Epyllion vs Ryuutama
Compare Epyllion and Ryuutama side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Epyllion | Ryuutama | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Narrative, Beginner-Friendly, Family-Friendly, Rules-Light, Fiction-First, Character-Driven | Exploration, Beginner-Friendly, Character-Driven, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Atmospheric, Low-Prep |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + stat (Courage, Charm, or Cunning): 10+ is a hit, 7–9 is a partial hit, 6− is a miss. Friendship Gems are passed between players to reward virtuous behavior and spent to power moon magic. A Shadow Track measures the Darkness's hold: fill it and you become your corrupted Shadowself until friends pull you back. | Roll two ability dice (d4–d12) and add them together vs. a target number. Four daily travel rolls (Condition, Travel, Direction, Camping) drive gameplay. Classes are travelers (farmers, merchants, healers, artisans), not warriors. The GM plays a Ryuujin (dragon person) who secretly guides the journey. Seasonal magic and terrain types shape encounters. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary (PbtA) | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Magpie Games | Kotodama Heavy Industries |
| Year | 2016 | 2015 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Families and groups who want a heartfelt, friendship-driven adventure where everyone plays young dragons protecting their world from a creeping Darkness. | Groups who want cozy, travel-focused adventures where the journey itself is the story: minstrels, merchants, and healers exploring a gentle fantasy world. |
| Highlights | Accessible gateway RPG for families and new players, friendship gem economy makes cooperation mechanical, dragon setting with its own lore, six playbooks with distinct Shadowself arcs | Four daily travel rolls (Condition, Travel, Direction, Camping) make the journey the core gameplay loop, condition system tracks daily well-being mechanically, seven traveler classes (farmer, merchant, healer, etc.) instead of combat archetypes, seasonal magic system tied to terrain types |
| Considerations | Very niche: you must want to play young dragons, limited mechanical depth, tightly bound to its setting | Limited random tables for generating travel encounters, Ryuujin GM character has benediction powers that direct the narrative, combat system is simplified compared to travel mechanics, setting assumes a gentle-fantasy tone with no built-in support for darker themes |