Cities Without Number vs The Sprawl
Compare Cities Without Number and The Sprawl side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cities Without Number | The Sprawl | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk | Cyberpunk, Scifi |
| Tags | Sandbox, Classless, Noir, Ascending AC | Mission-Based, Espionage, Heist, Noir, Gritty, Faction Play, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Player-Only Rolls, One-Shot Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | 2d6 + attribute mod + skill for skill checks; d20 + modifiers vs. AC for combat. Edge and chrome (cyberware) add abilities and complications. Faction turn system runs corporate, gang, and government power struggles between sessions. Tag-based city generation creates districts and neighborhoods on the fly. | When an action matches a move's fictional trigger, roll 2d6 plus Cool, Edge, Meat, Mind, Style, or Synth. A 10+ is a strong hit, 7-9 is a weak hit, and a 6 or less lets the MC make a move. |
| Dice | 2d6 / d20 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | Medium |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Sine Nomine Publishing | Ardens Ludere |
| Year | 2023 | 2016 |
| Languages | English | English, French |
| Best For | Cyberpunk sandbox campaigns with comprehensive GM worldbuilding tools, faction turns, and noir-tinged urban adventure: fully compatible with Stars Without Number and Worlds Without Number. | Groups who want structured heist-style missions with a hacking minigame and a growing web of corporate rivals across a campaign. It suits players who enjoy risky planning and personal ties that complicate the crew's loyalties. |
| Highlights | Free version is very generous, comprehensive sandbox and faction tools, seamlessly compatible with SWN/WWN family, noir investigation mechanics, detailed city generation system | Countdown Clocks track legwork noise, mission alertness, and corporate attention on separate tracks, giving missions a visible pressure gauge instead of a single doom clock. Cyberdeck ratings and tiered ICE turn hacking into its own tactical minigame layered on the standard moves. The Legwork and Action phase structure lets intel and gear earned through investigation convert directly into narrated advantages during the mission itself. |
| Considerations | OSR combat can feel basic, cyberpunk genre may overlap with Shadowrun expectations, less support for narrative/story-arc campaigns | Combat and infiltration rely on fictional positioning and MC judgment as much as dice modifiers, so groups who want tightly defined tactical rules may find some outcomes settled by table discussion. Running an ongoing campaign means the MC tracks separate Countdown Clocks for every corporation, threat, and mission in play at once. Choosing how a character paid for their starting cyberware can permanently tie that character to being owned or hunted by a specific corporation. |