Dungeon World vs Escape from Dino Island
Compare Dungeon World and Escape from Dino Island side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Dungeon World | Escape from Dino Island | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Modern, Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Fiction-First, Playbook-Driven, Classic Fantasy, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Exploration, Low-Prep, Improvisation, Strong GM Support, CC-Licensed Rules | One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Mystery, Playbook-Driven, Rules-Light, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Strong GM Support, Cinematic, Exploration |
| Core Mechanic | Moves trigger from events in the fiction. When a move calls for a roll, use 2d6 plus the specified modifier. Moves that call for rolls give outcomes for 10+ and 7–9, with the latter usually introducing a cost or compromise. On 6 or less, mark XP and the GM describes the consequences. | Most moves call for a roll of 2d6 plus the stat or modifier the move names, usually FIT, CLEVER, or STEADY. A 10+ is a full success, a 7–9 succeeds with a drawback or hard choice, and a 6 or less is a miss that hands the Dino Master a move. When several Heroes act together, one rolls for the group: the one worst placed during Peril Moves, or the one best placed during Safety Moves. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Open license | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Burning Wheel | Sam Tung & Sam Roberts |
| Year | 2012 | 2019 |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean | English, French, German |
| Best For | Groups who want dungeon expeditions and fantasy campaigns shaped by their characters’ relationships and decisions. The table builds the world together and resolves danger through a continuous conversation. | Groups who want a one- or two-session survival thriller in the vein of Jurassic Park, where escaping and solving the island's mystery matter more than fighting. |
| Highlights | Bonds and alignment award experience for developing relationships and acting on personal convictions. Threat fronts track what dangers will do without intervention, giving the GM an evolving campaign without a scripted plot. Questions during character creation establish shared setting details that become material for adventures. | Overcoming the first of two Obstacles triggers an Extinction Event that adds new Dino Master moves and gives every Hero their one advance. Peril and Safety Moves let a single Hero roll for the whole group, so the worst-placed Hero rolls in danger and the best-placed Hero rolls in quiet moments. Several moves require telling a story from the playbook's list, and each story told adds +1 to the closing roll that decides that Hero's epilogue. |
| Considerations | Combat has no initiative order or fixed action allotment, so the table manages the spotlight through conversation. Base damage comes from the character’s class rather than weapon type, although weapon tags still change how attacks work. Advancement beyond tenth level requires retirement, an apprentice, or changing classes. | Fight! rolls with no stat bonus and a miss triggers the Casualty move, so combat is rarely a workable answer to a dinosaur. The fixed arc ends with the escape attempt, and each Hero gains only one advance along the way. Injuries carry no fixed penalties, so how much a wound hampers a Hero rests on the Dino Master's judgment. |