Got some money burning a hole in my pocket and an urge to play supers. From my reading here this seems to be the favored system. So price being no object, which is the better book? I know a lot of Second editions can either really stream line things and bring the system together or they can be a cluster fuck. Which way to go?

Personally, I'd recommend the Assembled Edition with the Great Power supplement for extra powers and flexibility if you don't mind spending a bit more. There were some rules tweaks between editions, but more importantly AE included some other rules options from ICONS supplements like the Villainomicon and Team-Up. You can see a summary of some changes here: https://stevekenson.com/2014/05/05/icons-assembled-whats-different/

QuoteAs production is wrapping up on the Assembled Edition of Icons, folks are wondering: what is different or "assembled" about it? Here's a quick overview that might not cover everything, but hits on the highlights:

Adjectives (from Weak to Supreme) see a bit more use in talking about abilities on the scale.

Actions characters can perform during their panel are better defined. Supplemental actions are gone; as feedback indicated they were confusing and folks tended not to use them or the associated modifiers. Instead, characters get an Action, a Move, and a number of opportunities to React and Interact.

The Benchmarks Table from Great Power is included.

The term "Determination Points" (DP) is used to differentiate the resource players spend from the Determination ability level.

The default die rolling method is: Effort (Acting Ability + d6) – Difficulty (Opposing Ability/Level + d6) = Outcome. The math is the same, it just equalizes the die-rolling equation so there isn't a need to "reverse" all the action formulae when its GM characters acting rather than heroes, or vice versa. The original d6-d6 method (along with a couple of others) are optional rules.

There is a marginal degree of success, allowing for one of seven degrees of outcome: Massive, Major, and Moderate Failure, and Marginal, Moderate, Major, and Massive Success.

The Combined Effort rules are more broadly applied for "stacking" instances.

Pyramid Tests (which first appeared in Sidereal Schemes of Dr. Zodiac) are in the Basics chapter, along with all the Pyramid Test modifiers and variations from Team-Up.

Challenges are consolidated into qualities, and the baseline number of qualities is reduced to three to start. Qualities are activated both to create advantage and to cause trouble for characters.

The Qualities section has expanded information on creating and learning qualities, removing temporary qualities, and activating qualities through maneuvers and tactics as well as spending Determination Points.

Determined Effort is replaced by a simpler Improved Effort that is just a flat +2 bonus, dropping the various requirements that no one really used anyway. Focused Effort is folded in the stunt mechanics (substituting one level for another in a test or effect), a Push Ability option is added.

Trouble caused by activating qualities includes Challenge, Compulsion, Disability, Increased Difficulty, and Lost Panel. I may write at some point about the notion of "Editorial Interference" as trouble, but that concept didn't make the cut (too meta and, frankly, rooted in comics fan cynicism).

The Stunts section has expanded to include using superhuman (level 7+) abilities and Master Specialties for stunts, as well as powers.

The Damage section include options for minions, more lethal damage, lasting injuries, and different damage effects (from the standard Slam, Stun, and Kill effects).

There are two expanded examples of play, one in the Basics chapter and one in the Taking Action chapter.

The random Power Type table is tweaked slightly to change the probabilities of generating certain powers (mainly making Movement Powers more common than Mental Powers).

There is an optional table for randomly rolling Specialties (if you want, otherwise you just choose them as before).

Powers have generally been brought in-line with the material in Great Power and make more reference to qualities for modifiers. The focus is on the "core" powers, with condensed descriptions, leaving the more detailed descriptions, extra and limit lists, and "reskinned" powers for Great Power to cover.

Extras and limits from Great Power are included.

Power descriptions are now all listed in alphabetical order, for easier reference.

A condensed version of the Devices from Great Power is included, with lots of sample equipment.

A simple initiative system is included (Coordination test, highest outcome goes first).

Actions are broken out by different types (Movement, Action, Reaction, Interaction) and more clearly detailed.

An option for Interludes (narrative based scenes that activate qualities and award DP, which can be saved or spent immediately for insight, retcons, or recovery) is in the Game Mastering chapter.

Some expanded and cleaned-up Game Master advice.

A system of Achievements & Changes for character development.

The villain creation system from Villainomicon is included.

A slightly updated version of the Universe Creation system from Team-Up is included.

Nine sample heroes and nine sample villains are included. There is no sample adventure (as I'm not a big fan of sample adventures in the core rulebook itself). I might look at revising the four-page Wages of Sin from the original Icons book as a free downloadable sample adventure.

A glossary of terms is included at the end.

And, of course, the Assembled Edition benefits from new art and new layout by Dan Houser and Daniel Solis, very much in the style of Great Power.

Assembled Edition without a doubt, and I second the recommendation of Great Power as well.

What they said. Assembled is a superior game.

Ok. Got those as PDF. What should I get next?

Well, what sort of supers game are you interested in? Those two books are all you really need, but there's been a lot of stuff put out for ICONS that could be useful for you. Much of it was for the first edition, but using that material with the Assembled Edition isn't much of a problem since they're so similar. You can always grab Ion Guard (it's free) for some inspiration regarding cosmic superheroics, and Fainting Goat Games has a ton of stuff for ICONS and other systems including the Super Villain Handbook, the Stark City and Extreme Earth settings, and their Improbable Tales series of adventures.

I'll be the one contrary voice and say that I kind of prefer ICONS original edition. ICONS Assembled more complete and it fixes a few bugs but I feel part of its essential character was lost something in the process. The original very direct and uncomplicated, the rules in Assembled are that bit stricter and fussier, a process that started with Great Power.

The best analogy I can draw is the difference WEG Star Wars 1st edition and the its 2nd Revised and Expanded Edition if that means anything to you.

That said, as other have mentioned, Assembled does contain the best bits rules from the "Team Up" book and some of that stuff is really good. So unless you get both ICONS and Team Up, ICONS Assembled is probably the better bet.

Of course as the original ICONS out of print and not longer available for sale as a PDF, the issue might be moot.

There's also ICONS: A to Z, which is a supplement for the Assembled Edition.  It provides a lot of useful options, including extending the scale for cosmic super-heroics, and additional rules for headquarters.

I particularly like The Great Game cosmic setting for ICONS by Fainting Goat Games.  It's like if Hasbro (Transformers and ROM), DC Comics (Green Lantern Corps and The Legion of Super-Heroes), and Marvel Comics (Nova Corps and Guardians of the Galaxy) had a baby.

I need to get Great Power...  The Assembled Core doesn't have a couple of powers I need for a game I'm playing in.

Also also, a great resource for ICONS is the Wiki.  You can find character sheets (I like the ones by Chris Heard), and conversions of many fictional characters statted out for ICONS: Assembled Edition.

Quote from: Celestial;991955Also also, a great resource for ICONS is the Wiki.  You can find character sheets (I like the ones by Chris Heard), and conversions of many fictional characters statted out for ICONS: Assembled Edition.

It hasn't been updated for a while, when I last checked.

Quote from: Christopher Brady;991960It hasn't been updated for a while, when I last checked.

Looks like it hasn't been updated since 2012

Nah.  Some character profiles were added last month.

Quote from: Celestial;992025Nah.  Some character profiles were added last month.

Just some character profiles?  Pity.

The dice mechanic amuses me since d6-d6 has the exact same probability as 2d6-7. You might as well add 7 to everything and just roll 2d6.