Chronicles of Darkness vs Tales from the Loop
Compare Chronicles of Darkness and Tales from the Loop side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Chronicles of Darkness | Tales from the Loop | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Scifi, Modern |
| Tags | Atmospheric, Character Building, Character-Driven, Classless, Corruption, Drama, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Improvisation, Investigation, Strong GM Support | Narrative, Beginner-Friendly, Character-Driven, Mystery, Rules-Light, Licensed IP |
| Core Mechanic | Build a d10 pool from an Attribute plus a Skill and count each 8, 9, or 10 as a success. Tens reroll, five successes are exceptional, and a pool reduced below one die becomes a chance die that succeeds only on a 10. | Roll a d6 dice pool (attribute + skill). Each 6 is a success. Push to reroll failures but take a Condition. Kids cannot die: instead they accumulate Conditions (Upset, Scared, Exhausted, Injured, Broken) and must roleplay recovery with anchors. |
| Dice | d10 dice pool | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Year Zero Engine OGL |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Storytellers Vault | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $ | $$ |
| Publisher | Onyx Path Publishing | Free League Publishing |
| Year | 2015 | 2017 |
| Languages | English | English, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want modern supernatural horror built around investigating mysteries, navigating personal consequences, and confronting threats before they overwhelm an ordinary life. | Groups wanting a rules-light, nostalgia-driven RPG about kids solving sci-fi mysteries in an alternate 1980s: Stranger Things meets E.T. |
| Highlights | The investigation system can reveal an Incomplete clue on a failed roll, preventing a mystery from stopping at one check. Conditions, Aspirations, and Beats link consequences and personal goals to character advancement. Horror Anchors create investigative inroads for supernatural threats. | Very simple rules, distinctive 1980s setting, Conditions system encourages roleplay over combat, accessible for new players and younger teens |
| Considerations | The core contains detailed procedures for combat, chases, investigation, social maneuvering, and supernatural threats, so groups need to decide which rules to emphasize in a campaign. Damage, Integrity breaking points, and Persistent Conditions create lasting consequences. Social Maneuvering includes sexual goals and hard leverage, so players should back away from uncomfortable concepts. | Trouble mechanic resolution can feel arbitrary, limited mechanical differentiation between kid characters, investigation pacing relies heavily on GM skill, sessions can stall without clear mystery structure |