LIFTS vs Slugblaster
Compare LIFTS and Slugblaster side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| LIFTS | Slugblaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Experimental, Diceless, Comedy, Gonzo, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Narrative, GM-Less, Collaborative, Mission-Based | Narrative, Rules-Light, Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Gonzo, Character-Driven, Comedy |
| Core Mechanic | Resolution is diceless and varies by the included game. In Roboflex, a disagreement with the Muscle Master becomes an exercise challenge. Minor conflicts set an easy, moderate, or hard target (5, 10, or 20 sit-ups in a social conflict), multiplied by the player's self-chosen fitness level of one to three. Major conflicts pit the player directly against the Muscle Master, such as a sprint to the end of the block and back. A relevant skill or profession grants a small edge, such as crunches instead of sit-ups or a head start. The winner is right about the disputed outcome. Several Volume 2 games instead attach an exercise to each move, with a 0 Flex failure and a list of selectable Flex effects. The Moon game grades success against both the Muscle Master and the player's previous rep count. Vegetables: The Recommended has each move spend a day from the player's logged meal planner, and that day's Flex rating sets the result. | Forged in the Dark: roll a d6 dice pool and take the highest: 6 is a success, 4–5 is a partial success, 1–3 is a failure. No attributes or skills: instead, spend Boost to add dice. Kick lets you push your luck for Style Points by adding flair to any action. Style Points fuel advancement and reputation. Trouble tracks escalate consequences from parents, school, and interdimensional authorities. |
| Dice | Diceless | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Paid |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Forged in the Dark |
| Third-Party Publishing | No verified route found | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Korvidae Games | Wilkie's Candy Lab (Mikey Hamm) |
| Year | 2019 | 2022 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want to turn game night into a workout, playing short comedic parodies of familiar RPG genres where push-ups, planks, and runs decide outcomes instead of dice. | Groups who want fast-paced, irreverent adventures about teenagers hoverboarding through alternate dimensions, doing tricks, getting sponsorships, and avoiding getting grounded. |
| Highlights | Roboflex lets each player pick a fitness level from one to three that multiplies minor-conflict targets, so mixed-fitness groups face individually scaled exercise counts. Several games tie in-game power to real habits between sessions, such as vampire Vitae earned from gym visits and healthy meals. Eliminated Muscle of the Week players can still change a survivor's conflict outcome by holding a wall sit, though they cannot defeat the monster this way. | Combines teen drama with dimension-hopping action sports, Kick mechanic adds dice for adding flair to actions, Indie Groundbreaker Game of the Year winner, Trouble tracks escalate consequences from parents and authorities without lethal combat |
| Considerations | Most games require real exertion and open space: ShadowRunning missions are group runs of 30 to 90 minutes, and The Forest Gymn & Picnic recommends a two to four mile hike. For players who cannot perform an exercise, the exercise-based games say only to find an alternative and give no structured adaptation list. Some games draw on players' real lives: the Moon game invites each player to share a personal problem for group advice, and Vegetables expects a week of logged meals, with a preset Flex fallback for players who cannot log. | Narrow genre focused on teenage hoverboard adventures, no attributes or skills: characters differentiate through playsheet and narrative choices only, five playsheets (Grit, Guts, Smarts, Heart, Chill) limit build variety, tone is specifically absurdist teen action |