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Champions Now

From

Hero Games

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ZIP File

€13,66

Forty years ago, Champions: the Super Roleplaying Game was inspired by off-the-leash newsstand comics full of weird and headstrong creators. No one knew where a story was going, and what “heroic” meant changed constantly. That’s why it was the first role-playing game to hand you and a few friends a creative studio, rather than a constructed genre package.

This book presents an exploration of those first-generation texts as envisioned and redesigned by Ron Edwards, long-time Champions player, co-founder of the Forge, publisher at Adept Press, and author of diverse role-playing games. It contains all of the rules you need to create and play any hero and villain you can think of, procedures for the Now so your play-experience is a cutting edge rather than a railroad; and a nonstandard, in-depth examination of superhero comics informed by professionals and insiders.

Like the original game, this one isn’t a setting or a quantitative breakdown of a genre. It’s for your own superhero comics experience. However you want it! Silly or not silly, cool or not cool, retro or contemporary, appropriate or inappropriate, safe or edgy, relevant or not relevant. Never mind what some franchise pays for, what a fanbase demands, or what the experts pontificate about.

This is your studio. Let’s see what you make with it!

Zip file includes PDF, MOBI, and ePUB versions of the book, as well as a character sheet. Also attached are error corrections supplied after publication by Superverse publisher Aldo Regalado shortly after publication.

Reviews (2)

Discussions (10)

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Angelo C June 18, 2021 5:05 am UTC

For those who want a hard copy of this book there are still copies available on the Hero Games website ; there are around 400 copies available at the time of this post

Jonathan F November 01, 2020 3:24 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Hmm. I notice that there is a corrections/errata file. Any plans to incorporate these into the ebooks/pdf? Would also be useful to do this if there are plans for PoD further down the line.

Steven O July 13, 2020 1:55 pm UTC

PURCHASER

I purchased this book. It felt like I had purchased a role playing documentary and lecture and not a new rules set. The best way I can say it is that there is a framework of rules in this book but the book gets in its own way.

Kevin B April 20, 2020 3:43 pm UTC

Ok, so I can't review the book but I do know how it is laid out from other folks telling me about it. This won't be the same as posting a preview but it will do the job I think. The best way to preview this without actually going into the book is to compare it to the 6th edition releases. For 6th their were two 'core' books published that I would give that classification. The first is Champions the Super Roleplaying Game. This is basically a gamemaster/design philosophy tome. It is beautifully done with great art but it has very little in the way of hard and fast rules. Champions Complete has everything you need to play. All of the rules laid out with very little philosophy behind them. Its the rules of the game. This is in black and white but is still very well laid out and done.

Champions Now is a combination of the two. Ron wants the reader to understand why he is doing things the way he is doing them so he delves into his thinking behind each rule as he explains the mechanic. That is the impression...See more

Derek H November 28, 2021 11:29 am UTC

As the author of Champions Complete, I want to clarify that this analysis is incorrect. Champions Now draws nothing from Champions Complete that I could see, nor from Aaron Allston's Champions book, which is the one described above (game design philosophy, great art, etc.). To explain how these books relate to Champions Now, I have to provide a little version history.

Champions 1E was developed by George MacDonald and Steve Peterson, and published in 1981. Champions 2E and 3E followed in relatively quick succession (3E had been published by 1984). After 3E was published, other games Hero had published using the same rules engine, such as Espionage (a spy game) and Justice, Inc. (a pulp adventure game) began to also be branded as the "HERO System," and the rules engine was positioned as a "universal" RPG akin to GURPS.

They really leaned into this concept with 4E, developed by Rob Bell and published in 1989. Subtle variations between games were mostly eliminated and...See more

Darren K February 01, 2022 12:44 am UTC

As an owner of many Hero Games Products, I really appreciated this explanation provided by Derek (also, Derek, would love a Star Hero Complete companion to yours).

Chad H April 19, 2020 6:49 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Seconding the request for preview links.

Pauli K April 18, 2020 6:44 pm UTC

A prievew would be good

Robert P April 18, 2020 5:47 pm UTC

PURCHASER

What's the difference between this and earlier editions? I checked out the KS page for details, but I found it a bit vague tbh. Any more info would be great on the mechanics side. Thanks! Rob.

Rory H April 19, 2020 5:22 am UTC

PURCHASER

It’s quite different. It’s like a reimagining really. I ought to write a review at some point, but I need to read it first. The core mechanic of rolling 3D6 under a target is the same, and it takes its cues explicitly from the 3rd Edition of Champions. Some of the Characteristics are measured as dicepool rolls, rather than roll under stats. The game is presented in a more conversational, and less mathematical way. It’s all I will say at the moment.

Robert P April 19, 2020 10:38 am UTC

PURCHASER

Thanks Rory, I appreciate any info'.

Michael H April 25, 2020 7:08 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Aside from the systematic differences in what character sheets look like (Strength, for example, is presented as the straight-up number of d6s you roll as opposed to a number), the principal difference is that Edwards takes a FATE-like approach to both character design and campaign design. It is significant that the game is not set in the Champions Universe and we will not be getting direct conversions of favorites like Foxbat, the Harbinger, and Doctor Destroyer. Instead, the PCs in a sense create their own nemeses through what they select. And the complications (Situations) come before everything else in character design, which is completely new for this genre.

Robert P April 25, 2020 7:54 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Thanks for the info Michael!

Dani J April 18, 2020 10:10 am UTC

Is this the kickstarted one?

Michael H April 25, 2020 7:08 pm UTC

PURCHASER

Yes.

Neil S April 18, 2020 5:22 am UTC

POD

Scott N November 17, 2022 5:29 pm UTC

I have the PDF and have to say, I do not like the layout at all. Building characters is to me a mess. Just stick with Champions Complete, or 6th edition. I thought it would trim the fat but it doesn't.

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Champions Now

Format

Original electronic