Scion is one of the core games in my gaming group, and has been since the first edition was released. Players are the mortal children of the ancient gods, the Hercules and Achilles, Imhotep and Sudika-Mbambi, Cú Chulainn and Wonder Woman of the modern times. Whether they are doing their parent’s bidding, completely clueless as to their heritage, or fostering dreams of ascending to godhood themselves, players ultimately are there to fight the Titans (ancient evil powers older than the gods) who are trying to destroy the world.
The core book covers the Loa. Greek, Aztec, Japanese, Egyptian, and Norse pantheons, while supplements add in Atlantean, Irish, Indian, Persian, and a pantheon from American Folklore.
Putting more control of fate (and godly powers) in the hands of the players makes for an appealing epic fantasy style setting, without necessarily drawing on the Tolkien archetypes of the fantasy genre as we know it today. Scion is a good tool to fuel interest in pre-Abrahamic stories and moralities.
It’s weaknesses are in the godlings’ interactions with humans. Game mechanics, in focusing on Scions being beyond mere mortals, makes playing non-Scions broken and frustrating. Morals, and creatures derived from mortals, pose little threat to Scions and power gamers will find a lot of ways to exploit the rules to ludicrous levels. But bother these things can be managed by a savvy and capable Storyteller.
The art is eye-catching and the themes hit those deep points of human fascination with the line between mundane and mystical.