Mausritter vs Maze Rats
Compare Mausritter and Maze Rats side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Mausritter | Maze Rats | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Inventory Management, Hexcrawl, Dungeon Crawl, Sandbox, Exploration, Deadly, Attacks Always Hit, Random Tables, CC-Licensed Rules | Rules-Light, Dungeon Crawl, Sandbox, Random Tables, Improvisation, Freeform Magic, CC-Licensed Rules |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d20 equal to or under STR, DEX, or WIL to avoid a risky consequence. Attacks deal weapon damage directly, reduced by armour. Items and conditions compete for limited inventory slots. | Danger Roll: roll 2d6 + ability bonus (STR, DEX, or WIL), 10+ avoids danger. Advantage rolls 3d6 keep best two. Attack rolls use 2d6 + Attack Bonus vs. target's Armor. Spells are randomly generated from combination tables (effect + element + form) and erased after casting. |
| Dice | d20 | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 2 of 5 book tools |
| License | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0); Mausritter Third Party Licence | CC BY 4.0 |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Mausritter Third Party Licence and Mausritter SRD | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Exalted Funeral | Swordfish Islands LLC |
| Year | 2020 | 2024 |
| Languages | English, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Czech, French, German | English |
| Best For | Groups who want mouse-scale sandbox adventures where clever plans and careful supplies matter more than fighting. The rules support exploring dangerous ruins and returning treasure to a safe settlement. | GMs who want a dead-simple system with extensive random tables that generate adventures, spells, NPCs, and monsters on the fly. |
| Highlights | Condition cards occupy inventory slots, forcing a choice between carrying supplies and enduring setbacks. Spell tablets trade greater power for faster depletion and dangerous miscasts. Faction goals advance between sessions, letting the world change beyond the mice’s immediate adventures. | Fits in 12 pages, extensive random tables for on-the-fly worldbuilding, spell generation system is highly creative, CC BY 4.0 license, near-zero prep |
| Considerations | Damage beyond Hit Protection reduces Strength and can incapacitate a mouse after a single failed save. Depleted spell tablets require specific fictional tasks to recharge. Advancement improves attributes and endurance rather than offering classes or extensive ability choices. | Very minimal: experienced players may want more mechanical depth, no bestiary or setting included, advancement is slow and simple, assumes GM comfort with improvisation |