Pathfinder First Edition vs Wanderhome
Compare Pathfinder First Edition and Wanderhome side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Pathfinder First Edition | Wanderhome | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Tactical, Crunchy, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Vancian Casting | Cozy, Narrative, Diceless, GM-Less, Collaborative, Character-Driven, Atmospheric, Rules-Light, Roleplay-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Most uncertain actions roll a d20, add relevant modifiers, and compare the total with a target or opposing result. Difficulty Class, Armor Class, and Combat Maneuver Defense are common targets; natural 1s and 20s can override some comparisons. | No dice, no GM. Belonging Outside Belonging engine: earn tokens by inconveniencing yourself or stepping outside your comfort zone; spend tokens to help others, reveal secrets, or achieve difficult actions. Violence is explicitly absent. Playbooks define each character's nature through lists of things they can always do, things that earn tokens, and things that cost tokens. Seasons and nature guide the journey. |
| Dice | d20 | Diceless |
| Complexity | Very High | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Medium |
| License | Open Game License 1.0a | Proprietary |
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Paizo Publishing, LLC | Possum Creek Games |
| Year | 2009 | 2021 |
| Best For | Groups who want long fantasy campaigns centered on detailed character development and tactical grid combat. | Groups who want gentle, non-violent storytelling about animal-folk journeying through a pastoral world: exploring themes of community, seasons, and small acts of kindness. |
| Highlights | Eleven core classes progress through twenty levels with interlocking feat and class choices that support specialized builds. Combat makes positioning and turn timing consequential through attacks of opportunity and combat maneuvers. Prepared and spontaneous spellcasting draw from hundreds of level-gated spells, giving magical classes distinct planning and resource cycles. | Best TTRPG 2021 from Polygon and Dicebreaker, token economy (earn tokens by stepping outside comfort zone, spend them to help others) mechanically enforces non-violent play, Belonging Outside Belonging engine removes dice and GM roles, seasonal calendar structures the journey |
| Considerations | Character creation and advancement require cross-checking large option catalogs and prerequisites, which can front-load decision making. Combat combines situational modifiers with nested action and exception rules, which can slow adjudication. High-level play layers additional character abilities and magical options, increasing preparation for players and GMs. | Tokens are earned and spent to take certain actions, so a table that loses track of them can stall its own pacing. Shared narrative authority spreads scene framing across the whole group, which can leave participation uneven when confidence differs. Playbook Natures fix a character's emotional register, which can feel constraining across a long campaign. |