Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert vs Worlds Without Number

Compare Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert and Worlds Without Number side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert	Worlds Without Number
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Hexcrawl, Resource Management, Deadly, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Domain Management, Sandbox, Random Tables	Sandbox, Exploration, Faction Play, Strong GM Support, Gritty, Classic Fantasy, Random Tables, Hexcrawl, Low-Prep, Domain Management
Core Mechanic	Roll 1d20 with the relevant modifiers and meet or exceed the target shown on the attack or saving-throw table. Attack targets account for the opponent's descending Armor Class.	Skill checks roll 2d6 plus the relevant skill level and attribute modifier against a difficulty. Attacks roll d20 plus base attack bonus, combat skill, and attribute modifier against the target's Armor Class. A missed melee attack can still inflict Shock damage when the target's AC is low enough.
Dice	d20	2d6 / d20
Complexity	High	Medium
Availability	Paid	Free core rules
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	5 of 5 book tools
License	All Rights Reserved	CC0 1.0 Universal (SRD 1.0); proprietary core books
Third-Party Publishing	No verified route found	Commercial publishing allowed — Worlds Without Number System Reference Document (SRD 1.0) under CC0 1.0 Universal
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	TSR Hobbies, Inc.	Sine Nomine Publishing
Year	1981	2021
Languages	English, French	English
Best For	Groups who want dangerous fantasy expeditions built around exploration and managing supplies. Campaigns can grow from dungeon treasure hunts into wilderness travel and ruling a territory.	Groups who want an open fantasy sandbox where their own goals drive play. Faction turns and campaign-building tools keep the world moving between sessions.
Highlights	Ten-minute dungeon turns make searching and resting consume supplies under wandering-monster pressure. Reaction and morale rolls give encounters outcomes beyond fighting to the death. Stronghold construction and settler taxes turn adventuring wealth into territorial responsibilities.	The campaign chapter turns worldbuilding into procedures, with tags and tables that keep sandbox preparation to one session ahead. Faction turns let rival powers act between sessions, so the setting changes even when the players are elsewhere. Shock damage keeps melee misses meaningful and makes armor and shields matter in close combat.
Considerations	Playing through level 14 requires both the Basic and Expert rulebooks. Class-based advancement offers little customization beyond equipment and spell selection. Characters die at zero hit points, and some failed saves kill them immediately.	Combat resolution is deliberately simple, with positioning and Shock carrying most of the tactical weight. The rules assume a sandbox campaign and offer little structure for pre-planned story arcs. Social conflict is handled by skill checks and GM judgment rather than a dedicated subsystem.