Cypher System vs LIFTS

Compare Cypher System and LIFTS side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.

	Cypher System	LIFTS
Genre	Universal	Universal
Tags	Toolkit, Modular, Character Building, Player-Only Rolls, Theater of the Mind, Low-Prep, Strong GM Support, Narrative	Experimental, Diceless, Comedy, Gonzo, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, GM-Less, Collaborative, Mission-Based
Core Mechanic	The GM rates each task from 1 to 10 and multiplies that difficulty by 3 to set the 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 the relevant stat Pool after Edge reduces the cost.	Resolution is diceless and varies by the included game. In Roboflex, a disagreement with the Muscle Master becomes an exercise challenge. Minor conflicts set an easy, moderate, or hard target (5, 10, or 20 sit-ups in a social conflict), multiplied by the player's self-chosen fitness level of one to three. Major conflicts pit the player directly against the Muscle Master, such as a sprint to the end of the block and back. A relevant skill or profession grants a small edge, such as crunches instead of sit-ups or a head start. The winner is right about the disputed outcome. Several Volume 2 games instead attach an exercise to each move, with a 0 Flex failure and a list of selectable Flex effects. The Moon game grades success against both the Muscle Master and the player's previous rep count. Vegetables: The Recommended has each move spend a day from the player's logged meal planner, and that day's Flex rating sets the result.
Dice	d20	Diceless
Complexity	Medium	Low
Accessibility	Very High	Medium
Runnability	Very High	Low
License	Cypher Open License 2026-07-15	All Rights Reserved
Third-Party Publishing	Commercial publishing allowed — Cypher Open License	No verified route found
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Cost	Free	$
Publisher	Monte Cook Games	Korvidae Games
Year	2026	2019
Languages	English	English
Best For	Groups building genre-spanning campaigns who want broad character customization, player-facing resource decisions, and little mechanical preparation for the GM.	Groups who want to turn game night into a workout, playing short comedic parodies of familiar RPG genres where push-ups, planks, and runs decide outcomes instead of dice.
Highlights	Player-only rolls keep the GM focused on adjudication and scene management. Descriptor, type, and focus choices support broad customization across multiple genres. One-use cyphers continually rotate situational abilities through play.	Roboflex lets each player pick a fitness level from one to three that multiplies minor-conflict targets, so mixed-fitness groups face individually scaled exercise counts. Several games tie in-game power to real habits between sessions, such as vampire Vitae earned from gym visits and healthy meals. Eliminated Muscle of the Week players can still change a survivor's conflict outcome by holding a wall sit, though they cannot defeat the monster this way.
Considerations	Players manage Pool spending for abilities and Effort, so pushing a roll competes with other resource uses. Abstract distances and level-based NPCs leave many tactical details to table rulings rather than map procedures. The broad toolkit asks the GM to select genre modules and character options before play.	Most games require real exertion and open space: ShadowRunning missions are group runs of 30 to 90 minutes, and The Forest Gymn & Picnic recommends a two to four mile hike. For players who cannot perform an exercise, the exercise-based games say only to find an alternative and give no structured adaptation list. Some games draw on players' real lives: the Moon game invites each player to share a personal problem for group advice, and Vegetables expects a week of logged meals, with a preset Flex fallback for players who cannot log.