Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia vs Worlds Without Number

Compare Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia and Worlds Without Number side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia	Worlds Without Number
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Exploration, Hexcrawl, Random Tables, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Base-Building, Domain Management, Crunchy	Sandbox, Exploration, Faction Play, Strong GM Support, Gritty, Classic Fantasy, Random Tables, Hexcrawl, Low-Prep, Domain Management
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.	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, Inc.	Sine Nomine Publishing
Year	1991	2021
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 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	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.	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	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.	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.