City of Mist vs Kids on Bikes
Compare City of Mist and Kids on Bikes side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| City of Mist | Kids on Bikes | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Modern | Horror, Modern |
| Play Style | Narrative, Investigation, Mystery, Roleplay-Heavy, Fiction-First, Noir, Urban Fantasy, Drama, Tag-Based | Beginner-Friendly, Cinematic, Collaborative, Worldbuilding, Mystery, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Theater of the Mind, Narrative, Roleplay-Heavy, Drama, GM-Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + invoked tags. Characters have no numerical stats — instead they invoke narrative tags from their Mythos (legendary) and Logos (mundane) themes. 7–9 partial success, 10+ full success. Statuses replace HP on a 1–6 tier track. | Six stats (Brains, Brawn, Fight, Flight, Charm, Grit) each get a single die from d4 (terrible) to d20 (superb), with the assignment determined by a chosen Trope (Brilliant Mathlete, Loner Weirdo, Popular Kid, etc.). Roll the relevant stat die against a GM-set difficulty; rolling the die's maximum 'explodes' and the die is rerolled, adding the values together. Failed rolls grant Adversity Tokens, each spendable for +1 on a future roll. Combat is fully narrative — there are no hit points; the margin between attacker and defender rolls determines injury severity and who narrates the outcome. Age (child, teen, or adult) grants +1 to two relevant stats and unlocks a free Strength. Each campaign also features a Powered Character co-controlled by all players through shared Aspect notecards and a pool of Psychic Energy tokens. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d4–d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | Low | High |
| License | Community content (Cauldron of Mist) | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Son of Oak Game Studio | Hunters Entertainment / Renegade Game Studios |
| Year | 2019 | 2018 |
| Best For | Groups who want noir-style investigations in a modern city where characters channel mythological archetypes — balancing mundane lives with legendary powers. | Groups who want collaborative small-town supernatural mystery in the vein of Stranger Things or Stand By Me, where character relationships and tropes matter more than mechanical complexity. Especially well suited to one-shots, short campaigns, and tables that include players new to TTRPGs. |
| Highlights | Tag system makes every character unique, investigation mechanics are well-designed, layered interplay between mythic and mundane identity | Pre-built Tropes turn character creation into a five-minute step, Setting Boundaries safety tools are integrated as the very first step before play, collaborative world-building constructs the town and seeds rumors before the first session, the Powered Character mechanic distributes shared narrative control of the supernatural element across the table via Aspect notecards |
| Considerations | Tag-based resolution takes adjustment from traditional RPGs, heavily tied to its urban noir setting, two-book format can feel expensive, prep-intensive for the MC | Combat is fully narrative with no hit points or initiative, which can frustrate groups who want tactical structure, difficulty setting is entirely GM judgment with example anchors but no formulas, the shared-control Powered Character can confuse players new to collaborative narration, long-campaign play requires the GM to invent advancement and pacing because the rules are tuned for one-shots and short arcs |