Maze Rats vs Scarlet Heroes
Compare Maze Rats and Scarlet Heroes side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Maze Rats | Scarlet Heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Dungeon Crawl, Sandbox, Random Tables, Improvisation, Freeform Magic, CC-Licensed Rules | Solo-Friendly, Sandbox, Dungeon Crawl, Low-Prep, Random Tables, Heroic, Ascending AC |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | Checks: roll 2d8 + attribute modifier + highest relevant trait vs. difficulty number. Attacks: roll d20 + attack bonus vs. AC 20. Unique damage conversion: each damage die reads individually (1 = 0, 2–5 = 1 point, 6–9 = 2 points, 10+ = 4 points), making a single hero viable against hordes. Heroes roll a Fray die each round to auto-damage lesser enemies. |
| Dice | 2d6 | 2d8 / d20 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Availability | Paid | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 2 of 5 book tools | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | CC BY 4.0 | OGL 1.0a |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Swordfish Islands LLC | Sine Nomine Publishing |
| Year | 2024 | 2014 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | GMs who want a dead-simple system with extensive random tables that generate adventures, spells, NPCs, and monsters on the fly. | Solo players, duet groups (1 player + 1 GM), or anyone wanting to run classic old-school adventures without a full party: one hero can tackle any module. |
| Highlights | 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 | Solo and duet scaling makes any old-school module playable with one hero, Fray die and damage conversion solve the action economy, solo oracle and adventure generators included, compatible with B/X and OSR modules, Red Tide setting included |
| Considerations | Very minimal: experienced players may want more mechanical depth, no bestiary or setting included, advancement is slow and simple, assumes GM comfort with improvisation | Solo adventure tools require creative self-GMing, Red Tide setting is baked in (though easily reskinned), limited character options compared to full OSR games, older layout |