Sample of play (ICONS)

SYSTEM: ICONS

From time to time (okay, twice before) I use the Mythic GME to try out a system for superheroes. My baseline is ICONS so here is how the two little fights/scenes went in ICONS Assembled.

The two scenes involve two characters fighting as normals, and then a second fight after they've had their transformations into supers.

The Origin

The characters are Dr. Alexander Ivey, an unphysical brainiac with a too-lovely-by-half fiancee and a need to do the right thing, and John Seward, a career criminal who has escaped custody by killing his guards, and is trying to hide in the experimental tau reactor on campus:

Dr. Alexander Ivey		John Seward
2	Prowess	3
3	Coordination	3
3	Strength	4
6	Intellect	3
3	Awareness	4
4	Willpower	4
7	Stamina	8
*	Determination	*
Science (Master)	Specialties	Weapons: Guns
	Equipment	Fire axe (Slashing 5, Extra: Bashing 4)
The right thing to do is the hard thing Smart about science, dumb about people	Qualities	Career criminal planner Claustrophobia Sadistic, and pulls wings off flies, too

Narrative	Mechanics
Dr. Alexander Ivey checked the pulse of the correctional officer. Dead, like the other one. The crash alone wouldn't have done it, so presumably they had one or two prisoners for transfer. Poor men. First, why they were here in the first place? Prisoner transfers shouldn't even go by the campus. But Carstairs Avenue was torn up. That’s why. He should wait for the police, but time was of the essence. Where would one man go? The campus was barely populated, this being between semesters. An engineering building, of course—they were in the engineering section—but which one? He peered through his glasses. The little penlight was fine for finding the right key but for spotting a blood trail, because surely the van crash had injured him... There! He followed the spatters without stepping in them—he was mindful of the evidence—until they went through the gate of the safety fence around the experimental reactor. Damn. He texted his fiancé. Ginger would make sure the police came. He should let the police handle it, but he had seen the reactor. Sort of his child, since his math had led to it, and then Simon Rickover had started on the engineering problems. Simon had shown them the current experimental prototype: it was a suitcase-sized thing, all jury-rigged parts. He said it might be self-sustaining. It was small: assuming it really used tau radiation and given the size, the blast might be as large as the whole city, but given that it couldn't even be self-sustaining yet, maybe only the building. Certainly that's what Simon had told the administration. That's why the building had a safety fence around it: as a precaution. A precaution with a cheap padlock. The building had belonged to biology before engineering grew; Ivey didn't know it well, but he knew where the reactor was. He dared not turn on the lights. The beam from the penlight was almost no help, but it showed that the big staircase was clear. Maybe even dusty. He would go to the reactor and, if the prisoner appeared, shut it down. Simon had showed him where the controls were. That would be the safest course for everyone. The need for silence slowed him.	I've treated them as NPCs for the origin, for two reasons: With a proper use of Determination, this fight could go on for a long time, and I don't want that. Come on, I'm doing this solo. Really, they're all NPCs.
Ivey arrived at the reactor—the old greenhouse—just to see someone's foot disappear inside the building.	He just gets it because there's no story otherwise.
All secrecy gone: Ivey ran and threw open the door—	Does Ivey notice? Awareness 3+2 vs Stealth 4+6, No.
The room seemed empty. But he had sworn—	Seward attacks by surprise; Seward is Prowess 3+2, Ivey is 2+1, Seward hits Ivey for 5 Stamina, so he has 1 left. (Seward’s using the fire axe.)
Ivey saw the blow in time to move so the fire axe missed his head but it met his shoulder and the world dimmed for a moment. He heard something crack and feared it was his clavicle—he tried to punch, the way they'd shown him in that one karate class Ginger had dragged him to, but it hurt to move his arm. Another swing and the guy would hit. He could smell the stink of the man's sweat, and the fresh-copper scent of blood. He wrapped his arm against the other man, trying to stay inside the axe's range.	Prowess 2+6 against Prowess 3+5, total Effect of 0. Marginal success. Seward uses his turn to break free (strength vs. strength: 4+6 vs. 3+1. Seward’s free, and because it was a massive success can act again. He swings the fire axe. Seward misses and hits the console.
Ivey charged him, trying to get inside the swing of the fire axe. They slammed against the console. Seward twisted free, and, panting, Seward brought down the axe. Ivey twisted, rolled away, and the axe bit into the console behind his head. Ivey twisted away: pain shot through his shoulder, and blackness ate the edge of his vision. He gasped and staggered upright.	Ivey rushes him, getting a generous +2 because Seward is trying to pull the axe from the console. His attack is 2+5 and Seward’s defense is 3+4, for a marginal hit, so Seward takes a point of stamina but rolls away easily. Ivey takes half of one point, which is none. Seward swings and misses: 3+1 versus 2+6. That’s such an awful miss, I’m going to say the axe got stuck.
When he could see again, Seward was struggling with the axe, yanking to get it out of the console. Sparks flew. Ivey glanced at the screens—the temperature was too high; the tau reactor would blow soon. Ivey tried to warn him, but nothing came out of his mouth when he tried to talk. He was already out of breath. He might be able to knock Seward out, pull him free: no, he didn't have the strength in his arms. The only thing that might move him was the charge.	A failure on Seward’s Strength roll. He’ll have to use his fists.
Ivey lowered his head and charged again, but Seward was ready. Ivey trusted to his speed, though he wobbled as he ran. He missed. Seward tripped him as he went by; he was unconscious as he hit the ground. His last thought was of Ginger: an apology for failing her. Seward grinned. Now he could swap clothes with the goniff and get rid of the prison uniform—	Ivey misses. As he’s sailing by, Seward hits him for a Moderate success. Ivey can’t handle the blow; he’s unconscious.
The reactor exploded.

Well, this has gotten quite long. I'll do the second, super battle tomorrow. I assume I have done something wrong, somewhere, so feel free to let me know about it.