ICONS

How could I not like ICONS.
I'm a huge FUDGE and FATE fan. Have been since about 1996 when I first ran across an older copy of FUDGE online. Being a huge Dresden files fan doesn't hurt since evil hat productions used FATE for the dresden files game.

Icons is a simple but elegant little system that is really more akin to FUDGE with out words for values than it is FATE. and really doesn't use aspects at all, Which is really what makes FATE different from FUDGE.

Icons uses a style that is very loose and lite on rules. Its also has a style about it that reminds me of the old marvel universe RPG.

The one and only thing about ICONS I find weird is rolling 2D6 and subtracting one from the other. In a of FUDGE and FATE books there are a lot of alternate dice techniques. I think the 1D6 - 1D6 method is my least favorite. Although that doesn't really concern me since I have FUDGE dice.

A lot of what I see for ICONS looks good. But nothing grabbed my attention more than the work being done by Vigilance Press.  

Pulp inspired WWII and Cold war era supers. Yes please!!!!!

Any game that lets me kill Zombie Nazis is a +1 in my book.

ICONS

Desert Troll

 Desert Troll
NO. ENCOUNTERED: 1-3
SIZE: Large (8' long)
HD: 3 (d10)
MOVE: 20 ft., 40 ft. (roll)
AC: 15
ATTACKS: 2 slam (1d6),or club or rock (1d8).
SPECIAL: Darkvision 60', Regeneration (2hp).
SAVES: P
INT: Animal
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
TYPE: Humanoid
TREASURE: 2
XP: 50+3

In the southern reaches of the middle lands is the great desert of red sand. While many dangers await adventurers trying to cross the sand. The desert troll is an opportunist hunter. Often following its prey, waiting for it to be at its weakest before attacking. Desert troll have thick and scaly hide that matches the color of the surrounding red sand. After attacking and either killing or severely injuring its prey the desert troll will drag it back to its cave. Often stringing up what it doesn't eat immediately in a deep reach of the cave to be eaten later.

vɑ̃piʀ (C&C monster)

Vɑ̃piʀ are Creatures of the night. They hunt the shadows and dark alleys of most major cities. Like their vampire cousins they live on the blood of other humanoids. Many also enjoy the flesh as well. While vampires cling to some semblance of their human lives, vɑ̃piʀ do not. They are instinctual hunters who use the sewers and dark ally ways of over crowded human cities as private game reserves. Although animalistic, thay are smart enough to pick off those that will not be missed. Or find ways of disposing bodies in a way that can be explained as natural or at least not supernatural.


vɑ̃piʀ 
NO. ENCOUNTERED: 1    SAVES: M, P
SIZE: Medium     INT: Average
HD: 8 (d12)      ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Evil
MOVE: 60 ft., TYPE: Undead (Unique)
30 ft. (climb, Wall walk)     TREASURE: 8
AC: 20         XP: 1885+8
ATTACKS: Slam (1d6)
SPECIAL: Blood Drain, Damage Resistance (DR:1),
Spider Climb,


vɑ̃piʀ are incredibly fast runners. They can also climb and wall walk (as spider climb) on any surface.

C&C Advancement (Level)

One thing I really like about 3.0/3.5 was the ease of multi-classing. To do so you pretty much need a single level progression for all classes. There are one or two different options for multi-classing in C&C, none of them have the ease of 3.0/3.5 multi-classing. Once again the beauty of C&C is that its math is based on the d20 system and is easily ported over. I thought I would use pathfinders progression for an example. Pathfinder offers three different progression speeds. slow, medium, and fast. So you can set the pace of your game.

Level     Slow     Medium     Fast
1st           —           —           —
2nd        3,000     2,000       1,300
3rd        7,500     5,000        3,300
4th        14,000    9,000       6,000
5th        23,000   15,000     10,000
6th        35,000    23,000    15,000
7th        53,000    35,000    23,000
8th        77,000    51,000    34,000
9th      115,000     75,000   50,000
10th     160,000  105,000   71,000

The other option for this is to use the System laid out in True20. Which is there is no system in True20. In that system the GM just decides when you level. He looks at your accomplishments and tells you when you have reached the next level. As a group, or individually. Many gamers have a knee jerk reaction to not like this option. But I really think its great. Since the GM decided when you earn Experience any way it just knows down the pretense that leveling is some how up to the system and not the GM.