Beyond the Wall vs Shadowrun
Compare Beyond the Wall and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Beyond the Wall | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, Collaborative, Character-Driven, Classic Fantasy, Low-Fantasy, One-Shot Friendly, Ascending AC, Worldbuilding | Crunchy, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifiers against ascending Armor Class for attacks, and d20 under ability score for skill checks (with situational penalties). Three classes (Warrior, Rogue, Mage) with five saving throw categories. Character Playbooks generate abilities, backstory, and village details through a series of table rolls, building shared history and relationships before play begins. Scenario Packs give the GM a complete adventure framework with no advance preparation. | Roll a pool of d6s equal to attribute + skill, counting 5s and 6s as hits. Meet or exceed a threshold to succeed. Situational advantages generate Edge points rather than modifying dice pools directly; Edge is spent on tactical effects like rerolling dice, adding successes, or imposing penalties on opponents. |
| Dice | d20 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | Medium | Medium |
| License | OGL 1.0a | No open license |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Flatland Games | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2014 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want to sit down with no prep and collaboratively create a village, a cast of NPCs, and an adventure in a single evening — especially those drawn to literary fantasy in the tradition of LeGuin, Cooper, and Lloyd Alexander. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Playbooks collaboratively build characters, backstory, and the village map in a single session. Scenario Packs provide complete adventures with zero GM prep. Fortune Points provide rerolls and cheat-death mechanics. True Name magic system adds a unique magical layer. Further Afield supplement adds sandbox campaign tools with threat packs. | Unique cyberpunk-fantasy setting blending megacorporate intrigue with magic and metahuman races. Dedicated subsystems for Matrix hacking, magic, rigging, and astral space. Edge system replaces many situational modifiers with a spendable tactical resource. Decades of published lore spanning in-world history from 2011 to the 2080s. |
| Considerations | Three classes only, with limited mechanical differentiation at higher levels. Playbook-driven creation is tightly structured, leaving less room for fully custom character concepts. Designed for low-level play (levels 1–10) with a flatter power curve than most OSR games. | Matrix hacking runs as a parallel subsystem that can leave non-decker players waiting. Multiple supplemental rulebooks needed for full coverage of magic, Matrix, and rigging. Published books have documented editing and layout issues. |