Ashes Without Number vs Bunnies & Burrows
Compare Ashes Without Number and Bunnies & Burrows side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Ashes Without Number | Bunnies & Burrows | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic | Fantasy |
| Tags | Sandbox, Deadly, Gritty, Exploration, Survival, Faction Play, Ascending AC | Career-Based, Deadly, Exploration, Grid-Based, Gritty, Hexcrawl, Random Character Creation, Resource Management, Survival |
| Core Mechanic | 2d6 + skill + attribute modifier ≥ target for skill checks; d20 + modifiers for combat. Edges and Foci customize survivors. Enclave turn manages settlement-level play. Mutation system for mutant wasteland campaigns. | Roll 1d6 + Trait Rating against a Difficulty Value (DV) for skill checks. Eight traits (Strength, Speed, Intelligence, Agility, Constitution, Mysticism, Smell, Charisma) each have a genetic base value set at character creation via 3d6, plus a Level that increases through Advancement Points. Combat uses hex-based battleboards with Attack and Defend dice, comparing Attack Score (attack die plus modifiers) to Defense Score (SPD Rating plus defend die), with tactical choices selected secretly each round via Combat Tactics Cards. |
| Dice | 2d6 / d20 | d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary (licensed from Steve Jackson Games) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Sine Nomine Publishing | Frog God Games |
| Year | 2025 | 2019 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Sandbox post-apocalyptic campaigns (nuclear wastelands, zombie deadlands, or societal collapse) with the same incredible GM tools as Stars Without Number. | Groups who want a survival-focused campaign from a non-human perspective, solving problems as small prey animals in a realistically dangerous ecosystem. |
| Highlights | Three apocalypse flavors (mutant wasteland, zombie deadlands, after the fall), comprehensive sandbox GM tools with encounter site and enclave generators, mutations and cybernetics, compatible with other Without Number games | Fully realized herbalism system serves as the game's analog to magic, with herb searching, recognition, preparation, and remodeling mechanics. Pursuit phase models predator chases as a distinct tactical minigame before combat begins. Extensive bestiary details real-world predators and prey with ecologically grounded behavior. Nine playable species (rabbit plus eight others) each with a unique profession and trait distribution. |
| Considerations | OSR combat can feel flat, dense 294-page rulebook, requires GM comfort with sandbox play | No free quickstart or SRD: the low-cost B&B Light folio is the cheapest entry point. Battleboard combat with tokens and tactics cards requires physical components or digital substitutes. Rules are spread across multiple subsystems (pursuit, combat, herbalism, diseases, pests) that take time to internalize. |