Basic Fantasy RPG vs Draw Steel
Compare Basic Fantasy RPG and Draw Steel side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Basic Fantasy RPG | Draw Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Classic Fantasy, Beginner-Friendly, Rules-Light, Ascending AC, Open Source, Hackable, Modular, Dungeon Crawl | Tactical, Heroic, Cinematic, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Attacks Always Hit, Lore-Heavy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + attack bonus against the target's ascending Armor Class. Saving throws use a d20 roll-over against category-specific target numbers. Ability checks are d20 roll-under. Character advancement uses class-based XP tables and hit dice. | Power Roll: roll 2d10 + characteristic and check which tier the result falls into: Tier 1 (11 or less), Tier 2 (12–16), or Tier 3 (17+). Every ability describes three outcomes by tier, so rolls always produce an effect, with no whiffed turns. Edges and banes (+2/−2, or tier shift at double) modify rolls situationally. Each class builds a unique heroic resource during combat, unlocking increasingly powerful abilities as momentum builds. Victories earned from combat and noncombat challenges accumulate across encounters and convert to XP during respites. |
| Dice | d20 | 2d10 |
| Complexity | Low | High |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | High |
| License | Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 | Draw Steel Creator License |
| Cost | Free | $$$ |
| Publisher | Basic Fantasy Project | MCDM Productions |
| Year | 2023 | 2025 |
| Best For | Groups who want a free, simple B/X-style game that modernizes classic D&D with ascending AC and separate race and class while remaining compatible with decades of OSR adventures. | Groups who want deeply tactical, cinematic combat where every ability matters and no turn is wasted. Ideal for players who love build variety and dramatic, heroic battles. |
| Highlights | Completely free PDF with at-cost print copies through Lulu, race and class are separate unlike B/X source material, highly compatible with classic B/X and OSR modules | Power Rolls resolve to one of three tiers, so every roll produces an effect and a turn is never wasted. Each of the nine classes builds a unique heroic resource during a fight, unlocking stronger abilities as momentum grows. A negotiation subsystem tracks an NPC's interest and patience, giving social scenes a structured back-and-forth like combat. |
| Considerations | Four core classes only (Cleric, Fighter, Magic-User, Thief) without supplements, racial class restrictions limit some combinations, no built-in setting or campaign framework | Heroes start with many abilities and options even at level 1, creating a steeper initial learning curve. Each combat turn juggles heroic resources, conditions, and edges and banes at once, so play carries real tracking overhead. The system targets heroic tactical fantasy specifically, so it provides no rules for dungeon crawling, hexcrawl exploration, or survival play. |