I’ve been looking for some high-crunch PbtA games for my players. 

Crunch is derived from number crunching and, in the context of tabletop RPGs, refers to the added steps required by more extensive mechanics. Some examples specific to PbtA systems:

  • Almost no rules – Lowest crunch would be reliance on a catch-all or fallback move such as in a rules-light RPG.
  • More moves – The more moves to choose from in the moveosphere, the more crunch: more basic moves, more situational moves, more playbook moves, more compendium moves, etc. provide more ways for players to interact with the mechanics.
  • More variables – Usually a basic move just requires modifying a roll with one of a PC’s  stats. However, a typical combat move, like Hack & Slash in Dungeon World, requires a few other stats: not just the PC’s STR (Strength modifier) but also their damage die and their opponent’s armor. Volley also incorporates the target’s cover (but that’s buried in the rules on Damage rather than explicitly listed in the move). Now imagine a crunchier Volley that also factored in the distance to the target and the range of the weapon (as in BLUELITE).

Crunch can take many different dimensions. PeterJ, on the PbtA Discord, says: “I think a lot will depend on [what crunch means to your players]. Does it refer to tactical combat? Character customization? A lot of progression? Etc.” (By coincidence, today Murkdice looks at six types of crunch.)

Crunch is a way for players to engage with the mechanics of a system and can present opportunities for optimization and minmaxing. Good crunch increases the believability of roleplaying. Bad crunch is inconsistent and confusing.

Two of my regular players prefer high-crunch systems like D&D and Pathfinder (its first edition more than its second edition) but the other three players prefer PbtA. I want to stick with a PbtA system because I loves its rules modularization (usually focusing on one move rather than a complex interaction of rules across subsystems).

I reviewed past discussions on the PbtA Discord for recommendations of crunchier PbtA games, then I asked current members for their suggestions. Their comments follow, re-arranged by score, based on the number of votes they got for or against (counting historic discussions as one added vote and subtracting when people voted against a game being crunchy).

4

Blades in the Dark

  • PeterJ: “[Not] high crunch per se but [has] a lot of potential for fiddling with options.”
  • Otaara: “Blades is mid-crunch, I would say, and a lot of fun and very popular as a ramp from trad games to PbtA.”
  • Yellow: “More mechanisms because of downtime and faction stuff.”
  • FAT CRÊPES: +1

3

Flying Circus

  • FAT CRÊPES: “Flying Circus is pretty goddamn crunchy. That’s like a WWI Flying Aces PBTA.”
  • Yellow: “I’m pretty sure the top pick for that is Flying Circus. Flying Circus has a whole tactical combat thing going on….and character builds.”
  • Dylan: “Never played Flying Circus but it was definitely heavy crunch—I understand its theater of the mind but from a (very) cursory read-through, it looks like there is plenty of room for tactics.”

Root

  • PeterJ: “Root can also fit the bill if you actually try to engage with the faction and reputation systems, as well as crafting rules and attention to resources. Just remember to run it like a paramilitary/insurgency counterinsurgency game not a woodland frolic. Make hearts & minds a core thing people are fighting over for control.”
  • Yellow: “Root is basically if Apocalypse World had even more options.”
  • Past discussion +1

2

Monster Care Squad

  • FAT CRÊPES: “I would also argue that Monster Care Squad is pretty freakin crunchy too.”
  • Yellow: “Monster Care Squad [has] more mechanisms because of downtime and faction stuff.”
  • FAT CRÊPES: “Seriously, maybe consider Monster Care Squad. There are: 7 Basic Moves in the Diagnosis Phase, 6 Basic Moves in the Synthesis Phase, 7 Basic Moves in the Symbiosis Phase for a total of 20 Basic Moves! It also features tug-of-war mechanics, clocks, two picks of Moves right off the bat from a pool of around 29 upgradable Moves, and two Specialties, a Background, and the Aces mechanic! There are different ways to earn expendable points that let you add +1d4 to a roll (except Critical Aces, which are earned by getting full success in the Diagnosis and/or Synthesis phases and are only spent in the Symbiosis phase, but grant +1d8 instead).”

Starforged

  • PeterJ: “Starforged and maybe even better Sundered Isles really would be great for this, any of the Ironsworn stuff really. I was holding back a bit on my recs for those bc I don’t want to become known as the Shawn Tomkin shill but I do think it has a lot of fun customization, including ships, and you can make the combat more or less tactical as desired.”
  • Dylan: “If lots of character building options is something of interest, I would throw in Ironsworn (its free even!) and Starforged because it has tons of (basically) feats. Add in the pretty significant 3rd party support….”

1.5

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins

  • FAT CRÊPES: “There’s also Legacy: Life Among the Ruins and its ilk.”
  • Yellow: “Good idea. I don’t think [Legacy: Life Among the Ruins] would fit everyone’s idea of crunchy, but it could work. I think especially if you want to build up your own character it’s not going to do it for you.”
  • (Jesse A.: “In the Legacy family, I recommend Shattered City.”)

1

Avatar Legends

  • Yellow: “Avatar Legends has kind of a tactical combat with some emphasis on learning more and more techniques throughout the game…. I’d suspect character builds is part of this so if I were you I’d try Avatar Legends based on just which the group picks [as part of crunch].”
  • Dylan: “If its ‘I want something like PF2e and 5e tactical combat,’ I don’t think Avatar Legends will scratch that itch—though funny enough often you have more options in combat than most 5e classes. But many players I’ve run it don’t enjoy its combat when they enjoy D&D 5e.”
  • Kyle: “I feel just on first blush the same sort of feeling I have with the Exchange system in Avatar. Crunchier PbtA isn’t inherently bad, but I’m not sure I, personally, want a combat crunchy PbtA game.”

Band of Blades

  • FAT CRÊPES: Band of Blades is crunchier [than BitD].

FIST

  • PeterJ: “FIST might also check some boxes, though it sort of feels like a game that would be crunchy rather than actually is terribly crunchy.”

ICON

  • Dylan: “ICON goes a step further than Lancer and really embraces its Blades in the Dark inspiration for its out of combat section and its D&D 4e inspiration for in-combat. Its some of the best tactical combat gameplay I’ve seen executed. And given its inspired by Blades in the Dark, I think its fair to call PbtA even if it doesn’t wear the hat.”

Ironsworn

  • Dylan: +1

Lancer

  • PeterJ: “An alternative to those you mentioned that is a little PbtA ish and can get quite crunchy is Lancer. That PbtA-ish part is going to require you investing enough time and energy to the non-mech playing but it’s very doable.”

-1

Kult: Divinity Lost

  • Otaara: “2 cents: Kult is maybe less crunchy, precisely, and more just kind of bonkers mechanically, so you might look into some of these other options first.”
  • Yellow: “I wouldn’t call Kult crunchy. Kult has 10 stats and 10 basic moves so it can look more complex than it is, I think, but that’s about it.”
  • Past discussion +1

Thirsty Sword Lesbians -1

  • Dev: “TSL is not much more crunchy that Monsterhearts or Masks imho. But I do find its very popular among my players who came from dnd, yeah. They like the swashbuckling hijinks, fighting evil, queer drama and cool swords. It has some anime inspiration too.”
  • Yellow: “I wouldn’t call TSL crunchy.”
  • Past discussion +1

If you’re interested in sharing your own opinions about the relative crunch of the leading PbtA games you’ve played, please take our survey. I’ll write up the results in a future blog post.

See also: Crunch vs. Sizzle