Has Anyone Used the Champions/Hero system?

[TRM]

I'll start off by apologizing if this is already somewhere, I searched the first couple pages, but I could have missed something.

Has anyone used Hero? If so I'm interested in hearing reading what you think of it.
Particularly:
How is the gameplay?
What sort of feel does it have?
Is it worth the money that it costs?


--Me

[Sundog]

I use Hero all the time (started with 2nd Ed Champions, used every version since).

Personally, I love it. Gameplay starts out a bit rough, but once everyone knows what they're doing it smooths out a lot. Combat does take longer than the average d20 game, but is more detailed and offers much more in the way of options.

Feel is very much dependent on what you're playing. Currently, Hero is the best universal role-playing system ever devised - it leaves GURPS in the dust. HERO does super-heroics superbly (as you would expect from a game that developed from a super-hero system), and manages everything else (and I do mean everything) else very well.

As to cost - the basic 5th Ed. Revised book and one Genre Book (such as Champions, Fantasy Hero or Star Hero) will probably still cost you less than a PHB, DMG and MM. I call it worth it.

[blacksabre]

Great system..100% adaptable and customizable to anything you want just about..

I actually appreciate only using D6...One die to rule them all..

[Sergeantbrother]

I have played it too and I'm a huge fan. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to play it in a while because it doesn't seem to be that popular around here. I certainly love the elegance of the system and how open ended it can be, not just for super hero games but for anything really.

[Hunter Noventa]

I have a friend who goes on and on about the system. While I agree that the degree of customization available is incredible, it can also be TOO free form. Unless you have a very specific idea of what you want to do from the outset, you'll just tend to sit for hours porig over abilitie and trying to think of something.

And I personally found the comabt system confusing, there just seemed to be this random 11 you have to put into every roll and I couldn't figure out the logic behind it

[blacksabre]

Unless you have a very specific idea of what you want to do from the outset, you'll just tend to sit for hours porig over abilitie and trying to think of something.

I consider that its best asset..

Its the un-cookie cutter character creator (TM, patents pending)

No longer are you merely reduced to merely playing one of the holy trinity of a group..

If you can think of it, it can be done...Any character with any ability from any book, movie, comic or game can be duplicated...I fail to see how "trying to think of something" becomes an issue..

You are not limited by rules to what your can character can be, so don't "pour" over them...Using ones imagination is what RP is about anyway

[Narthon the Bold]

I feel it is the best RPG system ever created.
You can actually make a character that does exactly what you want.

[Helgraf]

Of course, the next time you face someone with buckets of points in Major Transform, you'll realize why it has the Stop Sign next to it in the power lists.

I haven't had a chance to play it yet; but I've designed several villains for the GM who was running a story arc in the game at our local gaming club. It certainly gives you customizability. There are a few things I don't like the 'feel' of, but again, not having played it directly I can't say whether those hunches are true, or if, once I get a feel for how the mechanics work from a play point of view, they are, in fact, best as written.

[Rigeld2]

Dont let someone take a Variable Power Pool of skills, no matter what limitations it has.

[Roethke]

Dont let someone take a Variable Power Pool of skills, no matter what limitations it has.

I don't know if I'd go that far. I used to play with a guy who ran his gadgeteer very well. But yeah. You can do whatever you want.

The one gotcha, Combat is sloooow, and not very lethal. That's part of the charm, I guess. Do whatever you can to familiarize yourself with the rules. Depending on how many folks you have, a little whiteboard could keep things nice and organized. Make a grid, giving each player a row, and you can check who gets to act on which segment.

[Rigeld2]

I don't know if I'd go that far. I used to play with a guy who ran his gadgeteer very well. But yeah. You can do whatever you want.

In my experience, the guy basically was running Neo (tho, long before the movies, just the best way to explain it) and had someone download skills into temporary memory in his brain. The challenges became 100% combat because if the DM threw a skill situation at us, he'd pick up the right skillset and walk right through it.

The one gotcha, Combat is sloooow, and not very lethal. That's part of the charm, I guess. Do whatever you can to familiarize yourself with the rules. Depending on how many folks you have, a little whiteboard could keep things nice and organized. Make a grid, giving each player a row, and you can check who gets to act on which segment.

We did something similar, tho we used a chalkboard. Our combat was kinda fast, because (as I mentioned) it was most of what we did, so we were combat gumbys (except for skill monkey... who was actually a monkey, but thats a different story).

[TRM]

Aha!
A thousand thanks for the advice.
I haven't yet had a chance to head down to my Friendly Neighborhood Gaming Store, but I will certainly be looking into Hero.
Heh, I think I can manage to speed combat up a bit...

[talsine]

I wouldn't say its better than GURPS, but still good...

I've played some really good Hero games (including the best Call of Cthulhu game ever!), but unless your really familiar with the system its easy to get lost in it and make a character that sux at everything. Its fun in small doses, but i'll stick with my GURPS.

[Alex Knight]

I don't know if I'd go that far. I used to play with a guy who ran his gadgeteer very well. But yeah. You can do whatever you want.

I was in the same game as Rigeld. The only thing that kept that char sane was that the player realized "oh crap, I can't believe I did this" and limited himself.

But, ah,

"I move my skill pool points into Knowledge: BBEG's weaknesses, at a 16 or less"

was a distinct possibility.

[Helgraf]

I was in the same game as Rigeld. The only thing that kept that char sane was that the player realized "oh crap, I can't believe I did this" and limited himself.

But, ah,

"I move my skill pool points into Knowledge: BBEG's weaknesses, at a 16 or less"

was a distinct possibility.

Yeah, that's when your GM takes you out back with a brickbat and explains why certain skills are still off limits.

[TRM]

How does it work for unarmed combat/martial arts?

[Sundog]

How does it work for unarmed combat/martial arts?

Very well. The base book handles it effectively, but if you get the Ultimate Martial Artist and Ninja Hero supplements you have what I think is the best martial arts game currently available.

The combat system uses a series of "maneuvers" that characters can perform in combat. Knowing a martial art increases the number of maneuvers you have available, and each type of martial art gives you a different set of maneuvers you can purchase. Nothing unusual about that, except that the system then goes on to allow you to create your own custom maneuvers. Further, the martial arts rules aren't an add-on; they're a integral part of the system, balanced against everything else.

[Tiberian]

As mentioned above, Hero System is pretty dang amazing. Sure the combat is slow and not very lethal (but neither are Superhero comics which is what it was based on). There a couple of other problems, such as keeping the PCs at similar levels (even if they are at the same point level), but that problem exists in any system.
But, if you plan on playing Fantasy Hero...just play DnD. That's the problem with universal systems...they're good at everything, but something else is probably better at on specific thing.