ShenaniGoblins vs Tiny Taverns
Compare ShenaniGoblins and Tiny Taverns side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| ShenaniGoblins | Tiny Taverns | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Comedy, Rules-Light, One-Shot Friendly, Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, Tag-Based, Player-Only Rolls, Freeform Magic, Character-Driven, CC-Licensed Rules | Cozy, Rules-Light, Narrative, Beginner-Friendly, Slice-of-Life, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Low-Prep, Tag-Based |
| Core Mechanic | To Do The Thing, roll one d6 for each Trait the Goblin Master agrees would help. Add one die for a helpful item in the goblin's Pockets, two when the goblin often does this task as part of its Job, and one per helper, then remove one die per character trying to stop the goblin. Each 5 or 6 is a Hit, and the goblin succeeds when the Hits equal or exceed the Goblin Master's difficulty of 1 to 5. Dice hit on 4+ when the action directly serves the goblin's Dream or the player spends 2 Sparks, and only on 6 when the player takes 1 XP for a hindering Trait. Two or more dice showing the same number also trigger Chaos Magic, adding Something Bad on a match of 1–3 or Something Good on a match of 4–6 on top of the roll's result. | Roll 2d6: if any die shows 5 or 6, you succeed. Advantage grants 3d6; Disadvantage drops to 1d6. Focus expands success to 4+. Tavern chores, cooking minigames, and emotional wellness mechanics replace dungeon crawling. Fortune points bend the story. Built on the TinyD6 engine from Tiny Dungeon 2e. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | Book tools not listed | 4 of 5 book tools |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | Proprietary (TinyD6) |
| Third-Party Publishing | Noncommercial only — Open license | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Jon Pessin | Gallant Knight Games |
| Year | 2025 | 2020 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want a silly, low-prep fantasy one-shot about incompetent minions, where arguing a goblin's quirks into the dice pool is part of the fun. | Groups who want cozy, low-stakes fantasy focused on running a tavern, building relationships, and exploring everyday life in a magical world. |
| Highlights | Matching dice add a Chaos Magic event on top of the roll's result, so even a successful roll can bring Something Bad. Damage marks off Traits that cannot be rolled until they recover, so an injured goblin loses dice instead of hit points. Fulfilling a goblin's Dream grants an immediate Level and a new Trait, and the player then sets an even more grandiose Dream. | Fills a niche no other RPG covers with slice-of-life play, gentle tone with built-in safety tools, tavern creation and cooking minigames, emotional wellness system adds depth, TinyD6 core is simple to learn |
| Considerations | Spark-powered magic has no spell list or cost table, so the Goblin Master judges how many Sparks each change costs. Any pool of seven or more dice is certain to contain a matching pair, which guarantees a Chaos Magic event. The rules include no character death: a goblin with every Trait marked is Out until one recovers. | Very niche: must want low-stakes tavern life, limited combat and adventure content, limited appeal for action-oriented groups |