Pyramid Review
Star Hero (for the Hero System)
Published by Hero Games
Written by James Cambias and Steven S. Long
Art by Storn Cook, Andrew Cremeans, Keith Curtis, Malcolm Harrison, Jeff Hebert, Bryce Nakagawa, Brad Nault, Klaus Scherwinski, Greg Smith, and Chris Stevens
328-page b&w softcover; $29.99
After hitting one out of the park with its revised and expanded version of Hero System 5th Edition, Hero Games started hitting all the high notes of the Hero line, the books that had made the system the mainstay hit it's been for over 20 years. Having released the exhaustive Champions genre book, Hero Games now turns its attention to Star Hero, the sourcebook for all things outer space and science fiction.
And a full-course meal it is. Star Hero serves two purposes: It describes the science-fiction genre in heavy detail, and it firmly ensconces the Hero System in that milieu. It achieves both goals with an unmatched level of thoroughness and utility.
There are several chapters that deal with the science and setting components alone. The book starts big -- discussions of galaxies and stars -- and peels the onion down to its core, describing planets, their formations, and the societies and beings that arise on them. Many such sections are divided in two; the first half will explain something scientifically, and the second half illustrates how this applies in a campaign setting.
The Hero System has come a long way since its inception, and nowhere . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: February 7, 2003
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