Ok here we go onto the nuts and bolts of the system, starting with character generation
The chapter starts up with a overview of the sort of Parameters (Setting, Mode, and Premise) that a Narrator can use to set up a game of HeroQuest. This is so the players are on the same page of as the Narrator and also to show the sort of games that HeroQuest can deal with. It might be teaching old hands to suck eggs, but for new players and narrators coming to the game from a more combat orientated game such as D&D it does give considerable food for thought.
Characters at their most basic in HeroQuest are simply a list of Abilities with numbers next to them. ‘If you can solve a problem its an ability” and HQ2 encourages you to write colourful descriptions of abilities, which I like and I’ve found in Con games gives players more scope to get into contests. If you are coming from other systems its worth noting that HeroQuest does not have characteristics or other stats, just these descriptive abilities.
During the overview there’s a big grey highlight box entitled ‘Keywords’ , which explains the three possible methods of using Keywords in HeroQuest. Keywords at their most atomic level are groupings of abilities. In HW and HQ 1 they were a basic part of the system. Keywords are a package of related abilities that define a species, occupation or magical approach. HQ 1 used these extensively because each Keyword neatly defined a unfamiliar Gloranthan idea. For example a Gloranthan character has a cultural/species keyword, an occupational keyword and magical keyword. Most cultural keywords have the cultures main language, knowledge of its history and a couple of other abilities associated with it.
In HeroQuest 2 there are three options for using them.
- Keywords as Packages: The keyword has an associated rank and all abilities within the Keyword have the same rank. So when the Keyword rank increases so does the abilities within it.
- Keywords as Umbrella: Similar to the above, but the abilities increase separately. This was the approach used in HQ1.
- Keyword free: You don’t bother having keywords at all. This approach apparently works best with genres where everyone is familiar with the character concepts and abilities that characters can have, for example in a modern game.
HeroQuest has the option of having Flaws and Robin discusses the ins and outs of using flaws. Basically Flaws are treated like abilities, which then provide negative modifiers or are the basis of a contest in cases where they apply. 1st equal to best ablitiy, 2nd equal to 2nd best, 3rd equal to 3rd.
HQ2 still keeps three approaches to character creation, Prose, List, and As You Go.
In the Prose method, you write a 100 word description of your character and extract your abilities from that. In the list method you simply list your most important ability (which may be a keyword) and then a further ten abilities. Finally if you are creating your character As You Go, you get stuck into play and fill out your ten abilities as you discover them during play.
One thing HQ2 does is drops the lists of Occupations that HQ1 had. Understandable since this is a generic book and it would considerably up the page count with a sample of occupations for various genres. Also I reckon it would create a considerable crutch on creativity, diverting players into picking a ready made archetype rather than engaging their imagination and creating something truly unique.
Once you’ve chosen your abilities you assign them numbers. 17 for your best ability and 13 for every thing else, then 20 points to distribute between them.
Some abilities will end up over 20, and are marked with a mastery rune (a sort of W symbol). For example 25 is noted as 5w. I’ll explain masteries in more detail in the next part of the review (Pt 3 Rules) but for now they denote abilities where your character under normal circumstances automatically succeeds.]
One thing that is a big change from HeroQuest 1 is that Masteries are now relative rather than on an absolute scale. For example in a Superheroes game you would still measure the Super Heroes abilities on the 1-20, with masteries denoting a level above normal Super Heroic abilities.
Here’s an example character, a Gloranthan Newtling from my HQ2 Con game ‘Rubble in the Rumble’, which was generated using the List method without Keywords
Overall I find this iteration of the rules to be much more streamlined and to the point than previous editions. I was pleased in how straight forward and easy it is to set up a character. Even with Keywords you still end up with a much less uncluttered character sheet than HQ1. Which for con games, where you risk loosing the players everytime they stare down at a character sheet overburdened with abilties, is a good thing.
Next: Rules
I think I need to see the new Keyword description. If anything, number 2 sounds more like the way it was used in HQ1, since you were expected to raise stuff individually. (And if the Saga system let you raise the keyword, then all those abilities also raised a point.)
Also, how does the system deal with interacting with multiple abilities in keywords? Are they like affinities now, with the ability to only use one ability within it? From what I understand, the new augmenting rules make the problem of stacking multiple augments from within the same keyword go away, but I might be not remembering that correctly.
I suppose you will get to all this in conflict resolution.
I agree with LC that Method 2, not Method 1, is the way it worked in HQ1. Increasing a keyword as a whole was specifically verboten (in bold text, no less).
Newt’s right, IMO, that the more streamlined character sheets of HQ2 will make things easier at cons, and that’s a Good Thing. Regular play is a different matter, though… but I should probably comment on my reservations there only once I’ve seen a copy of the rules for myself.
Hi LC and Troksy, thanks for pointing out my fumble in which approach was HQ1.
Cunningly I have reedited the text to correct my mistook.
Cheers
;O)Newt
You only extract ten abilities from your 100 words? That sounds a lot more reasonable, and less open to abuse.
Good point on the uncluttered character sheet for con games. I’m not sure how much of my HQ will slide towards HQ2 (some has already slid beyond it), but that’s an idea I’ll be picking up and using for any con games I run.
Jane, I missed the “extract only 10 abilities from your 100 words”.
The sample from Tentacles only has part of the character generation but the implication in the bit listed is that there is no limit on abilities.
I can see a limit being useful for a con game, of course.
I am most curious about the advancement section, since I always found the free-form aspect of HQ abilities made judging advancement quite tricky.
Once I again I made an error on the detail, doh (article updated)
The Prose method indeed allows you to choose as many abilities as you like from your 100 words.
However the rules now explicitly state your narrator can ask you to rewrite or limit the number of abilities you extract if all you are doing is cramming as many abilities into one sentence as possible.
“Newt’s right, IMO, that the more streamlined character sheets of HQ2 will make things easier at cons, and that’s a Good Thing. Regular play is a different matter, though… but I should probably comment on my reservations there only once I’ve seen a copy of the rules for myself.”
I’ve yet to run HQ 2 in anger as a home campaign game, but the staring blankly at the character sheet was something that only got worse as our Black Horse Country campaign progressed. All my players who had access to the playtest version agreed that less more focused abilities would have been a better thing.
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I think that other rules greatly reduce the advantage of having more abilities. In HQ1 you could take a lot of abilities just for augments and get a significant bonus from using a lot at once – even if the abilities were never increased. That doesn’t work in HQ2. So extracting loads of abilities from the prose method is less of a problem in game balance terms (if it ever was).
Paul, that’s an interesting point. I am anxious to see how the new augmenting rules actually play out.
I think the “only one Augment” rule is a great step forward. The second part of the rule is interesting though – basically, it only remains viable as an augment as long as it’s fresh and interesting. If you keep on routinely augmenting your Blaster Combat ability with your Hate Romulans ability you’ll eventually be disallowed the Augment unless all involved agree it’s still adding something to the narrative.
*nod*
I’ve pretty much always enforced a rule like that anyways, especially for the “emotional” augments.
I did like the idea that so many important factors could up an ability though. I suspect I won’t miss it most of the time.
I am tempted to take an idea from another game and allow the one-augment rule to be broken if you pay an HP for it. (I won’t even consider this tweak until I’ve actually played a bit, of course.) Basically, the concept is that you have the one augment, but if the contest means enough to you, you can pay an additional point to bring in other augments. You are effectively committing this to be a higher risk and more heavy narrative outcome by doing so, however.
It may be totally unnecessary in HQ2, of course, but I find the idea interesting.