Amazing Tales vs Cypher System
Compare Amazing Tales and Cypher System side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Amazing Tales | Cypher System | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Beginner-Friendly, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind | Toolkit, Modular, Character Building, Player-Only Rolls, Theater of the Mind, Low-Prep, Strong GM Support, Narrative |
| Core Mechanic | Each character has 4 skills the child invents. Each skill is assigned a die (d12, d10, d8, d6): bigger die = better skill. Roll 3+ to succeed. That's the entire system. | The GM rates each task from 1 to 10 and multiplies that difficulty by 3 to set the target number. Players roll a d20 and succeed on a result equal to or above the target. Skills, assets, and Effort ease the task before the roll, with Effort paid from the relevant stat Pool after Edge reduces the cost. |
| Dice | d6–d12 | d20 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | Low | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | Cypher Open License 2026-07-15 |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Commercial publishing allowed — Cypher Open License |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $ | Free |
| Publisher | Martin Lloyd | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2026 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Parents playing with kids aged 4+ who want collaborative storytelling with the simplest possible rules: one die roll, no math, any setting. | Groups building genre-spanning campaigns who want broad character customization, player-facing resource decisions, and little mechanical preparation for the GM. |
| Highlights | Genuinely playable by 4-year-olds, genre-agnostic (pirates, space, fairy tales, anything), child creates their own character skills, four ready-to-play settings included, encourages collaborative storytelling | Player-only rolls keep the GM focused on adjudication and scene management. Descriptor, type, and focus choices support broad customization across multiple genres. One-use cyphers continually rotate situational abilities through play. |
| Considerations | Far too simple for older kids or adults, no combat system or advancement, GM (parent) does all the heavy lifting narratively, extremely limited mechanical depth | Players manage Pool spending for abilities and Effort, so pushing a roll competes with other resource uses. Abstract distances and level-based NPCs leave many tactical details to table rulings rather than map procedures. The broad toolkit asks the GM to select genre modules and character options before play. |