Star Wars Roleplaying Game vs We Can Be Heroes
Compare Star Wars Roleplaying Game and We Can Be Heroes side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Star Wars Roleplaying Game | We Can Be Heroes | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Superhero, Modern |
| Tags | Career-Based, Narrative, Space Opera, Licensed IP, Faction Play, Combat-Heavy, Character Building | Heroic, Superpowers, Combat-Heavy, Cinematic, Character Building, Faction Play |
| 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). | Roll d20 + Talent Modifier vs. GM-set threshold for Talent Checks. Superpowers use Target Die (d12 at levels 1–9, d20 at levels 10–20) + Superpower Die + Moxie. Superpower Attacks always hit: damage is the variable. Hero's Favor points fuel superpowers and creative power use. Action Points govern turns with Primary (3 AP) and Secondary (2 AP) actions. Public Merit tracks faction reputation for favors, intel, and gear upgrades. Hero's Moment rewards critical failures with one-per-level power-ups. |
| Dice | Custom dice | d4–d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Availability | Free quickstart | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | Book tools not listed |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Fantasy Flight Games | BudStuff Games |
| Year | 2013 | 2024 |
| Languages | English | English |
| 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. | Groups who want crunchy superhero campaigns with detailed character builds, tiered superpowers, and a reputation system that ties heroism to community relationships. |
| 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 | Public Merit system ties heroism to community impact through faction reputation, six superpower archetypes with five-tier progression and Auxiliary Powers for build variety, Hero's Moment turns critical failures into one-per-level power-ups, Hero's Favor points enable out-of-combat power use (freezing locks, creating barriers, boosting checks) |
| 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 | Character creation requires multiple derived calculations (Moxie, DT, HP, Vigilance, Initiative), 20-level progression has many repetitive incremental steps, combat-heavy with limited non-combat mechanical support |