Cypher System Revised Edition vs Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game
Compare Cypher System Revised Edition and Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Cypher System Revised Edition | Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Horror, Historical |
| Tags | Toolkit, Modular, Character Building, Resource Management, Exploration, Theater of the Mind, Low-Prep, Strong GM Support, Narrative, Character-Driven | Fear & Stress Mechanics, Player-Only Rolls, Theater of the Mind, Character Building, Character-Driven, Narrative, Resource Management, Low-Prep, Weird, Licensed IP |
| Core Mechanic | The GM rates a task from 1 to 10 and multiplies that difficulty by 3 to set its target number. Players roll a d20 and succeed on a result equal to or above the target. Skills, assets, and Effort ease the task before the roll, with Effort paid from a stat Pool after Edge reduces the cost. | The GM sets a task difficulty from 0 to 10, with a target number equal to three times the difficulty. Players roll a d20 for tasks, attacks and defenses and succeed by meeting that target. Skills, assets and Effort ease the difficulty; a task reduced to 0 succeeds automatically. Effort costs points from Might, Speed or Intellect Pools, with Edge reducing the cost. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Cypher System Open License | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Cypher System Open License | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Monte Cook Games | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups building their own campaigns across genres who want detailed character choices and frequent resource decisions, with light mechanical preparation for the GM. | Groups seeking community-centered folk horror in an alternate Appalachia of the 1920s and 1930s. It suits tables comfortable with personal goals driving advancement, spending health resources on tasks and discussing horror boundaries together. |
| Highlights | Descriptor, type, focus, and optional flavors let players combine broad character concepts with specific abilities. Single-use cyphers continually refresh the powers available during play. Character arcs reward progress toward personal goals, while XP can also buy rerolls and changes to the story. | Personal character arcs award XP for completed steps and climaxes, making chosen goals part of advancement. Single-use cyphers frequently replace spent charms and strange objects, encouraging players to use unusual tools. What Wakes Mode widens the natural-roll range for GM intrusions until a ten-hour recovery normally resets it, turning supernatural attention into escalating pressure. |
| Considerations | Players budget stat Pools across Effort, abilities, and incoming damage. The GM must choose suitable character options and genre rules before a campaign begins. Abstract distances and flexible difficulty ratings rely on consistent table rulings. | Stat Pools pay for Effort and abilities as well as absorb harm, so spending them can reduce a character’s resilience. The GM chooses task difficulties and introduces complications, making consistent adjudication a substantial responsibility. The core centers on alternate Appalachia in the 1920s and 1930s, so a different setting requires adapting its lore and character connections. |