The Black Hack vs Whitehack
Compare The Black Hack and Whitehack side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| The Black Hack | Whitehack | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Dungeon Crawl, Hackable, Beginner-Friendly | Rules-Light, Narrative, Hackable, Mana Points, Freeform Magic |
| Core Mechanic | Players roll d20 under their attribute scores to succeed at actions. Advantage and Disadvantage (roll 2d20, pick best or worst) modify difficulty. Armour provides a pool of d6 Armour Dice that absorb damage. Consumable resources use a Usage Die chain (d20→d12→d10→d8→d6→d4→gone): roll 1–2 to downgrade. | Roll d20 under your attribute to succeed; the face value of a success indicates quality. Positive double rolls (roll 2d20, pick best) and negative double rolls (pick worst) replace flat modifiers. Characters are defined by Groups (species, vocations, and affiliations) which grant advantage on relevant tasks. The Wise class casts miracles by spending HP, with effects triangulated by their groups and wordings. |
| Dice | d20 + d4–d12 | d20 + 3d6 |
| Complexity | Very Low | Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 4 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | The Black Hack Open Game License | Proprietary |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Not yet researched |
| Publisher | Gold Piece Publications | Christian Mehrstam |
| Year | 2018 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups wanting a fast, hackable OSR dungeon-crawling game with modern design sensibilities: roll under attributes, abstract distances, and usage dice that track resources without bookkeeping. | Experienced players who want a concise, elegant OSR system that rewards creative play: where freeform character groups replace rigid skill lists and miracles are flexible but costly. |
| Highlights | Highly hackable: spawned an entire subgenre of 'X Hack' games, core rules fit in about 30 pages, Usage Die tracks resources without inventory math, armour-as-dice-pool adds a tactical layer, conversational writing style makes rules easy to learn | Concise yet deep (~136 pages), Groups system replaces both skills and feats, compatible with old-school modules from 1974 onward, Auction mechanic adds tension to extended contests, miracles system rewards creative description, four editions of refinement |
| Considerations | Only 4 classes (Warrior, Thief, Cleric, Wizard) in the core, limited character customization beyond class and background, no setting included, light on GM guidance compared to larger games, may lack depth for long campaigns | Dense writing requires careful reading: not a quick-start game, assumes familiarity with old-school play, no bestiary or setting included, rare classes may feel underdeveloped |