ICONS was the first RPG I roped my son into when he was 9 (he's 21 now).  It's obviously heavily based on the old Marvel Superheroes RPG, but with some cool twists and a distinctive art style. 

I just introduced ICONS to my D&D group last month, and we're playing it more and more.  I'd love to hear people's takes on the system, the game, and if Pundit has anything to say on the matter, I'd love to hear it on a YouTube video (or here)!

I've never looked at ICONS.  Are you saying it's loosely based on the FASERIP system?

Yeah, it's not a percentile system, but the ranks and everything are clearly lifted/inspired from MSHRPG.  And I'm pretty sure they say as much.  It's written by Steve Kenson, who wrote Mutants & Masterminds.  I've found it to be a great game!

Steve Kenson is a master syncretist, creating Mutants and Masterminds from d20, DC Heroes, Champions and FATE.

ICONS is another of his games, which uses elements of Marvel Super Heroes and FATE.

Dude definitely knows his shit when it comes to game design and I really liked the few times I played ICONS. It's player-facing with the GM never having to roll iirc. The most important section (Powers) covers a wide enough range of powers that players should enjoy the options. That said, it 'aint as versatile when it comes to powers as M&M, but if you're looking for a fairly easy-to-play supers rpg, ICONS does the job. Plus, Kenson and others wrote a slew of very good modules so getting a one-shot or campaign going is a snap. The only thing that makes me choose M&M over ICONS is the former covers aspects of superheroes the latter doesn't (e.g., building a HQ and a far more comprehensive list of equipment/vehicles).

But that's me - your group will love ICONS 

I hadn't heard of this one before. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I still haven't found a Super RPG that perfectly fits me so I'll try this one out.

Played it, had fun with my character, found the system too simplistic and limited for my tastes. Not nearly granular enough for me personally.

If you get the ICONS Assembled version it has one of the most interesting set of campaign creation rules.

Essentially, everyone in the group generates multiple characters including the usual GM. Then, you form the premier superteam of the universe of one character from each normal player then the B team from everyone. They will be up when the normal GM is out or wants to play. The rest are fill-ins, C teams, etc so you can rotate game masters. The idea is to create an Avengers, a Defenders, and then all the solo books Marvel had bitd or similar for DC.

I think it is worth the price of the PDF for that and other GMing advice alone.

Yeah, I have both the Assembled edition and the original.  Very cool!  I've run 3-4 games of my "new" campaign so far.  Using the Vigilance Press World War II material, 3rd party but meant for ICONS, to run a "Golden Age" campaign ala the first Captain America movie, Wonder Woman (WWI I know but still) or The Phantom (from the 90s, with Billy Zane... don't judge me )

Quote from: Brigman on July 02, 2023, 05:34:29 PM
Yeah, I have both the Assembled edition and the original.  Very cool!  I've run 3-4 games of my "new" campaign so far.  Using the Vigilance Press World War II material, 3rd party but meant for ICONS, to run a "Golden Age" campaign ala the first Captain America movie, Wonder Woman (WWI I know but still) or The Phantom (from the 90s, with Billy Zane... don't judge me )

As I big WW fan (first issue was #228) had one of the few character story changes by movies I thought was good. The unlocated island home of the Amazons is a much easier sell in 1917 than 1942 and the change can be done without much violence to the core story.