Risus vs Savage Worlds
Compare Risus and Savage Worlds side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Risus | Savage Worlds | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Universal | Universal |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Beginner-Friendly, Comedy, Low-Prep, Narrative, Fiction-First, Freeform Magic, Tag-Based | Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Tactical, Pulp Action, Combat-Heavy, Heroic, Miniatures |
| Core Mechanic | Characters are defined by Clichés rated in d6s (e.g., Viking (4), Hacker (3)). Roll your Cliché dice vs. a target number or in opposed rolls where the low roller loses a die. | Roll trait die + wild die (d6), keep the highest. Target number 4. Raises every +4. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d4–d12 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Medium |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Community | Medium | Medium |
| License | Free (non-commercial) | Savage Worlds Adventurer's Guild |
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Big Dice Games | Pinnacle Entertainment |
| Year | 2021 | 2018 |
| Best For | Pick-up games, emergency one-shots, comedy campaigns, or anytime you need a complete RPG in four pages that handles any genre. | Fast-paced pulp action across any genre. Great for large groups and mass combat. |
| Highlights | Fits on four pages, broadly universal, character creation takes minutes, decades of community support, completely free | Fast resolution, genre-flexible, handles large groups well |
| Considerations | Cliché-based resolution can feel one-note over multiple sessions, limited advancement rules, team combat heavily favors larger groups, creating a strong incentive to always combine dice, comedy tone permeates all mechanical language | Exploding dice can produce extreme variance in outcomes, setting books vary in depth — some provide minimal mechanical content beyond a genre frame |