Mothership vs Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game
Compare Mothership and Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mothership | Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Horror, Historical |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Deadly, One-Shot Friendly, Survival, Atmospheric, Low-Prep, Cinematic, Fast-Paced | Horror, Player-Only Rolls, Theater of the Mind, Character Building, Character-Driven, Narrative, Low-Prep, Licensed IP |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d100 under stat/skill. Stress and panic mechanics escalate tension. | The GM rates a task from difficulty 0 to 10 and multiplies it by 3 for the target number; difficulty 0 succeeds automatically. When a roll is required, players roll a d20 for tasks, attacks, and defenses and succeed by meeting or beating the target. Skills, assets, and Effort spent from Might, Speed, or Intellect Pools ease the difficulty; Edge reduces those Pool costs. |
| Dice | d100 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Runnability | Medium | Very High |
| License | 3rd Party License | All Rights Reserved |
| Cost | $ | $$ |
| Publisher | Tuesday Knight Games | Monte Cook Games |
| Year | 2022 | 2023 |
| Best For | Terrifying sci-fi horror one-shots and short campaigns. Panic table creates unforgettable moments. | Groups seeking community-rooted horror in early 20th-century Appalachia, with player-controlled risk spending and theater-of-the-mind action. It suits GMs who prefer flexible adjudication and explicit horror-safety conversations. |
| Highlights | Rules-light, well-regarded module library, panic system creates mechanical tension | Character arcs award XP for steps in GM-approved arcs and for climaxes even when their final goals fail, keeping personal stories mechanically active. Single-use cyphers turn folk charms and strange objects into frequently changing powers, encouraging players to spend unusual tools instead of hoarding them. What Wakes Mode widens the natural-roll range for GM intrusions until a ten-hour recovery roll resets it, turning supernatural attention into escalating mechanical pressure. |
| Considerations | Panic table can cascade and end sessions abruptly, limited long-campaign support in core rules, stress mechanics can feel repetitive over extended play | Stat Pools serve as both health and spending resources, so Effort and abilities can leave characters less able to absorb harm. The GM sets task difficulties and decides when to introduce complications, placing much of the game's consistency in GM adjudication. The game is built around alternate Appalachia in the 1920s and 1930s rather than a portable generic-horror setting. |