DABaM vs Fate Core
Compare DABaM and Fate Core side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| DABaM | Fate Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Beginner-Friendly, Classless, Skill-Based, Narrative, Toolkit, CC-Licensed Rules, One-Shot Friendly | Narrative, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Tag-Based, Toolkit, Worldbuilding, Rules-Light, Social Combat, Strong GM Support |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | 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 | d20 | 4dF |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | Very High |
| Runnability | Medium | Very High |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | 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 | Free |
| Publisher | La Torre de Dimirag | Evil Hat Productions |
| Year | 2024 | 2013 |
| Languages | English | English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian |
| Best For | 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. | Groups who want to build their own setting and follow capable heroes through personal complications and dramatic conflicts. |
| Highlights | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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. |