Coriolis: The Third Horizon vs Mothership
Compare Coriolis: The Third Horizon and Mothership side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Coriolis: The Third Horizon | Mothership | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi, Horror |
| Play Style | Exploration, Atmospheric, Character-Driven, Faction Play, Ship-Based, Investigation, Cinematic | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d6 dice pool (attribute + skill + gear). Each 6 is a success. Pray to the Icons to reroll all non-successes, but doing so gives the GM a Darkness Point to spend on complications, NPC boosts, or cosmic threats. | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Community | Medium | Medium |
| License | Year Zero Engine OGL | 3rd Party License |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Tuesday Knight Games |
| Year | 2017 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want sci-fi exploration with a Middle Eastern-inspired setting, ship-based campaigns, and a mix of trade, intrigue, and cosmic mystery. | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. |
| Highlights | Setting blends sci-fi with Middle Eastern mythology and Icon worship, Darkness Points create a GM resource that escalates over the session, detailed ship customization with five crew roles in space combat, ten factions provide a political backdrop for intrigue campaigns | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension |
| Considerations | Space combat uses a separate five-phase subsystem with added complexity, praying to the Icons is the only reroll mechanic and it always costs a Darkness Point, mystical powers chapter is brief compared to the setting and combat chapters, setting is tightly coupled — 36 star systems with specific lore | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play |