interest in learning the rules to play HEROS and have fun?
I've usually found with new players that it's easier for the GM to ask them what they want to play a few days in advance, and then design and present them with the character. This is what I call the "Template" system. Most players will come from a D&D environment, so they'll give you a class type of answer. If someone says they want to play a Ranger, you design a Ranger for them, and then after they've play awhile, you'll see that they'll start making changes. They might want more Strength, or more Dex. The might want to add magic to the character or take some clerical powers and skills. After a few sessions, the players start to see how open the system is, and that's when they start to explore the options on their own. I always suggest allowing new players the chance to redesign their characters after a dozen sessions or so. They're going to want to anyway. They always do.
The math in character creation is not hard. You need to know how to take, for example, 20pts and multiply or divide it by 1.5 or some other number. The Hero System works like fractions. Everything is either multiplied or divided by: 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, etc. These are easy calculations for a calculator.
There is also character creations software available, as well as many websites that have Excel spreadsheets that new players can use.
I run quite a few "Introduction to..." type games at my FLGS. I've never had a problem teaching someone to play the game in less than 10 minutes. If you want to just play, it's very fun for new gamers. Character creation is harder, but most of that comes from people's experience with D&D. Many gamers take a few session to get past the restrictive class mentality.
Hero Games will be coming out with a Template-like booklet of their own early next year. The book will give basic characters that the players can start with, and then modify as the game goes along. There are also hundreds of Hero websites that have characters all over them, so there's plenty of beginning level character types for new players to choose from without ever opening the character creations section of the book.
Takes some new players, play a few games, and have fun learning to play. After a few session, start your campaign. That works every time.
