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Review of The Blood of Heroes Gamemaster's Screen
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The GM screen is tough and sturdy and features gorgeous art (on the player's side) by Mike Conrad. The player's side also contains the action and result tables, tables for recovery checks and combat maneuvers, and a miscellaneous set of charts for combat sequence, activation of automatic powers, pushing automatic actions, knockback, AP equations, an attitude adjustment table, initiative and movement rules, a section on throwing and breaking things, and optional rules for stunning and killing combat.
The GM's side also reproduces the action and result tables, together with tables for benchmark APs and "upper" benchmark APs, as well as a combat maneuver table, a universal modifier table, the "going for broke" table, and tables for landscaping, entrances & openings, buildings, walls, and furnishings, not to mention the "information" table (combining tables for perception checks, clue analysis, gadget identification and interrogation.
All in all, the GM Screen is a first-class production and presents all of the most-frequently consulted charts for both players and the GM.
The Gamemaster booklet contains a variety of GM and player aids, together with "Switcheroo," an 11 page stand-alone adventure, written by Chris Tatro and illustrated by Ray Hedman.
"Switcheroo" is an off-beat adventure that can be plugged into virtually any campaign, and features Dr. Mulholland, a mad "pulp" scientist with a collection of fantastic inventions right out of the Silver Age. I wouldn't recommend it as the opening adventure for a campaign, but it's a wonderful change-up pitch for characters who a GM would like to "bring to earth" for a session or two. It is heavy on role-playing, and can be used for absolutely ANY power level - the higher the better. Chris Tatro did a great job on the writing, and the adventure also features helpful NPC cutouts.
The "Gamemaster aids" include a variety of items: a combat tracker (helpful for organizing big battles, with lots of combatants); a character worksheet (for creating new characters); a combat phase breakdown sheet (very helpful for new players); benchmark charts for aech of the nine main attributes; a set of miscellaneous charts for particular advantages, disadvantages, powers and skills (that will save wear and tear on your main gamebook); a complete alphabetical index of powers, separated into physical, mental and mystical categories, together with a comprehensive skill list; a listing of suggested power groupings for elemental linkings; and, last but not least, a character sheet with plenty of space for all the standard entries and a character illustration.
All for 15 bucks.
I highly recommend this for anyone playing Blood of Heroes or DC Heroes. The screen is among the finest I've ever seen, and while parts of the GM booklet will be of variable utility to individual GMs, there is something there for everyone.
Well done!
