Amazing Tales vs Risus
Compare Amazing Tales and Risus side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Amazing Tales | Risus | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Beginner-Friendly, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind | Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Beginner-Friendly, Comedy, Low-Prep, Narrative, Fiction-First, Freeform Magic, Tag-Based |
| 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. | Characters are defined by Clichés rated in d6s (e.g., Viking (4), Hacker (3)). Roll your Cliché dice vs. a target number or in opposed rolls where the low roller loses a die. |
| Dice | d6–d12 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | Book tools not listed |
| License | Proprietary | Free (non-commercial) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Martin Lloyd | Big Dice Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2021 |
| 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. | Pick-up games, emergency one-shots, comedy campaigns, or anytime you need a complete RPG in four pages that handles any genre. |
| 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 | Fits on four pages, broadly universal, character creation takes minutes, completely free |
| 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 | Cliché-based resolution can feel one-note over multiple sessions, limited advancement rules, team combat heavily favors larger groups, creating a strong incentive to always combine dice, comedy tone permeates all mechanical language |