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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What’s included?
- What are the rules like?
- What is the intro adventure like?
- What are the added components like?
- What is the art and design like?
- How much is the starter set?
- Is it worth picking up?
- Final thoughts & review score
First published in 2003, the Invincible comic book series has become a genuine pop culture phenomenon, running for over 15 years and nearly 150 issues, in addition to spawning a popular Amazon animated TV series, which is now in its fourth season.
More recently, the blood-spattered superhero saga has made its way onto the tabletop, with Free League Publishing releasing Invincible: Superhero Roleplaying. First launched in October 2025 as a crowdfunder that generated over $400K USD on Kickstarter, the game is finally available to the general public, with the primary product being a Core Rulebook.
Fans looking to dip their toes into this ultraviolent superhero universe, however, can also pick up the new Invincible RPG Starter Set, which offers streamlined rules, pre-made characters, accessories, custom dice and an introductory adventure. The set is available now in both PDF and physical format from your local game store, Free League, DriveThruRPG and Amazon.
So is this new superhero RPG worth suiting up for? Below, we slap on our spandex and tear into all the details. (NOTE: While we have received review materials from Free League in the past, we purchased a copy of the Invincible RPG Starter Set at our own expense).
What’s included in the Invincible RPG Starter Set?
The new starter set contains the following:
- 1 Getting Started sheet with suggestions for how to use the set.
- 1 Rules Reference Sheet for easy lookup during play.
- 1 rules booklet, which is 21 pages in length and contains a streamlined version of the mechanics from the Core Rulebook.
- 1 adventure booklet entitled Metro Mayhem, which is 36 pages in length and design for first time players and GMs.
- 1 double-sided map, with one side depicting several adventure locations and the other featuring the downtown streets.
- 6 pre-generated character sheets, featuring Atom Eve, Bulletproof, Monster Girl, Rex Spode, Robot and Invincible himself.
- 112 cardboard tokens that can be used directly on the accompanying maps during play.
- 31 double-sided cardboard standees of key characters and villains featured in the adventure..
- 10 social scene cards, which provide prompts for what players can do during the accompanying adventure.
- 10 initiative cards to determine order of play during combat.
- 10 custom D6s featuring the blue and gold Invincible color pattern.
NOTE: If you get the PDF, digital versions of all the assets are provided (with the exception of the dice).
What are the game’s mechanics like?
The Invincible RPG uses Free League’s Year Zero Engine, which was first used in their 2014 title Mutant: Year Zero, but has since been repurposed for a number of other TTRPG games, including Alien, Blade Runner, Coriolis and Vaesen.
The system uses a dice pool where you roll D6s equal to an attribute score, needing at least one 6 to succeed. If you fail or want better results, you can “push” by re-rolling unused dice, though any 1s rolled afterward inflict stress.
Each hero has six attributes: three physical and three mental. Each attribute is rated on a scale from 1 to 12. Your average untrained civilian has an attribute level of 2, while superheroes generally have much higher scores. The abilities are Fighting (skill in combat), Agility (speed and mobility), Strength (physical toughness and stamina), Reason (intelligence and mental stability), Intuition (instinct and empathy) and Presence (force of personality).
Each character also has Powers. In the Invincible RPG Core Rulebook, there are over 60 Powers to choose from, but in the Starter Set all powers are built into the pre-made character sheets. For example, Atom Eve‘s Barrier Power allows her to create a defensive shield around herself and an ally, while Invincible’s Flight Power allows him to quickly move across the battlefield during combat.
It’s worth noting that there are no character classes per se, but the rules do provide Roles, which have no mechanical effect but provide a framework for how you operate within your team. There are eight recommended Roles: Blaster (you deal damage from a distance), Brains (you outsmart your opponent), Brawn (you use physical force), Controller (you hinder enemies and bolster allies), Defender (you protect allies and engage enemies), Leader (you support allies and build tactics), Striker (you are a close combat expert) and Wildcard (you’re an unpredictable force of nature).
Gameplay itself is focused around three types of scenes: Briefings (give the heroes information about where
to go and what to do), Action scenes (focused primarily on combat, rescues and other physical moments) and Social scenes (which are all about roleplaying and NPC interactions, and which use cards to help direct narrative and provide guidance to players).
Action scenes are played out quickly, with all players first drawing initiative cards numbered 1 through 10. During your turn, you can spend actions to move across zoned maps, attack or use your powers. Each round, you can perform one Full action (attack or use a power) and one Quick action (moving, picking up an item or scanning the area). Alternatively, you can also perform two quick actions on your turn. There are also Interrupt Actions, which can be played outside your turn.
Combat is split between close-quarters Slugfest attacks (using Fighting or Strength) and ranged Shooting attacks (using Agility), where targets can choose to block or dodge as interrupt actions. Slugfest is a particularly interesting concept, and if you roll two or more 6s you can burn one of the dice to carry out additional Slugfest Stunts which allow you to conduct more powerful attacks, such as smashing two enemies heads together or crushing an enemy under rubble. There’s also the option for you to create your own Slugfest Stunt (with the GM’s permission) that’s unique to the situation or your character.
During combat, your character tracks physical damage against their Health pool and mental strain against your Resolve pool. Dropping to zero Health leaves you broken and forces a critical injury roll with severe, long-term consequences, whereas losing all Resolve leaves you stressed out and unable to push dice until your pool recovers through Social scenes.
Ultimately, the rules are relatively simple and easy to learn, and combat feels like it really captures the violence and sheer destructive power of superhero battles from the Invincible franchise. It also has enough tactical crunch to reward clever gameplay and strategy.
The three scene types of Briefing, Action and Social also offer a nice narrative framework for GMs to work from and feel like they tap into the Invincible themes of action and interpersonal drama.
What is the introductory adventure like?
*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***
Entitled Metro Mayhem, the introductory adventure can be wrapped up in about 3-4 sessions (depending on what players do). It’s set several weeks after the devastating battle between Invincible and his father Omni-Man (which takes place in issue #11 of the comic book series and the final episode of Season 1 of the Amazon series). Players take on the role of a new team of heroes working for the Global Defense Agency, and are tasked with tracking down the villainous Mauler Twins to an abandoned warehouse laboratory.
Without giving away too much, the players discover that someone else is behind the Maulers and are soon engaged in a massive, highly destructive battle with a powerful villain and kaiju-like monsters that threatens to level the city.
The end result is a fast and fun, high-stakes adventure that really captures the tone of the Invincible comics. More importantly, it does a great job of covering all the basic rules with a solid mix of investigation, infiltration and combat. It’s something that both veteran TTRPG players and newbies will likely enjoy.
That being said, one thing worth noting is that while the adventure doesn’t really require any prior knowledge of the source material to run, familiarity with Invincible lore (either through the comics or the Amazon series) definitely helps and means both GMs and players will probably get a lot more out of the experience.
One additional thing to note is that while the superhero slugfest finale is a great approach (and just what you expect if you’re a fan of the franchise) it has a lot of moving parts and the potential to overwhelm new GMs. There’s also the potential to absolutely level players if they make poor decisions or end up on the wrong side of a few bad dice rolls.
*** END OF SPOILERS ***
What are the added components like?
The starter set includes maps, character standees, gameplay tokens, social cards and initiative cards. The standees are particularly well done and offer a solid mix to walk you through the adventure. The cards are also well made, with the Social Cards in particular offering tips on how players can approach gameplay, while still giving a bit of choice. For players that are completely new to TTRPGs, it’s a novel concept that really helps bring the game to life.
The custom Invincible dice are also a nice touch and definitely high quality, which isn’t much of a surprise given that they come from FanRoll (notably, they’ve also produced a set of Invincible Battle Damaged dice, which are available separately and look pretty awesome).
The character sheets are also a real standout, managing to pack a ton of info into a small amount of space without feeling cluttered. It’s rare for many TTRPGs to have everything you need to play essentially on one double-sided piece of paper.
What is the art and design like?
Not surprisingly for a Free League product, the art is absolutely outstanding. That being said, it’s also not exactly original, with most of the material being existing comic book art from Invincible co-creator Cory Walker and series artist Ryan Ottley. Neither of these creators provided any new artwork for the Invincible RPG, which is a bit of a bummer.
In the rare cases where original art does seem to appear (on the tokens and the cards, for example), it’s definitely not anywhere near the level of the comic book series. Still, the art is fantastic, even if it is work that longtime fans of the comic book series have probably already seen before.
It’s also worth noting that the design of the maps from cartographer Brian Patterson is particularly well done and you can probably get some additional use out of these at the table, either with future adventures or even potentially in another TTRPG.
That being said, one major issue is with the layout, which often feels pretty cluttered and a little tight. This seems to be a recurring issue with some Free League products, which look beautiful, but can often be a bit text heavy and difficult to read.
Another minor issue is with the cardboard tokens, with the art and overall aesthetic feeling a little rushed and not particularly inspired. It’s not a dealbreaker, but definitely stands out given the quality of the rest of the material.
How much is the Invincible RPG Starter Set?
The physical box set retails for $29.99 USD (not including shipping and handling), with the PDF going for $14.99 USD, with fulfillment handled entirely by DriveThruRPG. That’s actually a solid deal considering how much content you get.
Bear in mind, however, that if you do want to continue playing past the introductory adventure and making your own character, you will need to pick up the Invincible RPG Core Rulebook, while retails for $57.99 USD in hardcover and $24.99 in PDF, so if you think you’re definitely going to dig the game, you may want to go that route instead of the starter set.
Is the Invincible RPG Starter Set worth picking up?
Pros
- More BAM! for your buck: Retailing at just $29.99 USD for the physical box set, you get a ton of value in terms of content and accessories.
- Cinematic superheroic rules: Powered by a reskinned version of Free League’s Year Zero Engine, the dice-pool mechanics are simple to learn while supporting tactical depth and creative, superpowered stunts.
- Lives up to the lore: While the set could have just been a series of superhero rules with the Invincible name slapped on the box, it manages to tap into the tone and source material in a way that both fans and newcomers will likely dig.
- Extra bells and whistles: In the case of the physical set, the engraved D6s from FanRoll, the character standees, the cards, the maps and pre-made character sheets all add a ton of value and make getting started extremely easy.
Cons
- Overwhelming finale: The multi-stage finale in the Metro Mayhem adventure features a high level of complexity that can easily overwhelm novice Game Masters and potentially even lead to a TPK.
- Unoriginal artwork: While the comic book panel art by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley is awesome, it also doesn’t feature any original illustrations.
- Cluttered layout: Text is often crammed into the pages and can be a little challenging to read at times. The cardboard tokens also feel like a bit of an afterthought from a design standpoint.
- Limited replay value: Because character creation rules and extended play require purchasing the separate Core Rulebook, this starter box functions strictly as a brief introductory taste.
Final thoughts & review score
Free League Publishing has earned a well-deserved reputation for taking pop culture franchises and turning them into tabletop RPGs that are more than just a cash grab, with titles like the Aliens and Bladerunner RPGs pushing the envelope in terms of art and game design.
The Invincible RPG continues that tradition. It could have easily been a mindless knockoff trying to leech off the popularity of a beloved franchise. Instead, it manages to elevate the concept into a superheroic blend of mechanics and style.
If you’re fan of the Invincible comics and Amazon TV series and looking to experience all the high heroics, drama and ultraviolence for yourself at the tabletop, then you’ll be happy to know that the new Invincible RPG new starter set definitely packs a serious punch.
Final Review Score: 18 out of 20
You can pick up the set now in PDF and physical format from your local game store, Free League, DriveThruRPG and Amazon.