Ancient eight is essentially an amalgamation of avatar the last Airbender and the New Mutants. Read more about it on the Dilly Green Bean Games design blog. As always, Jay's art looks fantastic on the iPad.

for $.75, you can take your G-Core campaign to the "street level". This PDF eliminates fixed point pools and allows for stat ratings other than multiples of 10.

Mecha G-Core is essentially what it says: a mecha add-on for the G-Core system. There are some good ideas here, but it isn't as complete as it could be. Not all of the ideas discussed are given examples.This is, more accurately, the framework, a solid framework, but a framework.That being said, in characteristic "Jay" fashion, Billy Green Bean Games is posting a series of free PDFs to its website addressing some of the lack of examples and explanation. Beyond that, this PDF is only a dollar. I shouldn't say "only a dollar", but most of us don't even get our morning coffee for that little. With a little creativity, some of the concepts within this framework can easily be adapted to Icons or the old tried-and-true Marvel Superheroes.

A very simple tug of war boardgame using cards and dice – as well as this PDF, you will need a token, and a d4, d6, and d10 for each player. Great for kids, or for a quick distraction when you’re waiting around for the other players to show up.

Galactic Guardians is my favorite of the G-Core $1.00 add-on so far. It features a Green Lantern Corps analog. Rather than rings, the Galactic Guardians are entrusted with disks allowing them access to a pocket dimension full of weapons and gadgets. It's an analog, but it's not a carbon copy; for one, most of the Guardians profiled have powers in their own rights. The pdf also profiles a special mission force of the Galactic Legion, an interstellar military arm associated with the Guardians.

As with the previous pdfs in the series, the writeups here could be useful for any GM running an MSH inspired system, like ICONS.

I'll say too that the production values of Dilly Green Bean Games keep going up with each release. The pdf is crisp; the art, dynamic.

$1.00 is the regular price folks.

This pdf is, in a word, fun--an android trained by Tibetan monks; another with magma blood; not to mention a mecha straight out of 70s Japanese action-fare, piloted by a couple of Gatchaman analogs. Even if you never plan on running G-Core, there's a lot of potential inspiration for your ICONS and MSH campaigns here.

The only downside for some might be the references to the Guardian Universe, but that background isn't needed to enjoy this read.

I have been a fan of the old FASERIP style of super-hero gaming since I first tried it in High School. Some of my fondest gaming memories come from that game. For a while now I have been looking for something that fills that gap and G-Core seems to do just that.

The Good The system is simple enough for anyone to grasp it but open enough to allow for a wide degree of different character types.

It does a good job of emulating the feel of the old FASERIP system without getting bogged down with the chart and a lot of cross checking of results.

It is a very Rules Lite system allowing for plenty of variations and House Rules to create the feel you need

The Bad The file could have used another editing pass but I will forgive that as it is a very minor gripe of mine.

I would have liked to see a few more examples and a bit more in the way of rules. I know this is a Rules Lite system, but a few more of each wouldn't mess up the works.

Not everything is totally clear and someone not familiar with FASERIP may have some difficulties figureing a couple things out.

All in all, I like G-Core and am looking foward to seeing what more comes along in the line.

Caveat: I consider Jay Libby a friend, and I have been commenting on his work over the past decade, but I am also abreast of most of the super hero genre RPGs here on RPGNow and am a 23 year fan of the Marvel Super Heroes game upon which G-Core is based.

First: ICONS, this isn't--if you like your random-roll MSH blended with FATE, stick with that, but if you're looking to revive an MSH style campaign and want to introduce new players quickly, G-Core might be the game for you.

G-Core is "off the grid," using a Stat+ "Special Focus" + d10 vs. opposing roll resolution rather than the classic table. Saves are used to handle situations like Stun, which is a far less cumbersome mechanic than in MSH. G-Core uses character builds with point allocations based on career, origin, etc, basically a nicely pared-down version of Fuzion Blocks. No random roll options here, unfortunately. Powers are purchased similarly.

G-Core packs a lot into 24 pages: a gadget creation system, vehicle rules [which even ICONS doesn't have] and the Scaling System from The Basic System, which potentially allows for the creation of anything from mecha to a Death Star.

Other Selling Points:

The Price: If Jay keeps the price at $2.50 per pdf, the G-Core line can certainly compete with Resolute 2E and other similarly priced game lines.

Cross-compatibility: Your MSH, and ICONS, material should work with G-Core with little change, which is ideal if you're playing with a group who may not be warm to the non-linear aspects of FATE.

The Inconsistencies and Missing "Stuff": As mentioned above, characters are built on a point buy, that is every aspect but Resources, which is randomly rolled.

The list of character types is fairly standard, except there's no pure "robot" type. What if I want to build Optimus Prime's cousin?

Lastly, and this isn't an inconsistency, more of a personal preference: I am a huge fan of lifepaths, and one would think that with Jay's experience with Fuzion that he'd include one here.

I say, if you're a fan of retro-Super Heroes gaming, and of MSH in particular, you probably won't be sorry to have spent $2.50 on G-Core.

There's practically nothing here.

One page of rules, which come down to a lot of dice rolling -- there's about as much strategy as Candyland. Roll 1d6 and move, roll 1d6 to see if you have to make another roll or (ludicrously) go back to start.

There are different characters to choose from but no balance between them.

The statement that the game is "revealing" comes down to players being told to tell a story about themselves or the character they're playing at the end of each turn. It has nothing to do with the rest of the game; you could throw a similar rule into anything.

The gameboard looks like it was thrown together in Photoshop in five minutes. It's just an ugly neon-green grid with a single linear path; all spaces are the same.

It doesn't look like any effort whatsoever was put into this game. There's a lot of promise in the concept but this doesn't even touch on it. Even at $1.00 this game is a total ripoff.

The "Good":

Nostalgia

Jay Libby's work is to the Fuzion system what Chris A Field's is to OGL: infused with a healthy dose of nostalgia. If you grew up in the mid '80s to early '90s watching Robotech before school and Transformers and GI Joe in the afternoons, playing Star Frontiers on the weekends and feeling jipped after paying full price to see "Alien 3," then you'll probably find something in here to like. Basically, hive-mind aliens penetrate human space. The military defends with giant power armor and mechs derived from sentient transforming giant robot technology. One mustn't forget the isolationist Christian Fundamentalist sect bent on shaping human destiny or the unrest on colony worlds....

Modular Character Creation

At first, the presentation of character creation seems counter intuitive. Career "tiers" are presented before attributes, for instance, but after reading through the pdf and sitting with the idea for a while, I appreciate the format. In classic rpgs, a character's career depends upon stats, but when coming to a new game, I usually don't say, I want a "smart" character, but I might say, "I want to play a spy." Streamlined from other Fuzion driven games, Chronicle assigns attributes based on career choices players make for their characters. Each "tier" represents a level of education or expertise. The number of tiers available to each character is determined by the GM. Players customize their characters using a pool of "Fuzion Points."

A reasonably complete game for a low price

Over 200 pages of a playable game for $5. Not too much to argue with there.

Professional quality 3-D art

The interior art improves with each Dilly Green Bean Games release. ...some of the best art of it's style in the rpg market right now.

The Bad:

This one could have used another editorial pass. Not that rpgs are known for adherence to Struck and White, but this book suffers from colloquial syntax. Also, the narrative voices of the flavor text meant to distinguish the various feelings different factions in the game have for one another are virtually indistinguishable. Now for a call for another piece of nostalgia-- a life path. The Life Path system was one of the high points of early Fuzion games. Bring it back.

Ending on a high note:

The Intro text, which I assume is representative of the unpublished Xenomorph Invasion novel is engaging and gritty, letting readers know that while Chronicle is nostalgic, it is not the "Wagon Train to the Stars" of Lightspeed [another great Fuzion based game]. Chronicle 001 is a beginning of an unfolding saga that won't break the bank.

I'll end by imploring Mr. Libby to release a companion $5 pdf-- the "Xenomorph Invasion" novel.

To be perfectly frank, I wanted to like this game more than I did. Character creation is mostly random with the possibility of negative results for your character. As an example the very first character I made broke even on the table. I found the main stats section confusing, but that could be just me. And the "taking your character school" section struck me as kind of pointless. On page 9 there is a note on the best way to build a character. I feel that it would be better for someone creating a new character if the book had been laid out in that order. It could also use an overview of character creation at the very beginning, instead of jumping right in to it.

Overall it is a nice try, but not a game I can recommend without reservations. In my opinion the book needs to be reorganized and some sections need a bit more clarification.

PS: Mr. Libby, I just read your book (GU2) intro, and I must say you rock. I must say most intros are less than useless obligatory space filling time/wallet suckers, but I am glad to be wrong in this case. I hope your game philosophy infects.

Simpatico. I still think you can improve in the execution of your 'manifesto of fun and inclusion', but hey, if you couldn't, then you may as well move along to something else.

Keep it up, please and thank you.

Disregard previous post. (I think) See both Mr. Meyer's as well as my 'Guardians II' review, with the following exceptions.

(not that) 'Bad': I really, really really wish they would keep the rules separate from the setting/illos. (Outside of the specific application of the rules needed for inclusion in setting materials)

This is more of a strong preference, than an objective statement of value.

This is directed at all rpg publishers. If your product is really worth buying, then let us decide. If your setting and illustrations are really that great, then we will but it anyway, right? Same goes for your rules.

Thank you DGBG, well done.

I was pretty peeved about a prior purchase. I needed this one. Mr. Meyer sums it up fairly well, but I will add...

The good: Thank you so much for not including the crap many other companies smash in there to get a few extra bucks out. If I want an art book, I'll buy one. Also, thank you for including ONLY (mostly) what is needed to play. Many of these same writers use a product to play a mass market version of 'my character',only instead of just sucking up your time and patience at a game store, they make you pay, and obfuscate the meat in the process. I wish more companies would completely separate the meat from the fat in this way.

Choice is always nice. The separate approach also cuts the learning/sorting curve dramatically. I shorthanded/scripted the essentials to a 3pg. outline. Did I thank you for not making me buy the same rules twice yet?

It is actually fun/inspirational to make characters w/this system. If you are someone who would love to play/run a game, but all your enthusiasm and energy are quickly sucked up learning and applying the system, check this out. I hate crunchies, usually. This time the 'crunchies' are more 'chewy'.

The Bad: I am a bit more lenient than Mr. Meyer in some areas, but he was accurate enough. I didn't mind because I found a system that doesn't hurt my brain, my wallet, or make me want to suck a shotgun.

The 'Bad': Not really bad, but they could have stripped this down/defluffed even more. A suggestion would be a sort of formalized shorthand to write up rules summaries. Still could have tidied/compressed a bit more. No biggie.

Good Job. Not perfect, but at the very least I'd give it an A. With a little work and development, this could be as close to perfect as reasonably possible, without sending for the white coats.

Note: I would rate this book with 41/2 stars given the option.

The real question regarding this book is: why spend the extra $5.00 when the complete rules set is available in the players manual? [For my review of the core mechanic, see that product].

Short answer: two categorical reasons: one, presentation; two, setting and NPCs.

Presentation: the book is presented in full-color chalked full of original art by author Jay Libby, in a style best described as "supers-punk." The book is organized according to "issues," each covering a particular comic sub-genre in terms of the Guardian Universe setting.

Setting and NPCs: the book's setting reflects a soft restart of the author's long-running house campaign. Essentially, a cosmic level event has rewritten history. Sound familiar? This is a setting for fanboys. Jay Libby is one, unapologetically, and he writes for his audience. Perhaps the best distinction form the player's version, though, is the shear number of NPCs provided. The GM needn't ever create a villain or ally for his or her players.

I recommend this game to those tired of OGL who don't want to shell out the bucks for any number of setting books for other alternatives available, but still want a detailed , playable setting.