D6 System vs Fate Core
Compare D6 System and Fate Core side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| D6 System | Fate Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Toolkit, Modular, Cinematic, Hackable, Skill-Based, Character Building | Narrative, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Tag-Based, Toolkit, Worldbuilding, Rules-Light, Social Combat, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | Rate attributes and skills in numbers of six-sided dice, then roll that pool and total it against a difficulty number set by the GM. One die is the Wild Die: a 6 explodes and is rolled again, while a 1 can introduce a complication. Pips give +1 or +2 between full dice, and Character Points can be spent to add dice to a roll. | Roll four Fate dice and add a skill rating to compare with the opposition. Spend Fate points to invoke a relevant aspect for +2 or a reroll. Accept an aspect-based complication to gain a Fate point. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | 4dF |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary (licensed from West End Games) | CC BY 3.0 (SRD) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | Free |
| Publisher | Gallant Knight Games | Evil Hat Productions |
| Year | 2024 | 2013 |
| Languages | English | English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian |
| Best For | Groups who want one adaptable engine they can take across genres (cinematic action, fantasy, cyberpunk) with modular crunch they can dial up or down. | Groups who want to build their own setting and follow capable heroes through personal complications and dramatic conflicts. |
| Highlights | Attributes and skills are rated in numbers of d6 that you pool, sum, and compare to a difficulty number, so improving a trait literally adds dice. One die in every pool is the Wild Die, which explodes on a 6 to push results higher and can trigger a complication on a 1. Genre Modules for fantasy, cyberpunk, superpowers, and more bolt onto the same core, so one engine spans many settings. | Compels turn character weaknesses into story complications that earn Fate points. Creating advantages gives allies free aspect invocations to combine for decisive actions. Conceding a conflict preserves some control over defeat and earns Fate points for later scenes. |
| Considerations | Large dice pools mean rolling and summing many d6s per action, which slows resolution for highly skilled characters. The breadth of optional modules and rules variants means groups must decide which subsystems to use before play. Character creation allocates dice and pips across attributes and skills, requiring some up-front arithmetic. | Aspect use depends on agreement about which fictional details apply. Full character and setting creation can take an entire session. Magic and other extras require group decisions about permissions and costs. |