Ashes Without Number vs Twilight: 2000
Compare Ashes Without Number and Twilight: 2000 side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Ashes Without Number | Twilight: 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic | Post-Apocalyptic, Modern |
| Play Style | Sandbox, Deadly, Gritty, Exploration, Survival, Faction Play, Ascending AC | Gritty, Survival, Combat-Heavy, Hexcrawl, Base-Building, Deadly, Inventory Management, Random Character Creation |
| 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 one attribute die and one skill die, each rated as a step die (d6, d8, d10, or d12). A result of 6+ on either die is a success; 10+ counts as two successes. Rolls can be pushed for extra dice at the cost of damage or stress. Ammo dice track ammunition expenditure during firefights, degrading with use. |
| Dice | 2d6 / d20 | d6–d12 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | High |
| License | Proprietary | Year Zero Engine FTL |
| Cost | Free / $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Sine Nomine Publishing | Free League Publishing |
| Year | 2025 | 2021 |
| 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 gritty military survival sandbox where managing ammunition, fuel, food, and shelter matters as much as combat, set against a Cold War-gone-hot alternate history. |
| 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 | Hex-based travel and exploration system with structured daily tasks (march, forage, scrounge, rest), detailed but playable firearms and vehicle rules with real-world military equipment, ammo dice mechanic abstracts ammunition management without individual round tracking, base-building rules for establishing and upgrading a home settlement |
| Considerations | OSR combat can feel flat, dense 294-page rulebook, requires GM comfort with sandbox play | Combat lethality can frustrate players attached to their characters, large core set with multiple booklets and maps to manage, narrow post-apocalyptic military premise limits campaign variety, step dice mechanic produces a flat probability curve with high variance on individual rolls |