Candela Obscura vs Mouse Guard RPG
Compare Candela Obscura and Mouse Guard RPG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Candela Obscura | Mouse Guard RPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror | Fantasy |
| Tags | Investigation, Mystery, Corruption, Mission-Based, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Resource Management, Atmospheric, Character-Driven, Strong GM Support | Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Mission-Based |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d6s equal to your action rating and take the highest result: 1–3 is failure, 4–5 is success at a cost, and 6 is full success. Multiple 6s give a critical success. Spend drive to add dice, up to six total. With no dice, roll two and take the lower result. Taking a gilded die’s result restores one drive point. Burn resistance to reroll only your action dice. The GM sets stakes and expectations before the roll. | Roll a pool of d6s equal to your ability or skill: each die showing 4+ counts as a success. Meet or exceed the obstacle number to pass. Conflicts (fights, arguments, chases, negotiations) use scripted actions and disposition. Beliefs, Instincts, and Goals drive advancement. Play alternates between GM's Turn (missions and obstacles) and Players' Turn (personal goals and recovery). |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | Darrington Press Community Gaming License 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Community gaming license | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Darrington Press | Archaia Entertainment |
| Year | 2023 | 2015 |
| Languages | English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish | English |
| Best For | Groups who want episodic occult investigations with lasting injuries and shared recovery resources. Character-specific goals reward taking risks during assignments. | Groups who love the Mouse Guard comics and want a mission-driven RPG where brave mice face nature, weather, and predators: with Burning Wheel's belief-driven mechanics in a streamlined package. |
| Highlights | Gilded dice let investigators accept a worse outcome to recover resources. Character-specific goals contribute to shared advancement after each assignment. The assignment framework identifies essential reveals that keep investigations moving. | Beliefs and Instincts mechanically drive play, versatile conflict system handles fights, debates, chases, and negotiations equally, streamlined Burning Wheel engine, well-integrated with the comics, included sample missions and 12 pre-made characters |
| Considerations | Recovery draws from a limited pool shared by the whole circle. Scars usually persist throughout a campaign and can force a character out of play. Combat uses narrative judgment rather than initiative or fixed enemy health. | Tightly bound to the Mouse Guard setting, conflict scripting takes getting used to, limited character options, currently out of print |