13th Age - Icon Quandry

[Retreater]

So I'm trying to run a 13th Age game. The first session made little use of the player's icons, as we just ran the short adventure in the Core Rulebook. The second session was a follow-up adventure, but it was a mess trying to incorporate all the players' icons.

Here's the problem. I have slightly larger group of six players. For tomorrow's session, I'm supposed to incorporate 8 different icons. This includes several different villainous groups, a few different patrons, and a handful of ambivalent forces.


How is a GM supposed to do this? On top of it, the villains rolled on the icon relationships don't follow the previous sessions' icons. There are no consistent NPCs. The whole system seems a mess from a storytelling perspective.

Plus our combats are taking so long that we can get in only 2-3 battles a session (and have no time left for roleplaying).

 

[steenan]

To me, it looks like a result of either a misunderstanding of what the icons are for, or a miscommunication between players and the GM.

Icons that the players choose are "flags" - they mark what the players want the game to be about. And the icon rolls are there to enforce that.

So, if the players want a focused game with a main antagonist, their icon choices should be focused. In your case, they are not. That means that either your players made a mistake that needs to be corrected, or that they want a game with a lot of seemingly random adventures, with allies and enemies that come and go.

Just talk with them and ask. If they want more consistency, have them change their icon picks. If they want a lot of different icons in play, just accept that and don't try to build a single overreaching plot out of it.