I am a long-since confirmed superhero RPG junkie. So, yes, I was gonna give this game a shot no matter what. However, after reading through it, I immediately rolled up a 4-member super-mercenary team. Yes, the character generation is mostly random, but with a good amount of player choice mixed in. This hybrid system is implemented very simply and easily, though, as it everything else in the game. This is a rules-lite game with just enough meat on its bones, lots of customization options, and plans for tons of regular support in the very near future. Try it...you'll like it!

Dr. Mike Desing has condensed and refined his already great Fantasy RPG into a concise 54 page book without losing any of the funor sense of completeness that one expects from a core rulebook. Character classes, Races, an excellent Magic system, a packed Bestiary, world-building, and an adventure are all here, and all spelled out in clearly written and eminiently playable fashion. If you're looking for a new FRPG with an old school feel that gives you "more" in less than 100(s of) page(s), look no further!

This is game design at its most daring, folks: write a multi-genre RPG that fits on both idea of a bookmark and still gets the job(s) done There's some adjudication required, sure, but this is necessary when there isn't room to fit a "rule for everything" on something that can fit between two pages of a paperback This is the kind of fast and felxible game that puts imagination and improvisation up front, but it also has a simple, robust set of (a few) rules to back it up

I first "met" Aldo, the writer behind this book, in the forums for the original "Supers!" RPG (before the RED version came to be). Almost immediately, I knew that he would be a creator to watch for in this field. It didn't take long for him to prove me right, either: with supplements like "Freedom Ring" (and more), it was obvious that Aldo had a whole universe full of ideas in his head. They were good ideas, too, and he knew how to communicate them well and in very "gameable" and entertainign fashion. Now, years later, Aldo has proven right once again, AND proven that what I was impressed with before was just him getting started.

I backed this project on Kickstarter the very day that I heard of it, and to say that it has met my high expectations would be faint praise indeed. Folks, this is quite simply one of the best superhero universe sourcebooks I've ever seen, gaming-system-related or otherwise.

Not only is there a wealth of information; a detailed timeline, abundant information on important locations, organizations, and NPCs, but it's all presented extremely well. This book is a fun read, whether you intend to use it for gaming at all, or if you just want to lose yourself in a new superhero universe that's been built with tons of passion, creativity, and skill. Yes, it's also very useful for gaming (and available for lots of great systems), but I would be just as happy with this work if there were no "official system" stats in these pages at all.

Yeah, just give me some vague Marvel/DC Trading Card style "stats" (why is Wolverine rated for "Energy Projection?" who cares?) and I'd enjoy that version, too.

So, hey: bottom line - this book is fantastic. You should absolutely buy it.

"The Stalwart Age" is a sequel to or even a reboot of the "Sentinels of Echo City," which until recently was my favorite superhero RPG. Now, as you may have guessed, I have a new favorite: this one! Really, though, this game takes everything that worked about SOEC and tweaks it and trims it into a leaner, meaner, smoother-working package. The action economy is designed to be even more "comic-book-like," and there are plenty of creative options for heroes, using "Resolve,' and viallins, using "Tenacity," to keep things interesting and exciting. Perhaps my favorite part of this game, though, is the immersive quality of the universe it's set in. Not only is there a GREAT overview of the world, but there's a brief but very complete overview of a new home-base city (Midvale, which is located between the two cities featured in previous iterations of the game), and a very well-written three-part starter adventure, complete with four 1st level villains and plenty of other monsters/traps/puzzles for the players to encounter. All of this is fit very nicely into a startlingly low page count without feeling cramped or rushed. What's more, at the Stalwart Age and Splintered Realm blogs, Mike Desing is building and detailing this world all the time, including "summaries" of various issues of "comic books" from the history of this universe! If you join his Patreon, you get to see even more stuff, too. Really, folks, if you're looking for a new superhero RPG that's built for fun, speed, and creativity: look no further. Mike has more releases planned, and I can't wait to see 'em.

This game eschews the "4 color kitchen sink" approach of most superhero games, focusing very strongly instead on its chosen theme. The comic books of 1930s and 1940s are that theme, and the author uses the basic rules of early 70's D&D to create a game that almost flawlessly draws you into that world and lets you inhabit it. There are a lot of nice touches here, from calling all non-player controlled characters/creatures "mobsters" (instead of "monsters"), to the basic superhero power of "Wrecking Things," which is a true genius-level breakthrough for emulating the genre. There's a lot more to say here, but I'll leave it at this: Scott Casper has done exhaustive research on the Golen Age of Comics, and he uses it expertly here to create a fast-moving, easy-to-learn game that is simply packed with content.

....And this book only covers Levels 1-6! Buy this game, people, and give Scott a reason to create the rest of the 2nd Edition series!

This is yet another excellently written and crafted supplement for what is, in my opinion, the best superhero RPG on the market. Like all of Mike Desing's work, this product contains just enough detail and information to inspire GMs and Players, without bogging things down with of self-indulgent "fan-fiction overdoese" exposition. I want to take chanracters to this Hideaway, and I want to create new bad guys for those characters to interact with. This is fun, enthusiastic, entertaining stuff!

Support for Sentinels of Echo City is back, and it couldn't be cooler! In one page, you get two new superheroes, and one new supervillain for your game....and also for 50 cents! Heck, the publisher isn't even forcing you to pay that much! They also aren't stopping you from paying more than that, either, which is what I did. Get it! Encourage the creation of more issues!

Another fantastic issue! This a perfectly bite-sized but power-packed product, filled with just enough short fiction and statted-out gaming goodness to make you really feel like you are taking a quick vacation into the Stalwart Age of the SOEC universe. Buy it, enjoy it, and encourage the author to make more of it!

With this latest issue of "Zindagi," the story really starts to move forward, adding new elements even as previous developments come to a head. The philosophical themes are still very much present, but they are woven into the action instead of being used to stall it like some navel-gazing coffee break. I've said it before, and it bears repeating: Ken is creating a ground-up indie-comics cosmic saga the likes we haven't seen since Jim Starlin was the "new kid in town."

Jay Piscopo is one of the best creators working in independent comics today. If you need proof, you can get it right here, for the insanely low price of 75 cents! Jay's art is dynamic, his storytelling is clear, and his pacing is crisp. Get in on the ground floor with Jay Piscopo's Manowar, and go find anything else he's worked on. You won't be sorry!

This is an independent comic book with a reason to exist and something to say. A new cosmic yarn is being spun, here, and not just some retread of something you read back in the day, either. Read it here before you're disappointed by the studio-driven movie later :)

Endlessly fun character creation, simplified rules that don't alter the game too much at all, and an expanded setting/background material section that is interesting and inspiring to read. This is my favorite supers RPG from 2015, made better, stronger, faster, and cooler. So, you could say that this is my favorite supers RPG of 2018. Sorry, Icons, but hey: it's a close race, I promise.

Another excellent entry in the "Code" series of games. Does this game "do D& D?" No. And that's one of the things I like about it. This game does fantasy adventure. Don't expect all the D&D tropes of characters loaded down with dozens of spells, magic items, or...."feats" here. Your character will be based around a solid, thematic concept of your choosing, and you'll be done creating them in minutes. Is there room for advancement, adding more abilities, etc? Sure, but that's not the focus of this game. The focus is set squarely upon the story, on the "scenario" level, and on each character's own "sub-plot" level. Pick this (or any of the Code games) up if you want to get going quickly, keep things moving along, and tell some stories while rolling some dice.

This is a great book, and an excellent resource for Icons. The PDF is reasonably priced, but $30 for the Premium Hardcover seems a bit steep, now that I have the book in hand. It's a nice little book, for sure, but it does seem a bit...slim for Thirty Smackeroos. That said, the content is great, the art keeps getting better, and it's a fun, useful, interesting read. The Archetypes are super handy, and the Background generator is fun to take for a spin.