Conan: The Hyborian Age vs Mage: The Ascension
Compare Conan: The Hyborian Age and Mage: The Ascension side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Conan: The Hyborian Age | Mage: The Ascension | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy, Modern, Horror |
| Tags | Classless, Combat-Heavy, Cinematic, Licensed IP, Low-Prep, Resource Management, Skill-Based, Strong GM Support, Sword & Sorcery, Tactical | Freeform Magic, Character Building, Crunchy, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Roll to Cast, Skill-Based, Lore-Heavy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll the relevant Stat die (d6 initially for heroes) and add its Stat value and modifiers. A total that meets or exceeds the difficulty succeeds. A Stat die result of 1 fails unless Stamina or a Flex result rescues it. Player characters also roll a separate Flex die on most rolls. Its maximum result grants a choice of boons such as rescuing a failed roll. | Roll an Attribute-plus-Ability pool of d10s and count dice meeting the difficulty, usually 6. Each rolled 1 cancels a success. A roll botches only when no die meets the difficulty and at least one die shows 1. Magick instead rolls Arete, the mage's enlightenment rating, against a difficulty based on the highest Sphere used and whether the effect violates ordinary reality. Successes determine the effect's extent. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d10 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | Very High |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | No verified route found | Commercial publishing allowed — Storytellers Vault |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Monolith Board Games SARL | Onyx Path Publishing |
| Year | 2025 | 2015 |
| Languages | English, French | English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic Conan adventures built around tactical battles and treasure hunting in ancient ruins. | Groups who want long modern occult campaigns about conflicting beliefs and the consequences of reshaping reality. |
| Highlights | A maximum Flex result gives players a choice of immediate benefits. Stamina lets heroes boost a roll after seeing its result. Minions die after a decisive blow or two damaging hits, reducing enemy bookkeeping. | Nine Spheres combine into improvised magical effects beyond a fixed spell list. A mage's beliefs determine the practices and instruments that make those effects possible. Concealing magick within plausible events reduces the risk of reality's backlash. |
| Considerations | Sorcery disciplines are restricted by character Origin. Casting spells can consume the same Life Points that keep a character alive. Wealth is abstract rather than governed by equipment prices. | Improvised magick requires the group to agree on what an effect can accomplish before rolling. Accumulated Paradox can injure a mage or trap them in a distorted reality. Cabals need shared motives to keep incompatible faction loyalties from pulling the campaign apart. |