Tommy's Take on The Super Villain Handbook Deluxe Edition

As regular readers may recall, about a year and a half ago, I reviewed The Super Villain Handbook while it was being Kickstarted. I even named it as one of my Top Six. So now The Super Villain  Handbook Deluxe Edition is out, and I'm taking a look at it and its Savage Worlds conversion book.

Tommy's Take on Smoke & Mirrors, Teen Force 5 and The Globalist

DEVILISH DUOS: SMOKE & MIRRORS

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: The first in a new set of ICONS products (Mutants & Masterminds version also available) by Vigilance Press, Smoke & Mirrors features a pair of supernatural villains for your ICONS game. Written by Jack Norris and featuring art by Jack Dawsey, and only 99 cents in PDF format, Smoke & Mirrors is only ten pages, (closer to six when you remove covers and OGL information), but that's still more than enough to detail a pair of characters. Smoke and Mirrors are lesbian lovers and vicious murderers, and each have unique twists: Smoke is a ghost who can touch things in the real world, while Mirrors is perpetually invisible, and can only be seen in mirrors. Smoke is a spirit of vengeance who has a hard time keeping her rage focused entirely on those who deserve it, while Mirrors is a psychotic killer who murders on behalf of The Unseen Gods.

WHAT WORKS: Each villain has some unique twists, and have backstories open enough that they could be used in a variety of settings. A few general plot seeds are included, in case you just really have no idea how to use them. Also, the PDF includes printable stand-ups of Smoke and Mirrors, if that's your preference.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: One plot seed includes a sidebar for using the Oktobermen from Due Vigilance #1, a Mutants & Masterminds supplement that hasn't seen an ICONS release yet. Smoke's powers indicate that she can become "hard to see", but I'm not sure how that's reflected mechanically, unless it's meant to be part of the Blinding stunt off of her Mental Attack power.

CONCLUSION: Strong art by James Dawsey combined with interesting writing by Jack Norris and an "impulse purchase" price point make this a winner, unless you only like to use ICONS for "animated series" type games, then these two are going to be a tad too dark for that sort of thing. Impressive product.

WATCHGUARD ICONS: TEEN FORCE 5

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Teen Force 5 is a PDF release by Vigilance Press and Xion Studios for ICONS set in the WatchGuard universe, featuring five heroes (Teen Force 5) and five villains (Dark Faction). Each character is given an extensive bio (Marvel Handbook style, almost to a "T"), stat block, character portrait and printable standee. The PDF is 26 pages (including cover, OGL information, standees and so on), and costs $10.99, which admittedly, makes it stand out like a sore thumb among the rest of the Vigilance catalogue. Teen Force 5 is Bluechip (who reminds me a bit of Triatholon from Avengers, except his enhanced Traits are boosted and not always "on"), Jupiter (the female "brick" of the team"), Soundwave (a DJ with sonic/auditory powers), Tempest (a moody weather controller) and Vignette (a Goth mind controller). Dark Faction consists of Braindamage (a Telekinetic with ADHD), Bulldog (the team's brick), HardKnox (son of a luchador, with Osmium Steel Knuckles bearing "Hard" and "Knox" on them), Vespa (scientist turned thief in powered armor) and Zero (who can "halt molecular motion", making him REALLY hard to hit if he's aware of the attack).

WHAT WORKS: Zero is one of the better power concepts I've seen in a while. HardKnox having his name printed backwards on his Knuckles threw me at first, until I realized this way they would leave a "Hard Knox" impression on anything he hit. Standees are always great. The artist on Jupiter does a nice job of drawing her as an attractive woman with muscles, and not just a regular comic book female who happens to be super strong.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The only background information for the setting is buried in the backstories of the characters, leaving references to things like Summit City and the MHx-trait chromosome pretty meaningless for someone picking this book up (and it is the only Watchguard release for ICONS thus far). Bluechip's bio is (mostly) written in past tense, for no reason that is ever explained. Superhero mind controllers are always really awkward to pull off. The price point versus the content just does not hold up well to other Vigilance releases.

CONCLUSION: At a lower price point, I would have a higher opinion of this product. None of the characters really stand out as anything I haven't seen before, but they also aren't noticeable rip-offs or homages of existing characters, either. Not usable as a starting point for the WatchGuard universe, but certainly mineable for your own games (I'd especially swipe Zero...fun challenge right there).

WARGAMES: THE GLOBALIST

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Ah, the Wargames series. GI Joe meets superheroes in ICONS. The Globalist is a Cobra Commander looking chap who is head of an organization called UNITY, which basically seeks to become a big enough of a terrorist threat that the rest of the world joins forces against it, breaking down the barriers between nations and forging a one world government. Kinda like what Ozymandius wanted to do in Watchmen, except The Globalist is putting himself in the line of fire. The PDF is only $1 and includes The Globalist's backstory (with a fantastic twist), his stat block and stats for his Peacekeepers.

WHAT WORKS: The Globalist has a CRAZY secret in his backstory that is almost impossible to just guess, and makes him and his Peacekeepers MUCH more dangerous than you would think. He's also a villain of a radically different philosophy than General Venom, providing a "balanced outlook" to the crazies of the Wargames universe.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Oh, the backstory twist may be TOO much for some people. Not in an offensive way, just an oddball way. I, personally, think it's great. Yes, I'm reaching for "complaints" here.

CONCLUSION: I love the Wargames series by Vigilance Press, and this entry continues to impress me with a unique villain who pays homage (in appearance) to another classic Cobra Commander look (mirror face instead of hood), but with a unique backstory and approach all his own.

Tommy's Take on Vigilance Force, Eugenics Brigade and Crown Guard

VIGILANCE FORCE: HEROES OF WWII

Vigilance Force: Heroes of WWII is the first supplement for ICONS by Vigilance Press.

Here's the thing about ICONS: I want to like it, I really do. The whole package looks very charming. The Marvel FASERIP influence is great. The writing is just...I feel like too much got glossed over with a "Hey, if you don't like a rule, change it, champ!" approach. And in actual play, I didn't really feel like it held up.

Why am I saying all of this? Because there is some cool third party stuff coming out for ICONS, like ION Guard. Vigilance Force is the first book establishing a World War II setting for ICONS, and it is not all happy, Silver Age fun like the ICONS core leans towards. Instead, it comes across fairly hard nosed, with some very lovely, gritty art by Jon Gibbons (supplemented by art by Dan Houser which is nice, but a sharp contrast).

For $2, you get 14 pages of setting and superheroes, designed to be used as PCs for a WWII game. They do provide the Team Qualities, Challenges and Resources for those who wish to use the team rules in the ICONS rulebook.

There are some very cool characters here, my favorite being Freight Train, a super speed brick (not a combo you usually see outside of Superman). Agent Liberator is a lot like an amalgam of Captain America and The Comedian (from the Watchman) and Marauder sure seems heavily inspired by (though far from ripped off of, don't get me wrong) Wolverine.

In fact, there are very cool influences all over Vigilance Force that are nice homages and not just "serial numbers filed off".

The downsides? Unless I am just missing it, Captain Miracle has no backstory. Dan Houser contributes one piece, and it's fine, but it sticks out like a sore thumb next to Jon Gibbons. Not calling either style better than the other, just saying they clash...bad. I would have liked individual pics, instead of trying to figure out who was who in the group shot, personally. Finally, I don't run games with pregens, so for a guy like me, a team of superHEROES isn't incredibly useful. Not useLESS, just not the most useful. That said, for $2, there is some great inspiration in here.

I'd jump all over a BASH version, personally.

THE EUGENICS BRIGADE: VILLAINS OF WWII

The Eugenics Brigade are the counter balance to the Vigilance Force. In fact, they are the reason Vigilance Force was formed, and they are far more useful because villains tend to be far more useful for a GM than heroes do.

One of my gripes from Vigilance Force is present here as well, as several characters don't get any art, though there seems to be more individual art here than there was in Vigilance Force.

The first villain we get is a scantily-clad, nazi slutbomb stereotype (though she is a ballerina and not a dominatrix) named Charismatic, and thankfully she gets a picture. She has a twin sister with Luck Control powers to complete the ensemble.

Fireproof is the Nazi answer to the fiery hero Old Glory, and War Hound plays the Sabretooth to Marauder's Wolverine.

The two that impress me the most are Uberkrieger and Ubermensch, the Super Soldier and the Super Man. Underkrieger is just UGLY, with a large rifle and metallic jaws, while Ubermensch is, thankfully, not nearly as versatile as the real Superman.

There are other villains, as well as some cannon fodder such as soldiers in jetpacks, mystics and the rejects from the Eugenics program.

For $2 this offers much more bang for its back than its predecessor, due to villains simply being more useful, as noted above. Definite recommendation.

THE CROWN GUARD: HIS MAJESTY'S HEROES OF WWII

The latest in the ICONS WWII releases by Vigilance Press, The Crown Guard were the British super team that was fighting WWII before the US got involved, fending off the Eugenics Brigade.

Despite being outgunned and outmanned, the Crown Guard managed to keep Winston Churchill alive and convinced the Eugenics Brigade that they were better off attacking Russia than England.

As with Vigilance Force, this is a collection of heroes, so there is probably less utility for the average purchaser than there is with, say, a villain collection.

The PDF does include the necessary Team rules to fit the ICONS Team rules, if you wanted to run a Crown Guard game.

We get Big Ben, the prototypical giant brick.

Espirit is a French agent with phasing and invisibility, hence the name. Reminds me a lot of a random character I generated back for Marvel FASERIP who was ALSO a spy, and also had Mind Control...so I have a certain fondness for the character type.

Excalibur actually carries Excalibur, as well as a couple of other artifacts, making him a tough customer.

Grizzly is an animalistic Canadian hero, who seems a bit like a Wolverine riff taken the opposite direction from Marauder in Vigilance Force.

Illustrious is a bit of an enigma...a compulsive liar with amazing luck and an assumed name.

Ironclad is a living machine, the greatest creation of a dying scientist.

Repulse is The Crown Guard's Master of Magnetism.

Swordfish is the setting's answer to Namor/Aquaman.

Armorer is a supergenius inventor, trying to liberate his native Poland.

And last is John Bull, the only "successful" attempt at recreating the Nazi supersoldier project...leaving him with the appearance of a minotaur.

Again, like with Vigilance Force, there are a lot of obvious homages, but nothing I would call overtly ripped off. Even Swordfish feels like his own man and not like either Namor or Aquaman specifically.

There's the odd piece of art, but there is a big, group picture that you can use to suss out just who is who in the group. It's a good product in a good line...if World War II in ICONS interests you, then I recommend picking it up.

Tommy's Take on ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying

So I have reviewed a lot of ICONS products over the years (and you may have seen my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles posts)...but I've never reviewed ICONS. So, today, I'm going to change that.

The villains they are rushing at are on the
Villainomicon cover.

Tommy's Take on ION Guard - ICONS Edition

ION Guard ICONS Edition is a sourcebook for the ICONS RPG put forth by Colin Chapman and Radioactive Ape Designs and covering a section of the supers genre that never seems to get enough support: The cosmic hero subgenre.

Drawing from the obvious inspiration of DC's Green Lantern Corp (and perhaps Marvel's Nova Corp, which I prefer), ION Guard is a 59 page PDF running $7.99 at RPGnow.  It is fully searchable with copy and paste enabled, as well as featuring clickable bookmarks, so it hits all of my important PDF features.  A standard, detailed, table of contents is provided as well, which is always useful.

THE ION GUARD MANUAL

Our first stop in the book is the ION Guard Manual, which is a two page overview of the ION Guard, including the meaning of ION (Intergalactic Ordinance Network).  It gives an overview of their role as cosmic policemen, explains the significance of their symbol and talks about the creation of the ION Guard, when the last of the Ancients constructed an artificial world around a singularity and then installed himself into the construct, becoming ION Prime, in what reminds me a bit of Oa and the Xandarian Worldmind.  ION Prime created the ION Fists and blasted them into the universe, where they sought out those who have what it takes to wield the ION Fists.

HISTORY

Though the ION Guard has existed for one billion years, the timeline only hits key points from within the last hundred years, such as the emergence of the Sinister Sorcerers of Skathros, Galactus eating Oa (well, it was Infinitus eating Ao, but yeah), the fall, disappearance and reemergence of Manis, an ION Guard gone rogue and now calling himself Maniacus and more.  Wisely, the timeline is left wide open, especially later than 75 years or so, in order to give GMs extra flexibility.

OBJECTIVES

The book tells us that there are many laws to the ION Guard, but three core tenets: Protect The Innocent, Apprehend Wrongdoers and Aid The Cause of Peace.  There is the caveat that ION Guardsmen sometimes fly under the proverbial radar to get criminals when they are out of their jurisdiction, and a second caveat that, yeah, this is awful vague stuff...just like it is in the source material.

ORGANIZATION

The ION Guard begins with ION Prime.  From there, five Guardsmen are selected as The High Guard.  There are 50 Guard Commanders and then individual Guardsmen.  The book gives the five current High Guard, as well as their areas of expertise.  As well, there are 10,000 Guardsmen spread out over 5,000 sectors...meaning there's not a huge density of Guardsmen.

RECRUITMENT

Essentially, there are two methods of recruitment: You volunteer, at which pointed you are tested and interviewed extensively, and if the High Guard and ION Prime agree to it, you are inducted into the ION Guard, given an ION Fist and begin your training.  The other way is when an ION Guardsman falls and the ION Fist detaches from its former owner and seeks out a new Guardsman...if they accept, then that's that, whether the High Guard cares much for it or not.

TRAINING

ION Guard training is designed to winnow out the weak, so that the Guard is as good and as efficient as it can be...only 10% of those who make it TO the training make it THROUGH the training.  After a year of field training with a veteran, then they take The Oath, which makes them a full member:

“With Golden Light
I Fight For Right
Bear ION Fist
Against The Night
This I Swear
With Spirit Hard
Let Evil Fear
The ION Guard”

ION PRIME

This chapter details the planet itself, with all its features, such as the Training Academy (complete with Training Robots), the Forcells and their Sentries, plus the Hall of Light, which honors the fallen.  A sidebar is present discussing The Cosmic Singularity, and providing options for just what it actually is, as well as what exposure to it actually does, as the book ultimately leaves this up to the GM.

RESOURCES

Really, this chapter is about the ION Fists, also known as the Golden Gauntlets.  The ION Fist channels the power of the Cosmic Singularity, and adjusts itself to fit the hero.  The ION Fist absolutely resists removal, generally requiring that massive damage be done to the bearer first...and even then it should be a huge deal.  Every ION Fist has a handful of powers that it gives, including Flight, Blast, Life Support and Uniform Creation...however, a section is provided for stunt ideas, such as using the ION Fist in unconventional ways.  Also, the ION Fist is vulnerable to Magic.

CREATING AN ION GUARD

The one thing I don't like about the book is also one I'm not sure how to fix.  It specifically demands point based creation and, frankly, the thing I like most about ICONS is the random creation...but doing random creation with the ION Fist and without heavy houseruling is...difficult.

One interesting change is that the ICONS core rules seems to eschew the Origin system if you're using point buy...but ION Guard specifically uses Origins with the point buy...with everyone having the Unearthly option that combines two origins (Gimmick and one other Origin), complete with applying the modifiers after spending points.  You get 30 points and you must have a minimum Awareness 6 (before modifiers), Intellect 3 and Willpower 4.  You get the ION Fist, whose powers are set at Rank 8.  Common Qualities and Challenges are presented as well, to help ensure that the characters “fit” the ION Guard.

ADVENTURE SEEDS

A selection of mini adventure ideas, such as missing planets, world devastating storms and some tips on taking standard supers adventures and making them “cosmic”.

CHARACTERS

Three sample Guardsmen are provided: Caine Carston, Maug and Tamari.  The best part of this chapter, however, is the sidebar in mixing the ION Guard with other, non-ION Guard supers...after all, Nova and (especially) The Green Lantern team up with Earth heroes all the time.

We also get the fallen Guardsman Maniacus, who is kinda like Sinestro without any redeeming qualities.  The Sinister Sorcerers of Skathros are statted up here, and are a whole order designed to provide opposition.  Infinitus and his thralls are here as well, with Infinitus not given stats, and his four thralls (Asterox, Komett, Nebulea and Starr) taking some cues from Galactus' Heralds and their focus on the elements, without just being rip-offs.

Finally, the book rounds out with some samples cosmic vehicles, the gravcar, gravtank and starfighters.

A Sketch Gallery, Open Game Content notice and a single teaser for ALIEN EMPIRES caps the book off.

CONCLUSIONS

Honestly, this book almost singlehandedly takes ICONS from “looks cool” to “must play”.  Removing ads, table of contents, sketches and full page art pieces and there's maybe 50 pages of content in this book...but MAN are they packed with good stuff.  The Author draws VERY clear inspiration from Marvel and DC's cosmic titles, and manages it in such a way as to make it feel very much like an homage and not a rip-off.  Combine that with just how underserved the cosmic supers genre is, and ION GUARD is practically a must-buy product.

The art, provided by Jess Jennings, is in an “animated” style like the ICONS corebook, but cleaner and tighter pretty much across the board, so it feels like it fits the game while also improving on the standards set.  Similar things could be said about the writing.  ICONS is maddeningly vague in places, while ION GUARD really does provide just enough detail to get you playing, but leaving the big things open for you to do with as you will.

My one complaint is not being sure how to reconcile random generation with the ION Fists.

This book has not only sold me on giving ICONS a go in play, but it also sold me on the BASH version as soon as I'm able to acquire it (BASH is a bit higher on my “must-play” scale than ICONS is).  A third party supplement that is basically a step up on the parent game in just about every way.

Just a great product all around.

Tommy's Take on Druids, Goblins and Unkindness

Expanded Professions: The Druid

Holy smokes...now this is what I'm talking about. Misfit Studios officially tosses their hat into the Savage Worlds ring with a tiny supplement...of awesome. For $1.55 you can download a three page PDF that adds a Druid Professional Edge and then...expands it. What this product really is, is nine Edges starting with Druid and then allowing access to a number of special features and abilities,including a new Legendary Edge that allows the Druid to tap into the senses of all the animals in the surrounding area.

Yeah.

Another Edge piggybacks off of the Beast Master Edge and allows the Druid to impart cool abilities on their animal companion, or even boost the animal's stats. Yet another Edge allows the Druid to be powered by the land, complete with a table you can use to modify the Druid's power points with depending on where they are actually AT (a desert bumps the Druid's points down -4, while a jungle rockets them up a whopping +6, for instance).

Some people will say "too many edges" and "use what's already there"! I say "Holy crap, I wanna play a Druid, at least until some more of these come out...what's that? 'Champion' just came out? I need to pick that up..."

I am obviously very much a fan of this concept. The addition of more Edges (that have a reason for existing) can help dispel that notion that Savage Worlds "ends" at Legendary...and this supplement has a neat trick or two rolled into Edges that some might have tried to place into the Powers system.

If future releases hold up with this one...and I kinda hate Druids, so there you go...Misfit should have a bright future as a licensee.

Monster Brief: Goblins

Like the Expanded Professions, the Monster Briefs are short PDFs at $1.55, taking a given subject matter and "blowing it up" a bit.

In this case, we get an expanded focus on Goblins, complete with a couple of variations. The product is a mild letdown from the awesomeness that is the Expanded Professions, but still very cool. First up, we get introduced to the Beast Wrangler, a goblin that trains various animals for chaos and violence. This entry is mostly hampered by a reference to giant rats from the Pulp GM's Toolkit, an earlier Savage Worlds product that is now a bit on the obscure side due to the push for the various Companions (though the Pulp Toolkit is still available).

Goblin Lords are actually kind of impressive...having enough going for them statistically to be a threat, especially to lower ranked characters, even before you realize that they are also going to be surrounded by a whole tribe.

Goblin Wolf Riders are fairly self explanatory, and include vargrs, which are like dire wolves but big and mean.

The Monster Brief concludes with Ragefur mushrooms, a *very* scary mushroom that can send goblins into a furious berserker rage before possibly killing them...and then it does BAD stuff to non Goblins that eat it.

You know, its just not quite as cool or as useful as the first Expanded Profession, but this first Monster Brief is still a very encouraging sign as to what could be coming down the pike.

Unkindness

Unkindness caught a bit of infamy as Blackwyrm Games kind of jumped the gun when it was released, beating the August 1st "start date" for ICONS Licensees by a couple of months. This led to Adamant Entertainment initially pulling the license, but later reinstating it.

Unkindness is, in theory, a dual statted adventure for Hero/Champions and ICONS. In reality, It is a Hero/Champions adventure in which they decided to add some ICONS stat blocks in the back of the book. Any references in the adventure to rules are Champions rules, including a chart for attempting a knowledge skill check, which is only published in Champions terms and has no ICONS equivalents posted whatsoever. Literally, the ICONS support is limited to statblocks for the villain (The Raven King), his minions and a pair of important NPCs.

Is it super hard to convert the adventure to ICONS? Not really...but that's not the point. There shouldn't be any conversion work to do when there is an ICONS logo on the front of the book. If there were a BASH Logo on the front of the book, I would expect all rules to also be given in a BASH equivalent as well.

Does that mean the book is all bad?  Not as such, no. The adventure is interesting, featuring an ancient, mythological artifact and a series of robberies (that are connected and not in the usual ways) and a villain who both gets to be brough down decisively AND has room to come back in a far less contrived manner than your typical villain. In fact, no less than 27 system generic plot seeds are provided, giving you ample material to work with if you wanted to make The Raven King a recurring nemesis. It is worth noting that there is a revelation/subplot in the adventure involving (non-sexual) child abuse that pushes this adventure into more adult territory than your typical superhero entry (and I mean actual adult...not "boobs and guns" adult).

The art is pretty weak and this is one case where I think the coloring hurts it. It appears to have been colored by marker, and while the art isn't the strongest anyway, a better coloring job could have helped cover some of the deficiencies.

Even still, my single biggest complaint with the book is how, approaching it from an ICONS perspective, it feels very much like stat blocks were added in for the hopeful sales boost, but this was released as very much a Hero product otherwise. Disappointing, as more of an honest effort to serve both audiences advertised would have raised my opinion of the product considerably.

Tommy's Take on ICONS: The Assembled Edition

So last year, after my review of ICONS, Ad Infinitum and Green Ronin Publishing joined forces to release ICONS: The Assembled Edition...not quite a second edition, more of a 1.5 Edition...something closer to what Pinnacle does with the Savage Worlds core books than what D&D does with its editions (that is, remaining 95% compatible from edition to edition with little work).

Tommy's Take on Day of Deeds, The Big House and ICONS Hero Pack 1

DAY OF DEEDS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Day of Deeds is an adventure module for Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition, released by Action Games. It is a very interesting concept, a whole lot of Bad Stuff happens all at once, and the PCs have to try to get to the bottom of it before the city falls completely into chaos. The set-up is right up my alley: For each of the 24 locations, you can randomly roll a victim, an antagonist and a Wildcard situation. The chaos isn't completely random, there is a connection to it all.

WHAT WORKS: Though stats for the antagonists are provided, anyone familiar with their favorite supers system can use Day of Deeds with something other than Mutants & Masterminds. Myself, I would probably feel comfortable enough using it with Marvel SAGA, Marvel FASERIP, BASH Ultimate Edition, Savage Worlds Supers or ICONS. Also, anyone that pays attention too my reviews knows that I love random roll charts.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The bookend segments are written pretty weakly. Basically, it's an excuse to get to random chaotic action. Really, even at the PDF price of $7.50, it's a tad overpriced for what amounts to a big random encounter generator.

CONCLUSION: I love the concept. However, neither the writing nor the production values fully justify the price tag. I can't comment on the stat blocks in the back as I'm not a Mutants & Masterminds guy, but I can say that if the concept appeals to you, most of the encounters are certainly easy enough to state up in your favorite supers system.

THE BIG HOUSE

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Big House is a generic supplement by Scaldcrow Games that you can use as a superpowered prison for any supers RPG. It is 48 pages and stat-free, although it does have a system of icons to help you gauge how a given NPC should compare to your PCs experience-wise, as well as the level of threat they should pose. Similarly, important skills for each NPC are given on a 1-10 scale that you can use to judge where it would fall in your system of choice. A full map of the prison is included, with staff, security measures and so on, plus a handful of adventure seeds and a big worksheet of the cellblocks so you can track who is locked up where.

WHAT WORKS: I love the system for generically statting up NPCs and such, with a clearly defined scale that you can use to compare to your system of choice. If you're not a map-guy, and I'm not, ready made maps are even better.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: There are a lot of "see page. XXX" placeholders in the version I reviewed, and if you're fairly new to your system of choice, this is going to of limited usefulness to you, as the appropriate scaling may not be readily apparent.

CONCLUSION: Perfect for a GM that knows their system well but doesn't want to put the time in to detail every last aspect of a prison for their setting. I can't call it a must-buy because a) most existing settings already include a super prison and b) it certainly isn't the most helpful for beginning GMs, but it is still a very well-done product.

ICONS HERO PACK 1

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: 120 heroes and villains in one PDF, retailing for $9.95. Every character has game stats and art by Dan Houser. This was part of a promotion where people purchased slots for their characters, Mr. Houser drew them in the style associated with the ICONS rulebook and game stats were published for them. In addition, several of the ICONS characters from the corebook are also provided, such as The Whisper, The Hangman, All-Star and All American Girl. A whole slew of standees are also present, which should cover every character in the book as well as some blanks.

WHAT WORKS: If you're a fan of cardboard style standees in your game, having a bunch of new ones to play around with is always fun. Some of Mr. Houser's character designs are really great, providing some very interesting character images.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Backgrounds are not present for any of the characters. Vital statistics such as height and weight are likely inaccurate as well, as a particular height and weight shows up a LOT (5'6" and 140 lbs) even when it seemingly makes no sense at all in context of the picture . Many of the Aspects are not defined (with only Epithet, Catchphrase, Social, etc.) listed, making the lack of background for several of the characters even worse.

CONCLUSION: While not a bad idea, the execution is flawed. You don't really get 120 ready to use Heroes and Villains, instead getting a few mostly ready to use Heroes and Villains and a bunch of guys you still have to use a little creative work on to make table-ready. While the standees, character images and what you can glean from the concepts aren't bad at all, be warned that this is not an "out of the box" product.

Tommy's Take on DOOM (ICONS)

DOOM is the first ICONS release by Misfit Studios, and a conversion of the book by the same name which was released under the Mutants & Masterminds Superlink license.

First, a disclaimer: I did serve as a playtester on the book...which really just means I got to see it in play before I reviewed it, instead of just reading it.

DOOM by Misfit Studios, featuring
the Four Horsemen

It is nominally a villain book for ICONS, but it has a very specific focus to it: DOOM is an conspiracy/organization/cult that is not married to a specific setting. In fact, in my one go with the ICONS rules in play, I combined it with the ION Guard book...(the magic focus of DOOM makes them absolutely frightening adversaries for ION Guards).

First up, we get a Metahuman Threat Scale, meant to be an eye-balling guide to baddies, ranked from Alpha to Omega, with Alpha being the weakest and Omega the scariest. As well, there are notations that further defined the threats, such as "-P" meaning the threat is psychic or "-E" meaning extraterrestrial.

WHAT IS DOOM?

This is a two page background on the DOOM organizaation, an occult organization worshipping the "Lost Ones", who are very Lovecraftian in nature. It is noted that the Lost Ones should probably never be battled directly, as they are INSANELY powerful.

DOOM PERSONNEL

This is chock full of villainous game stats.

We get a section on the Counil of Nine that rules DOOM, but no concrete information at all, as GM is expected to design their own Council of Nine, if they choose to allow the PCs to confront them directly, whether built from scratch or drawn from the magical villains already in the setting.

We then get a selection of mooks, starting with rank and file cultists, then the assassin-like Daggers, the spellcasting Sorcerers and the Imps - people who have been...changed...by the dark powers of DOOM.

Next up as the very powerful lieutenants of the Council of Nine, known as the Doomsayers. We get eight of them, and they are an interesting bunch. Each entry gets a background, stats and three "Capers" you can use as inspiration for your own adventures.

Up first is the Immortal known as Acolyte. He is immortal in the Highlander sense, complete with the whole head-hunting power game. He is a powerful spellcaster and the leader of the Doomsayers, constantly looking for magical shortcuts in order to foul-up the other Immortals.

Bone is a veteran of the Iraq war who has been changed by an expirimental nerve gas that caused his bones to errupt from his body. Now he's capable of removing bones from his body and hurling them at his foes.

DOOM's Cerberus is a three-headed dog-man, and because of the three heads, you never know what you're getting, personality wise.

Chain is based off of the D&D Kytons, or "chain devils", which I have been a big fan of for years. He's not as big of a believer in the cause...just taking advantage of the opportunity to do death and destruction.

Deadman and Switch are an inseperable duo, with Switch possessing people's bodies and Deadman...er...taking stuff from people's bodies. Kinda like the old Marvel character Terror Inc., Deadman can rip off body parts and attach them to himself, using any powers that they have.

Fallen Angel is kind of a riff on Marvel's Archangel, being a winged mutant hero who has been twisted by DOOM.

Hellfire is a half demon flame wielder, and the only female on the team.

Nether is a Batman/Shroud like hero who has fallen under the sway of a very specific spell by Acolyte.

Last is Speed Demon, a meek man who cut a deal with demons...he is now host to a fast moviing clawed demon.

Next, we get the incredibly powerful Riders of the Apocalypse, who are the Four Horsemen of Death, War, Famine and Pestilence. They are only loosely under the control of DOOM, and each one should be an impressive challenge.

DOOM IN YOUR GAME

This is a series of "capers" that you can use for inspiration for inserting DOOM as an organization into your game, such as DOOM attacking the mystical heroes and villains of your setting and taking their magic items, or trying to awaken something that may or may not be Cthulhu.

The individual capers are more inspiring than the "DOOM in your game" capers, but some folks will probably still find these to be helpful.

NEW POWERS

Three new powers are included: Conjure, for summoning creatures; Power Boost for, well, boosting powers; and Weaken, which drains one of the six ability scores.

Weaken definitely harkens back to DOOM's M&M roots, and Conjure includes some benchmarks to use to determine appropriate summoned minions for the rank.

MYSTIC DEVICES

Soul Stones are evil little baubles that wizards can use to drain people's life and power their magic with, while the Pendants of Barzani can summon Barzani Demons (which are tied heavily into the DOOM organization) as well as control those of Barzani blood.

NEW CREATURES

First, we get three Templates that can be added to characters. Barzani Hybrids are a template that can be used to make people half-demon.

The Immortal template is much more involved, and is a pretty decent reproduction of Highlander Immortals. Every ten or so Immortals that an Immortal kills provides a full +1 bonus to an Ability, Power or Specialty. This might be a bit too "gamey" for ICONS, your mileage may vary...if so, you can always drop the Immortals and just give Acolyte "normal" Immortality.

Imps are people who have been imbued with dark power to serve DOOM, though they wind up less intelligent in the process.

Next, we get a slew of new monsters and creatures related to DOOM, such as the basic Barzani Demon and Demon Mounts, Chain Devils and Hellhounds. Additionally, a large listing of giant insects are present, for when Pestilence needs to unleash a plague of them.

Again, you can see some of the roots of the d20/D&D here just a little bit, especially with the Chain Devils.

DOOMSPIRE

This is the Super-Secret Headquarters of DOOM, which sits in a Hell dimension and has several powers of its own, from basic defenses to a self-generating supply of food for the inhabitants. Additionally, stats are given for the golem servants inside of it.

CONCLUSION

I'm not a huge Highlander fan, so I'm not sure I'm sold on the Immortals...but I really like the Doomsayers and the Riders of the Apocalypse, as well as many of the monsters such as the Chain Devils and Barzani Demons. Those guys alone would make it worth it for me. You could base a whole campaign *just* around these guys if you wanted to...heck, that's what I'm doing. I could see some folks chafing a bit at some of the new (to ICONS) concepts applied here, however, such as templates (I, personally, have no issue with them).

A great addition to the ICONS line, in my view, with some awesome villains that can be dropped into most any semi-(at least) serious series.

Tommy's Take on 13th Age

So, I've been reading 13th Age a lot lately, and have even signed up for the Organized Play program, so I decided to go ahead and take the time to review it...because why not?

Tommy's Take on Wellstone City Encounter Deck, ICONS Hero Pack 2 & 2.5

WELLSTONE CITY ENCOUNTERS DECK

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: This 8 page PDF is a "random events" chart designed for Wellstone City that can be used with any deck of standard playing cards (which are standard stuff for Savage Worlds). It is notable in part because many of the "randon events" can have HUGE implications on the campaign, like your own faction sending a sniper after you, or your rivals trying to recruit you as a double agent. The events are divided by suit, with a specific event for each card, although Spades/Hearts and Diamonds/Clubs use largely the same events with major/minor tweaks to them.

WHAT WORKS: Based off of a playing card deck makes the PDF incredibly simple to use, especially for folks on a printer budget. So many of the events having the ability to turn things on their ear is very much a plus in my book.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Given how big some of the events can be, and how closely they are mirrored in the Minor/Major scale, drawing once per scene seems excessive, especially when you factor in the "Joker" rule that can put multiple cards in play. I did note a few typos that made it into the final product. The PDF price seems a little high, *but only in relation to other Wellstone City/Silver Gryphon Games products*.

CONCLUSION: Great concept, but then I love random roll/draw charts, and the scale at which this chart works is very nice, with some real game-changing options present, which can lead to a series of double-crosses and and the like. A great idea for a great setting, adding an element of chance that can affect the game in minor ways (finding $20 on the street) to major ways (having the FBI offer you the chance to take down the Russian Mafia from the inside, or the CIA turning on you mid-op with an assassination attempt, for their own reasons). Especially recommended if you feel like your Wellstone City game is lacking a certain spark right now.

ICONS HERO PACK 2

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: With the success of the ICONS Hero Pack, it is no real surprise at a Hero Pack 2 came along. All of the art is still provided by Dan Houser, with characters created by ICONS fans, but this one only had 30 slots...which means the PDF is 65 pages, with every character getting a full character sheet and a background "page". Each character also receives a printable standee, so if you like your standees, there's a whole slew of them available for you here.

WHAT WORKS: One of the gripes I had about the first Hero Pack was that many of the characters weren't usable "out of the box", due to Qualities and Challenges not being specified, as well as the characters not having backgrounds...that is a non-issue here. Many of the characters were created by the same people, and have their backstories interwoven with one another. If I had to pick a favorite from this set, it would be Mook, a common thug with Duplication powers who hires himself out as an all-purpose Henchman force.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Some of the images, names and concepts seem to be an odd fit (Shadowform, the shapeshifter who turns into various tools and wears a green costume comes to mind).

CONCLUSION: From a design standpoint, this is an improvement over Hero Pack 1 in just about every way. The trimming down to 30 characters allows all of the characters room to "breathe", and allowing the artist's work to show off more than the otherwise crowded Hero Pack 1 did, and at $2 less than the first one.

ICONS HERO PACK 2.5

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: For $5, you get six new characters as well as an adventure with map and standees. In addition, Galacticron (who was lurking in Hero Pack 1) is present here, along with a couple of other villainous types specific to the adventure. The adventure itself is a pretty basic affair, with Lady Omega ripped Galacticron across space and into the New Mexico desert, in hopes that he will destroy Earth. The kicker, of course, is that the PCs can't really harm him directly.

WHAT WORKS: I really dig a couple of the new villains, like the tech-stealing Ephemera and Sequence - a villainous powerhouse who has received a serious upgrade. I actually wrote a comic script with villains similar to the "space locusts" that are presented here (although mine were more like cockroaches), so that's rather cool.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The adventure could have used some editing, and while Lady Omega is TECHNICALLY a fully useable character...she comes across like the barest stereotype of a supervillain. Also, the "useable map" sure looks like it would be DRAMATICALLY off scale for the standees (and that's being generous with the definition of "scale"). I would have liked, say, a page of Lakmar Shock Trooper standees, myself...I mean, if you're going to use them, you're going to want a bunch of them.

CONCLUSION: A good product, with a great example of an adventure where the heroes HAVE to think outside the box, at least with the Galacticron problem. Despite the paper-thin characterization of Lady Omega, she does at least have a cool look and power set, so an enterprising GM can build from there.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I started this blog at the beginning of the year as an exercise in making myself constantly write SOMETHING.  I've hit 75 blog posts since the beginning of the year...that's not bad at all.

It is still pretty much a catch-all for what interests me, but at the moment that seems to be largely role-playing games, due in no small part to becoming a member of RPGnow's blog support program.  If you're reading this, you have surely noticed that I review a ton of RPGs these days, but I will say this: I never review an RPG that I either did not already have a pre-existing interest in, or that I was not specifically contacted by a publisher about reviewing.

Some reviews that I plan on tackling in the near future include, but are not limited to, and in particular order are:

1) Slasher Flick: Director's Cut
2) Wild Talents: Progenitor
3) Apocalypse Prevention Inc. - Not the book, but the entire game line.
4) The Crime Network - I had agreed to review the Old Country adventure, but after doing so, I now have the desire to post a review for the base game itself.
5) ION Guard - ICONS Edition
6) ICONS
7) BASH Ultimate Edition
8) ARGHH! Thar Be Zombies

In addition to RPG reviews, I have been posting the TMNT Thursdays, statting out the Ninja Turtles for ICONS.  I've pondered expanding this, with something like Masters of the Universe Monday, covering He-Man and gang, but that's still up in the air.  I don't know for sure just how deep I'll actually go with the Ninja Turtles, but I do know that Casey Jones, Leatherhead, The Rat King and Slash are coming, I'll probably hit Ace Duck, Bloodbath, Wingnut & Screwloose and maybe Cudley the Cowlick in a post together (they were all involved in Stump Wrestling in the Archie comics), as well as Tokka, Rahzar, Tatsu and Super Shredder in a likely "Movie Villains" post.

I'm kicking around other ideas for articles and features for the blog, maybe some Savage Worlds stuff, revisiting my Marvel SAGA houserules and charts, maybe rejiggering them so that they mesh with BASH and ICONS, who knows?

I have at least one more little piece of short fiction I'm going to post, maybe this weekend...one last remnant from my ill-advised return to school.

I am unofficially consulting on two RPG projects, not an area I feel terribly comfortable in, especially when we're focusing on rules because I Am Not A Designer, and trying to design RPG rules makes my head hurt.  I've had a couple of people tell me I should try to do more RPG stuff, but I would only be able to do that working within an existing rules system...I'm just not wired to design at all.

For those who missed it in Oklahoma, my first published comic work - EQUINOX #1 - was released in POD format at IndyPlanet, and DriveThruComics is selling the electronic version.  I wrote the back-up story, "Living in Shadows", which stars HELLRAZER and will hopefully just be the first of many stories I tell with her.  Johnnie Johnson and I are working on a special "commentary" for "Living in Shadows", which will be available at the Equinox Comics website.  Also, this fall my first full comic, HELLRAZER VS VOODOO, will be released as well, which I am VERY excited about.  I co-plotted it with Shawn Cowan, scripted it myself, with art by Johnnie Johnson and Jason Coody as well as colors by Trey Bishop.  Meanwhile, Ben Soto is finishing work on The Curse for EQUINOX #2, which is exciting stuff.

I'm working on what will hopefully be a fun twist on a superhero anthology with three other writers that is in very early planning stages at the moment, and I've received an interesting offer to collaborate on a children's book that I'm going to try to run with as a nice change of pace.

This month I also filed my first stories with Melanie Jordon of Imagine Daily, including an interview with Pinnacle's Shane Hensley...which will hopefully just be the tip of the iceberg for my collaborations with Imagine Daily.  Lining up some features and articles for the October issue, which I'm looking forward to.

I also have another comic project I'm hoping to start very soon, just waiting on my collaborator to get some stuff cleared off of his plate is all.

Oh, and I got an offer for a supersecret RPG playtest opportunity that I've tried not to mention in any way, shape or form, but I'm PSYCHED about, and should know more about within a week.

ANYWAY...thanks for visiting the blog!  I am a bit of a feedback whore, and even if you don't leave comments, I can still see the number of hits and that works alright for me.  Special thanks to Michael Wolf of Stargazer's World,  who not only directed me to the right people to get enrolled into the RPGnow Affiliate Program and Blog Support Program, but also plugged my blog on his site and absolutely spiked my readership, and I can't say thanks enough for that.

That said, I ask that whenever you can, especially if you like my reviews, use my affiliate links to make your purchases...every little bit not only keeps me blogging, but at the moment it literally keeps my car on the road to my day(night) job.  I've also applied for affiliate status with Lulu, and I really need to properly use my Amazon affiliate status as well.

Looking forward to much more blogging fun!

T.

ICONS Character Roster

Some of you may have noticed over the weekend that I added a new page to the blog: My ICONS character roster. This is because ICONS character creation is fun, and I recently picked up ICONS Assembled Edition, and have started making characters using it and Great Power.

All heroes are created using the optional rules for Determination based off of power level, and all villains are created starting with the Villain Role chart (originally from Villainomicon, now in Assembled Edition). Images (so far) are all created with Hero Machine.

For those of you that follow my comic book work, some of these folks may well wind up appearing in a comic book someday, who knows?

Anyway, enjoy!

Superhero Kickstarters to Check Out

Hey all, just checking in with a couple of Kickstarters to recommend for you...

SENTINELS OF THE MULTIVERSE: OBLIVAEON



Greater Than Games is doing one of the ballsiest things you can do...they are killing their cash cow while it's still HOT. They insist they always had a plan, and this is the grand finale of that plan: A final expansion in which the heroic characters of the Sentinels of the Multiverse will join forces with some of their fiercest foes to battle an epic Galactus/Darkseid/Thanos-like entity that wants to eradicate the multiverse.

I am a huge fan of Sentinels of the Multiverse. It is, simply put, the greatest card game I've ever played and I have logged hundreds of games and hundreds of hours. For those who are unfamiliar, you have a number of hero decks (generally 3-5), a villain deck (or a team, more on that later) and an environment deck. Then it's (generally) a slugfest until either the heroes fall or the villain does (some villains and environment decks introduce alternate win or lose conditions). The game has continued to grow, with multiple boxed expansions (gritty street-level, mystic and cosmic themed), new variants (two boxed sets introduced the concept of taking on teams of villains) and numerous single-deck expansion packs, as well as promo cards that provided variant heroes and villains to play with. The game is completely co-op, with the villain decks essentially being "automated". There's even an amazing video game version on Steam, Android and iOS devices.

Details about the gameplay in this expansion are still scarce, but it's known that multiple Environments will be used, as well as a Mission Deck. I freely admit, I have a ton of confidence in these guys to deliver, as I have yet to regret a purchase for this card game.

It is worth noting that the larger Sentinels line will still continue with their miniatures/skirmish game Sentinel Tactics (which I also enjoy, but rarely get to play) and the upcoming Sentinels of the Multiverse RPG (which I intend to get due to my love of the universe).

Heck, you can even get an ultimate collector's box in this Kickstarter that promises to hold every official card they have released (even sleeved!).

Highest recommendation for one of the greatest games I have ever played, from a company with an impeccable track record. I would  love to see that million dollar stretch goal shattered.

AGAINST THE AXIS - WORLD WAR II ERA PLAY IN STARK CITY

My friends over at Fainting Goat Games are hard at work on Against the Axis, an ICONS World War II book that is now also getting Savage Worlds and SUPERS! support. They have even joined forces with Heroic Publishing to tie in with several of their Golden Age style characters.

The ICONS manuscript is complete, and this is a full blown sourcebook that ties in with the Stark City setting released a few years ago, not simply an adventure (of which ICONS has seen several of).

Pinnacle's own Clint Black (who was the man behind one of my favorite campaigns of all time, Necessary Evil) is signed on to write a stretch goal book if it gets that far, but right now the campaign is struggling. Fainting Goat is a good company with great quality and reliability, and the ICONS manuscript is complete, so there is very low risk in backing this one, which still needs just under two grand to hit its funding goal in a week.

TMNT: ICONS in a Half Shell!

So Adamant Entertainment recently released the ICONS RPG, a superhero RPG written by Steve Kenson and inspired in no small part by the old Marvel Classic roleplaying game.  It's a very rules lite RPG, (almost too lite for my tastes in some places) but is still pretty cool.  It even has random character generation, which has inspired more than a few ideas for me that are likely to wind up in comic books down the line.  That said, I got the bright idea to write up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in ICONS, inspired partly by the fact that my kids are HUGE fans of the Turtles.  My ICONS Turtleverse is taken from the bits of each Turtleverse I like best, and so the write-ups are kind of a hybrid of the various Turtles incarnations.

Leonardo
Origin: Transformed

Prowess: 6
Coordination: 4
Strength: 4
Intellect: 4
Awareness: 5
Willpower: 5

Powers
Katanas: Strike (Slashing) 5
Turtle Shell: Invulnerability 3

Specialties
Acrobatics
Leadership
Martial Arts Expert
Stealth Master
Weapons (Blades) Master

Qualities
"Leonardo Leads..."
Connections: Splinter, April O'Neil
Spiritual Connection to Master Splinter
Motivation: To be the Perfect Warrior

Challenges
Sibling Rivalry: Raphael
Gah!  Snakes!
Impossible Standards
Trusting to a Fault
Enemy: Shredder

Stamina: 9
Determination: 3

Leonardo is the leader of the Turtles, the most spiritual as well as being the strongest fighter.  His Qualities are pretty self explanatory, but his Challenges include a healthy fear of snakes, constant personality clashes with Raphael, a somewhat naive outlook on other beings and a tendency to hold himself to such exacting standards that it not only impacts him, but his brothers when they fail to live up to Leonardo's lofty ideals...though Leonardo himself never actually holds that against his siblings.

Donatello
Origin: Transformed

Prowess: 5
Coordination: 4
Strength: 4
Intellect: 6
Awareness: 4
Willpower: 4

Powers:
Bo Staff: Strike (Bashing) 2
Turtle Shell: Invulnerability 3
Quick Thinking: Wizardry (Gadgets) 4
     Dimensional Travel, ESP

Specialties
Acrobatics
Computers
Drive
Electronics
Martial Arts Expert
Mechanics Expert
Pilot
Stealth Master
Weapons (Bludgeons) Master

Qualities
"Donatello does machines..."
Connections: Splinter, April O'Neil
Second in Command
Brainiac

Challenges
Doesn't "Get" Humans
Pacifist
Unexpected Glitch

Stamina: 8
Determination: 1

The brainiac of the Turtles, Donatello loves tinkering with machines, computers, you name it.  At home with a motherboard or a van engine, he relishes the opportunity to work with his hands.  Given a few minutes and some materials, he has a knack for bashing together all kinds of wacky inventions, though they sometimes go awry.  The second in command of the Turtles due to a maturity level second only to Leo's, Don is the quietest but steadiest Turtle.  Don is the least aggressive of the Turtles.  That's not saying he WON'T fight, especially if his family is in danger, just that he will work harder to avoid conflict in any situation and is harder to move to action than any of his brothers.  He also has a hard time relating to people, not really understanding human cultures the same way his brothers (especially Michelangelo) do.  Also, as mentioned, his devices often go on the fritz at the worst possible time.

Michelangelo
Origin: Transformed

Prowess: 4
Coordination: 6
Strength: 4
Intellect: 3
Awareness: 5
Willpower: 4

Powers
Nunchuks: Strike (Bashing) 3
Turtle Shell: Invulnerability 3

Specialities
Acrobatics Expert
Art (Writing)
Athletics
Martial Arts Expert
Stealth Master
Weapons (Bludgeons) Master

Qualities
"Michelangelo is a Party Dude!"
"I Love Being A Turtle!"
Hopelessly Optimistic
Empathetic
Connections: April O'Neil, Leatherhead and Splinter

Challenges
Comic Relief
Undisciplined
The Little Brother

Stamina: 8
Determination: 3

Michelangelo is pure, energetic spirit among the Turtles. The most outgoing of the brothers, he is always the one to look on the brighter side of a situation, or reach out to a stranger in need...no matter how strange, such as in the case of the mutated crocodile Leatherhead.  His enthusiasm can be infectious, to the point that he can even make Raphael crack a smile.  While he is the least skilled fighter of the Turtles, he is also the most athletic as well as being the most poetic.  Michelangelo, in addition to being a warrior, is also an author in his free time.  However, he is much less disciplined than his brothers, which can grate on them, and his constant jokes can even make Splinter and Donatello snap at him.  Michelangelo also does less than the others because he is almost "babied' by them, being treated as less capable than the rest.

Raphael
Origin: Transformed

Prowess: 5
Coordination: 4
Strength: 5
Intellect: 3
Awareness: 4
Willpower: 6

Powers
Sais: Weapons (Slashing) 4
Turtle Shell: Invulnerability 3

Specialties
Acrobatics
Martial Arts Expert
Stealth Master
Weapons (Blades) Master
Wrestling

Qualities
"Raphael is cool but crude"
Fiercely Loyal
Connections: April O'Neil, Splinter and Casey Jones
Secret Identity: Nightwatcher


Challenges
Gah!  Bugs!
Sibling Rivalry: Leonardo
Explosive Temper

Stamina: 11
Determination: 3

Bullheaded to the very end, Raphael often clashes with his brothers, ESPECIALLY Leonardo.  He doesn't follow orders well, and it irks him to no end that Leonardo has Donatello as his second in command and Splinter agrees with that.  Raphael is ALMOST as good as Leonardo...his biggest problem being his temper, which can cause him to make mistakes or say and do things he regrets later.  Though he sometimes moonlights as The Nightwatcher, which gives him the freedom that being a member of the Turtles doesn't, it is something he has to keep secret because the other Turtles, especially Donatello, would not approve of his methods.  All that said, Raphael is fiercely loyal to his brothers, Michelangelo most of all, and would not hesitate to give his life to save them.  He is more than a little creeped out by insects, though.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Origin: Transformed
Members: Leonardo (Leader), Donatello, Michelangelo & Raphael
Mentor: Master Splinter

Team Determination: 6

Qualities
"Turtle Power!"
We Strike Quickly and Fade Away
Heroes in a Half Shell

Challenges
Targeted by The Foot Clan and the Purple Dragons
Must Hide Our Existence from the World

Some Early February Announcements

THE MOST UNREAD BLOG EVER GETS READ

Yep...last month was the highest traffic month in my blog's history, shattering the previous record of last January's traffic. This was due in no small part to Tommy's Top Six and the Birthday Blog Giveaway, which received a lot of extra publicity this year. For that, I thank you, and I hope at least some of you come back even when I'm not giving away stuff.

FEB-WU-ARY IS BACK

Third Eye Games has resurrected Feb-Wu-Ary, a contest in which you can win a free copy of Wu Xing every day this month. Pop on over to their website to learn all about your ways to win because Wu Xing is WELL worth it.

A PAIR OF KICKSTARTERS

Mike Lafferty, the guy behind some of my favorite ICONS material by Vigilance Press, and the host of the Bamf Podcast, has launched a new venture called Fainting Goat Games, and they are running a Kickstarter to provide a series of adventures for ICONS. Normally, I would say that adventure support isn't something ICONS really needs MORE of, but Mike wrote Wargames, so check out Improbable Tales on Kickstarter.

Also, the Rogue Mage Kickstarter is underway, and just over halfway to their goal. Rogue Mage is a post-apocalyptic (or very apocalyptic) fantasy RPG by Christian Stiles, Faith Hunter, Raven Blackwell and Spike Y Jones, based on Faith Hunter's novel series. The game system is based off of the Mutants & Masterminds second edition rules, tweaked a bit for the fantasy feel. I'm expecting a review copy any time now, and I intend on providing this blog's readers with one of the first looks at the game even before the Kickstarter is completed. Check out the Rogue Mage Kickstarter page to see the incentives available for those who donate.

Tommy's Take on Revolver 2

So....yesterday, I reviewed Revolver. Today, I review its completely standalone sister (not really sequel) game, Revolver 2.

DISCLAIMER: This review does contain an affiliate link to Amazon.com. Purchasing the game through that link may provide me with referral credit to Amazon. No review copy was provided by the publisher. I acquired this game on my own.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Revolver 2 has the same mechanical base as Revolver, and includes a number of references to the characters in Revolver, but is designed to be completely standalone, from both a a story and a gameplay perspective. Revolver 2 comes in an impressive green tin, setting it apart from Revolver's red tin. The game retails for $30, though Amazon has it deeply discounted as of the time of this review.

The story is the first major change in Revolver 2: Instead of a gang on the run from a Colonel's posse, one player plays a Padre who is hiring gunslingers to defend a Mexican town sitting near a silver mine as a corrupt Mexican warlord is trying to take it over. Yeah, it's got a little bit of Magnificent Seven to it...and if you're a fan of westerns, that's probably a good thing. The winning conditions are similar to Revolver: General Mapache wins if he guns down all of the town's defenders, for instance, and the Padre's men can win if the Padre survives the battle in the silver mine, or if the Mexican army arrives to put an end to the General (mechanically functioning the same as removing the Mexican border tokens in Revolver).

Thematically, the "surviving four rounds in the Silver Mine" doesn't work as well as Jack Colty's "survive four rounds on the 3:15" from Revolver, but it is what it is.

With that base in place, however, we get a number of changes: First, the two players play a poker minigame, three hands worth, and the side that wins 2 out of 3 gets to set a more favorable battlefield layout for the game. In addition, some of the poker hands have over benefits, independent of winning or losing, such as extra Firepower tokens on battlefield spaces, adding or subtracting tokens from the Mexican Army card, or adding cards to your starting hand when the game begins.

The next big change comes at the beginning of the Padre's turn. See, the Padre starts off with seven guardians (counting himself), and can recruit another guardian or two on each turn (an icon on the battlefield tells you how many guardians you can recruit). Well, the Padre has the choice on some battlefields to forgo recruitment and instead skip turns there, moving the clock up faster at the expense of recruiting more people. This can be beneficial at times, because the General has a very powerful secret weapon at the silver mine, but it requires stockpiling cards in order to use properly, and if you can catch him flat footed at the mine, it can make the Padre's endgame easier. Of course, if you miscalculate, it can lead to you just being outgunned in the endgame.

One of the battlefields is called The Los Quantos Bridge, and it brings up another tactic for the Padre: If he has enough cards with TNT icons on them, he can blow the bridge, wiping out anyone or anything that the General has placed on the bridge to stop him. He can use a similar tactic in the Silver Mine, to counter the General's use of the Gatling Gun.

That's where another layer of complexity and strategy comes in: Every card has an effect in its own right, but many of the General's cards include ammo icons, to be used with the Gatling Gun in the endgame, while many of the Padre's cards have TNT icons, to be used at the Bridge or Silver Mine...so a card may be worth more to you in your hand, using it at the right battlefield, rather than just dumping it off in play.

The Padre has two decks of cards to draw from, the first being his regular card deck and the second being his Guardians. The Guardians have a survival rating, like Colty's men in the first game do, indicating just how important they are to the plot and what order they'll die in. Padre Estaban is the hero of this story, and will either see it through, or be the last one gunned down. Some Guardians let you draw a card when they come into play, some force you to discard when they die, some hasten the arrival of the Mexican Army and some stymy it. Zachary McReady, kin to the Colonel from the first game, makes an appearance here as a recruitable gunslinger. There's also a mysterious man named Jim Colt who carries a crow on his shoulder, and who may or may not resemble a certain gang leader from Revolver. There's also Kid Lightning, who has a Survival Rating of 0, but also has TWO Grit Tokens, meaning he can take a licking before he goes down.

As for the Padre's card deck itself, he has cards like Telegrams which remove tokens from the Mexican Army card, speeding their arrival along. Of course, he has different weapons he can drop on the battlefield for his men, as well as cards like "Get Ready For War!" that cause him to sacrifice two of his men in order to take out everyone the General has at a given battlefield. There's also a Kiowa Guide who will help the Mexican Army make better time to the town, bags of rattlesnakes that can take out one of the General's men and even a Stove Plate Jacket (ala Eastwood) that saves one of the Guardians from death.

The General is not without resources, using Swift Horses to move his men from battlefield to battlefield, Sodden Terrain to slow down the approach of the Mexican Army, Alligator Attacks to kill Guardians, powerful gunfighters like Gian Volonte (who is so powerful that the Padre gets to draw a card in order to balance out how scary he is) and Pancho Flores (who also forces the opponent to discard a card when he comes into play). The Las Cuchillos are also frightening, giving the General the option of discarding a card when they come into play and destroying one of the Padre's assets.

Like with Revolver, Revolver 2 will be bloody, with casualties mounting on both sides, and not even killing the General will be enough to stop his men.

WHAT WORKS: The Magnificent Seven with a dash of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly in a card game? Yes, please. The extra bits of strategy are a nice touch without over complicating anything. The connections to the first set are also nice, as easter eggs for players of both sets, without forcing continuity lockout.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: The creeping complexity may bode ill for those that love the simplicity of the first game. The backstory isn't quite as thrilling in this one, being painted as more of a straight, black and white, Good vs Evil tale...though, your mileage may certainly vary on whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. The win condition of waiting out the general in the Silver Mine doesn't work as well, thematically.

CONCLUSION: The backstories and the characters "pop" better in Revolver, but Magnificent Seven is my favorite western of all time, so essentially putting that in card game format is just AWESOME to me. The two Revolver games are just both so very cool to me, impulse purchases that I'm glad I indulged in. Absolutely worth it if you love westerns and you're cool with a 2 player only game. Highly recommended.

Tommy's Take on Public Enemies

Public Enemies is the first "modern day" ICONS release from Vigilance Press, set in the same world as their World War II releases, just in modern times. It is a villain folio, focusing entirely on big, big bads. Every person here is meant to be a threat to be taken seriously.

The art, by the Louis Porter Jr. design crew, all has a very "90s" feel to it, and if you read comics, you probably know what I'm talking about. Lots of armor, grittiness, scars and ponytails. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Though not every piece was done by the same artist, there is a uniformity (is that a word?) to the art, giving it a distinctive feel.

In the introduction, we learn that Alcatraz has been converted into a Super Prison...although no one is sure exactly WHEN that happened...appparently supers have been locked away there since before the prison as we know it was shut down.

Presumably more of the setting will be revealed over time, as bits and pieces keep getting dropped here and there, such as something about the Scion, who are apparently an alien race that attacked the earth. This is relevant due because it ties into the backstory of Armory, the first villain on the list. She reminds me a bit like what would happen if Screaming Mimi had gotten the Moonstones instead of Karla Sofen (and if you don't read Marvel Comics, that sentence was lost on you).

Atrocity is the first callback to the World War II books, as he was the head of a program trying to duplicate the Eugenics program...now he's a nearly mindless, rampaging giant of a monster. After being turned loose on aliens, he's now even scarier. All I'm saying is, if you and your players thought Troll was a tough fight from the corebook? Eeeeesh...

Next, we meet Brainstorm, the Smartest Man Alive...and yeah, he probably is. Note that while he's not the physical juggernaut you expect from worldshaking villains, his Stamina IS still stacked, due to his willpower.

Remember how Plastic Man was a small time hood? Now picture him as a ruthless assassin. That's Garrote. He may sound like a joke, but he's got some scary stats.

Equinox are four elemental themed villains, genetically engineered to survive on other planets. They cover Earth, Air, Fire and Cold, instead of Water, with an even male-female split. My main gripe here is that we find out how they were created, but they are not mindless creatures and we don't really get anything on THEM...in fact, they have no Qualities or Challenges, except Gale Force, who is the CEO of Equinox Industries. (They do have Team Qualities and Challenges, but that doesn't tell us anything about them as individuals, making it hard to look at them as anything but a collection of powers).

Ground Zero actually isn't a villain...he's just a threat to all life on Earth, aside from Atrocity. He's also an incredibly interesting character because of it.

The Hollow Men are a group of superpowered homocidal killers led by a man who claims to be from the future, and his collected his band of maniacs to drive the population down below 1 billion. Unlike Equinox, these guys are pretty well developed...with Frazier absolutely convinced that he's only doing what is best to protect humanity from itself...and most of his killers seem to agree.

Omega is a CIA spook turned supervillain after acquiring an amazing weapon...and then turned themselves in so that USHER (this world's equivalent to SHIELD) could protect them from the creators of the amazing weapon...'cause they kinda wanted it back.

Overtone started off as a hero...until the other heroes realized that he meant to clean up the streets via murdering villains instead of locking them away.

Shillelagh is one of the fey folk, but he doesn't look like any kind of fey you typically see, bearing more of a resemblance to Hercules, physically speaking.

Skullcap is a soldier gone mad, who had has body heavily modified until he's now superhuman. Reminds me a bit of Crossbones from Captain America, upgraded to an A-list villain.

Stigma is the grandson of Big Ben (from the Crown Guard), and the twin brother of the current Big Ben...they kinda wound up on opposite ends of things, as comic book twins tend to. In a nice twist, he was scarred in battle with his brother and no matter how his face is repaired, his scar reappears every time he uses his growing powers.

Finally, we have Tower, who is a homocidal robot built by The Savant (who is apparently a former ally of USHER, and perhaps the only man as smart as Brainstorm...and not currently imprisoned in Rock City, hence his lack of inclusing in this book).

Once again, Vigilance Press impresses me with another strong entry, and their largest one to date. I'm curious to see if we are getting a full setting book, or more small supplements building a larger picture.

As for the book itself, several of the villains have no HARD ties to a setting...I mean, almost all of them have "Enemy: USHER"...but you could cut that out and replace it with the government watchdog agency of your choice. Others, you might have to tweak a bit more if you wanted to use them in your own setting as opposed to this one...(not tweak mechanically, other than changing the odd Challenge like Enemy: USHER, just tweak backstories)...Stigma is probably the one most heavily tied to the setting. Even Atrocity could have his backstory switched up with little effort if you wanted to remove him from the WWII-verse Vigilance Press has laid out.

If you like ICONS, get this. If you like supers stuff, it may still be worth it for idea mining, given the price point. As for me, I could see myself piecemealing a setting together from various ICONS products...