See You, Space Cowboy... vs Starfinder
Compare See You, Space Cowboy... and Starfinder side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| See You, Space Cowboy... | Starfinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Play Style | Rules-Light, Player-Only Rolls, Anime, Noir, Cinematic, Theater of the Mind, One-Shot Friendly, Fast-Paced, Fiction-First, Narrative, Collaborative, Mission-Based, Random Tables, Character-Driven, Beginner-Friendly | Tactical, Crunchy, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Grid-Based, Heroic, Ascending AC, Space Opera, Ship-Based, Exploration |
| Core Mechanic | When attempting a Break (a discrete action like a fistfight, hack, persuasion, or repair), the player rolls a single Trait die — a d6, d8, d10, or d12 assigned to that Trait at character creation — against fixed thresholds: 4 or below fails, 5–9 partially succeeds, 10 or above fully succeeds. If the player has a relevant Talent (an open-ended specialty written by the player, like 'Picking Pockets' or 'Plays Drums'), they add a d4 to the roll. Failing a Break grants Juice, a token that can be spent to reroll all dice on a future Break (partial successes become failures on rerolls); rolling the maximum on the unmodified Trait die also grants Juice. The Bandleader (GM) never rolls dice — they choose the stat and thresholds, then narrate outcomes. | d20 + modifier vs. DC. Three-action economy per turn. Four degrees of success. Cross-compatible with Pathfinder 2e. |
| Dice | d4–d12 | d20 |
| Complexity | Very Low | High |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Community | Low | High |
| License | Proprietary | ORC |
| Cost | $ | Free (ORC) |
| Publisher | Tidal Wave Games | Paizo |
| Year | 2022 | 2024 |
| Best For | Groups who want a fast, cinematic bounty-hunter game in the vein of Cowboy Bebop or Outlaw Star, tuned for one-shots and short 'season-length' campaigns. Best for tables that enjoy improvising scenes and sharing director-style narrative authority with the GM. | Sci-fi fans who want Pathfinder 2e's tactical depth with plasma rifles and starships. Great for PF2e veterans looking for cross-compatible space adventure. |
| Highlights | The Bandleader (GM) never rolls dice — players' Trait rolls resolve every contested moment while the GM chooses the stat, sets thresholds, and narrates outcomes. Talents are open-ended specialties players invent at character creation (e.g., 'Yeet', 'Picking Pockets', 'Plays Drums'), each adding a d4 to relevant Breaks for one of the four Traits. Required Bonds, Debts, and Regrets at character creation give every Outlaw a personal arc — clearing a Debt permanently upgrades the Talent die from d4 to d6, and resolving a Regret grants a once-per-session auto-success on a chosen Break. Procedural bounty generation pulls from tables for Threat Level, Charges, Demeanour, Modus Operandi, Specialized Gear, Appearance, Hideout, and Complications, supporting pickup play and improvised scenarios. | Free rules on Archives of Nethys, deep tactical combat, cross-compatible with PF2e, distinct class identity |
| Considerations | Mechanically minimal — no character classes, no skill list, no advancement track beyond clearing a Debt or resolving a Regret. Pacing assumes one-shots or short season-length campaigns; long-term progression is not structured by the rules. The Bandleader-rolls-nothing approach puts improvisational load on the GM to interpret narrative outcomes for every Break, since opposed-roll resolution does not apply. Setting is anchored to a specific 23rd-century solar system with 1990s-era consumer technology and no alien species; using a different backdrop requires reskinning the planet writeups, bounty charges table, and name tables. | Steep learning curve, fewer classes and options than PF2e (still growing), tactical starship combat rules deferred to a future supplement with current rules being narrative only |