(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!

It’s a “role-playing GAME”, so how do you play? Whenever a character wants to do something, he must perform a “test of skill”, or rather, a “skill test”.

How it works is simple: you select a skill, roll a pair of six-sided dice (that is, the standard six-sided white dice with the black dots on them), add any modifiers, and compare that result with the test’s challenge level. If your result is higher than the challenge level, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail.

Modifiers are bonuses or penalties that are added or subtracted (respectively) from the dice roll. The two most common bonuses are your character’s skill level and his attribute level. In short, you character has natural talents that help increase his chances of success. Both levels are added to the number on the dice. On the flipside, one of the most common penalties is a character’s defense level. When he is attacked, the attacker subtracts that amount from the number he rolls, making him harder to hit.

Once you get a firm grasp on skill tests, rolls, and modifiers, you will have mastered the fundamentals of playing “HERO TIME” and be ready to go.

That is all. Until next time!

–Neal