EZD6 vs Regular Volk
Compare EZD6 and Regular Volk side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| EZD6 | Regular Volk | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, One-Shot Friendly, Fast-Paced, Theater of the Mind, Heroic | Rules-Light, Beginner-Friendly, Narrative, Character-Driven, Theater of the Mind, One-Shot Friendly, Low-Prep, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 1d6 vs. a target number (typically 3 for combat). Boons roll 2d6 and keep the highest; banes keep the lowest. No attributes or modifiers: characters are differentiated by hero paths, species, and inclinations. Three strikes and you're down; armor provides a separate save. Karma earned on failures can boost future rolls. The Hero Die grants clutch rerolls. | Roll 2d6, add the relevant stat plus small bonuses for a fitting item or trait, and meet or beat the Difficulty Score the GM sets. The same check resolves every action, attack, and beast action. Edge and Trouble add a third d6 and drop the lowest or highest die. Rolling double sixes on an attack lands a critical hit. |
| Dice | d6 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Free core rules |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Runehammer Games | Timo Acker |
| Year | 2022 | 2026 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want fast, fun fantasy with almost no rules overhead: pick a hero path, grab some d6s, and play. Great for new players and convention games. | Groups who want a short, low-prep fairy-tale one-shot or brief campaign centered on a controlled shapeshifting risk, where a character's powerful beast form can consume them if they lean on it too often. It suits tables new to tabletop RPGs who still want some build texture from ancestry and curse choices. |
| Highlights | Very easy to learn and teach, hero paths feel distinct without complex mechanics, karma and hero die create drama, runs well for one-shots and pickup games | Failing a roll while in Beast Form builds Beast Points, which escalate through animalistic compulsions and stacking debuffs to permanently trapping the character in beast form. Folding the character sheet along a marked line physically hides the volk abilities and reveals the beast ones, so the sheet itself shows which form a character is in. The GM builds any fairytale creature by picking one of five power tiers and an archetype such as Glass Cannon or Heavy Hitter, each carrying preset Difficulty Score, HP, and modifiers. |
| Considerations | Fantasy only: no official genre support, three classes per path limits long-campaign variety, minimal character advancement, no tactical depth | Combat uses no maps, grid, or positioning rules, so groups who want tactical movement or terrain play get no mechanical support for it. Entering Beast Form fully replaces a character's volk abilities, items, and weapons, so beast powers can never be combined with human-form gear in the same moment. A character who reaches 0 Health Points rolls on the Fate table, where a result of 6 or lower on the unmodified 2d6 means an immediate death that no bonus can prevent. |