Candela Obscura vs Mothership
Compare Candela Obscura and Mothership side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Candela Obscura | Mothership | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror | Scifi, Horror |
| Play Style | Horror, Investigation, Narrative, Fiction-First, Atmospheric, Character-Driven, Playbook-Driven, Mission-Based, Corruption, Collaborative, Drama, Roleplay-Heavy | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a pool of d6s equal to your action rating (0–3), take the highest result. A 6 is a full success, 4–5 is a mixed success, 1–3 is a miss. Spend Drive points (Nerve, Cunning, or Intuition) to add dice. Gilded actions replace one die with a special gilded die — choosing its result recovers 1 Drive. The GM sets stakes (low, standard, or high) and expectations before each roll. | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d100 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | Darrington Press Community Gaming License | 3rd Party License |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Darrington Press | Tuesday Knight Games |
| Year | 2023 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want atmospheric horror investigation with narrative-first mechanics, where supernatural corruption slowly erodes characters across a series of assignments. | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. |
| Highlights | Gilded dice create meaningful risk-reward tension on every roll, Drive system elegantly ties character resources to narrative themes, assignment structure gives the GM a clear framework for pacing, marks and scars make supernatural exposure feel consequential | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension |
| Considerations | No free core rules — only a free quickstart guide is available, setting is tightly bound to the Fairelands world, limited character customization compared to Blades in the Dark, combat is intentionally de-emphasized in favor of investigation and social play | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play |