Armour Astir: Advent vs Dungeons & Dragons
Compare Armour Astir: Advent and Dungeons & Dragons side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Armour Astir: Advent | Dungeons & Dragons | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Mecha, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Narrative, Anime, Ship-Based, Collaborative, Mission-Based | Tactical, Heroic, Dungeon Crawl, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Beginner-Friendly, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + trait (6 stats from -3 to +3): 6- is a miss, 7-9 is a partial success, 10+ is a full success. Advantage and disadvantage add or remove a die (up to 4d6 total), keeping the best or worst two. Confidence upgrades 1s to 6s; desperation downgrades 6s to 1s. Channeler playbooks pilot Astirs using the CHANNEL trait for magic-related moves, while support playbooks contribute through B-Plots and Carrier upgrades. | Roll d20 + modifier against a target DC (for ability checks and saving throws) or AC (for attacks). Meeting or exceeding the target succeeds. Advantage rolls 2d20 and takes the higher; disadvantage takes the lower, replacing most situational modifiers. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | Very High | Very High |
| Runnability | Low | High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Briar Sovereign | Wizards of the Coast |
| Year | 2024 | 2024 |
| Best For | Groups who want PbtA-style mecha action framed as rebellion against oppressive authority, with equal emphasis on dramatic relationships and cockpit combat. | Groups who want heroic fantasy combining tactical grid combat with deep character-build options, scaling from one-shots up through long multi-tier campaigns. |
| Highlights | Splits playbooks into Channeler (mech pilot) and Support roles so non-pilots are mechanically distinct rather than sidelined. Conflict Turns provide a structured large-scale warfare system layered on top of individual scenes. Four optional campaign settings provide ready-made factions, mission hooks, and example Astirs as starting points. Confidence/desperation mechanic adds dramatic stakes beyond standard PbtA outcomes. | Advantage and disadvantage collapse most situational modifiers into one mechanic: roll a second d20 and keep the higher or lower, so play rarely stops to total small bonuses. Each of the 12 classes offers four subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook, letting players reshape a class's role without multiclassing. Bounded accuracy keeps proficiency bonuses small, so low-level threats stay relevant in numbers and DCs read consistently across all tiers. |
| Considerations | Groups must collaboratively define their Authority, Cause, and Carrier before play begins, though four optional settings are included as starting points. Channeler and support playbook split means the party must coordinate roles during character creation. Rules for Astir construction and Conflict Turns add mechanical weight beyond typical PbtA games. | High-level play (tier 3–4) introduces significant spell interaction complexity and encounter balancing challenges for GMs. No official rules for non-fantasy genres. Three core books at $50 each represent a significant investment for the full rules. |