Last month, one of my gamer friends pointed me to Green Ronin Publishing’s June 11 Ronin Roundtable article, “Let’s Get Back to Basics.” Green Ronin is releasing a Basic Hero’s Handbook and pre-orders started on July 24! Green Ronin is doing their usual $5 preorder offer: preorder the book (US$29.95) and get the PDF (immediately!) for $5 more. (The PDF can be purchased by itself for $16.95.) The last official ETA I had for the physical book was a July 16 post on Green Ronin’s Facebook page that it would “start appearing in stores about two months [after]” the preorder began, so in September 2018. However, per Evan Sass, posting July 24 on Green Ronin’s blog, purchasers will have a free shipping option to pick it up at the publisher’s Gen Con 2018 booth.
I think this book is an excellent and much needed addition to the M&M 3e line. I love the game! However, as Green Ronin has recognized, it is a very complex rule set, especially character generation. Partly this is due simply to being a D20 game. Many gamers find these rule sets more complex in general than more narrative or other “rules-light” systems. It’s also a result of the developers’ desire to not only make a game that emulates comic book/graphic novel “reality” but allows players to design exactly the superpowers and other abilities that they dream of. Which M&M 3e does pretty well.
Green Ronin does have other tools to help with the character creation portion. The Deluxe Hero’s Handbook includes both archetypes and a full Quickstart Character Generator (QCG) which is set up to allow determining powers by random die rolls, picking from a menu, or both. Power Profiles has all sorts of super abilities–with a variety of extras and flaws–with cost per rank already figured out. (My Power Profiles review here.) Both are available in print or PDF. Lone Wolf’s Hero Lab software has an M&M3e license but, even though it handles all the math and PL limits, you still need to be familiar and comfortable with character creation to use it.
However, all of those very good options leave novice–or even some intermediate level players–with what the devs call “Option paralysis” and I call “Option overload.” I’ve used the Quickstart Character Generator and still can get overwhelmed because there are so many choices you can make. This method is also time consuming, although at least you don’t have to worry that you messed up the math somewhere, and/or violated the Power Level caps.
“Option paralysis” is a problem that it looks like the Basic Hero’s Handbook will solve–as promised. The QCG has 20 archetypes, several of which–power mimics, shapeshifters, etc.–are challenging for even an experienced player to design and play well. In contrast, BHH will have only 8 archetypes, per Donovan Morningfire, who has taken advantage of the PDF offer I mentioned. (Thanks for the intel!) They are Crimefighter, Energy Controller, Gadgeteer, Mystic, Paragon, Powerhouse, Primal, and Speedster. The only “new” one is the Primal, which is similar to the Totem (powers bestowed by an animal spirit, like the Native American Coyote or Marvel’s Black Panther), from the QCG. A couple of other classic supertypes don’t have their own archetype, but are rolled into one of the above. Power Suit and Elemental are options in the Gadgeteer and Energy Controller archetypes, respectively.
The article previews one of these archetypes, the classic Energy Controller (EC). The EC archetype, in many ways, is a simplified and shorter version of the QCG Energy Controller that doesn’t have, or need, random rolls. Like the QCG one, the BHH Energy Controller has three variants on the theme, including three different sets of ability scores. Several Skills are common to all ECs, and the remaining ones are based on which 2 of 5 traits you pick (e.g., Charm gains Insight 4 and Persuasion 4); Advantages are determined similarly. The Powers are where the two generators differ the most. Using the QCG, you must roll/pick individually all your PC’s Powers–Defensive, Offensive, Utility, even every Alternate Effect in an Array.
With these new archetypes, you don’t have to worry about that. You pick one of the archetype’s 3 Power Suites and you’re done. Each Power Suite has a given set of Powers, and possibly additional Advantages and/or Skills. (I suspect a few, like some QCG archetypes, may have Equipment or Devices.) So all you need to do is figure out the Descriptor/s: Air, Cold, Darkness, whatever and start playing. And character creation is as fast as the 10 minutes claimed by Green Ronin. Granted, I am not a novice player, but I built a Darkness themed energy controller with the preview archetype and it took me a little under 10 minutes to have a complete statblock for a 150 PP/PL 10 hero. How good was the character? On paper (I haven’t playtested it), it was pretty decent, although I am concerned that the Defenses were well under the limits of PLx2. I also don’t like that there are no skill points set aside for an Expertise (or other) skill, although this can be solved by taking a few points from 1 or 2 other skills, a change that is easy enough for a complete novice.
What else does the Basic Hero’s Handbook offer? I have found a few answers online. A Ronin Roundtable from January 2017, says this isn’t a rules update/revision.”[T]this is the same 3rd edition rule set you know and love, cleaned up and organized. Some of the more complicated rules are set aside…” It suggests using the BHH as a quick reference at the table for experienced players and GMs, as well. Both Roundtables emphasize that PCs made with the Basic Hero’s Handbook are playable alongside those made with the Deluxe Hero’s Handbook. There is also a BAMF podcast from May, featuring some of the developers, that I just listened to. They confirm that there aren’t any rules changes. Other parts mentioned on the podcast are a GMing section complete with villains and heroes and adventure seeds or set pieces.
This just in! The July 16 Ronin Roundtable covers some of the BHH “Gamemastering Basics”! To go along with PC archetypes, there are Encounter Archetypes such as Doom Room (training) and Disaster! EAs will examine “a particular encounter or situation in some detail, including how to stage it, what the game mechanics look like, and different variations you can play out with it.” Mechanics are included. Also PL 8-15 villains–new, like Luna Moth (part of this preview), as well as old frenemies “in Basic terms.” Finally, something I know will make many M&M players and GMs happy: “Shadows of the Past,” a new M&M3e scenario! Now I want to up my GMing game!
I am looking forward to this book!
Linda Whitson
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