Everywhen vs Fate Core
Compare Everywhen and Fate Core side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Everywhen | Fate Core | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Pulp Action, Heroic, Fast-Paced, Sandbox, Low-Prep | Narrative, Rules-Light, Tag-Based, Freeform Magic, Social Combat, Improvisation, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + attribute + career (or combat ability) vs. 9+ to succeed. Bonus/penalty dice add extra d6s, keeping the best or worst two. Hero Points let you bend the rules. Careers replace skill lists: your background defines what you can do. Mighty Successes and Calamitous Failures add dramatic swings. | Roll 4 Fudge dice + skill vs. difficulty. Spend/earn Fate points to invoke aspects. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 4dF (Fudge dice) |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Very High |
| Runnability | Medium | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | CC BY 3.0 |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Cost | $$ | Free |
| Publisher | Filigree Forge | Evil Hat Productions |
| Year | 2018 | 2013 |
| Best For | Groups who want a fast, career-based universal system with tons of optional rules switches: run weird westerns, cyberpunk, age of sail, high fantasy, or anything pulp and heroic. | Narrative-focused groups who want to tell collaborative stories in any genre with minimal rules. |
| Highlights | Career system eliminates skill lists, fast-playing 2d6 core, large optional rules toolkit (resolve, psionics, arcana, vehicles, mass battles, investigations), two included settings with more published separately | Genre-agnostic, encourages narrative play, free rules |
| Considerations | Requires GM comfort with rulings over rules, BoL veterans may find overlap confusing, no free quickstart | The aspect economy demands constant creative input that can exhaust players. Character differentiation can blur with freeform aspects. The game requires system mastery from the GM to run smoothly. |