Stars Without Number vs The Expanse Roleplaying Game
Compare Stars Without Number and The Expanse Roleplaying Game side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Stars Without Number | The Expanse Roleplaying Game | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi | Scifi |
| Tags | Sandbox, Exploration, Low-Prep, Faction Play, Tactical, Ascending AC, Vancian Casting | Licensed IP, Space Opera, Ship-Based, Crunchy, Social Combat, Investigation, Faction Play, Social Intrigue, Strong GM Support, Tactical |
| Core Mechanic | 2d6 + skill + attribute ≥ target for skills; d20 + modifiers for combat. OSR-inspired. | Roll three six-sided dice, two matched and one differently colored Drama Die, and add an ability score plus a focus bonus of +2 if applicable. The total must equal or beat a target number set by the GM or an opponent's result. Rolling doubles generates stunt points spent on combat, exploration, or social effects. The Drama Die's value sets the degree of success. |
| Dice | 2d6 / d20 | 3d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Proprietary | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | Free | $$ |
| Publisher | Sine Nomine Publishing | Green Ronin Publishing |
| Year | 2017 | 2019 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Sandbox sci-fi campaigns with comprehensive GM tools for faction turns, sector generation, and adventure creation. | Groups who want a character-focused science fiction campaign of crew jobs, faction pressure, and danger across the Solar System. It suits tables that want structured action, investigation, and social encounters alongside ship travel. |
| Highlights | Free version is generous, comprehensive sandbox tools, faction system | Backgrounds, professions, talents, and focuses build characters with mechanical ties to their lives before the campaign begins. Action, exploration, and social encounters each use dedicated stunts, giving different kinds of scenes procedures beyond a single skill roll. The Churn turns accumulated complications into escalating story events, giving the Game Master a structured way to introduce setbacks. |
| Considerations | OSR combat can feel flat compared to modern tactical systems, B/X heritage means limited mechanical support for social or narrative play | Combat stunts are drawn from six separate category tables covering roughly sixty options, requiring both players and the GM to check charts mid-fight to keep pace. Ground and air vehicles receive no example statistics, leaving their combat rules almost entirely improvised. The forty-page setting guide summarizes the solar system's factions and history at a survey level, so groups wanting deeper political detail need outside reading of the novels. |