Draw Steel vs Rifts
Compare Draw Steel and Rifts side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Draw Steel | Rifts | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Superhero |
| Tags | Tactical, Grid-Based, Combat-Heavy, Character Building, Crunchy, Resource Management, Attacks Always Hit, Cinematic, High-Power, Strong GM Support | Character Building, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Fear & Stress Mechanics, Gonzo, High-Power, Mana Points, Mecha, Superpowers, Tactical |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d10 plus a characteristic modifier for a power roll: 11 or less gives tier 1, 12–16 gives tier 2, and 17 or more gives tier 3. Edges and banes modify the roll or its tier. Tests and abilities specify results for each tier. | Combat and saving throws use a d20 plus bonuses, with high results overcoming a target number or opposing roll. Skills use d100 and succeed when the result is at or below the character's percentage. |
| Dice | 2d10 | d20, d100 |
| Complexity | High | Very High |
| Availability | Free core rules | Paid |
| Runnability | 5 of 5 book tools | 5 of 5 book tools |
| License | Draw Steel Creator License | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Creator license | Noncommercial only — Palladium Books Internet Policy limited license |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | MCDM Productions | Palladium Books Inc. |
| Year | 2025 | 2005 |
| Languages | English | English |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy campaigns with coordinated grid combat and extensive character customization. | Groups who want long-form science-fantasy campaigns that move from a ruined Earth to other dimensions. The game suits tables whose GM will decide which parts of the broad setting a campaign uses. |
| Highlights | Each class builds and spends its own heroic resource during combat, opening stronger abilities as the battle develops. Negotiations track an NPC’s interest and patience, giving arguments and motivations mechanical consequences. Encounter budgets and objectives help Directors build battles with goals beyond defeating every enemy. | Occupational and racial class packages assign distinct abilities and advancement tracks, giving each archetype a different role in the party. Mega-Damage places many supernatural creatures and war machines on a separate durability scale beyond the reach of ordinary Structural Damage Capacity attacks. Rifts and ley lines make dimensional travel a standing feature of the setting, letting campaigns move between devastated Earth and other worlds. |
| Considerations | Combat requires a grid and careful positioning. Each class has its own resource rules to learn and track during battle. Exploration uses tests and cinematic sequences rather than detailed travel supplies or encumbrance. | Character creation combines rolled attributes with extensive skill selection, making first-time preparation lengthy. Combat asks each player to track an action economy, active defenses, and which damage scale applies. Magic and psionics use separate point pools and power procedures, adding class-specific rules to the shared system. |