(The following has been reposted from the HERO TIME website.)

“Road to the Rulebook” is a series explaining the basics of “HERO TIME” and how it is played. All of this can be experienced once the Core Book is released, coming soon!

I released the “HERO TIME Sourcebook” back in 2022, and I am about to release the “HERO TIME Core Book” now. You’re mostly likely wondering, “what’s the difference?”, and today I shall explain it to you. First, though, I wish to explain the many types of books that are often released for RPGs.

RPGs usually have one major book that provides the central rules to the game itself and then lots of other ones besides. Each of them has a specific focus that provides more options for the players and gamemaster within the game.

First is the “core rulebook”, sometimes called the “core book” in recent times. As the name implies, it is the most important book, since it provides the main rules, tells you how to play, and helps people get into the game. In many cases, this will be the only book released for an RPG because the authors choose not to make any of the other ones described below. The “HERO TIME Core Book” will be one of these, and (hopefully) it will be the first of many.

Suppose an RPG becomes popular and the authors want even more people playing it. One way to do that is by changing the theme, like from fantasy to science-fiction, by releasing a “sourcebook” (a.k.a. “expansion”). Basically, it has new rules that build on the old ones, as well as lots of information about the new setting. That way, it’s the same underlying game, but with a decidedly different “flavor” to draw in people with different interests. The “HERO TIME Sourcebook” is one of these because it’s built upon the Genesys RPG by Edge Studios.

The “player’s guide” (or some variant of that name) provides extra options for character creation in the form of new classes, species, and so on. For example, I wrote a “Character Manual” for the Genesys version of HERO TIME.

The “bestiary” or “monster handbook” depicts a significant number of creatures that the PCs can interact with or fight. I’ve always meant to write one of these, but haven’t gotten around to it.

“Adventures modules” (or “quests” as I’ve called them) provide a mission for the PCs to accomplish, and is typically structured like a TV episode. Because everything is ready to be played immediately, this gives the gamemaster a break from thinking of new things and gives the players something new to do.

While you won’t see any named as such, the “splatbook” contains in-depth information about one element of an RPG. It might focus on a species, class, location, group, etc. It differs from straight sourcebooks or player’s guides because both of those cover a wide variety of subjects that aren’t necessarily related.

While there doesn’t seem to be an agreed-upon term for these, “item books” provide an abundance of new things that the player-characters can find and use in the course of their adventures, and sometimes there will be rules so that they can make their own. Depending on the game, these books may also include vehicles for the PCs to drive.

The “beginner box” or “starter set” is similar to a traditional board game, in that it includes a rulebook, pieces, map, and everything you need to learn how to play an RPG. While it clearly isn’t a book, it is common enough to merit mentioning here.

This all goes back to the original question: how does the HERO TIME Sourcebook differ from the Core Book? The former is a sourcebook created for the extant Genesys system, while the latter is a core rulebook and new game that stands on its own two feet. There are a few more differences if you want to dive into the nitty-gritty, but that covers the majority of it.

That is all. See you next time!

–Neal