Barbarians of Lemuria vs Black Star
Compare Barbarians of Lemuria and Black Star side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Barbarians of Lemuria | Black Star | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Pulp Action, Sword & Sorcery, Beginner-Friendly, Fast-Paced | Rules-Light, Pulp Action, Space Opera, Beginner-Friendly, Fast-Paced, Mana Points |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + attribute + career (or combat ability), 9+ to succeed. Four attributes (Strength, Agility, Mind, Appeal) and four combat abilities (Initiative, Melee, Ranged, Defence) rated 0–5. Careers replace individual skills: if your career is relevant, add its rating. Boons roll 3d6 keep best two; flaws roll 3d6 keep worst two. Hero Points fuel dramatic escapes and heroic feats. | Roll 2d6 + ability, 9+ to succeed. Ten abilities rated 0–5. Pick two archetypes from ten options (Commander, Engineer, Mystic, Scoundrel, etc.) to define your character's strengths. Resolve serves as both HP and hero points: spend it to boost rolls or fuel special abilities, but run out and you're down. Advantages and disadvantages modify the roll. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 2 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Beyond Belief Games | Lakeside Games |
| Year | 2015 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want fast, pulpy sword and sorcery in the vein of Conan: career-based characters, boons and flaws, and combat that resolves in minutes. | Groups who want fast, pulpy space opera with simple rules: pick two archetypes, grab some d6s, and blast off into adventure. |
| Highlights | Career system is intuitive and fast, combat resolves in minutes, Hero Points enable pulp heroics, simple to learn and teach, spawned the Everywhen universal toolkit | Simple to learn, dual archetype system creates unique combinations, Resolve as HP-and-hero-points is a clean design, fast character creation, suited for one-shots and pickup games |
| Considerations | Tightly coupled to its Lemuria setting, limited character advancement, combat lacks tactical depth | Limited advancement options, narrow space opera focus, lacks deep tactical combat |