Bite the Hand vs Cyberpunk 2020
Compare Bite the Hand and Cyberpunk 2020 side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Bite the Hand | Cyberpunk 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk, Scifi, Horror | Cyberpunk |
| Play Style | Character Building, Deadly, Fast-Paced, Gritty, Hackable, Horror, Resource Management, Theater of the Mind | Combat-Heavy, Skill-Based, Deadly, Lore-Heavy, Career-Based, Corruption, Faction Play, Crunchy, Grimdark |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under a relevant stat or save. Equal or higher makes a check fail or succeed with a consequence, while an equal-or-higher save fails and incurs harm. Doubles trigger critical results based on success or failure. Advantage or Disadvantage rolls twice and keeps the better or worse result; uncomplicated actions usually work without a roll. | Stat + Skill + d10 against a difficulty value set by the GM (typically 15 for average tasks, scaling up to 30 for nearly impossible ones). Combat uses the same formula: REF + weapon skill + d10 against a target number modified by range. Hit location is rolled on a d10 table, and armor on each location absorbs damage separately. Cyberpsychosis tracks Humanity loss from cyberware installation, with characters losing Empathy as they augment. |
| Dice | d100 | d10 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | Medium | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Cost | $ | $$ |
| Publisher | Spellbook Gaming LLC | R. Talsorian Games |
| Year | 2026 | 1993 |
| Best For | Groups seeking lethal cyberpunk missions about vulnerable rebels, with room for hacking, social maneuvering, and direct action. | Groups who want a gritty, lethal cyberpunk setting with deep character roles, detailed cybernetics and gear, and a world where style matters as much as firepower. |
| Highlights | Tiered cybernetics raise Minimum Stress as they expand a character's capabilities, linking augmentation directly to emotional resilience. Completing a mission against a corporation, harming law enforcement, corporate assets, or government officials, and every $2,000 of debt each raise Heat; after a day of noticeable crime, a secret d20 roll at or under the highest-Heat character's score produces a Heat consequence. Uncomplicated attacks hit automatically, reserving checks for dangerous complications and keeping firefights moving. | Nine character roles each grant a unique Special Ability, so a Solo, Netrunner, or Rockerboy plays mechanically distinct from the rest. The Lifepath system rolls out backstory, allies, enemies, and romances, tying a character into the world before play begins. Installing cyberware costs Humanity, trading raw capability for a measured slide toward cyberpsychosis. |
| Considerations | Random stats and unequal starting loadouts deliberately create uneven characters. Wounds and failed Death saves can remove characters abruptly. Several procedures rely on Warden judgment: hacking, social checks, cover, and carrying capacity. | Netrunning runs on its own timescale and can sideline the rest of the table during a hack. Hit-location rolls and per-location armor add bookkeeping to every combat exchange. Lethality is high, so focused fire can drop a fully built character in a single exchange. |