Beam Saber vs Troika!
Compare Beam Saber and Troika! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Beam Saber | Troika! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Fantasy, Scifi |
| Play Style | Mecha, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Narrative, Faction Play, Mission-Based, Character-Driven, Collaborative | Rules-Light, Weird, Random Character Creation, Low-Prep, Improvisation, Deadly, Random Tables |
| Core Mechanic | Forged in the Dark: roll a d6 dice pool based on action rating and take the highest: 6 is a full success, 4–5 is a partial success, 1–3 is a bad outcome. Position (controlled/risky/desperate) sets consequences. Pilots and vehicles have separate action sets and stress tracks. Vehicles have Quirks: narrative traits that grant bonus dice when invoked. Progress clocks track complex obstacles. Missions follow a structured cycle of planning, engagement roll, action, and downtime. | Three stats: Skill, Stamina, Luck. Roll 2d6 under Skill + Advanced Skill to succeed. Initiative uses a random token-draw stack: unpredictable turn order. Luck is a consumable resource that depletes with each test. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Very Low |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | High | Low |
| License | Forged in the Dark | Open (Troika! SRD) |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Austin Ramsay Games | Melsonian Arts Council |
| Year | 2022 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want a mecha war drama where the pilot relationships, beliefs, and moral compromises matter as much as the vehicle combat: think Gundam meets Band of Brothers. | Fast, surreal science-fantasy adventures with minimal rules and random character generation. Ideal for one-shots and improvisational play. |
| Highlights | Dual pilot/vehicle layer gives each character two distinct mechanical identities. Vehicle Quirks reward narrative creativity with mechanical bonuses. Faction system with supply points, trust, and entanglements models the politics of war. 10 pilot playbooks and 8 squad playbooks provide extensive starting variety. Includes a full default setting with factions, regions, and 24 vehicle models. | Simple rules, creative backgrounds double as setting material, chaotic token-draw initiative creates unpredictable turn order, consumable Luck depletes with each test |
| Considerations | 438-page rulebook is dense for a FitD game and takes time to absorb. Vehicle and pilot systems are deeply intertwined, requiring players to track two character sheets. Setting-agnostic in theory but the default setting material is substantial and may overshadow custom worlds. | Initiative stack can leave players unable to act for long stretches, mixed roll-under/roll-over mechanics confuse new players, setting is implied rather than described, minimal tactical depth |