Coriolis: The Third Horizon vs Serenity RPG
Compare Coriolis: The Third Horizon and Serenity RPG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Coriolis: The Third Horizon | Serenity RPG | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Sci-Fi | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Exploration, Atmospheric, Character-Driven, Faction Play, Ship-Based, Investigation, Cinematic | Licensed IP, Ship-Based, Cinematic, Narrative, Character-Driven, Classless, Skill-Based, Character Building, Tactical, Strong GM Support |
| 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 an Attribute die and a relevant Skill die and add their results to meet a difficulty or beat an opposing roll. Ratings use d2–d12 and add extra dice above d12. The Game Master chooses the Attribute paired with each Skill. Personal modifiers change die sizes; outside conditions change the difficulty. Plot Points buy bonus dice before a roll or add +1 per point afterward. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d2–d12 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Out of print |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Year Zero Engine OGL | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. |
| Year | 2017 | 2005 |
| Languages | English, Swedish, French, German, Italian | English |
| 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. | Groups who want to play a working-class spaceship crew taking risky jobs on a Western-flavored frontier. It suits tables that like a light core roll, dangerous gunfights, and characters defined as much by their flaws as by their skills. |
| 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 | Playing up a mandatory Complication earns Plot Points, so a character's flaws fund the bonus dice and damage reduction they need in a crisis. Plot Points buy GM-approved story facts on a priced scale from inconsequential to major, giving players a measured say in the plot. The crew's ship has its own Attributes, Traits, and Skills, giving its condition and quirks a mechanical role in play. |
| 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 | Severe Wounds penalize every Attribute die and can require surgery followed by days of recovery. Owning a ship adds monthly bookkeeping: a maintenance roll sets the bill, and each month of skipped upkeep lowers the ship's Vitality toward a breakdown. Social conflict uses ordinary Influence rolls with no dedicated procedure for arguments, negotiation, or deception. |