Slugblaster vs Troika!
Compare Slugblaster and Troika! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Slugblaster | Troika! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Fantasy, Scifi |
| Play Style | Narrative, Rules-Light, Cinematic, Fast-Paced, Gonzo, Character-Driven, Comedy | Rules-Light, Weird, Random Character Creation, Low-Prep, Improvisation, Deadly, Random Tables |
| Core Mechanic | Forged in the Dark: roll a d6 dice pool and take the highest: 6 is a success, 4–5 is a partial success, 1–3 is a failure. No attributes or skills: instead, spend Boost to add dice. Kick lets you push your luck for Style Points by adding flair to any action. Style Points fuel advancement and reputation. Trouble tracks escalate consequences from parents, school, and interdimensional authorities. | Three stats: Skill, Stamina, Luck. Roll 2d6 under Skill + Advanced Skill to succeed. Initiative uses a random token-draw stack: unpredictable turn order. Luck is a consumable resource that depletes with each test. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Low | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Very High |
| Runnability | Very High | Low |
| License | Forged in the Dark | Open (Troika! SRD) |
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Wilkie's Candy Lab (Mikey Hamm) | Melsonian Arts Council |
| Year | 2022 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want fast-paced, irreverent adventures about teenagers hoverboarding through alternate dimensions, doing tricks, getting sponsorships, and avoiding getting grounded. | Fast, surreal science-fantasy adventures with minimal rules and random character generation. Ideal for one-shots and improvisational play. |
| Highlights | Combines teen drama with dimension-hopping action sports, Kick mechanic adds dice for adding flair to actions, Indie Groundbreaker Game of the Year winner, Trouble tracks escalate consequences from parents and authorities without lethal combat | Simple rules, creative backgrounds double as setting material, chaotic token-draw initiative creates unpredictable turn order, consumable Luck depletes with each test |
| Considerations | Narrow genre focused on teenage hoverboard adventures, no attributes or skills: characters differentiate through playsheet and narrative choices only, five playsheets (Grit, Guts, Smarts, Heart, Chill) limit build variety, tone is specifically absurdist teen action | Initiative stack can leave players unable to act for long stretches, mixed roll-under/roll-over mechanics confuse new players, setting is implied rather than described, minimal tactical depth |