Atomic Highway vs Rifts
Compare Atomic Highway and Rifts side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Atomic Highway | Rifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic | Post-Apocalyptic, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Survival, Career-Based, Sandbox, Gritty, Resource Management, Classless | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical |
| Core Mechanic | V6 Engine: roll a number of d6 equal to the relevant attribute (rated 1–5). Each natural 6 is a success and is rerolled for a chance at additional successes. Skill points (rated 1–5) can then be spent to boost individual die results up to 6, generating further successes. Most tasks require one success; harder tasks require two or more. When all dice show 1, something goes wrong regardless of skill. Fortune points allow players to add successes, reduce opponent successes, or introduce narrative twists. | Combat and saving throws use a d20 plus bonuses, with high results overcoming a target number or opposing roll. Skills use d100 and succeed when the result is at or below the character's percentage. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20, d100 |
| Complexity | Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary (Free PDF) | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Gallant Knight Games | Palladium Books Inc. |
| Year | 2009 | 2005 |
| Best For | Groups who want a lightweight Mad Max–style post-apocalyptic game with fast-resolving vehicular combat, quick character creation via background templates, and a setting that supports road warriors, mutants, and wasteland scavengers without heavy rules overhead. | Groups who want long-form science-fantasy campaigns that move from a ruined Earth to other dimensions. The game suits tables whose GM will decide which parts of the broad setting a campaign uses. |
| Highlights | Core PDF is permanently free with no barriers to entry. Character creation uses Rearing and Pursuit templates that provide skills and starting gear in minutes. Detailed vehicle customization and chase rules support the road warrior fantasy as a core gameplay loop. Scavenging system with random tables generates loot from categorized ruin types. | Occupational and racial class packages assign distinct abilities and advancement tracks, giving each archetype a different role in the party. Mega-Damage places many supernatural creatures and war machines on a separate durability scale beyond the reach of ordinary Structural Damage Capacity attacks. Rifts and ley lines make dimensional travel a standing feature of the setting, letting campaigns move between devastated Earth and other worlds. |
| Considerations | No structured social encounter mechanics beyond opposed skill rolls. Mutations and psychic powers are brief appendix options rather than fully developed subsystems. The publisher has not actively developed new content for the line since acquiring it in 2018. Setting material is deliberately generic, requiring GM effort to build specific locations and factions. | Character creation combines rolled attributes with extensive skill selection, making first-time preparation lengthy. Combat asks each player to track an action economy, active defenses, and which damage scale applies. Magic and psionics use separate point pools and power procedures, adding class-specific rules to the shared system. |