Ryuutama vs Scum and Villainy
Compare Ryuutama and Scum and Villainy side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Ryuutama | Scum and Villainy | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Sci-Fi |
| Tags | Exploration, Beginner-Friendly, Character-Driven, Narrative, Family-Friendly, Atmospheric, Low-Prep | Narrative, Heist, Faction Play, Low-Prep, Roleplay-Heavy, Exploration, Atmospheric |
| Core Mechanic | Roll two ability dice (d4–d12) and add them together vs. a target number. Four daily travel rolls (Condition, Travel, Direction, Camping) drive gameplay. Classes are travelers (farmers, merchants, healers, artisans), not warriors. The GM plays a Ryuujin (dragon person) who secretly guides the journey. Seasonal magic and terrain types shape encounters. | Forged in the Dark. Roll d6 dice pool, read highest: 6 = full success, 4–5 = partial success, 1–3 = bad outcome. Position (controlled/risky/desperate) sets stakes. Flashbacks replace planning. Progress clocks track complex obstacles. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Medium |
| Availability | Paid | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Proprietary | Forged in the Dark |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Kotodama Heavy Industries | Evil Hat Productions / Off Guard Games |
| Year | 2015 | 2018 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want cozy, travel-focused adventures where the journey itself is the story: minstrels, merchants, and healers exploring a gentle fantasy world. | Groups who want Firefly/Star Wars-style spaceship crew adventures with Blades in the Dark's fiction-first mechanics. |
| Highlights | Four daily travel rolls (Condition, Travel, Direction, Camping) make the journey the core gameplay loop, condition system tracks daily well-being mechanically, seven traveler classes (farmer, merchant, healer, etc.) instead of combat archetypes, seasonal magic system tied to terrain types | Flashbacks eliminate tedious planning, ship playbooks level up alongside characters, detailed faction system, low GM prep |
| Considerations | Limited random tables for generating travel encounters, Ryuujin GM character has benediction powers that direct the narrative, combat system is simplified compared to travel mechanics, setting assumes a gentle-fantasy tone with no built-in support for darker themes | The game is tightly tied to its specific setting. Ship playbook progression can overshadow individual characters. The faction system requires significant GM prep between sessions. |