Invincible RPG Kickstarter to Launch on September 23rd

A Kickstarter based on the popular superhero IP Invincible will launch on Kickstarter on September 23rd. Free League Publishing updated the description of their Kickstarter pre-launch page to confirm the news earlier today. The game will use the Year Zero Engine, similar to other IP-driven Free League games such as the Alien RPG. The RPG is desgined by designed by Adam Bradford and Tomas Harenstam.

The Kickstarter will include both a standard and collector's edition version of the Core Rulebook along with a new Starter Set. One stretch goal is a limited edition reprint of Invincible #1 that will only be distributed to backers and never reprinted ever again.

Invincible was originally created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley as an Image comic book series. The series was more recently adopted into a Prime Video animated series. Several board games and comic spinoffs featuring side-characters have also been released based on Invincible.

 

[Reynard]

The KS page says the campaign will launch at 9AM ET and there will be a quickstart PDF available.

 

[Teemu]

I read through the Quickstart pdf and it looks pretty promising. However my big worry is that they used the human type creature stats for the big bad in the intro adventure, and it makes the stat block so big and unwieldy for GMs. I hope they’ll switch to the Year Zero monster stats for major enemies, human or monstrous.

 

[overgeeked]

Wow. That quickstart is really selling me. I was working on a superhero game that split things between action and reaction scenes where you recover during reaction scenes...and would you look at that...same idea here. And they really are leaning into the Marvel Super Heroes nostalgia. The stats are only missing the E from FASERIP and are in the same order. The numbers have named ranks that really mirror MSH, straight up copying some names in the same sequence. Wild.

MSH. Poor. Typical. Good. Excellent. Remarkable. Incredible. Amazing. Monstrous. Unearthly.

Invincible. Poor. Typical. Good. Great. Extraordinary. Incredible. Amazing...

Health is the sum of your FAS stats. Resolve is the sum of your RIP stats.

ETA: Just rip out Invincible as the source material and toss the critical hits and it'll be a great superhero RPG.

 

[stormwriter]

I’m not super fond of superhero games, but I liked the rules from the QuickStart. They combined Skills into Talents (like The Great Dark) and went back to Slow+Fast action and Stunts (used in Mutant, Vaesen, Alien).

 

[BadEye]

Wow. That quickstart is really selling me. I was working on a superhero game that split things between action and reaction scenes where you recover during reaction scenes...and would you look at that...same idea here. And they really are leaning into the Marvel Super Heroes nostalgia. The stats are only missing the E from FASERIP and are in the same order. The numbers have named ranks that really mirror MSH, straight up copying some names in the same sequence. Wild.

MSH. Poor. Typical. Good. Excellent. Remarkable. Incredible. Amazing. Monstrous. Unearthly.

Invincible. Poor. Typical. Good. Great. Extraordinary. Incredible. Amazing...

Health is the sum of your FAS stats. Resolve is the sum of your RIP stats.

ETA: Just rip out Invincible as the source material and toss the critical hits and it'll be a great superhero RPG.

Our approach has been similar to what the Invincible comic series originally did - pull in and honor classic superhero elements or tropes, but then update and sometimes subvert them. After all these years, the best superhero games I've played (and I've played them all) have been the original TSR Marvel titles. We wanted to tie into and honor the things that made those great while updating things too. The comic series is a love letter to superhero comics and we want our game to be a love letter to those classic games.

And yes, you can absolutely use the system to play in any superhero setting. In the full game, we've also included guidance on using the critical hits table in more family-friendly or four-color games, so that mechanic wouldn't necessarily have to even go away.

 

[stormwriter]

And yes, you can absolutely use the system to play in any superhero setting. In the full game, we've also included guidance on using the critical hits table in more family-friendly or four-color games, so that mechanic wouldn't necessarily have to even go away.

That's very good to hear! I'm not familiar with the Invincible IP, but if the game still works well for more generic Superhero games, it's back on my radar.

 

[overgeeked]

Our approach has been similar to what the Invincible comic series originally did - pull in and honor classic superhero elements or tropes, but then update and sometimes subvert them. After all these years, the best superhero games I've played (and I've played them all) have been the original TSR Marvel titles. We wanted to tie into and honor the things that made those great while updating things too. The comic series is a love letter to superhero comics and we want our game to be a love letter to those classic games.

I'm right there with you. I've played most superhero RPGs and freelanced for a few over the years and MSH is still is my all-time favorite superhero RPG. When this was originally announced and MSH was mentioned my ears perked up. Seeing the quickstart only made me more excited.

And yes, you can absolutely use the system to play in any superhero setting. In the full game, we've also included guidance on using the critical hits table in more family-friendly or four-color games, so that mechanic wouldn't necessarily have to even go away.

As a fan of more four-color and Silver Age superheroes that's great to hear. Can't wait.

I am curious about one thing though. The RPG for the Distinguished Competition back-in-the-day had that wonderfully useful AP chart for things like weight carried, distances, speed, etc. Will there be something similar in the full game or how will things like that be handled in the Invincible RPG?

 

[BadEye]

I'm right there with you. I've played most superhero RPGs and freelanced for a few over the years and MSH is still is my all-time favorite superhero RPG. When this was originally announced and MSH was mentioned my ears perked up. Seeing the quickstart only made me more excited.

As a fan of more four-color and Silver Age superheroes that's great to hear. Can't wait.

Great to hear!

I am curious about one thing though. The RPG for the Distinguished Competition back-in-the-day had that wonderfully useful AP chart for things like weight carried, distances, speed, etc. Will there be something similar in the full game or how will things like that be handled in the Invincible RPG?

It isn't exactly the same, but guidance on benchmarks will be be there. The Quickstart is really condensed from what the final rules will include.

 

[Argyle King]

I backed this. I'm a fan of the series.

I went with the Invincible bundle + an extra set of dice.

The first 2 stretch goals are already unlocked.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Oxventure just posted a live-play of the quickstart, I believe. Haven't listened to it yet, but excited to.


Polygon also has a preview up: The Invincible TTRPG blends bloody battles, banter, and personal drama