DayTrippers vs Traveller
Compare DayTrippers and Traveller side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| DayTrippers | Traveller | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Skill-Based, Exploration, Weird, Collaborative, Ship-Based, Character-Driven, Open Source | Sandbox, Simulation, Exploration, Deadly, Character Building, Faction Play |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a number of d6s equal to the relevant Stat score (1–6), keep the highest, and add any Skill and Item bonuses. Compare to a Difficulty Level (1–10) or an opposed roll. Results are interpreted narratively on a five-tier table: miss by more than 1 (No, And), miss by 1 (No, But), hit exactly (Yes, But), exceed by 1 (Yes), exceed by more than 1 (Yes, And). Progressive Character Generation lets players spend character points during play rather than all at creation. | Roll 2d6 + skill + modifier ≥ 8 to succeed. Character generation is a mini-game. |
| Dice | d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | CC BY-NC 3.0 | Traveller Fair Use Policy |
| Cost | $ | $$ |
| Publisher | As If Productions | Mongoose Publishing |
| Year | 2015 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want episodic surreal sci-fi adventures exploring dream worlds, alternate Earths, and pocket universes, with a fiction-first resolution system that rewards creative narration. | Hard sci-fi sandbox campaigns with trading, exploration, and realistic space travel. |
| Highlights | Five slip types (Cartesian, Paraterran, Temporal, Subjective, Compound) create wildly different mission structures from space travel to dream worlds. Progressive Character Generation reveals character details through play rather than front-loading backstory. LifeShaping system ties character motivations (beliefs, goals, relationships) directly into mechanical bonuses. SlipShip construction rules let players design their own interdimensional vehicles. | Comprehensive sci-fi toolkit, lifepath character creation, detailed trade/travel systems |
| Considerations | 44-page core rulebook covers the essentials but leaves significant rulings to GM interpretation. Combat system is lightweight with limited tactical options. Surreal tone assumes GM comfort with improvising bizarre interdimensional encounters on the fly. GameMasters Guide sold separately for expanded tools and adventure generation. | Lifepath character creation can produce unplayable results, subsystem rules are spread across multiple supplements, steep buy-in if using official sourcebooks |