Batman Role-Playing Game vs Shadow of the Weird Wizard
Compare Batman Role-Playing Game and Shadow of the Weird Wizard side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Batman Role-Playing Game | Shadow of the Weird Wizard | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Superhero, Modern | Fantasy |
| Tags | Licensed IP, Heroic, Investigation, Crunchy, Tactical, Character Building, Martial Arts, High-Power, Strong GM Support, Beginner-Friendly | Heroic, Beginner-Friendly, Short Sessions, Strong GM Support, Character Building |
| Core Mechanic | Abilities and quantities such as weight, distance, and time are rated in Attribute Points (APs), a scale on which each AP doubles the last. A Dice Action rolls 2d10 against a Success Number found by crossing the Acting Value with the Opposing Value on the Action Table. Doubles add and may roll again, while double 1s always fail. When a roll of 11 or more beats the Success Number, it earns a Column Shift for each entry counted rightward past the Success Number that is at least 11 and no higher than the roll. The Effect Value is then crossed with the Resistance Value on the Result Table, moved left by the Column Shifts, to give Result APs (RAPs) of damage or effect. Before the roll, both sides may bid Hero Points, each adding 1 AP to one value without more than doubling it. | Roll d20 + modifier vs. target number 10. Boons and banes (d6s) modify the roll. Luck replaces traditional experience, driving both advancement and dramatic moments. |
| Dice | 2d10 | d20 |
| Complexity | High | Low |
| Availability | Out of print | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | Book tools not listed |
| License | All Rights Reserved | Weird Wizard SRD |
| Third-Party Publishing | No verified route found | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Mayfair Games Inc. | Schwalb Entertainment |
| Year | 1989 | 2024 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want to play the Batman, his allies, or original Gotham heroes in detective and street-crime adventures against his rogues gallery. | Groups who want a lighter, heroic take on the Shadow of the Demon Lord engine with fast play and deep character options. |
| Highlights | Hero Points serve as both the bonus for rolls and the currency for advancement, so every point spent to win a scene is a point not banked toward growth. Starting Killing Combat forfeits all of a hero's Hero Point awards for the adventure, building the Batman's code against killing into the reward system. Interrogation and Clue Analysis turn Result APs into graded information, so a stronger roll reveals more of what a suspect or clue can tell. | Streamlined rules with few exceptions, novice/expert/master path system offers deep character combinations, Luck mechanic doubles as advancement and resource currency |
| Considerations | A Dice Action reads its Success Number from the Action Table and, only when the roll succeeds, takes a second lookup on the Result Table for its effect, so each successful attack or other rolled action needs two table references. Designing a Gadget runs a multi-step Hero Point cost formula with Reliability Number modifiers, Drawback discounts, and a final halving. Only one player can be the Batman, so everyone else plays another listed hero or one built with the creation rules. | Setting tightly coupled to core rules, shares most mechanics with Shadow of the Demon Lord |