![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So here I sit in a courtyard at TusCon, in the shade of an orange tree, at what may possibly be the most laid-back con I've ever attended.Next to me is ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
innocent_man, simultaneously blogging with me, and the two of us are setting forth to create characters in Icons, which should be a hoot.
Icons was written by Steve Kenson and released by Adamant Entertainment, which means that two people who make my "must find and say hi to and share food with if possible" list for conventions were involved in this project, which means that I am absolutely going to make a character for this game.
I enjoy superhero games. They aren't my all-time favorite genre, but they're always a lot of fun. This one is quick and fun and uses quotes from real comic books, and as a result I think it's pretty cool.
The Game: Icons
The Publisher: Adamant Entertainment
Degree of Familiarity: I've read through it, more or less.
Books Required: Just this one. There might be supplements or adventures available, but I haven't checked.
Allright. Everything's on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being human and 10 being... well, seriously not. Dice are 2d6, with one designated positive and one negative. You roll both, subtract negative from positive, and that's you're result. Obviously, the higher you role, the better. Only the players roll in reaction to the GM -- the GM doesn't roll at all. So, on to chargen! (Oh, did I mention it's completely random? It's completely random. :))
Phase One: Origin--I roll 2d6 and get -- Transformed! I was human once upon a time, but something happened and I was Changed. One of my powers or abilities is increased by 2.
Phase Two: Abilities--Abilities are Prowess, Coordination, Strength, Intellect, Awareness, and Willpower. Okay, so we roll on the Level Determination chart. I get: 5, 5, 3, 3, 4, 4. That's Excellent Prowess and Coordination, Average Strength and Intellect, and Good Awareness and Willpower. I could switch two fo them, but really... I don't feel the need. I'm good with what I have.
Phase Three: Powers--I rolled an 8, so I get 4 powers! Wowza. :) So, my first power comes up Defensive. Rolling on the Defensive Table, I get Immunity, which counts as 2 powers (glad I got 4 total). That's a level 7 power (I rolled an 11 for that one... holy cats).
Second Power: I rolled an Offensive power this time, which comes up as Life Drain (eeee). That's also a level 7 power (Jeeezus). I no longer feel the least bit bad about my ability scores.
Third Power: Control this time, Power Nullification. This one's only at level 4 (just as well, really).
Phase Four: Specialties--I roll up a 6 total, which means two specialties. We flip over to the specialties section and I see that I get two skills, effectively, that give me bonuses to my ability score when dealing with that sort of thing. I end up choosing Power: Life Drain (which helps me make checks for that power) and Weapons. If she's not a tank, she should be, what with those sorts of abilities, and therefore she is!
At this point Matt comments that his stats are better than mine; I return fire by acknowledging his point, given that my powers completely kick his butt. :)
Phase Five: Stamina and Background--So Stamina is Strength+Willpower, which gives me a 7. Not too bad.
Oh, that reminds me--that plus 2. Um... Coordination, She used to play raquetball. Oh, and that reminds me of something else! I need to pick what I'm immune to. It isn't a chart this time, so I look over the options. Hmm.... Life Drain and Power Nullification... I think Radiation is the most likely.
So, for a background. Um.. Marisol Ramirez was a secretary at a research firm in Albuquerque that specialized in dealing with isotopes and defense research. She was on site when the "terrorists" got inside and locked the place down. When they couldn't get out, they tried to blow the place up. She survived, but she was changed forever. Aaaand.... yeah. In trying to come up with something for her superhero name, her name is Maria of the Sun... Eclipse, maybe. Her powers are life drain and immunity, so when she activates them she goes dark except for a bright, radiating halo around her. I like it.
Description. She's an athletic Latina with long black-brown hair, dark eyes, and a 1000-watt smile (almost literally). She wears a black superhero suit that owes a bit of its styling to bicycle outfits, with a short turtleneck with a zip in front, long sleeves, and long, close-fitting spandex pants, with black ankle boots.. Her outfit is mostly black, with yellow stripes across her shoulders and down her sleeves, down the sides of her pants, and a yellow starburst sort of thing center torso.
Phase Six: Determination. Determination is 6 minus the number of powers you have. Any abilities over a 6 count as a power. That leaves me a 1, which is the minimum anyway. As part of this phase, you choose aspects, which are made up of Qualities (positive) and Challenges (negative). These are the way you get determination back in game, so picking some is important. You can have up to five of each to start, but you must pick at least one Quality. I think I'm going to pick an Enemy (Doctor X), a Weakness (she has to have at least an hour of sunlight a day or she gets sick), and a Connection (her ex-boyfriend, whom she still loves).
And that's that! I finished another character. Jeepers. :)
innocent_man, simultaneously blogging with me, and the two of us are setting forth to create characters in Icons, which should be a hoot. Icons was written by Steve Kenson and released by Adamant Entertainment, which means that two people who make my "must find and say hi to and share food with if possible" list for conventions were involved in this project, which means that I am absolutely going to make a character for this game.
I enjoy superhero games. They aren't my all-time favorite genre, but they're always a lot of fun. This one is quick and fun and uses quotes from real comic books, and as a result I think it's pretty cool.
The Game: Icons
The Publisher: Adamant Entertainment
Degree of Familiarity: I've read through it, more or less.
Books Required: Just this one. There might be supplements or adventures available, but I haven't checked.
Allright. Everything's on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being human and 10 being... well, seriously not. Dice are 2d6, with one designated positive and one negative. You roll both, subtract negative from positive, and that's you're result. Obviously, the higher you role, the better. Only the players roll in reaction to the GM -- the GM doesn't roll at all. So, on to chargen! (Oh, did I mention it's completely random? It's completely random. :))
Phase One: Origin--I roll 2d6 and get -- Transformed! I was human once upon a time, but something happened and I was Changed. One of my powers or abilities is increased by 2.
Phase Two: Abilities--Abilities are Prowess, Coordination, Strength, Intellect, Awareness, and Willpower. Okay, so we roll on the Level Determination chart. I get: 5, 5, 3, 3, 4, 4. That's Excellent Prowess and Coordination, Average Strength and Intellect, and Good Awareness and Willpower. I could switch two fo them, but really... I don't feel the need. I'm good with what I have.
Phase Three: Powers--I rolled an 8, so I get 4 powers! Wowza. :) So, my first power comes up Defensive. Rolling on the Defensive Table, I get Immunity, which counts as 2 powers (glad I got 4 total). That's a level 7 power (I rolled an 11 for that one... holy cats).
Second Power: I rolled an Offensive power this time, which comes up as Life Drain (eeee). That's also a level 7 power (Jeeezus). I no longer feel the least bit bad about my ability scores.
Third Power: Control this time, Power Nullification. This one's only at level 4 (just as well, really).
Phase Four: Specialties--I roll up a 6 total, which means two specialties. We flip over to the specialties section and I see that I get two skills, effectively, that give me bonuses to my ability score when dealing with that sort of thing. I end up choosing Power: Life Drain (which helps me make checks for that power) and Weapons. If she's not a tank, she should be, what with those sorts of abilities, and therefore she is!
At this point Matt comments that his stats are better than mine; I return fire by acknowledging his point, given that my powers completely kick his butt. :)
Phase Five: Stamina and Background--So Stamina is Strength+Willpower, which gives me a 7. Not too bad.
Oh, that reminds me--that plus 2. Um... Coordination, She used to play raquetball. Oh, and that reminds me of something else! I need to pick what I'm immune to. It isn't a chart this time, so I look over the options. Hmm.... Life Drain and Power Nullification... I think Radiation is the most likely.
So, for a background. Um.. Marisol Ramirez was a secretary at a research firm in Albuquerque that specialized in dealing with isotopes and defense research. She was on site when the "terrorists" got inside and locked the place down. When they couldn't get out, they tried to blow the place up. She survived, but she was changed forever. Aaaand.... yeah. In trying to come up with something for her superhero name, her name is Maria of the Sun... Eclipse, maybe. Her powers are life drain and immunity, so when she activates them she goes dark except for a bright, radiating halo around her. I like it.
Description. She's an athletic Latina with long black-brown hair, dark eyes, and a 1000-watt smile (almost literally). She wears a black superhero suit that owes a bit of its styling to bicycle outfits, with a short turtleneck with a zip in front, long sleeves, and long, close-fitting spandex pants, with black ankle boots.. Her outfit is mostly black, with yellow stripes across her shoulders and down her sleeves, down the sides of her pants, and a yellow starburst sort of thing center torso.
Phase Six: Determination. Determination is 6 minus the number of powers you have. Any abilities over a 6 count as a power. That leaves me a 1, which is the minimum anyway. As part of this phase, you choose aspects, which are made up of Qualities (positive) and Challenges (negative). These are the way you get determination back in game, so picking some is important. You can have up to five of each to start, but you must pick at least one Quality. I think I'm going to pick an Enemy (Doctor X), a Weakness (she has to have at least an hour of sunlight a day or she gets sick), and a Connection (her ex-boyfriend, whom she still loves).
And that's that! I finished another character. Jeepers. :)
