Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia vs White Box: FMAG

Compare Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia and White Box: FMAG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia	White Box: FMAG
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Exploration, Hexcrawl, Random Tables, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Base-Building, Domain Management, Crunchy	Rules-Light, Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Deadly, Hackable, Beginner-Friendly, Random Character Creation, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Hexcrawl
Core Mechanic	Attacks roll 1d20 plus modifiers against a class-and-level target for the defender's Armor Class. Saving throws roll 1d20 against class-and-level targets. Ability checks roll 1d20 at or below the relevant ability score.	Roll d20 + modifiers against a target number derived from the defender's Armor Class (descending AC by default, ascending AC optional). Attribute modifiers are compressed to −1, 0, or +1. Each class has a single saving throw number that improves with level. Side-based initiative is rolled each round on d6.
Dice	d20	d20
Complexity	High	Very Low
Availability	Paid	Free core rules
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	2 of 5 book tools
License	All Rights Reserved	OGL 1.0a
Third-Party Publishing	No verified route found	Not yet researched
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	TSR, Inc.	Seattle Hill Games
Year	1991	2016
Languages	English, Japanese	English
Best For	Groups who want a classic fantasy campaign that grows from dangerous dungeon expeditions to managing a territory. It suits tables willing to learn additional procedures as the campaign expands.	Groups wanting the simplest possible version of original D&D: four classes, compressed modifiers, and intentional rules gaps that invite house rules and Referee creativity.
Highlights	Dungeon turn procedures make exploration a schedule of resource use and encounter checks. The War Machine resolves large battles without playing out every soldier's attack. Stronghold costs and dominion income give adventurers rules for becoming rulers.	Attribute modifiers compressed to −1/0/+1 keeps math fast and reduces stat dependency. Complete game in 143 pages including monsters, treasure, spells, and wilderness/dungeon procedures. A free PDF and a low-cost print edition make it one of the most accessible OSR games. Intentional rules gaps and a blank House Rules page explicitly invite customization.
Considerations	Dwarf, elf, and halfling classes normally have lower level caps than human classes. Starting ability scores are random, so a character may not qualify for a preferred class. Characters normally die at 0 hit points, making low-level encounters risky.	Four classes (three without the optional Thief) limits character variety. No formal skill system: the Referee adjudicates all non-combat actions. Level tables cap at 10, requiring house rules for extended campaigns.