Arrhenius vs The Expanse Roleplaying Game
Compare Arrhenius and The Expanse Roleplaying Game side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Arrhenius | The Expanse Roleplaying Game | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Post-Apocalyptic | Scifi |
| Tags | Tactical, Survival, Resource Management, Inventory Management, Character Building, Classless, Crunchy, Strong GM Support | Licensed IP, Space Opera, Ship-Based, Crunchy, Social Combat, Investigation, Faction Play, Social Intrigue, Strong GM Support, Tactical |
| 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 three six-sided dice, two matched and one differently colored Drama Die, and add an ability score plus a focus bonus of +2 if applicable. The total must equal or beat a target number set by the GM or an opponent's result. Rolling doubles generates stunt points spent on combat, exploration, or social effects. The Drama Die's value sets the degree of success. |
| Dice | d20 | 3d6 |
| Complexity | High | High |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $ | $$ |
| Publisher | Dungeonteller, LLC | Green Ronin Publishing |
| Year | 2025 | 2019 |
| 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 character-focused science fiction campaign of crew jobs, faction pressure, and danger across the Solar System. It suits tables that want structured action, investigation, and social encounters alongside ship travel. |
| 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. | Backgrounds, professions, talents, and focuses build characters with mechanical ties to their lives before the campaign begins. Action, exploration, and social encounters each use dedicated stunts, giving different kinds of scenes procedures beyond a single skill roll. The Churn turns accumulated complications into escalating story events, giving the Game Master a structured way to introduce setbacks. |
| 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. | Combat stunts are drawn from six separate category tables covering roughly sixty options, requiring both players and the GM to check charts mid-fight to keep pace. Ground and air vehicles receive no example statistics, leaving their combat rules almost entirely improvised. The forty-page setting guide summarizes the solar system's factions and history at a survey level, so groups wanting deeper political detail need outside reading of the novels. |