Canes Belli vs Rifts
Compare Canes Belli and Rifts side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Canes Belli | Rifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Post-Apocalyptic, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero |
| Tags | CC-Licensed Rules, Cinematic, Combat-Heavy, Fast-Paced, Mission-Based, Resource Management, Rules-Light, Strong GM Support, Tactical, Theater of the Mind | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d6 pool equal to one attribute plus one skill. Each 5 or 6 is a success, and the GM sets difficulty by the successes required. In combat, matching Armor Value scores a hit, and each excess success adds to the weapon's base damage. | Combat and saving throws use a d20 plus bonuses, with high results overcoming a target number or opposing roll. Skills use d100 and succeed when the result is at or below the character's percentage. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20, d100 |
| Complexity | Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | Low | Very High |
| License | CC BY-SA 4.0 | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — CC BY-SA 4.0 | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Sebastian Hahn | Palladium Books Inc. |
| Year | 2025 | 2005 |
| Languages | English, German | English |
| Best For | Groups who want focused military-science-fiction missions where cinematic one-liners and mission generators extend play beyond the included starter scenario. | Groups who want long-form science-fantasy campaigns that move from a ruined Earth to other dimensions. The game suits tables whose GM will decide which parts of the broad setting a campaign uses. |
| Highlights | Archetype abilities spend the same Energy that absorbs damage, so every use reduces the reserve against later attacks. One-liners grant once-per-session effects such as full-party healing or extra actions, reinforcing the game's action-movie tone. Mission and sidequest generators pair goals with complications to frame assignments beyond the included starter scenario. | Occupational and racial class packages assign distinct abilities and advancement tracks, giving each archetype a different role in the party. Mega-Damage places many supernatural creatures and war machines on a separate durability scale beyond the reach of ordinary Structural Damage Capacity attacks. Rifts and ley lines make dimensional travel a standing feature of the setting, letting campaigns move between devastated Earth and other worlds. |
| Considerations | All four archetypes are fixed military roles with preset abilities and equipment, so character concepts stay within the elite-soldier premise. Each combat round permits either an action or movement, so crossing from Long range to Close range takes two rounds. Advancement grants one attribute point and three skill points at GM-chosen intervals, keeping progression to numerical increases. | Character creation combines rolled attributes with extensive skill selection, making first-time preparation lengthy. Combat asks each player to track an action economy, active defenses, and which damage scale applies. Magic and psionics use separate point pools and power procedures, adding class-specific rules to the shared system. |