The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Horror Hero sets out to provide everything a GM could need to create horror adventures in any Hero System campaign, and provides three settings of its own. It's a solid reference work, but nothing in it really provides for a truly horrifying experience.

For starters, there's a one-eyed man who introduces each section, and many of the subsections. His comments invariably disparage the players, usually by suggesting that nothing they do will keep the PCs from being monster chow in the end. Sometimes he's just plain insulting instead. It seems the authors thought this unnamed host added atmosphere, when he actually detracts from it.

The first 30 or so pages after the table of contents are given over to horror-specific rules and recommendations. The spirit rules, necessary for ghosts and the like, are given. New rules are introduced for short-term and long-term stress. Limits to put on magic (as defined by Champions-style powers, etc.) are followed by similar limits on psychic powers.

These rules aren't always laid out in an easy-to-read manner. Unlike the Hero System rulebook, new powers aren't summarized after their entries. You have to read each entry to find the associated costs, and the applicable advantages and limitations. This would make a better reference if they were in a consistent place in each description. And why were the sample spirits placed at the end of the book, instead of with the spirit rules?

The sections on magic and psychic powers are mainly recommendations on how to limit PCs with these abilities, lest they easily overpower the opposition. But that's what the limits on starting PC points are supposed to do. And any halfway decent GM can spot an abusive character before play begins.

There's also a terrible oversight in the psychic powers section. Telekinesis isn't even mentioned. True, there is a single paragraph which states Powers and Talents can be bought to simulate other psychic abilities. However, telekinetics are staples of the genre (and sometimes used in real life as an explanation for poltergeist activity) and should be treated as such, not as afterthoughts.

Once the new rules and limits on existing rules are done, there are sections on setting and character creation. The setting chapter is limited to two pages, which can be boiled down to, "Use one of the included settings or buy a different Hero System book and insert horror into it." Horror in Champions gets half a page of its own, but even that only offers suggestions on dropping horror adventures into existing Hero-provided settings.

On the other hand, the character creation section is gold. Classic character archetypes are described, with sample skill lists provided. There's plenty of room in each for customization. There are also suggestions for characters based around specific capabilities, characters borrowed from history or fiction, or even the player as PC. And there is an entire chapter on roleplaying in the horror genre--when to stop acting unconquerable, how to act insane, that sort of thing. It's more useful to beginning gamers, but it doesn't hurt anyone to review it.

Starting on page 74, the book is turned over to the GM. Classic horror trappings and their use get a lot of attention. There's a random scenario generator for those times when the GM is short on time or out of ideas. Of course, the results might not be worth polishing, but rolling again is always an option.

Sample magic systems and items are also provided, written up in a far better manner than the new powers at the beginning of the book. There aren't many examples of either, though. The GM is expected to create the bulk of the campaign's magic. This theoretically keeps the players guessing, even after they've bought the book themselves.

The three provided campaigns are quite good. The Old West setting takes place right after the US Civil War and pits the players against sorcerers allied with fiends from the pit. The Pulp setting has a globe-spanning cult sacrificing people to an ancient, almost forgotten god. And the modern day setting postulates a conspiracy of were-creatures manipulating world events for their own gain.

All three settings provide adequate historical information to set any campaign in it, not just horror. All three enemy groups could be placed in any campaign with a little rewriting. Most of the creatures provided are taken from fiction and folklore, so they can be mixed and matched as desired. And the modern day background information gets extra points for mentioning "that classic group of occult investigators, the four meddling kids with the Great Dane."

In addition to enemies, each setting provides an organization for the PCs to join, if the GM so desires. This takes a lot of the scares away immediately. In each case, the people in question deliberately seek out and face down the supernatural. Unless the GM enforces PC fear (using the stress rules presented in the beginning or simply making it impossible for the PCs to trust anyone), they aren't likely to be afraid. Oh, they may run from a more powerful opponent, but only long enough to round up some holy water (or whatever) and go after it again.

>From a cosmetic standpoint, the book needs work. The artwork is uneven, varying from mediocre to OK at best. It needs far better proofreading. (The worst proofing error mentions Marco Polo's trip to Chain.) And the sections don't flow smoothly into each other, which means the editor (Bruce Harlick) did a poor job integrating the work of the several authors. For example, it's mentioned that one monster now works for the Fortunatii Operatii, but that mention is a throwaway sentence.

All in all, Horror Hero is a worthy addition to the Hero line of products. It's best suited to strong PCs who don't quail in the face of the supernatural. It also works well for dropping the occasional horror adventure into an existing campaign. Nothing in here will really give the players a scare, with the possible exception of the Aquasanguinus, a truly disgusting creature that could be anyone. If you're a Hero System gamer, this is one of the better sourcebooks.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Horror Hero
Author: Alan Dickerson, Robert O'Neal, John Tucker & David Utter Category: game Company/Publisher: Hero Games Cost: $20.00 Page count: 224 ISBN: 1-55806-203-3 Playtest Review by Patrick Clark on 11/03/98. Genre tags: Horror Generic	Horror Hero sets out to provide everything a GM could need to create horror adventures in any Hero System campaign, and provides three settings of its own. It's a solid reference work, but nothing in it really provides for a truly horrifying experience. For starters, there's a one-eyed man who introduces each section, and many of the subsections. His comments invariably disparage the players, usually by suggesting that nothing they do will keep the PCs from being monster chow in the end. Sometimes he's just plain insulting instead. It seems the authors thought this unnamed host added atmosphere, when he actually detracts from it. The first 30 or so pages after the table of contents are given over to horror-specific rules and recommendations. The spirit rules, necessary for ghosts and the like, are given. New rules are introduced for short-term and long-term stress. Limits to put on magic (as defined by Champions-style powers, etc.) are followed by similar limits on psychic powers. These rules aren't always laid out in an easy-to-read manner. Unlike the Hero System rulebook, new powers aren't summarized after their entries. You have to read each entry to find the associated costs, and the applicable advantages and limitations. This would make a better reference if they were in a consistent place in each description. And why were the sample spirits placed at the end of the book, instead of with the spirit rules? The sections on magic and psychic powers are mainly recommendations on how to limit PCs with these abilities, lest they easily overpower the opposition. But that's what the limits on starting PC points are supposed to do. And any halfway decent GM can spot an abusive character before play begins. There's also a terrible oversight in the psychic powers section. Telekinesis isn't even mentioned. True, there is a single paragraph which states Powers and Talents can be bought to simulate other psychic abilities. However, telekinetics are staples of the genre (and sometimes used in real life as an explanation for poltergeist activity) and should be treated as such, not as afterthoughts. Once the new rules and limits on existing rules are done, there are sections on setting and character creation. The setting chapter is limited to two pages, which can be boiled down to, "Use one of the included settings or buy a different Hero System book and insert horror into it." Horror in Champions gets half a page of its own, but even that only offers suggestions on dropping horror adventures into existing Hero-provided settings. On the other hand, the character creation section is gold. Classic character archetypes are described, with sample skill lists provided. There's plenty of room in each for customization. There are also suggestions for characters based around specific capabilities, characters borrowed from history or fiction, or even the player as PC. And there is an entire chapter on roleplaying in the horror genre--when to stop acting unconquerable, how to act insane, that sort of thing. It's more useful to beginning gamers, but it doesn't hurt anyone to review it. Starting on page 74, the book is turned over to the GM. Classic horror trappings and their use get a lot of attention. There's a random scenario generator for those times when the GM is short on time or out of ideas. Of course, the results might not be worth polishing, but rolling again is always an option. Sample magic systems and items are also provided, written up in a far better manner than the new powers at the beginning of the book. There aren't many examples of either, though. The GM is expected to create the bulk of the campaign's magic. This theoretically keeps the players guessing, even after they've bought the book themselves. The three provided campaigns are quite good. The Old West setting takes place right after the US Civil War and pits the players against sorcerers allied with fiends from the pit. The Pulp setting has a globe-spanning cult sacrificing people to an ancient, almost forgotten god. And the modern day setting postulates a conspiracy of were-creatures manipulating world events for their own gain. All three settings provide adequate historical information to set any campaign in it, not just horror. All three enemy groups could be placed in any campaign with a little rewriting. Most of the creatures provided are taken from fiction and folklore, so they can be mixed and matched as desired. And the modern day background information gets extra points for mentioning "that classic group of occult investigators, the four meddling kids with the Great Dane." In addition to enemies, each setting provides an organization for the PCs to join, if the GM so desires. This takes a lot of the scares away immediately. In each case, the people in question deliberately seek out and face down the supernatural. Unless the GM enforces PC fear (using the stress rules presented in the beginning or simply making it impossible for the PCs to trust anyone), they aren't likely to be afraid. Oh, they may run from a more powerful opponent, but only long enough to round up some holy water (or whatever) and go after it again. >From a cosmetic standpoint, the book needs work. The artwork is uneven, varying from mediocre to OK at best. It needs far better proofreading. (The worst proofing error mentions Marco Polo's trip to Chain.) And the sections don't flow smoothly into each other, which means the editor (Bruce Harlick) did a poor job integrating the work of the several authors. For example, it's mentioned that one monster now works for the Fortunatii Operatii, but that mention is a throwaway sentence. All in all, Horror Hero is a worthy addition to the Hero line of products. It's best suited to strong PCs who don't quail in the face of the supernatural. It also works well for dropping the occasional horror adventure into an existing campaign. Nothing in here will really give the players a scare, with the possible exception of the Aquasanguinus, a truly disgusting creature that could be anyone. If you're a Hero System gamer, this is one of the better sourcebooks. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 4 (Meaty)