Armour Astir: Advent vs Impulse Drive
Compare Armour Astir: Advent and Impulse Drive side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Armour Astir: Advent | Impulse Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Mecha, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Narrative, Anime, Ship-Based, Collaborative, Mission-Based | Space Opera, Ship-Based, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Mission-Based, Strong GM Support, Improvisation, Hackable, CC-Licensed Rules |
| 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. | When a Move tells you to roll, roll 2d6 and add the modifier it names, usually one of five Approaches (Volatile, Calculating, Slick, Stalwart, Alien) rated from -3 to +3. A 10+ is a full success, a 7–9 is usually a success with a cost or fewer choices, and a 6 or lower marks XP while the Space Master makes a Call. Advantage means rolling 3d6 and keeping the two highest dice, and Disadvantage keeps the two lowest. The two cancel each other out and never stack. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Briar Sovereign | Adrian Thoen |
| Year | 2024 | 2019 |
| Languages | English | English |
| 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 an episodic, TV-style space opera about a broke crew taking contracts aboard a ship they build together, where each character's flaws drive both trouble and advancement. |
| 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. | Applying a Hook when it complicates a scene gives Disadvantage, so playing to a character's flaws drives advancement. Money is never tracked literally: completing a Contract triggers the ship's Payment Move, and a standard result lets the crew pick only two spends such as maintenance or an upgrade. Harm can always be converted into Stress, and a full Stress track forces a permanent Calamity that changes the character for good. |
| 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. | There is no setting chapter, so the galaxy and its factions are invented by the group during character creation, ship creation and the first session. Money is abstracted and the crew is deliberately kept broke, so groups who enjoy tracking prices and trade margins get tiered gear lists and cargo categories instead. There is no separate ship-combat resolution engine: crews apply the personal Universal Moves through the ship at ship-scale ranges, dealing Damage instead of Harm. |