Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia vs Swords & Wizardry

Compare Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia and Swords & Wizardry side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia	Swords & Wizardry
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Exploration, Hexcrawl, Random Tables, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Base-Building, Domain Management, Crunchy	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Deadly, Vancian Casting, Hexcrawl, Random Tables, Resource Management, Sandbox, Domain Management, Strong GM Support
Core Mechanic	Attacks roll 1d20 plus modifiers against a class-and-level target for the defender's Armor Class. Saving throws roll 1d20 against class-and-level targets. Ability checks roll 1d20 at or below the relevant ability score.	Roll a d20 with attack modifiers and meet the target number for the chosen Armor Class system. Ascending Armor Class allows a direct roll against AC; descending Armor Class uses attack tables. Saving throws use a single class-based d20 target number with bonuses against particular hazards.
Dice	d20	d20
Complexity	High	Medium
Availability	Paid	Paid
Runnability	5 of 5 book tools	4 of 5 book tools
License	All Rights Reserved	Swords & Wizardry Compatibility-Statement License (CSL)
Third-Party Publishing	No verified route found	Commercial publishing allowed — Swords & Wizardry Compatibility-Statement License
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	TSR, Inc.	Mythmere Games
Year	1991	2023
Languages	English, Japanese	English, German
Best For	Groups who want a classic fantasy campaign that grows from dangerous dungeon expeditions to managing a territory. It suits tables willing to learn additional procedures as the campaign expands.	Groups seeking dangerous dungeon expeditions and open wilderness campaigns. Higher-level characters can establish strongholds and govern surrounding settlements.
Highlights	Dungeon turn procedures make exploration a schedule of resource use and encounter checks. The War Machine resolves large battles without playing out every soldier's attack. Stronghold costs and dominion income give adventurers rules for becoming rulers.	One class-based saving throw target replaces separate hazard categories. Treasure grants experience points, rewarding successful expeditions even when monsters are avoided. Stronghold construction and settlement taxes support campaigns that grow into territorial rule.
Considerations	Dwarf, elf, and halfling classes normally have lower level caps than human classes. Starting ability scores are random, so a character may not qualify for a preferred class. Characters normally die at 0 hit points, making low-level encounters risky.	Low starting hit points and death below zero make early combat dangerous. Damage during casting interrupts a prepared spell and expends it. Nonhuman ancestry restricts available classes and level advancement.