From: cassidy@cps.msu.edu.cps.msu.edu (John J Cassidy)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: Re: HERO vs. GURPS
Date: 28 Jul 92 17:52:18 GMT
Reply-To: cassidy@cps.msu.edu.cps.msu.edu (John J Cassidy)
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Michigan State University
Originator: cassidy@indian.cps.msu.edu

In article <Bs27t8.Mx3@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> joshua salter <jsalter@silver.ucs.indiana.edu> writes:
>
>	Which is better, (and for what)? HERO or GURPS?
>
>								-jsalter

	IN my opinion Hero is better, much better for Supers, although
I'm unlike other GURPS detractors in believing that there are a couple
of interesting things that GURPS Supers does.  For certain effects, a
low-leveled GURPS Supers campaign can be interesting.  

	And there is a tendancy to say that GURPS is better in the
Normal-Human-Genre.  I'm not going to dispute that, because disputing
that takes explaining every little system flaw in Hero, which there are
some.  It also invites people to express that they feel that the Phase
system is too cumbersome for a roleplaying game, that they don't like
the idea of DCV, and what not. 

	And saying that GURP$ is not as good is saying that, in the
games I've played, people disliked numerous things about GURP$, and some
have given it up as a complete loss.  What is not to like?  The range
system, the active defence roll, the prerequisite spells, the different
magic/psi/whatevever system-per-game-sourcebook, that everybody attacks
12 times in 12 seconds, the aging rules whereby ( just like Traveller!)
your character can end up dead before you complete him-- or just
severely under point balance (Depending on HEALTH of all things!), the
pretty narrowly defined psych lims, the way that you cannot increase
your movement (although members of another race can pay a cheap cost for
extra movement), the lack of balance between characters of different
races. The random reaction roll...
 
	But these are ALL personal dislikes.  There are things in the
GURPS system that I'm flabbergasted to find, and the flaws in Hero are
minor to me.  So I like Hero.  I recommend Hero for all gameworlds, I've
used it since I switched for good.  I found a game system good enough to
work with; I picked one system and used that to add all my
modifications, which I found better than hopping from system to system
and modifying each of these, which seemed like a waste.   But since then
I have found that Hero, with "adaptations" works with all genres.  For
example: when I want powers to work a special way, and have special
rules for a particular setting, I just make up something, assign it a
limitation value, and make all the players take that package; I use
something like -3/4 Robot rules, or -1 Psionic Rules.  These different
rules require the characters to have different skills, make different
rolls, if needed, suffer drawbacks that are not as specifically laid out
as are "Activation 8-", put more like "+1 per Ego point spent in
concentration, with a maximum of levels in Ego Skill, double Ego
expenditure required if a Mana block is erected in the area..." and so
on.  Such rules aren't just common limitations either, like they can be
in a personal magic system, they are usually wholey new, grafted-on
systems used to determine the outcome of something that the rules do not
handle to well.  

	John J Cassidy		Cassidy@indian.cps.msu.edu
 	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy