This system was once listed as the best RPG of all time by InQuest Magazine. How does the newest edition of this book stack up?
As I always like to do, I will start with the system's good points.
1. Flexibility
You won't find a more flexible system out there. Not even GURPS can do all the things that this system can do (although it will come close). You can literally do anything with the system, given time and desire. This is not to say that you will want to do everything with this system, only that it is possible.
2. Clarity
Those of you who are familiar with previous versions of the HERO system may remember some of the endless debates about what happens if we do this and that. Most of these have been resolved. In addition, issues that the new rules bring up are specifically addressed, and the book is full of examples. This was something desparately needed in the system. With a system as complicated (see below) as HERO is, this was a very good thing to have.
3. No setting information
This has been a pet peeve of mine since I don't know when. If a system is supposed to be generic (HERO, GURPS, d20), do not, I repeat, do not put setting information in that rule book. It is unnecessary and really distracting if you are going to use it for a setting that is not in the book. There is no setting information in this book. It is setting and genre independent and it reads that way.
4. Generic Rules
This book is supposed to be independent of genre. The system is generic, so you are supposed to be able to use it for anything you want. Having now created characters and already starting a Fantasy game using the rules, let me tell you, it can do pretty much everything, and do it pretty well. There are several sections on how to use individual skills, talents, perks, and powers in different genres and how they apply (how to use bugging in a fantasy campaign, how does riding apply to sci-fi games, etc.). This really helps with trying to do certain things with your character (and converting from another system).
5. Good skill system
The skill system in this book is very good. There are descriptions of what the numbers mean (How good is a 14- roll compared to an 11-?). They also get rid of classes and levels, so a beginning character can be good at things.
6. No classes or levels
This is more of a personal thing. I hate them. This system does have them. Therefore I am pleased. If you like classes and/or levels, you will not like this. I think that it allows much more character development to have a point based system without constraints of class or level. That is why I dislike them so much. However, it does make things a little more complicated. It also allows for possible player abuse (see below).
7. Rules for changing the rules
Have you ever seen a ruling in a book and said "What the... This makes no sense! How did they do this?" Well, it will happen in this book, too. But, never fear! At the end of the book, they list how they created everything. The Talents section even lists it for everything, including how they get the point totals. This means that if you don't see something that you want, you can make it using the existing rules and there it is. It also has places that tell you what happens if you do certain things. I liked this part of the book and it was surprisingly well done.
8. Utility
This book is useful even if you never plan on using the system for your game. I'll give a perfect example. Say you are running D&D and one of your characters comes up with a new spell. No problem. Then you look at what it does, and there are no spells that does anything like it in the book. What level do you make it? Well, create some of the other spells in the book using the HERO rules, then create the new spell using the HERO rules, and compare the point costs. If the new spell costs hundreds of points more than the most powerful 9th level spell, well, now you know what to do. If it is less than the smallest cantrip, there you go. If it is about the same as a 4th level, then it's 4th level.
Too specific, you say? Okay. How about this? A character comes up with an idea for a magical item. This item does not look anything like any of the items or spells in the books (say it is a sword that halves the amount of AC you get from armor). How many character points is that thing worth? Again, create it using the HERO system and see how much it is worth compared to other items that already exist.
In addition, this is truly the only book that you need in order to run any game. If you have your own setting, such as a fantasy world that you have run for years, all you need is this book, and you can run it. Have a sci-fi game that you love the setting but hate the system, use this one instead. Have a game that you love the setting but the company went out of business before all of the system books were published (Well, how you do that is supposed to be in the X book. When will that come out? Never, the company doesn't exist anymore.) Now you can use this instead. All of the other books published for the game will only expand the rules for specific circumstances, and will use the main rules for doing it.
Now I will go through some of the not so good sections of the book.
1. Complexity
This system is more complicated than most of the others on the market. It is very likely that if you are using the powers in the book, you will need a calculator to apply all of the advantages and disadvantages (OK, this power costs 45 points times 1.75 divided by 3.75.). Now, this is not particularly difficult math, but if you want it to go fast, you will need computational power to help.
2. No Setting information
I know that I listed this under a good thing as well, but there are people who want setting information to run their game. This is supposed to be upcoming, but if you are waiting for the fantasy setting or cyberpunk settings, you may be waiting a while. It will almost definitely be faster to create your own or use something already out than to wait for their official ones. This is primarily because they can only publish so fast. They want to publish everything, but hey, everything takes time.
3. Very flexible system
Flexibility is a double edged sword. Yes, you can pretty much create everything, but that does not mean that you want your players creating everything. This means that you need to make sure that the rules have caps and/or limits to how things are applied. If you are running a game with a maximum of 150 character points, and a character creates a character with one 150 point power, guess what, when he gets to use it, bad things are going to happen. This means that GM's should review every character that he runs in his game. It also means that he will have to review the characters every so often to make sure things are not out of hand. This takes some time and effort, which other systems may not need.
Overall
I really love this book. There are a few very specific things that I don't like, which don't warrant space on this review (weight of weapons, and the like), but overall, I think that not only did it live up to its reputation, this book surpassed it. There are a few layout problems (some sentences got chopped off and the like), but the index is awesome. You will find it, if it is in this book. I think that Steven Long did a great job with the additions to the book and made it much more useful all around (for HERO gamers and non-HERO gamers).
If you are running a game, I suggest you try using HERO for it. If you love the system you are using, I suggest getting this book anyway, just because it will help you do what you want in your game.
Nightshade
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