Atomic Robo RPG vs Universalis

Compare Atomic Robo RPG and Universalis side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Atomic Robo RPG	Universalis
Genre	Sci-Fi, Modern, Historical	Universal
Tags	Pulp Action, Licensed IP, Investigation, Cinematic, Tag-Based, Fiction-First, Narrative, Collaborative, Improvisation, Superpowers	GM-Less, Narrative, Collaborative, Worldbuilding, Experimental, Hackable, Tag-Based, Resource Management, Improvisation, Low-Prep
Core Mechanic	Roll four Fate dice and add a skill rating, then compare the total against a fixed difficulty or an opponent's roll on the adjective ladder. Matching the opposition is a tie, beating it by one or two shifts is a success, and beating it by three or more is a success with style. Spend a fate point to invoke an aspect for +2 or a reroll. Accepting a compel earns a fate point in exchange for a complication.	There is no GM. Players spend Coins to add to the story: most statements that establish a Fact, such as a new character, a Trait or an Event, cost 1 Coin. A Complication decides who narrates the outcome of a clash between Components controlled by different players. Each involved player builds a pool of d10s by using relevant Traits for free or buying dice for 1 Coin each. Every die showing 1 to 5 is a Success, and the side with more Successes wins. Winners gain Bonus Coins equal to the total on their successful dice and spend them first to narrate the outcome. Losers gain 1 Bonus Coin per die rolled and narrate with whatever the winners have not cancelled.
Dice	4dF (Fudge dice)	d10 dice pool
Complexity	Medium	Low
Availability	Paid	Paid
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	3 of 5 book tools
License	CC BY 3.0 or OGL 1.0a (SRD); core book All Rights Reserved	Proprietary
Third-Party Publishing	Commercial publishing allowed — Open license	No verified route found
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	Evil Hat Productions	Ramshead Publishing
Year	2014	2006
Languages	English	English
Best For	Groups who want to play Action Scientists in pulp adventures against super-science conspiracies, jumping between eras of a century-long secret history. Its Brainstorms suit tables that like solving mysteries together during play.	Groups who want to build a setting and story from nothing without a GM, in any genre, and who enjoy bargaining over who decides what happens next.
Highlights	Brainstorms turn a mystery into a group procedure: each winning roll adds a fact as an aspect, and the final hypothesis must build on every fact. Invention rules build a gadget from a function aspect, a flaw aspect, and stunt benefits, then charge for it in narrative catches like rare materials rather than money. E-Z No-Math creation starts a character from a concept and three rated modes, so players can make characters on the fly and fill in aspects and stunts during play.	Rules Gimmicks are proposed as Tenets for 1 Coin, so a group can add or change rules mid-game the same way it adds story facts. Coins spent defending an established Fact count double when a Challenge goes to bidding, which makes contradicting the shared record more expensive without a referee. Another player can turn an Event into an Obstacle by buying dice against it, so the table supplies difficulty instead of a GM.
Considerations	Custom weird characters take longer to build, because modes and skill improvements are bought from a 30-point budget instead of picked from the E-Z options. The campaign rules assume the PCs belong to a faction, so a group playing freelancers has to build its own organization or run without the faction support and advancement rules. A Brainstorm's winning hypothesis becomes the truth of the situation, so a GM cannot count on a planned explanation for a mystery surviving play.	Control of a character does not carry over between scenes, and creating a character gives no claim to it later. There is no prescribed mechanical ending, so a story runs until the players agree it is finished. Every paid Fact is written down so it can be enforced later, which adds steady bookkeeping to play.