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Hero System Sidekick - PDF $7.00
Average Rating:4.2 / 5
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by James S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/16/2019 23:19:19

This is a product that has really come in handy for new players to the Hero System. It boils down the concepts better than anything else out there or that I could explain myself. I highly recommend this for players looking to teach or learn this system.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by Jeffrey K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/16/2007 12:11:44

The copy and paste function is disabled, which is a big negative for me since I use it extensively to reorganize material according to my own needs.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by Mark G. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/26/2006 00:00:00

?Hero System: Sidekick? is a 128 page pdf from Hero Games. This review was written from a print copy of the product though I understand that there are no significant differences between the print and pdf offering. The Hero system is a highly customizable multi-genre roleplaying game system that uses a point buy method to create exactly the type of character you want. The main ruleset clocks in at a whopping 592 pages and is considered ?daunting? by many of the gamers that I know. I guess this may have been a problem recognized by the designers as well as the ?Hero System: Sidekick? is designated as the ?Quick Start for the Hero System?. Essentially, it?s the minimum amount of information from the main book that can be used while still providing a very flexible game.

The product is broken up into five sections. An introduction spanning 4 pages details what differences exist between Hero and Sidekick, summarizes the basic rules with page indicators for more information, and a thorough look at the character sheet for sidekick including a worked out character sheet for a misunderstood new hero named Firebrand.

Chapter one spanning 68 pages covers everything you need to make a character in the Hero system. It details the difference between a superheroic (comic books heroes, anime martial arts) and heroic (fantasy, pulp) type adventures. It discusses the use of character points and the limits placed on their spending for balance reasons. We progress to characteristic as information is provided on the eight primary abilities and six figured characteristic (which have a value based on your primary abilities). Unlike some point buy games, the Hero System (and Sidekick) recognizes that some abilities, particularly combat related abilities, are more valuable and thus cost more to acquire than non-combat related abilities. Next skills are outlined in five categories (agility, background, combat, intellect, and interaction), these cover such things as acrobatics, sciences, martial arts, criminology, and seduction. All the skills except combat and background skills tend to be based of an ability such as Dexterity, Presence, or Intelligence. If you think of a skill not listed on the skill table it likely can be covered by Knowledge skill, Profession Skill, or Science Skill. After skills come Perks, which are useful resources and privileges the character has and then Talents which are sort of natural gifts the character possesses. Powers make up the next thirty pages and are used to emulate everything from super powers, hi-technology, alien species abilities, magical spell and essentially anything that is not a skill. It spans about 30 pages and the margins are filled with example uses of powers such as strength boost pill (to let you emulate Hourman), boots of spider climbing, weakness darts, and so on listing an endless array of idea for things you have seen in other role-playing games and comics. The fact that this occurs in the margins is also not a surprise Hero games has a history of squeezing suggestions and examples into every conceivable piece of white space. Power Advantages appears next and alter and expand the way that your power operates for an increase cost. Power Limitation alters and reduces the way that your powers work for a decrease cost. All powers have a cost time (1 + all positive modifier + all negative modifiers) this may involve fractions (easily negated by a calculator with an ?a b/c? key or a quick conversion to decimal values. Next ?power frameworks? are included which are methods of grouping powers and effects to reduce their cost which I?m going to suggest be skipped by newcomers to the game entirely because they are more complex than more newcomers need. In fact all the difficult rules tend to carry a ?!? sign anyway or a ?stop? in indicate it could be a problem for you gm. Next there are some sample powers to show what kind of things you can create if the hundred or so examples in the margin did not give you an idea. Disadvantages are the last feature and provide roleplaying hooks to your game masters as well as balance out all the wonderful powers and abilities you are now in possession of. The chapter closes with the described creation of a pulp hero (heroic) named Randall Irons.

Chapter two spans 16 pages and covers adventuring and combat. The core of skill checks and combat rolls is all handled by rolling 3d6 and hoping to roll under a specific number. For skill check this is based upon the skill score, and in combat it?s the result of a relation between your offensive combat value (OCV) and you opponent?s defensive combat value. Combat is divided into a 12 second turn, a characters? speed score controls how many times they act in those 12 seconds (speed 6 = 6 actions). The balance between OCV and DCV is handled by the formula (11 + OCV ? DCV) or less is a hit. This may initially seem complicated but comes in a handy chart and is your GMs responsibility to track (and really not hard anyway). Tactical play uses a hex map and there are many combat manoeuvres for those that never bought martial arts skills such as blocks, disarms, haymakers and move throughs (for crashing into opponents). Attacks do lethal or nonlethal damage and may knockout or even kill your character. The chapter ends with a detailed example of superhero combat between Defender and Pulsar lasting a turn.

Chapter three involves environmental effects and in the span of just two pages covers electicity threats, chemical exposure, fires, falling damage and the Defense and Body (think hardness and health) of physical objects (for say hitting a bad guy with a lamp post).

Chapter four contains tables of gear spanning seven pages. In superheroic campaigns you tend to pay for equipment with character points while in heroic campaigns like pulp or fantasy games equipment is just found or purchased in game, but not a permanent part of the character. Sample vehicles, weapons and armor are all covered.

The final chapter details 3 sample characters. Defender and Pulser are two superheroic type characters built from 350 points for the Champions Superhero Roleplaying Game. Valerius the Harper is a heroic type character built from 229 points.

Sidekick serves as an excellent introduction to those fearful of the 592 page core book. It would be relatively easy to use this tome to get a campaign designed and ready to run. I?d be willing to bet that you could use sidekick with any of the other supplements with limited modification and campaign without diving into the main book (although this will reduce your options).

One of the interesting features of the Sidekick book is a series of commentary tracks that run through the product that point out areas that new players are known to have difficulty with. The first of these was on how to divide up character points between characteristics, skills/perks/talents, and powers depending on the sort of hero you intend to make. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Condensed Hero System Main Guide to 128 pages Plenty of examples and suggestions for new players Good price means its easy to pick up the system, just to give it a shot Highly customizable and flexible system that is multigenre and point based <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by Christopher M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/23/2006 00:00:00

Excellent game, very simplistic. Lends itself well to playing a simpler version of Hero without all the myriad options if you don't want to give players access to all the variables. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by Christian F. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/10/2005 00:00:00

One of the best ideas from Hero Games to date. Smaller, more concise, easier to read. Inexpensive and worth every penny.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by Gregory V. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/02/2005 00:00:00

Great introduction to the HERO system. Not as intimidating as the HERO 5th Rev. I bought this copy for a friend and printed it out for him as I'm already a HERO-phile.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Smart easy to read layout, like all HERO products. Precise and concise enough to emulate any genre. A good gateway product.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Petty concern - no blank page after cover. I like to bind my books and my print shop charges for alterations so if I say "print the cover and then the rest of the book" I get dinged. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Hero System Sidekick - PDF
Publisher: Hero Games
by T. J. I. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/08/2005 00:00:00

As a system? Although many of the ill-thought, broken, or simply stupid game design choices of Hero 5e (COM, the Speed Chart, how advantages and limitations are applied to powers, using character creation for non-characters) have been retained in Sidekick, Sidekick means that the system is now smaller and more enjoyable to read than ever.

There are two errors in this listing -- The cover thumbnail is not the cover on the product, and the product is 128 pages, not 64.<br><br><b>LIKED</b>: Layout, description, more examples, FINALLY clearing some of the dross from the Hero system.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: No covers.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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