Star Wars Roleplaying Game vs Troika!
Compare Star Wars Roleplaying Game and Troika! side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Star Wars Roleplaying Game | Troika! | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Fantasy, Scifi |
| Play Style | Career-Based, Narrative, Space Opera, Licensed IP, Faction Play, Combat-Heavy, Character Building | Rules-Light, Weird, Random Character Creation, Low-Prep, Improvisation, Deadly, Random Tables |
| Core Mechanic | Assemble a pool of custom narrative dice: positive (Boost, Ability, Proficiency) from skills and equipment, negative (Setback, Difficulty, Challenge) from task difficulty. Roll and cancel opposing symbols on three independent axes — Success vs. Failure, Advantage vs. Threat, Triumph vs. Despair — so every check produces both an outcome and narrative texture. Each corebook adds its own character-pressure layer: Edge of the Empire tracks Obligation (debts and burdens that randomly trigger at session start), Age of Rebellion tracks Duty (Rebel mission focus that earns Contribution Rank toward Alliance promotions), and Force and Destiny tracks Morality (a 0–100 light-vs-dark scale that fuels a dedicated Force die powering abilities like Move, Sense, and Influence). | 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 | Custom dice | 2d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Low | High |
| Runnability | High | Medium |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Open (Troika! SRD) |
| Cost | $$$ | $ |
| Publisher | Fantasy Flight Games | Melsonian Arts Council |
| Year | 2013 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want a narrative-rich Star Wars campaign where every roll generates story texture beyond pass/fail — and who can pick the corebook (or mix multiple) matching their preferred campaign focus: outer-rim scoundrels, Rebel operatives, or hunted Force users. | Fast, surreal science-fantasy adventures with minimal rules, random character generation, and a vibrant third-party ecosystem. Ideal for one-shots and improvisational play. |
| Highlights | Three corebooks fully cross-compatible — Edge of the Empire (fringe criminals and scoundrels), Age of Rebellion (Rebel Alliance soldiers and pilots), and Force and Destiny (Force-sensitive characters) play at the same table with characters from any book, six careers per book each with three specialization talent trees, narrative dice produce three independent axes of result on every roll so success-with-complications and failure-with-silver-lining are common outcomes, detailed starship combat and ship-modification rules throughout all three books with Force and Destiny extending the system with lightsaber construction and Force power talent trees | Simple rules, creative backgrounds double as setting material, large third-party ecosystem (700+ titles), chaotic initiative creates unpredictable combat, affordable |
| Considerations | Requires proprietary narrative dice or the Star Wars Dice app — standard polyhedral dice need conversion charts and slow play significantly, no free core rules available — Beginner Games exist for each corebook but require purchase, interpreting multi-symbol dice results adds a learning curve compared to standard d20-style resolution, most groups buy only the corebook matching their campaign focus rather than all three | 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 |