Comments on: Looking at Hero Lab: A Review

By: Nikmal

Nikmal — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:52:10 +0000

I have been using Hero Labs now for several months and I have to say as a tool it is very useful. It is not the cheapest solution out there but as Ben mentioned it is updated on a regular basis. Customer support is fast and useful. Not only that but the community puts out content on a regular basis as well.

Others have mentioned the costs of adding other content to the Hero Labs like the Bestiary and the Advanced Players Guide. It might be mentioned that this is NOT mandatory but optional. While it is 14.99 for the Bestiary and 9.99 for the APG they can be added for free IF you do so yourself or even someone from the community. But that means you are taking a lot of time to do so and it is faster and more convenient to just buy the tons of crunch that comes with those updates and know that with each errata that comes out for either the APG of Bestiary that it is free and for life.

So while free, PC-Gen… it is just an excel sheet and that is it. Nothing more or nothing less. The updates for Pathfinder are very very slow and not nearly as complete or quick on the fix if needed via errata and the like. So free is NOT always better nor is pay for tool either. It is a matter of what you the user of the tool wants to do. Personally as a DM and long time player. It is an extremely valuable time saver and NPC creator!! I could NOT live without it now

By: Dagda

Dagda — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:32:52 +0000

One of the best things about HL is the Authoring kit with which you can create a char gen for any system you desire.

By: J Christopher Harris

J Christopher Harris — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:02:53 +0000

I’ve been using Hero Lab for Pathfinder for several months and have found it to be very useful and easy to use. Can’t speak to the other game offerings, but I’m quite satisfied with the amount I’ve spent and the use I’ve gotten out of it with just Pathfinder.

By: Ben.

Ben. — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:55:56 +0000

Ah! My bad. Rereading the PC-Gen site shows that it does handle Pathfinder. My apologies to the folks there.

-Ben.

By: Ben.

Ben. — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:37:42 +0000

Yes, $30 gets you the software and one system. Additional systems are $20 each, and the APG for Pathfinder is $10.

-Ben.

By: poilbrun

poilbrun — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:45:26 +0000

The problem with Hero Labs supporting a lot of different system is that you have to pay for a license of each of those systems, so it’s a bit of a stretch to say the product costs 30$ and supports 8 systems.

I only use it for Pathfinder and I’m really happy with it. The ability to add new content is also very nice.

By: Ben.

Ben. — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:31:11 +0000

I’ve got substantial experience with 1E/2E/OD&D, Ars Magica, Rolemaster, d6 Star Wars, the older version of Deadlands, and a firm grasp of Cthulhutech, d20 Modern/CoC and Mongoose’s Conan d20 variant– all systems not covered by Hero Lab (although I know Ars is covered by Metacreator). My experience with White Wolf is limited to a five-year long WoD LARP in the 90s and reading the old Changeling and Exalted books (I could never find a group, but Manacle and Coin is still a favorite). I intend on picking up the Call of Cthulhu and Savage Worlds extensions for Hero Lab in the coming weeks, and would be happy to add to this review for those systems.

Looking at PC-Gen, it seems to only cover d20 material and doesn’t provide access to the new Pathfinder material. The DDI Character builder has its associated monthly charge for updates, won’t allow me to export to pdf (it used to allow me to use CUTEpdf to print into a pdf, but that seems to been removed with my last update), and I personally find the updates important– many tables like to use errata in their games. I didn’t like the Metacreator interface as much (I think the tabs in Hero Lab flow better than the windows in Metacreator), but its cost for add-ons is comparable. I have not tested Metacreator for systems other than Ars Magica. I even used the old Liquid software provided for 3.0 d20 long ago and far away– I think they had a decent interface from what I remember. Anathema looks like its laid fallow for quite a while (until just recently) and only handles Exalted. Yes, there are a number of freeware tools out there, but they’re not for as many systems as Hero Lab. Plus, Hero Lab has working support and a company actively trying to answer bugs and expand the material. I think that’s important, too. Hero Lab’s strength lies in the fact that it covers 8 different systems or games, and that’s something I specifically mentioned.

-Ben.

By: Theocrat

Theocrat — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:16:07 +0000

One of the things for the Pathfinder side of HL, is the user created data. ShadowChemosh has created many of the feats, traits, items and such from several of the Player Companions, while others have been working on a Pathfinderized version of d20Modern. When an issue arrives, it seems that either a fan or an official source arrives quickly to help clear up an issue or ask for more information – so that they can help.
With HL/Pathfinder the $30 doesn’t include the Bestiary or the APG (both are add-ons), and they are also planning on adding in many of the Player Companions for $5.
HL also has several other gaming systems including d20/3.5SRD, Mutants & Masterminds 2e and 3e beta, the Cortex System and Savage Worlds.
In all, I believe it to be a very useful gaming tool – even for one without at netbook at the gaming table.
Be Well.