Steve Kenson's ICONS: Superpowered Roleplaying from Adamant Entertainment

[jaerdaph]

P.S. Not sure where this anti-M&M feeling comes from. I found it to be much simpler than, say, HERO.

I'm not "anti-M&M" at all. Yes, M&M is definitely simpler to learn and play than HERO. M&M is a great streamlined d20 system, and it's cousin True20 is still my go-to for d20 games. Although I don't have a lot of experience with M&M (I have played it), it's a great game! Perhaps it would have been better if I said Icons is even more streamlined and easier to pick up (especially for pickup games and one shots) than M&M is. I was just trying to compare two games by the same author off the cuff. Sorry for any ruffled feathers...

Edit: and "complete opposite of M&M" in the OP was a bad choice of words on my part.

 

[jaerdaph]

Perhaps the designer wanted a clear middle value (e.g. 7 on 2d6) rather then the 10.5 that would happen with a 3d6 distribution. It is kind of elegant, from a design point of view, to be able to determine what a dead average result looks like as an exact number.

That's exactly what it is because you are rolling to generate a number between -5 and +5, and rolling 2d6 and subtracting 7*, if the average roll is 7, gives you 0.

*this is actually the second of two ways to roll the 2d6 to generate the -5 to +5 range. The first way is to have two different colored d6s, one is the positive die, the other the negative die. You subtract the roll on the negative die from the positive die to get the result.

Personally, I think I prefer the second method.

 

[jaerdaph]

One last thing, I'm putting together a PDF of a character I rolled up, complete with a sketch I created using Hero Machine 2.5, and I'll post it here later. I'm hoping to get the ball rolling on sharing some cool builds.

 

[Kenson]

I'm hoping to get the ball rolling on sharing some cool builds.

Folks are doing so over on RPGnet and on the ICONS Wiki as well.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Not sure I like the dice mechanics. The 1d6-1d6 rule is a non-starter for me (as in, I'm not going to bother because it is too goofy), but the 2d6-7 version looks playable.

You know these are exactly the same, statistically, right?

 

[Doug McCrae]

For a game that's intended to be simple, I find both versions of the resolution mechanic to be rather clunky, and hard to explain to newbies. d20 + modifier vs DC is simpler and more intuitive imo.

For most people, addition is easier than subtraction, hence the shopkeeper's method of calculating change.

 

[Quantarum]

So by "supers RPGs of ages past" you mean Marvel Superheros? -Q.

 

[darjr]

It's -5 to 5 right? Just add 7 to to those and do 2d6. The +7 can be all done ahead of play so your numbers are all 2-12.

 

[Votan]

It's -5 to 5 right? Just add 7 to to those and do 2d6. The +7 can be all done ahead of play so your numbers are all 2-12.

That's another good solution and one I quite like.

 

[jaerdaph]

You know these are exactly the same, statistically, right?

And it's even stated in the book on the page with the bell curve percentage breakdown.