Basic Roleplaying vs Burning Wheel
Compare Basic Roleplaying and Burning Wheel side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Basic Roleplaying | Burning Wheel | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Fantasy |
| Tags | Skill-Based, Modular, Simulation, Gritty, Roleplay-Heavy, Investigation, Low-Fantasy, Classless | Crunchy, Roleplay-Heavy, Character Building, Drama, Low-Fantasy, Social Combat |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under your skill percentage to succeed. Critical success on 1/20th of skill value, fumble on 99–100. Opposed rolls compare results. Optional rules layer on complexity as desired. | Roll a pool of d6s (ability exponent = number of dice). 4+ counts as a success. Meet or exceed the obstacle number. Beliefs, Instincts, and Traits earn artha rewards. |
| Dice | d100 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | ORC | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Chaosium Inc. | BWHQ |
| Year | 2023 | 2011 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | GMs who want a modular, genre-agnostic percentile system they can tailor to any setting with optional rules for powers, combat, and more. | Groups who want character beliefs and drama to mechanically drive play, with deep subsystems that reward mastery. |
| Highlights | Highly modular: add or remove subsystems at will, intuitive percentile mechanic, unified system across any genre, skill-based progression through use, long design heritage | Beliefs mechanically drive play. Skills advance through use. The Duel of Wits and Fight subsystems offer detailed resolution. |
| Considerations | Can feel generic without a specific setting, requires GM effort to select which optional rules to use, combat can be deadly and swingy | Steep learning curve, meant to be played as written (not hackable), print availability limited |