Cairn 1st Edition vs NUKED!
Compare Cairn 1st Edition and NUKED! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Cairn 1st Edition | NUKED! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Post-Apocalyptic |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Classless, Deadly, Attacks Always Hit, Random Character Creation, Inventory Management, Dark Fantasy, Fiction-First, Gritty, CC-Licensed Rules | Rules-Light, Survival, Classless, Resource Management, Deadly, Random Character Creation, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d20 equal to or under STR, DEX, or WIL to pass a save; 1 always succeeds and 20 always fails. Attacks deal rolled damage directly, reduced by Armor and then Hit Protection (HP). Damage beyond HP reduces STR and requires a STR save to avoid critical damage. | Roll d20 equal to or under the relevant ability score to succeed. Six abilities (Muscle, Agility, Guts, Brains, Sense, Weird) range from 8 to 18. In opposed tests, both sides roll and the highest successful result wins. Advantage and disadvantage modify rolls based on situational factors. Combat uses an action economy of one move and one action per turn; defenders choose to counter-attack or dodge. Damage dice explode on their maximum value. Usage dice (Ud4 to Ud12) track item durability, rations, water, and gasoline: roll after use, and on a 1 or 2 the die steps down one size until the item breaks. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 2 of 5 book tools |
| License | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Cairn Press | Harsh Realm Press |
| Year | 2020 | 2023 |
| Languages | English, Catalan, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish, Toki Pona, Turkish, Ukrainian, Belarusian | English |
| Best For | Groups who want dangerous woodland expeditions where equipment defines characters and creative problem-solving matters more than character builds. | Groups who want a fast, streamlined post-apocalyptic game with OSR sensibilities where classless scavengers explore irradiated ruins, manage dwindling supplies, and customize characters through perks and mutations rather than class levels. |
| Highlights | Equipment and spellcasting Fatigue share ten inventory slots, making magical power compete with carrying useful gear. Scars from attacks that reduce HP to exactly zero can increase attributes or maximum HP, tying mechanical growth to surviving danger. Characters can gain new abilities through training and experiences in the fiction rather than following classes or levels. | Classless system where character identity comes from carried equipment, perks, and mutations rather than predetermined roles. Usage dice track item durability, rations, water, and gasoline, making resource management central without complex bookkeeping. 50 level-less perks and mutations allow character customization at any stage of advancement. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license allows free modification and redistribution. |
| Considerations | Attacks require no to-hit roll, making avoiding or controlling a fight more important than relying on a missed attack. Spellbooks cannot be copied or manufactured, leaving new spell acquisition dependent on discoveries in the world. The core leaves exploration timing to the Warden rather than providing a dungeon-turn or wilderness-travel procedure. | 40-page core book means limited depth in any individual subsystem. No structured social encounter mechanics beyond ability tests. Vehicle rules are brief and cover basic chases and ramming but lack detailed options. |