Arrhenius vs Starving Folly
Compare Arrhenius and Starving Folly side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Arrhenius | Starving Folly | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Post-Apocalyptic | Horror |
| Tags | Tactical, Survival, Resource Management, Inventory Management, Character Building, Classless, Crunchy, Strong GM Support | Fear & Stress Mechanics, Survival, Gritty, Resource Management, Character Building, Classless, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, One-Shot Friendly, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | For skill checks, roll a d20 and add the two relevant Talents plus the applicable Education score. A total of 21 or higher succeeds. Before a non-damage d20 roll, Luck Points can add +1 each to its bonus. | Roll a d10, add the relevant ability score and any skill that applies, and meet or beat a Difficulty Class the GM sets on a scale from 4 for an easy task to 15 for an almost impossible one. A weapon attack rolls a d10 plus the weapon's ability score against the target's Evasion and, on a hit, deals the weapon's listed damage. Spending a Hunger Token rerolls a failed Body or Agility roll, and spending a Sanity Token rerolls a failed Mind, Senses, or Sociability roll. |
| Dice | d20 | d10 |
| Complexity | High | Medium |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | CC BY-NC-SA |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Noncommercial only — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Dungeonteller, LLC | TheCappy01 |
| Year | 2025 | 2026 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want a survival-focused science-fiction campaign where characters cross frozen ruins, manage limited equipment, and resolve fights on a tactical grid. | Groups who want a free, setting-agnostic horror game for one-shots or short campaigns, built around a gradual reveal of the threat and survival costs that reach beyond hit points. It fits tables that enjoy building characters from a wide menu of backgrounds and perks. |
| Highlights | Frost Points turn prolonged exposure to subzero conditions into resilience checks, so shelter and protective gear shape expeditions. The optional Tuning Session assigns Talent scores through a short character-memory scenario, tying early choices to the resulting build. Combat uses a 2-meter grid with optional Perks that award attack bonuses for flanking or high ground. | Scars land on specific body parts, and a permanent -5 Scar costs the character that part. Each time a character drops to 0 Sanity Tokens, the GM gives them a new Phobia that can drain a Sanity Token once per session. A character's base Actions equal Agility plus 1, and unspent Actions can be saved to act again later in the round. |
| Considerations | Exposure to subzero temperatures triggers a Resilience check every 20 minutes of real table time and failure costs one Frost Point. Broad equipment archetypes rely on the Dungeonteller to define the specific items characters encounter. Combat resolves each attack through opposed rolls before damage is rolled. | Standard rest clears Temporary Scars but leaves permanent Scars in place. Running out of Hunger or Sanity Tokens normally imposes -3 on rolls tied to that token's abilities, and a standard rest restores just one token of each type. Whether the six Doctrines of magic appear in a campaign, and how characters earn Affinity to use them, are left for the GM to decide. |