Cypher System vs Everywhen
Compare Cypher System and Everywhen side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Cypher System | Everywhen | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Narrative, Low-Prep, Exploration, Cinematic, Collaborative, Theater of the Mind, Roleplay-Heavy | Rules-Light, Pulp Action, Heroic, Fast-Paced, Sandbox, Low-Prep |
| Core Mechanic | GM sets difficulty 1–10, multiply by 3 for target number. Players spend Effort to reduce difficulty. | Roll 2d6 + attribute + career (or combat ability) vs. 9+ to succeed. Bonus/penalty dice add extra d6s, keeping the best or worst two. Hero Points let you bend the rules. Careers replace skill lists — your background defines what you can do. Mighty Successes and Calamitous Failures add dramatic swings. |
| Dice | d20 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Community | High | Very Low |
| License | Cypher System Open License | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Monte Cook Games | Filigree Forge |
| Year | 2019 | 2018 |
| Best For | GMs who want minimal prep and players who enjoy spending resources to shape the story. | Groups who want a fast, career-based universal system with tons of optional rules switches — run weird westerns, cyberpunk, age of sail, high fantasy, or anything pulp and heroic. |
| Highlights | Very easy GM prep, flexible character descriptors, XP for discovery | Career system eliminates skill lists, fast-playing 2d6 core, large optional rules toolkit (resolve, psionics, arcana, vehicles, mass battles, investigations), two included settings with more published separately |
| Considerations | Players track most complexity, limited tactical combat, can feel same-y | Requires GM comfort with rulings over rules, BoL veterans may find overlap confusing, no free quickstart |