Cities Without Number vs Low Fantasy Gaming
Compare Cities Without Number and Low Fantasy Gaming side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Cities Without Number | Low Fantasy Gaming | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk | Fantasy |
| Tags | Sandbox, Classless, Noir, Ascending AC, Gritty, Deadly, Mission-Based, Heist, Random Tables, Strong GM Support | Low-Fantasy, Gritty, Deadly, Sword & Sorcery, Corruption, Sandbox, Dungeon Crawl, Random Tables, Strong GM Support, Hackable |
| Core Mechanic | Skill checks roll 2d6 plus the relevant attribute modifier and skill level against a difficulty. Attacks roll 1d20 plus base attack bonus, combat skill, and attribute modifier against Armor Class, and a melee miss can still inflict Shock. Lethal hits roll a Trauma Die, and a result at or above the target's Trauma Target multiplies damage. | Combat uses standard d20 + class attack bonus + ability modifier vs. Armour Class. Out of combat, attribute checks roll equal-or-under (1d20 ≤ attribute, with degrees of success), and skills add +1 and grant access to a level-based Reroll Pool that smooths the d20 swing. Dropping to zero hit points triggers an All Dead vs. Mostly Dead check and a roll on the Injuries & Setbacks table (lost eyes and limbs, broken ribs, madness, permanent scars). Spell casting is uncertain: every cast carries a cumulative 1-in-20 chance of triggering the Dark & Dangerous Magic d100 table, which can mutate the caster, sap Luck, or summon hostile aberrations. The Luck attribute itself is a depleting meta-resource that fuels saves, Major Exploits, and Rescue Exploits. |
| Dice | 2d6 / d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | OGL 1.0a |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Cities Without Number System Reference Document (CC0 1.0) | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Sine Nomine Publishing | Pickpocket Press |
| Year | 2023 | 2020 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want a lethal cyberpunk sandbox where the players pick their own jobs and work for or against the city's factions. | Groups who want gritty low-magic fantasy where every combat carries real consequences (broken bones, lost limbs, madness) and where casting a spell is a calculated gamble that can corrupt the caster or summon something worse. |
| Highlights | The complete core rules are free in a separate PDF, so a table can start play without buying the deluxe edition. Mission tags and one-roll tables generate patrons, jobs, and complications without long prep. Faction schemes and the Heat system give the city and the team's notoriety mechanical momentum between missions. | Dark & Dangerous Magic puts every spell at risk of triggering a d100 corruption table (mutations, summoned aberrations, Luck loss, madness) with the chance climbing by 1 in 20 each cast until it fires, making sorcery a calculated gamble rather than reliable utility. Martial Exploits layer creative combat moves (Minor, Major, and Rescue) on top of a successful hit, such as disarms, decapitations, or throwing an ally clear of a fireball, fueled by depleting Luck checks rather than a fixed action menu, so combats are improvisation-driven rather than rotation-driven. Every PC designs a Unique Feature at 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th level in conversation with the GM, working off 36 worked examples (Awakened Host, Faustian Pact, Skill Prodigy, Slippery Bastard) that each scale through low, moderate, and high power tiers the table can cherry-pick. |
| Considerations | Combat stays on a light OSR frame, so groups wanting granular tactical combat will find it thin. The game expects a GM to build a city and improvise its consequences, and it offers little support for scripted story arcs. Hacking and cyberware add bookkeeping through Access pools and monthly maintenance. | Magic Users are deliberately weaker than other classes: no at-will spells, no teleport, no mind reading, no resurrection, and every cast risks a corruption effect, so spell-focused players have to accept playing a high-risk role that can lose its toolkit mid-adventure. The 12th-level cap shortens the campaign arc: the book trades long-haul progression for keeping monsters threatening and magic spectacular, but groups expecting decades-long advancement curves will hit the ceiling. Permanent injuries from the Injuries & Setbacks table are a regular outcome of going to zero hit points, and short of rare in-setting healing magic those disabilities stay, which can frustrate groups attached to keeping their characters physically whole. |