First Thoughts and Impressions on ICON's new update!

Today, I'm talking about the combat system and much more of ICON, a game written by Tom Bloom and produced by Massif Press, the creators of the Lancer RPG. This video will also get into some of the changes and new mechanics introduced in the new playtest update! Check out the link below to download the rules for yourself and start adventuring!
massif-press.itch.io/icon
All images and rules are copyright Tom Bloom 2023
Art, layout, and writing by Tom Bloom
Please feel free to print or share this book if you include this credits page.v 1.5, 6/07/2023
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - How does Combat work?
02:52 - Classes
04:03 - Combat Gameplay
05:01 - Foes
06:36 - Initiative
07:34 - The updates
08:31 - GM Toolkit
09:00 - Clocks (my favorite system)
10:15 - My Experience with Clocks
10:37 - Items
11:08 - Relics
11:51 - The Wrap-up
13:15 - Outtro

[@bobkingofseagulls9884]

Great to see someone talking about ICON - found the system but only really read it with the 1.5 update and been killing for Content about it.

[@L3gitNinjaMonkey]

i've been eyeing this game for some time and i have to agree that the artwork and class abilities are so flavorful and evocative, i'd love to try it out with my table someday :^)

[@JaggedWizard]

Yeah, it definitely does a really good job with the flavor! Let me know how it goes if you ever get to try it out!

[@pearlpowell8284]

This was a good review- I loooooove the art and the flavor in this system

[@JaggedWizard]

I definitely agree, they do a really good job with both of those! Thanks for checking out my video!

[@Flotsome]

I've really enjoyed the game, I'm glad to see someone covering it. My first experience with the system was as a GM at my table I took the initiative to learn it. Found it easy to learn but I also struggled a bit in combat, because they're a lot of mechanics/statuses to keep track of. But I got used to it quickly because they're mostly just 1 sentence length and each class lists all the technical jargon at the front of the class so its easy to look up. (If a player was struggling with a ruling, I didn't have to jump to several different places in the pdf I could just look at the front of their class to know what they're talking about).

[@DaBlueIghuana]

Nice to see someone cover this system finally, I really prefer listening to others explain rules and there hasn’t been anything to listen to for a while, now I’ll have someone to discuss and disagree with

[@wayneogle1792]

I appreciate your review. I think you may have misunderstood some fundamentals (for example, +1 boon gives you d6 to add to your d20 roll), but you probably have a better handle on it than I do. There are some major balance issues, but it should be fixable over time as the game gets more play testing.
One thing for me that can help in “getting” the combat system is understanding that it is more like anime/manga than the more gritty narrative system. Expect battles unlike anything you’ve done before, if you come from a dnd base. (Though there is some of the 4e feel, it is also far less crunchy and constrained).