godsmonkey

It's like waiting for Cyberpunk 2077. Hopefully the end results are better.

Will they? Those books were published when the game was called "Hero Wars". Does it fall under the copywrite agreement of HeroQuest?

I am thinking of running an at least single one-off of a D&D style game session, and I have a player who's only wish is a character that can cast fireball. My desire is to use the AP wagering as the extended contest method since I feel it adds drama, and the betting element adds tactical tension to the game. However, since a fireball is traditionally an area effect, how would I best handle a situation where for example, the player is in an extended contest with a single opponent, and then a group of orcs for example come rushing in the room, and he wishes to fireball the group? My first thought is to break out of the current extended contest, resolve the fireball tossed at the orks running up the corridor as a simple contest, then resume the extended contest. Are there better ways to accomplish this? Thanks

5.3.13 Edges and Handicaps Your GM may want rules to represent opponents who strike rarely but with great effect or who strike often but with little impact per blow. The first quality can be represented with an edge; the second, with a handicap. Edges and handicaps are designated using ^ (^5, for example), handicaps with a minus sign (–^5). Edges and handicaps affect only the advantage points bid in an extended contest. Your edge is added to your AP bid when your opponent must lose or transfer APs. Your handicap is subtracted from your bid when your opponent loses or transfers APs. A contestant’s edge or handicap never affects his AP when he defends, only when he is attacking. Most GMs find edges and handicaps more trouble than they’re worth, and depict these phenomena with description alone. Earlier books made more extensive use of edges and handicaps to represent the quality of equipment carried by the PCs. For example, your suit for chainmail might be ^4 and your sword ^3. In games where restricted access to equipment is a significant part of the setting and your GM wants to use extended contests it may make sense to use them, otherwise we recommend ignoring them. OK, so I get that certain edges or handicaps effect the AP bid. For example, the sword adding 3 AP to the bid. Easy. However, why wouldn't Chain mail lower the AP bid on a loss? If I allowed that would it break things? Also, is the edge added before or after the AP bid calculation? For example, both sides roll a success, with the PC winning the contest. The result is "Worse roll loses 1/2 bid" Say the PC bid 10 AP. Do I add the swords ^3 to the bid, then divide, or divide, then add it? Thanks in advance.

This was the first I have seen of the game rules, but it was laid out easy enough to understand, and even use as the basis of another game. All that's needed is to change "coin" to D2 (unless you want to keep coins to establish mood in the game) Make a few changes to skills to fit the mood (For example firearms for a modern setting) and add any ornamental rules to flesh out the new game. The core mechanics are nothing more than a dice pool system, Im guessing the first of its kind in RPGs? Even more evidence of the legacy of Greg Stafford.

Someone did just that: https://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/prince-valiant-cheat-sheet.pdf

I assume youre looking to GM? How are you thinking of doing this? Roll20, Fantasy Grounds or some such? Skype? Google Hangouts? My only HQ experience is a one off of ShadowRun I did using the HQ rules. Im not even sure I fully grokked it, but my players seemed to enjoy it. I am however somewhat versed in Glorantha, and have been gaming for many years, so depending on how you plan to proceed, I'd be interested. Im EST so only an hour ahead of you, so time wont be a big factor.

GMTA! I was brainstorming something like this myself. The idea of a D20 totally front-facing game holds some appeal to me. It has a fairly high HQ feel with some Dungeon World added in. That would have really been the case with a 2D6 resolution. I was thinking for extended contests, each bump of 5 (say marginal victory to minor victory), would inflict one "wound". I typically play all my games using a "Mooks, Minions and Majors" house rule. Mopks take one "hit" to beat, Minions, 3, and Majors 5. that translates nicely to a 1/3/5 extended contest. If you want a more variable resolution, you can use the old HeroWars or HQ1 idea of AP. In those rules, the atarting AP was equal to the skill you begin the contest with. That would not work with your game. So you would need to determine starting AP some other way. Perhaps 10 + 3x the starting skill, plus modifiers? The player then wagers a number of AP, and rolls D20 losing or gaining AP: Complete Defeat: Lose 4X AP bid Major Defeat: Lose 2X AP bid Minor Defeat: Lose AP bid Marginal Defeat: Lose 1/2 AP bid Marginal Victory: Opponent loses 1/2 AP bid Minor Victory: Opponent loses AP Bid Major Victory: Opponent loses 2x AP bid Complete Victory: Opponent loses 4X AP bid. Roll of natural 1: automatic failure. Opponent GAINS the AP bid and adds to their AP pool. Roll natural 20: Character gains the base AP bid, adding it to the AP pool. Thanks for this post, and indulging my brain-storm ideas.

If as game master, you feel killing the party is the best outcome for the narrative, then do it. The threat of character death should be ever present, at least in my opinion.

I feel like Benjamin Button in that I went from RQII in the 80s and am just now getting into playing HeroQuest. But really, the smart thing to do is make the New material RQ friendly. I'm just glad Glorantha is seeing a new golden age

When you can, I'd be interested in seeing your house rules.

Agree on the first point, not so much the second. But Like YGMV, YHQMV. For me, and my players, I like the variability of the AP wagers. It seems like the players got far more involved that the more abstract RP system. However, I can see instances where a simple contest is too macro, and AP bidding would take too long for the level of importance. So maybe, use all three methods?

Like you, I'm new to these rules, and am trying to treat how to use them. The first to five extended contest just doesn't fire my imagination. I did really enjoy the AP wagering system and am going to use it. I do kind of feel that by making the system so flexible, it's lost some edge. It makes me wonder why they switched from the wager system, to an even more abstract extended contest system.

I found a copy from a third party seller on Amazon, but you can find them on eBay as well I also found the hero wars books. The two systems are similar, but there are differences in character generation especially. However, I went with hq2 on character generation, because it's more streamlined.

So, a follow up. (I mentioned this in the thread about extended contests as well) I bought both copies of Hero Wars, and first addition HeroQuest. I was able to run my normal RQ:G group with quickly converted characters, and used a few house rules (most notably, a flat 20 AP monitor for everyone.) Using a combination of chained contests, and AP wagering. Atgxtg asked if there was a reasons for wanting those copies... well, after running the game, and especially once players started using AP bids instead of just the chained contest results, combat got FAR more interesting. I have spent the early part of today finding used or NOS copies of several of the books,and am now planning on running a first edition HeroQuest game. It's fast, its fun, and there is just the *right* amount of crunch for my players and I.