Icar

Infobox RPG
title=Icar


caption="Icar Elements" (Core Rules) Cover, version 3.5, released 2006.
designer=Rob Lang
date=1990-2007
genre=Science fiction

"Icar" is a free science fiction role-playing game (RPG) designed and published by Robert Lang. "Icar" was first created in 1990 by Robert Lang by viewing others playing RPGs at the Finchley Games Club. Although most of the content is created by Robert Lang, the game is supported by a close knit team of play testers. There is no intention to professionally publish the game.

"Icar" is mostly provided as a number of PDF files with resources as JPGs images. The content can be downloaded and printed royalty free. There is more than enough to play a game of "Icar" but the setting is constantly under revision and things do change.

Setting

"Icar" is set in the far future, the year 92030. The human race has been through many wars but none as far reaching as the war that begun one thousand years ago. Now, the galaxy is split between a race of intelligent robots, called the Droids and the human race. The droids rarely impinge the territory of the human race, fighting amongst themselves they are little threat.

Watching over the human race is the Imperium, which is a benevolent organisation which desires the progress and survival of the race. The Imperium understands the gravity of its task. Without them, the human race would soon break apart. Of the three areas of space (called clusters) that humans control, one is rich and life is easy, one is industrially based and the third is still being colonized.

99% of the human race live and die without any knowledge of what is going under the surface of society. Gaia, a means of communicating in a virtual reality, has allowed subversive syndicates to operate within human space. The syndicates work either to make money illegally or to simply explore avenues of human existence that are denied to them by the Imperium.

The player characters begin as pawns in a huge space opera where millions of people's lives are often at risk, by fighting for what they believe, they improve and grow in power until they are the ones holding the strings.

Mechanics

The "Icar" mechanics system is a cinematic percentile one which allows quick and visual combat. Although there is plenty of technical detail, this detail is secondary to the mechanics. Although the mechanics are relatively easy to understand, the size of the system can be difficult to digest.Fact|date=August 2007 Most dice rolls involve rolling either a d10 (for statistics) or a d100 (for skills) and getting under a target number. This target number is then modified depending on difficulty. Advancement is achieved by role-playing points which are used to alter the character at the start of every session.

Close and vehicle combat is done using a series of moves in a cinematic combination and fire fighting is performed by rolling under a target number. Space Combat is a system of moving counters around on a circular map, with players either flying or fighting. This also includes planetary control. Gaia Hacking (fighting in the virtual world) uses a directed graph structure.

Unlike most free online RPGs, "Icar" has a comprehensive GM section and is designed in such a way to aid the creation of dynamic campaigns. This includes a 3-dice mechanic which allows random occurrences to be quickly decided and complicated in outcome.

External links

* [http://www.icar.co.uk Official Website]
* [http://www.chomisis.net/forum Official Forum]
* [http://www.mobiumrpg.net/rpg-outpost/forum/viewforum.php?f=9 "Icar" forum on the RPG Outpost]