Hero Kids vs No Thank You, Evil!
Compare Hero Kids and No Thank You, Evil! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Hero Kids | No Thank You, Evil! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Beginner-Friendly, One-Shot Friendly, Grid-Based, Family-Friendly, Low-Prep, Heroic | Beginner-Friendly, Family-Friendly, Rules-Light, Narrative, Collaborative, Low-Prep |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d6 dice pool (pool size from hero card stats). Attacker's highest die vs. defender's highest die: equal or higher hits. Ability tests roll pool vs. target number (4/5/6). | Simplified Cypher System: roll d6 vs. difficulty number (1–6). Spend points from pools (Tough, Fast, Smart, Awesome) to lower difficulty. Character sentences scale by age: 'I'm a Noun' (age 5+), 'I'm an Adjective Noun' (age 6+), 'I'm an Adjective Noun who Verbs' (age 8+). Every character has a Companion with a one-use Cypher power. Any player can shout 'No Thank You, Evil!' to instantly end a scary encounter. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d6 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Paid | Paid |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Hero Forge Games | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2012 | 2015 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Parents introducing kids aged 4–10 to tabletop RPGs. Simple enough for young children, with grid combat and pre-made hero cards. | Families with kids aged 5 and up who want a structured, supportive introduction to tabletop RPGs in a whimsical setting. |
| Highlights | Genuinely playable by young children, print-and-play hero cards and stand-ups, included introductory adventure, lots of expansion adventures available | Three complexity tiers scale character sentences by age (5+, 6+, 8+), built-in safety mechanic lets any player end a scary encounter, every character has a Companion with a one-use Cypher power, uses simplified Cypher System rules as a gateway to Numenera and The Strange |
| Considerations | Too simple for older players, no character progression system, fantasy-only, requires printing materials | Designed for ages 5–12 with limited mechanical depth for older players, d6 vs. difficulty 1–6 resolution has narrow outcome range, setting is locked to the whimsical land of Storia, no advancement system beyond the three-tier sentence structure |