Amazing Tales vs Hero Kids
Compare Amazing Tales and Hero Kids side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Amazing Tales | Hero Kids | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Fantasy |
| Tags | Beginner-Friendly, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind | Beginner-Friendly, One-Shot Friendly, Grid-Based, Family-Friendly, Low-Prep, Heroic |
| 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 d6 dice pool (pool size from hero card stats). Attacker's highest die vs. defender's highest die: equal or higher hits. Ability tests roll pool vs. target number (4/5/6). |
| Dice | d6–d12 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Paid |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Martin Lloyd | Hero Forge Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2012 |
| 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. | Parents introducing kids aged 4–10 to tabletop RPGs. Simple enough for young children, with grid combat and pre-made hero cards. |
| 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 | Genuinely playable by young children, print-and-play hero cards and stand-ups, included introductory adventure, lots of expansion adventures available |
| 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 | Too simple for older players, no character progression system, fantasy-only, requires printing materials |