Amazing Tales vs Epyllion
Compare Amazing Tales and Epyllion side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Amazing Tales | Epyllion | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Fantasy |
| Tags | Beginner-Friendly, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind | Narrative, Beginner-Friendly, Family-Friendly, Rules-Light, Fiction-First, Character-Driven |
| 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. | Roll 2d6 + stat (Courage, Charm, or Cunning): 10+ is a hit, 7–9 is a partial hit, 6− is a miss. Friendship Gems are passed between players to reward virtuous behavior and spent to power moon magic. A Shadow Track measures the Darkness's hold: fill it and you become your corrupted Shadowself until friends pull you back. |
| Dice | d6–d12 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Paid |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary (PbtA) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Martin Lloyd | Magpie Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2016 |
| 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. | Families and groups who want a heartfelt, friendship-driven adventure where everyone plays young dragons protecting their world from a creeping Darkness. |
| 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 | Accessible gateway RPG for families and new players, friendship gem economy makes cooperation mechanical, dragon setting with its own lore, six playbooks with distinct Shadowself arcs |
| 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 | Very niche: you must want to play young dragons, limited mechanical depth, tightly bound to its setting |