Heroes of Book & Paper – Quick Start Guide for Beginners

This guide is a small manual to explain the HB&P game system, how to play, and how the different adventures are designed.

Select Game Modes

When you start the game the NEW GAME option will allow you to play the free mode, while the CAMPAIGN button will start a new campaign.

Free mode is the basic way to play HB&P and is recommended for people who are just starting to play the game. In this mode you can select which adventure to play from all the possible ones and choose a difficulty for it. All experience points, items, and character progress are kept after finishing a quest. In case the player character dies during the quest, the experience points gained will be lost, but all loot gained remains in the inventory.

The campaign mode generates 5 random quests in a certain order that must be completed one by one. The adventures that can be generated can be any adventure in the game with the exception of ‘Your first adventure’ and ‘The Last Battle’. If the character falls during the campaign, the campaign is over. This game mode is only recommended for experienced players.

Character Class Selection

Whether in free mode or campaign mode, the players must select their character’s class, their starting weapon, as well as the first spell available to them if the selected class is able to cast spells.

Different classes have different ways of playing and dealing with adventures. Some of the combinations of class, weapon and starting spell will make the game easier or harder. It is not the same easy to play for example a warrior equipped with a weapon that uses brute force as a bard with a spear and a tuneful song spell.

Attributen

Kracht – This is an attribute primarily focused on combat. It allows the hero to hit more easily when using a weapon that uses this attribute. Events using this attribute are rare.

Behendigheid – This is another combat-focused attribute. It allows the hero to hit more easily when using a weapon that uses this attribute. Some events, not many, will require a roll of this attribute to overcome them.

Constitution – Determines the maximum hit points with which the hero starts each adventure. Some events, especially those that can be fatal to our character, use this attribute.

Wisdom – Primary attribute for classes that can cast spells. The higher the attribute the easier it will be for the character to obtain new spells, and the better the spells will be. Some events use this attribute.

Intelligentie – This attribute is mostly focused on searching, finding objects and secret passages. It is used in many events.

Charisma – Attribute exclusive to events. Usually used to get extra help or overcome obstacles encountered in quests more easily.

Game System

The game system uses a D21, Ja, a D21! Dat is, the generated die rolls can have a result between 0 en 20 (0 is a possible die result).

Any result equal to or lower than the attribute required for the roll will be a success. Any die value higher than the attribute is a failed roll.

The Weapons

Weapons usually have a bonus value ranging from -5 naar +3. This bonus value (or penalty if negative) must be added to the hero’s attribute on impact. Thus a -5 weapon using Strength will require a die roll less than or equal to the hero’s Strength -5, to hit the enemy. The bonus or penalty is added or subtracted directly from the hero’s attribute.

Therefore weapons with positive bonuses (+1, +2 of +3) are better than those with a negative bonus (in this case penalty) (-5, -3, -2 of -1).

Weapons with a +2 bonus are considered epic and those with a +3 are considered legendary.

All weapons use either the Strength or Dexterity attribute in combat.

The Combat

As I mentioned before, all weapons add or subtract a bonus or penalty directly to the hero’s combat attribute. Any die result that is equal to or less than the hero’s attribute after adding or subtracting the weapon’s value is a hit on the enemy. This hit value is indicated in each combat.

Any hit will always cause a minimum of one point of damage regardless of the enemy’s armour rating. The total damage caused by the weapon is the damage the weapon is capable of inflicting minus the enemy’s armour value.

Spell casting does not require a die roll. The casting of a spell during combat is always successful.

Only one spell can be used during combat, and it must have been previously equipped. So think carefully which of all your spells will be the right one for the fights.

The Design of the Adventures

All adventures are designed to be completed without having to fight even once. Thus it is possible to successfully complete an adventure with any character even those who are not ready to fight or do not have combat spells. You decide how to achieve victory: fighting your way through, or avoiding the fight.

All adventures are designed to be able to use most items and spells. Although some items are more valuable than others, the items stored in your inventory can help you in almost every quest, as well as spells.

All adventures give the possibility of obtaining at least one epic (+2) or one legendary (+3) wapen. Epic weapons are usually obtained by discovering secret locations or by using a combination of items to overcome an obstacle. Legendary weapons can only be obtained by defeating a legendary enemy.

An exception to these rules are the first adventure (‘Your first Adventure’) and the last adventure (‘The Last Battle’).

The Replayability of the Adventures

Ook, all adventures without exception, include procedural or random elements that can change the story every time you replay it, regardless of whether you replay it with the same character. New locations, valkerij, vijanden, items or loot, or different branches of the story can be generated each time you replay a quest. Also each story has different endings based on the decisions made by the players.

On some rare occasions even making the same decision you made on the previous attempt may yield different results. I encourage players to give it a try!