Armour Astir: Advent vs Tenra Bansho Zero
Compare Armour Astir: Advent and Tenra Bansho Zero side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Armour Astir: Advent | Tenra Bansho Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy, Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Mecha, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Narrative, Anime, Ship-Based, Collaborative, Mission-Based | Drama, Character-Driven, Roleplay-Heavy, Corruption, One-Shot Friendly, Anime, Mecha, Cinematic, High-Power, Strong GM Support |
| 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 a number of d6 equal to an attribute. Each die showing the skill level or lower counts as a success. The GM announces how many successes are needed, usually between 1 and 6, before the roll. In an opposed roll, the defender's successes set the number the attacker must beat. Kiai points can add dice or raise a general skill before a roll, or buy extra successes after it. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Briar Sovereign | Kotodama Heavy Industries |
| Year | 2024 | 2013 |
| Languages | English | English, Japanese, Spanish |
| 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 a complete anime-style drama of samurai, sorcerers and mecha pilots in one long session, with the whole table rewarding memorable performances. |
| 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. | Aiki chits awarded by the table for memorable in-character play convert into the Kiai that buys dice and successes. Spent Kiai builds up as Karma, which players pay down by rewriting or sublimating their character's Fates. The Zero Act gives each character an opening scene and a GM-assigned Destiny, setting up a story meant to finish in one 4 to 6 hour session. |
| 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. | A character whose Karma is still above 108 at the end of an intermission normally becomes a GM-controlled Asura and leaves play. The book has no dedicated army-scale battle rules, though individual combat and Strategy rolls can still matter within a war. Scenes usually include only two or three PCs, so players spend much of the session as the audience or voicing NPCs. |