Cairn vs NUKED!
Compare Cairn and NUKED! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Cairn | NUKED! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Post-Apocalyptic |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Classless, Deadly, Dungeon Crawl, Exploration, Inventory Management, Fiction-First, Random Character Creation, Random Tables, Strong GM Support | Rules-Light, Survival, Classless, Resource Management, Deadly, Random Character Creation, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | To avoid a risky outcome, roll d20 equal to or below STR, DEX, or WIL; a 1 succeeds and a 20 fails. Only the participant most at risk rolls an opposed save. Attacks deal damage automatically, reduced by armor and then Hit Protection (HP). Damage beyond HP reduces STR and requires a save against the reduced STR 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 | Low | Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 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 — Creative Commons text reuse | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Cairn Press | Harsh Realm Press |
| Year | 2024 | 2023 |
| Languages | English, Finnish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish | English |
| Best For | Groups who want dangerous woodland expeditions where equipment and preparation matter more than optimized character builds. Suits campaigns shaped by exploration and the consequences of encounters. | 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 | Fatigue occupies the same ten inventory slots as equipment, making spellcasting and hardship compete with useful gear. Dungeon turns and wilderness watches tie exploration choices to events and resource costs. Training and significant encounters can change abilities without an experience-point track. | 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 | Automatic attack damage makes direct confrontation dangerous even when characters wear armor. The Warden decides when fictional advantages remove the need for a save instead of using graded difficulty targets. Advancement depends on experiences and negotiated training rather than a predictable level progression. | 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. |