Mouse Guard RPG vs Rifts
Compare Mouse Guard RPG and Rifts side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mouse Guard RPG | Rifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Post-Apocalyptic, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero |
| Tags | Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Mission-Based | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a pool of d6s equal to your ability or skill: each die showing 4+ counts as a success. Meet or exceed the obstacle number to pass. Conflicts (fights, arguments, chases, negotiations) use scripted actions and disposition. Beliefs, Instincts, and Goals drive advancement. Play alternates between GM's Turn (missions and obstacles) and Players' Turn (personal goals and recovery). | Combat and saving throws use a d20 plus bonuses, with high results overcoming a target number or opposing roll. Skills use d100 and succeed when the result is at or below the character's percentage. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20, d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | Very High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Archaia Entertainment | Palladium Books Inc. |
| Year | 2015 | 2005 |
| Best For | Groups who love the Mouse Guard comics and want a mission-driven RPG where brave mice face nature, weather, and predators: with Burning Wheel's belief-driven mechanics in a streamlined package. | Groups who want long-form science-fantasy campaigns that move from a ruined Earth to other dimensions. The game suits tables whose GM will decide which parts of the broad setting a campaign uses. |
| Highlights | Beliefs and Instincts mechanically drive play, versatile conflict system handles fights, debates, chases, and negotiations equally, streamlined Burning Wheel engine, well-integrated with the comics, included sample missions and 12 pre-made characters | Occupational and racial class packages assign distinct abilities and advancement tracks, giving each archetype a different role in the party. Mega-Damage places many supernatural creatures and war machines on a separate durability scale beyond the reach of ordinary Structural Damage Capacity attacks. Rifts and ley lines make dimensional travel a standing feature of the setting, letting campaigns move between devastated Earth and other worlds. |
| Considerations | Tightly bound to the Mouse Guard setting, conflict scripting takes getting used to, limited character options, currently out of print | Character creation combines rolled attributes with extensive skill selection, making first-time preparation lengthy. Combat asks each player to track an action economy, active defenses, and which damage scale applies. Magic and psionics use separate point pools and power procedures, adding class-specific rules to the shared system. |