Apocalypse World vs Blades in the Dark
Compare Apocalypse World and Blades in the Dark side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Apocalypse World | Blades in the Dark | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic | Fantasy |
| Tags | Narrative, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Improvisation, Drama, Playbook-Driven, Gritty, Weird, Strong GM Support | Heist, Mission-Based, Faction Play, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Dark Fantasy, Collaborative, Character-Driven, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Low-Prep |
| Core Mechanic | When the fiction triggers a move, roll 2d6 plus the specified stat. A 10+ is a strong hit, 7–9 is a weak hit, and 6 or less is a miss. The move defines its outcomes; a miss usually lets the MC introduce consequences. | Roll d6s equal to an action rating and keep the highest result. A 1–3 produces a bad outcome, 4–5 succeeds with consequences, and 6 succeeds fully. Multiple 6s produce a critical success. Before an action roll, the GM sets its position and effect to establish the danger and intended impact. Players can add a die by pushing with stress or accepting a Devil's Bargain. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (SRD only) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Publisher policy for original inspired games | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $ | $ |
| Publisher | lumpley games | Evil Hat Productions |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 |
| Languages | English, Italian, Portuguese | English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian |
| Best For | Groups who want an unfolding post-apocalyptic campaign built around unstable alliances and struggles over scarce resources. | Groups who want a continuing criminal-crew campaign with improvised heists and consequences that change their standing among rival factions. |
| Highlights | Shared-history ratings make changing relationships feed directly into assistance and advancement. Threat types and countdowns give the MC procedures for escalating pressures without scripting a plot. Battle moves let players weigh control of an objective against harm inflicted and suffered. | Flashbacks establish earlier preparation during a heist, allowing the group to enter the action without planning every contingency. Resistance lets players reduce or avoid consequences at a potential stress cost. Crew advancement changes the group's influence and resources alongside its relationships with rival factions. |
| Considerations | The campaign is designed to develop over several sessions rather than conclude in one sitting. The MC must interpret fictional circumstances and turn move results into concrete consequences. Sex-triggered moves make intimacy a mechanical topic unless the group agrees to remove them. | Action outcomes depend on table judgments about fictional risk and effect rather than fixed difficulty numbers. Recovering harm and clearing stress compete with personal projects for limited downtime activities. Filling the trauma track normally forces a scoundrel into retirement or prison. |