Cypher System vs DABaM
Compare Cypher System and DABaM side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cypher System | DABaM | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Narrative, Low-Prep, Exploration, Cinematic, Collaborative, Theater of the Mind, Roleplay-Heavy | Rules-Light, Beginner-Friendly, Classless, Skill-Based, Narrative, Toolkit, Open Source, One-Shot Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | GM sets difficulty 1–10, multiply by 3 for target number. Players spend Effort to reduce difficulty. | When an action calls for a Roll, it resolves on a d20 roll-under. The GM names the two Attributes that best fit the action and adds them for the Limit. If only one Attribute applies, its score is doubled instead. A relevant Background adds its score to the Limit, and situational Modifiers raise or lower it. The roll succeeds when the d20 lands at or under the Limit, and missing by three or less can still succeed at a cost. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | Very High |
| Runnability | Very High | Medium |
| License | Cypher System Open License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Monte Cook Games | La Torre de Dimirag |
| Year | 2019 | 2024 |
| Best For | GMs who want minimal prep and players who enjoy spending resources to shape the story. | Groups running convention demos, one-shots, or a first session for players new to tabletop RPGs. It also suits GMs who want a genre-neutral base to adapt to any setting. |
| Highlights | Very easy GM prep, flexible character descriptors, XP for discovery | When a check is needed, one d20 roll-under resolves it by summing the two Attributes that best fit the action, so combat, social, and mental tasks share a single path. Backgrounds replace a fixed skill list with freeform descriptors the player defines, each adding its score to the rolls it applies to. The wound track escalates through named statuses from Beaten to Dying, each cutting the Body score used to resist the next injury. |
| Considerations | Players track most complexity, limited tactical combat, can feel same-y | Special abilities such as magic or superpowers are left entirely to the GM to design, as the core rules provide no framework for them. Advancement has no automatic progression, leaving the GM to decide when and what each character improves. The GM must pick which two Attributes and which Modifiers apply to every roll, placing resolution difficulty on GM judgment rather than fixed rules. |