Not a bad pulp treasure-chase with an easily dispensable supernatural scene right at the end. Action scenes and NPCs could have used more specific description and there are one or two potentially awkward connections.

Good pulp setting from the detailed-oriented Hero system, easily convertable to other systems which is the reason I got it. If you do not have Space Hero, you may have trouble with some background game system mechanics, but the storyline is good enough to move things along for any setting.

The Malay Coins is an excellent scenario. It's always difficult to review a scenario without giving away too much of the plot. This on involves a search for the remaining coins in a set, which sends the heroes hopping around Asia until the climax. My group managed to go a little off track, but the scenario has a rather strong plot which enabled me to bring them back into the published material without feeling railroaded. My group doesn't play Hero System, but I was able to easily adapt this scenario to our system of choice.

Disappointing in a couple of significant ways, Champions Battlegrounds nonetheless delivers on most of what its ad copy promises, although less completely than one might expect.

It's a well-written purchase, but I'm still not convinced it was actually worth the full $17 US I paid. Its strengths are strong, but its weaknesses are significant.

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT?

Well, it delivers on what it promises -- sorta, kinda … barely. I haven't run Champions at the gaming table in years, mostly because I find the game so preparation-intensive. This is not a criticism of Champions; merely that I can prep two or more rpg adventures for other game systems (super, or non-) in the time it takes me to properly prepare one Champions adventure. I have less free time than I used to, so the Champions system is not my best gaming option right now.

I bought Champions Battlegrounds based on the product description -- all that we have to go by, here on RPGNow, until the customer reviews roll in -- after all, what Game Master who runs superhero or modern rpg adventures wouldn't be interested in a product which features five ready-made adventure locations? A park; a mall; a major amusement park; a building construction site; and an abandoned warehouse?

Besides, the five-part, optionally-linked adventure also promised appearances by classic Champions villains such as Ogre and Foxbat. What's not to like? (More on what became of this, below)

The adventure is generally lively and well-written, and rather expertly laid out, given the density of the text description here.

There are a lot of clearly-marked sections, sub-sections, and sidebars throughout, so finding the information you need, when you need it, shouldn't be too tough.

The adventure text also features a number of "If The Players Do X", or "If The Players Fail Here" callouts which can prove very useful given players' tendency to do the things the GM least expects, when he or she least expects it.

The five "battleground" locations can be used separately, of course, or they can be played through as a sequence of linked episodes leading to a final showdown. Options are always good.

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD?

The worst, most unpardonable sin in Champions Battlegrounds, is that IT REFERS YOU TO A SEPARATE PRODUCT FOR VILLAIN STATS! Sorry for shouting, but that's simply bad form, Smee, especially in the PDF format, where customers can't really know all of what they're getting until it's too late.

The product does stat out its brand-new villains, but for all of the others, you are given page numbers from the Champions villain supplement Conquerors, Killers, and Crooks, and told to look them up.

Hardcore Champions players won't care -- they already own every Champions supplement they can get their hands on -- but for those gamers who pick up Battlegrounds as a potential "gateway" product to Champions, well, Hero Games isn't gonna win much love with cheap tactics like this.

I don't enjoy writing negative reviews -- I'd much rather focus on pointing out the good stuff -- but this increasingly common tactic of publishers giving gamers less than a complete product, while implying it is complete is REALLY starting to irk me, and I feel compelled to call it out.

Funny how the RPGNow product description just "forgot" to mention that you need another product to fully play Champions Battlegrounds, hunh? Yeah. Sure. Right.

The second disappointing aspect of this product is that the promised location maps are not really tabletop scale. In their defense, however, they DO have map-scales on them, both in feet, and in the Champions 1 hex = 2m (6') standard, so you can figure out map-distances if you have access to a ruler.

Most of the maps, however, are printed at what could be called "overview scale" -- like the kind of maps you get when you visit a shopping mall or an amusement park. Some detail, and a general scale, but it's more about giving you an overall sense of place.

The maps are good, but if your players want to tear it up by the concession stand in the superhero-themed OmegaWorld amusement park, or slug it out in the mall comics shop, you're still going to have to break out the battlemap and the markers and hand-draw the player-scale details.

My last complaint is a personal quirk, and does not significantly affect my rating of this product: the PDF is black-and-white throughout.

Even the cover, which is full color on the RPGNow website, is black-and-white in the actual PDF. It just seems wrong for a superhero product not to have even a color cover -- and given the way Champions Battlegrounds weaseled on the villain stats, it makes me wonder if the "color in the promos, but not the product" was another example of marketing weaseldom.

SO, WHAT'S THE VERDICT?

If you're a Champions devotee, you've already bought this. If you're merely a curious gamer, take a look at the strengths and weaknesses I've listed above, and decide if the positives outweigh the negatives for your specific game needs.

Champions Battlegrounds is well-written, and certainly interesting enough to deserve a passing grade -- but its flaws (particularly the lack of necessary villain stats) hold it back from anything more than a basic pass, in my opinion.

Final verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 3 for the RPGNow system.

The Upside:

I picked up the Resource Kit some time ago as a hard copy and have used it to good effect, mostly at Conventions. I also picked up the PDF recently and have discovered a few different uses for it.

First, what the packet is, and what it isn't. The hard copy contains four parts - a forty-eight page booklet, three 22x17 double sided maps, three cardboard miniature pages, and a five panel GMs screen.

The Booklet. A short reference guide to help with character creation and game setup. The booklet contains no rules explanations, only tables and costs of various game elements. The book has four main parts to it.

Character Creation lists the basic character elements, point levels, costs of Characteristics. It also lists the basic elements and costs for all the creation elements. A complete Skills List, Base Movement, Martial Maneuvers, Perks, Talents, Powers, Power Advantages & Limitations, Power Frameworks and Character Disadvantages. Only Power Frameworks get any kind of description, the rest are simply lists of the costs for each item.

Equipment Creation covers costs for Automatons, Computers, Vehicles, and Bases. All in about two pages, again no descriptions just quick cost references.

Combat Summary starts with the combat sequence checklist, and covers all the major points of basic combat from figuring OCV and DCV to adding damage, Normal and Killing Attacks, Effects of damage, Knockback, Endurance and Pushing. It does not cover the optional rules.

Forms And Templates is the part of the book with all new resources. Starting with the basic two page character sheet. The new tracking sheets are a Character Bio Sheet for putting down a complete character background. Campaign Guidelines sheet for GMs to pass out to set power levels, tone and house rules. Campaign Checklist Sheet which allows a GM to give out a quick checklist of permitted, required or forbidden elements (Skills, Powers, etc...). Combat Record Sheet for the PCs and major NPCs. Minion Control Sheet for quick reference of lesser NPCs. Adventure Record Sheet for GMs to track major events for each game session or adventure. Vehicle and Base Record Sheets. And several Hex Templates: A four part Range Template (four 8 hex long strips that can be cut out and stacked end to end) that gives range modifiers out to 32 Inches/Hexes. And three Area Of Effect Templates for 2, 3 and 4 Inches Areas.

The Cardboard Figures. There are three sets of Cut out miniatures included (base stands not included). One fantasy with two human warrior variants, a human thief, a human shopkeeper, a human bard, two female priestess variants, a human mage, two goblin/orc warrior variants, and two ogre/giant type creatures. One Modern set with a girl on a bike, a fire fighter, a bum, a young woman, kid on a skateboard, a businessman, young man, a mailman, a female reporter and three cop/security guard variants. One Science Fiction set with a technician, two powered armor soldiers, a psionic, two human soldiers (one male, one female), human military officer, human rogue and four different aliens. The hard copy are on heavy cardboard stock, single sided. The figures are black and white, which gives the electronic copy a bit of an edge if you wanted to add a bit of color to them it's much easier with that version than the hard copy.

The Maps. Twenty-Two Inches by Seventeen inches. There are three double sided maps provided in 1 Hex = 1 Inch scale. The first one is a modern street and a modern warehouse. The second a fantasy tavern and a farmstead. The last a science fiction bar and the bridge of a spaceship. It's definitely easier to get the hard copy of the this than to try and print out the maps on your own. The hard copy are printed on thick paper stock.

The GMs Screen. A five panel affair containing just about every table the average Hero Gamer references during a session. Double sided so the players have a set of tables to look at as well as the GM. There are suggestions at the start of the booklet on how to modify this screen if needed. I actually found the PDF version of this more useful as you can print out the five panels separately and have them free floating to pass around the table (even nicer is having them laminated to make them more durable). Though the GMs screen itself is extremely useful if the GM uses one. It's printed on heavy card stock, so it doesn't fall over too easily.

The Downside:

For a system deeply rooted in Super Hero gaming I was surprised to find the miniatures didn't include a set of generic Supers or thugs for Super PCs to beat up. Or at the very least some Supervillains from Hero Games' own line. But seeing as how wildly individual people like their superheroes the lack of them doesn't disappoint me very much.

The Otherside:

Being a reference resource for the HERO System you might think this has no use at all for gamers of other systems. Mostly true, but not completely. The three pages of paper miniatures are useful to anyone who needs some more, especially some generic ones. The six included maps are also fairly useful, even if you don't use hex maps.

For a quick reference guide this set is more than adequate. Hero Games also gives explicit permission to copy any part of the set for personal use only, which is helpful in today's world of copyright awareness. For about Thirty Dollars US you can pick up both the electronic and hard copy of this supplement, which gets the most use out of it I feel.

The copy and paste function is disabled, which is a big negative for me since I use it extensively to reorganize material according to my own needs.

HERO/Champions is my all time favorite system for roleplaying in the superhero genre. I love the fact that you can completely customize your character according to a point system, and it is pretty easy for the GM to keep individuals from getting out of control simply by enforcing the active point limits for powers and keeping a close eye on endurance cost.

I think that the system is best for supers, and I rarely use it for other genres, especially fantasy. That is, unless, you want a really high fantasy with powerful characters. The system also works great for kung fu games, since a lot of those get over the top. (I'm thinking "Kung Fu Hustle" type moves)

The fifth edition was well worth the price, and I plan on picking up the "ultimate" series soon, once I get through re-reading the basic rules.

<UNTIL Superpowers Database> by Hero Games is an indispensable power construction resource for the 4th edition of the Hero System. It is 272 pages and retails for $18.99. This is a huge book that makes character creation a lot easier for new players. The product is broken into roughly 43 chapters. The first being an introduction to the book, the last an appendix that deals with the Power skill, and the rest of the book being broken down into by power theme groups.

The types of powers in this product include: acid powers, air and wind powers, animal powers, body control powers, cosmic energy powers, cyberkinesis powers, darkness powers, density alteration powers, dimensional manipulation powers, earth and stone powers, electricity powers, emotion control powers, fire and heat powers, force powers, gravity powers, ice and cold powers, illusion powers, kinetic energy powers, light powers, luck powers, magnetism powers, matter manipulation powers, mental and psionic powers, precognition powers, radiation powers, shape alteration powers, sleep and dream powers, solar and celestial powers, sonic powers, speedster powers, strength and toughness powers, stretching powers, telekinesis powers, time powers, vibration powers, water powers, weather powers, wood/plant powers and miscellaneous powers. Or roughly any power you can think of from comic books.

Want to run-up walls with super-speed like the Flash? Hyper-running on p. 299 + running up buildings addition for 7 more points. Want tie someone up with a lamp post like the Thing? The Big Wrap-Up (20 PP) p. 208 Want to make a force field out of light like Quasar? Photonic Shield (40 PP) p.127 Want to be unmovable like the Blob? Kinetic Cancellation (13 PP) p.122

There are a ridiculous number of powers in this book (so many I refuse to count them). All are completely figured out with advantages and disadvantages so that the math is completed. Each power also has a number of additions that can be used to fine tune the effect you are looking for. For instance:

Body of Metal is designed to be +20 Str, +4 PD, +4 ED, Knockback resistance ?4?, Armour 18 PD/18ED for a total of 71 points.

If you want tougher armour, 24 PD/24ED adds 15 points. If you want weaker armour, 12 PD/ED, +15 Str, +3 PD and +3 ED, -3? knockback then it drops to 56 points. If you want to be able to transform into and out of metal, it costs 83

Options, there are lots of options that will let your players fine-tune their characters. Throughout the product there are images of heroes and villains from UNTIL?s database that should the characters using their powers to provide inspiration to players. Because Hero Games wastes very little space in a product, the margins of the book sometimes hold other useful pieces of information such as powers, advantages, limitations, adders or descriptions of characters with certain powers. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: This is an indispensable book for GM who have new players or have players who don?t want to do the math of power building themselves. It is a great resource for making opponents quickly to reduce GM prep time. <br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

A solid pulp adventure. I've run the Malay Coins three times, and it's never been a let down. Play groups have generally found the nps interested, the plot well sign-posted without being a give-away, and a fun time.

As a note, I'll mention I've never used the Hero System to run this adventure (a testament to it's usefulness, and not a comment on the Hero System).

Recommended for GMs running pulp.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Well put together adventure, with a nifty handout puzzle.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: N/A.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Excellent Product! I liked the useful information that allows you to create your own fantasy universe or easily model existing ones using th e hero system building blocks with out getting lost in the infinite forest of options available.

It will truly help you structure out all the systems necessary for a great game. Also it?s worth mentioning that if you want to save a lot of work, this is your best bet as there is plenty of ideas to pick from. Just touch up and insert in to campaign. <br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Well structured and conteins canned material as well as seeds to create your own. DETAILED BOOKMARKS!<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It should already come with the Herodesighner packs included when you buy the digital version.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

Unless you are well-versed in a former iteration of the HERO system, this book, weighing in at 660+ pages, just rules, no genre materials--JUST HERO SYSTEM RULES--will likely be way too much. If you are new to the system or gaming in general, get the Hero System Sidekick, which is a 120 page book with all the essntials of the system, which may be all the rules you'll ever need. Later, you can graduate to this monster.

The revision fixes errata, refines the rules, and offers a ton more examples of the rules being applied. I wasn't sure it would be worthwhile to get this , since I had the regular 5th Ed., but I have to say unreservedly, yes, get this. You will not find a more flexible, interesting, exciting, and fun rule system, and the best thing about it is: it is TRULY universal, and it TRULY works in all genres. This is all my groups plays now.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Massive, covers everything, even rule mechanics you never thought you'd ever need. All the rules, with tons of examples, in one place.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: Off-putting to new gamers or those new to the HERO system, in that it is a book of rules only (no genre info) that is more than 600 pages, and is 2 or 3x as thick as a D&D 3.5 Ed book.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

So long as you understand that this is a book giving the reader a million different options for how they want their fantasy world to work, AND NOT A BOOK DESCRIBING AN OFFICIAL WAY OF DOING THINGS with alternatives, you will probably really enjoy this book. There are alot of clever ideas in here, and some pretty exhaustive treatments of the various factors to be considered in creating any fantasy setting. Alt of work and love obviously went into this book. The layout and artwork is not the greatest.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: Massive, and gives tons of options for creating your own Fantasy HERO game world to play in.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: I prefer an 'officialy' approach, with variations, rather than a listing of possible means of handling, say, a magic system, or armor, weapon damage, etc.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Very Good<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Satisfied<br>

If you are interested in pulp era gaming, pick this up. Even if you don't play the Hero System (which I don't), pick this up. It is a top-notch resource for pulp era gaming; one which you shouldn't be without.<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

Stripped-down, bare-bones, no-frills adventure! Just the way I like it!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>

This is an excellent source book. There is an indepth look at the whole pulp genre including the history and evolution of Pulp magazines. It includes an exhaustive history and details on almost every country/type of pulp adventure you may wish to run. I don't use the Hero system myself but to covert this to other systems is easy. There are a great many 'stereotype' heroes and villains in here and plenty of ideas on how to customise them. Whether you play dark and gritty or Hollywood Adventure style games this book is well worth buying.

I have used it to develop my own set of Miniatures Rules. Truly a fabulous source of information.<br><br> <b>LIKED</b>: In depth history of Pulp Genre and excellent character development.<br><br><b>DISLIKED</b>: It's very big!<br><br><b>QUALITY</b>: Excellent<br><br><b>VALUE</b>: Very Satisfied<br>