Rifts vs Tiny Cyberpunk
Compare Rifts and Tiny Cyberpunk side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Rifts | Tiny Cyberpunk | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Post-Apocalyptic, Scifi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero | Cyberpunk, Scifi |
| Tags | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical | Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Low-Prep, Fast-Paced, Theater of the Mind, Classless, Solo-Friendly, Random Tables |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | Roll 2d6 for a Test; any 5 or 6 succeeds. Advantage raises the pool to 3d6, while Disadvantage lowers it to 1d6 and normally takes precedence. |
| Dice | d20, d100 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Very High | Medium |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | Medium |
| License | All Rights Reserved | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Palladium Books Inc. | Gallant Knight Games |
| Year | 2005 | 2024 |
| Best For | 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. | Groups seeking quick cyberpunk missions where street-level jobs provoke escalating corporate retaliation. The included oracles also support solo campaigns. |
| Highlights | 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. | Hacking uses Firewall difficulty and failure-triggered Kickbacks, giving digital intrusion distinct risks while reusing the core Test. Heat turns mission fallout into escalating corporate actions after rests, carrying consequences between jobs. A complete solo loop pairs scene procedures with oracles, supporting one-player campaigns without a Director. |
| Considerations | 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. | Most Tests resolve as binary success or failure, leaving unlisted consequences to the Director. Long campaigns require more Director worldbuilding than one-off missions. The Corporate Edition includes portions of Neodinium that the publisher identified as generative-AI text; an announced Hacker Edition will replace that material. |