Apocalypse Keys vs Public Access
Compare Apocalypse Keys and Public Access side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Apocalypse Keys | Public Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Horror, Modern |
| Tags | Playbook-Driven, Mystery, Investigation, Corruption, Drama, Fiction-First | Investigation, Mystery, Collaborative, Player-Only Rolls, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Corruption |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 and spend Darkness Tokens (up to 3) to add to the result instead of a fixed stat modifier. 7 or less is a miss, 8–10 is a complete hit, and 11+ is a catastrophic success: you achieve your goal but your monstrous power causes collateral damage. Bonds with other characters add +1 or −1. Darkness Tokens accumulate through roleplaying triggers specific to each playbook; exceeding 5 tokens forces a crisis that costs either a Bond or advances your Ruin track toward becoming a Harbinger of the apocalypse. | When a move is triggered, roll 2d6 plus one of five ability modifiers. A 6 or less is a miss, while many moves split hits into 7–9, 10–11, and 12+ tiers. After a result is narrated, a player can turn a Key to raise it one tier and replace that outcome with a different timeline. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Availability | Paid | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Evil Hat Productions | The Gauntlet |
| Year | 2023 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English, French, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want emotionally intense, mystery-driven play as monstrous agents investigating apocalyptic threats: where the real tension comes from relationships and the risk of losing yourself to your own power. | Groups seeking a finite collaborative analog-horror campaign where player-built theories, personal histories, and found-footage prompts shape the truth behind a small-town conspiracy |
| Highlights | Darkness Token economy replaces static stats with a dynamic risk/reward resource that escalates tension throughout play. Catastrophic success mechanic means the strongest rolls carry the most dangerous consequences. Seven playbooks built around emotional wounds rather than combat archetypes. Five pre-assembled mysteries plus detailed guidance for creating custom ones. | Clues have no fixed locations or canonical answers, so players assemble them into a theory and roll to establish whether it is true. Turning a Key raises a resolved roll by one tier and replaces the narrated failure with an alternate timeline. Odyssey tape prompts let players author uncanny broadcasts that become a campaign timer and feed connections back into Deep Lake. |
| Considerations | Requires buy-in for emotionally vulnerable roleplay: characters are designed to hurt and be hurt. No tactical combat system; conflict resolution is narrative. Mysteries have no pre-written solutions, which demands improvisational confidence from the Keeper. Mature themes including body horror, mind control, and moral degradation are baked into the core premise. | Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Night must occur in order, which constrains free-form scene pacing. The Keeper must synthesize campaign discoveries into a custom final TV Odyssey mystery. The intended campaign engages childhood trauma, body horror, ritual sacrifice, and other dark material. |