Fiasco vs Microscope
Compare Fiasco and Microscope side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Fiasco | Microscope | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Modern | Universal |
| Tags | GM-Less, One-Shot Friendly, Rules-Light, Narrative, Collaborative, Drama, Fiction-First, Low-Prep | Narrative, Worldbuilding, GM-Less, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Fiction-First, Collaborative |
| Core Mechanic | No GM. Setup uses cards (or dice in Classic edition) to establish relationships, needs, locations, and objects between characters. Scenes alternate between Establish and Resolve: other players either frame the scene or choose its outcome. The Tilt at the midpoint introduces chaos. The Aftermath tallies white and black dice to determine each character's fate. | No dice, no GM. Players take turns adding Periods (eras), Events, and Scenes to a shared timeline. A rotating Lens player picks a thematic Focus each round. A Palette of Yes/No elements sets boundaries. Scenes are role-played to answer a specific question about the history. Play jumps freely across time. |
| Dice | d6 | Diceless |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 2 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Bully Pulpit Games | Lame Mage Productions |
| Year | 2020 | 2011 |
| Languages | English, French, German, Spanish | English |
| Best For | One-shots where players collaboratively build and then dismantle a story of desperate people with big ambitions: inspired by Coen Brothers films and crime-gone-wrong cinema. | Groups who want to collaboratively create vast histories spanning centuries or millennia: perfect for worldbuilding sessions, one-shots, or as a campaign-creation tool for other RPGs. |
| Highlights | Zero prep, no GM required, playsets define different settings and genres for each session, Diana Jones Award winner, plays in 2–3 hours | Flexible across any setting and genre, zero prep required, no GM needed, useful as a worldbuilding tool for other campaigns, simple rules anyone can learn in minutes, generates unexpected creative results |
| Considerations | Heavily dependent on player chemistry and group dynamic, Tilt can derail carefully established narrative threads, new players often struggle with self-directed scene framing, outcome quality varies significantly between groups | Can produce incoherent timelines without group alignment, one player can dominate if others are less assertive, no mechanism to resolve creative disagreements, sessions can stall without a facilitator |