Mutant: Year Zero vs NUKED!
Compare Mutant: Year Zero and NUKED! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Mutant: Year Zero | NUKED! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic | Post-Apocalyptic |
| Play Style | Sandbox, Survival, Exploration, Character-Driven, Worldbuilding, Narrative | Rules-Light, Classless, Beginner-Friendly, Gritty, Survival, Resource Management, Inventory Management, Random Character Creation, Random Tables, Deadly, Exploration, Dungeon Crawl, Hackable, Open Source, Fast-Paced |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a pool of d6s (attribute + skill + gear). Each 6 is a success; one success is enough. You can push your roll to reroll failures, but 1s on attribute dice cause trauma and 1s on gear dice cause damage to equipment. Mutations cost Mutation Points and can misfire with unpredictable side effects. | Roll d20 equal to or under the relevant ability score to succeed. Six abilities (Muscle, Agility, Guts, Brains, Sense, Weird) range from 8 to 18. In opposed tests, both sides roll and the highest successful result wins. Advantage and disadvantage modify rolls based on situational factors. Combat uses an action economy of one move and one action per turn; defenders choose to counter-attack or dodge. Damage dice explode on their maximum value. Usage dice (Ud4 to Ud12) track item durability, rations, water, and gasoline — roll after use, and on a 1 or 2 the die steps down one size until the item breaks. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | High | Low |
| License | Proprietary | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Harsh Realm Press |
| Year | 2014 | 2023 |
| Best For | Post-apocalyptic campaigns where mutant survivors explore a deadly Zone, build up their home settlement, and search for the mythical Eden — with the Year Zero Engine that spawned a family of games. | Groups who want a fast, streamlined post-apocalyptic game with OSR sensibilities where classless scavengers explore irradiated ruins, manage dwindling supplies, and customize characters through perks and mutations rather than class levels. |
| Highlights | Push mechanic creates tough choices, Ark development gives players a shared home to build, Zone exploration is tense and rewarding, eight distinctive roles with built-in relationships and dreams, launched the Year Zero Engine family | Classless system where character identity comes from carried equipment, perks, and mutations rather than predetermined roles. Usage dice track item durability, rations, water, and gasoline, making resource management central without complex bookkeeping. 50 level-less perks and mutations allow character customization at any stage of advancement. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license allows free modification and redistribution. |
| Considerations | Mutation randomness can frustrate planners, metaplot requires significant GM commitment, Ark development bookkeeping adds between-session overhead, Zone travel can feel repetitive without varied encounters | 40-page core book means limited depth in any individual subsystem. No structured social encounter mechanics beyond ability tests. Vehicle rules are brief and cover basic chases and ramming but lack detailed options. |