Dungeons & Dragons vs EZD6
Compare Dungeons & Dragons and EZD6 side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons | EZD6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Tactical, Heroic, Dungeon Crawl, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Beginner-Friendly, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy, Ascending AC | Rules-Light, Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, One-Shot Friendly, Fast-Paced, Theater of the Mind, Heroic |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifier against a target DC (for ability checks and saving throws) or AC (for attacks). Meeting or exceeding the target succeeds. Advantage rolls 2d20 and takes the higher; disadvantage takes the lower, replacing most situational modifiers. | Roll 1d6 vs. a target number (typically 3 for combat). Boons roll 2d6 and keep the highest; banes keep the lowest. No attributes or modifiers: characters are differentiated by hero paths, species, and inclinations. Three strikes and you're down; armor provides a separate save. Karma earned on failures can boost future rolls. The Hero Die grants clutch rerolls. |
| Dice | d20 | d6 |
| Complexity | Medium | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | High | Low |
| License | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$$ | $ |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Runehammer Games |
| Year | 2024 | 2022 |
| Best For | Groups who want heroic fantasy combining tactical grid combat with deep character-build options, scaling from one-shots up through long multi-tier campaigns. | Groups who want fast, fun fantasy with almost no rules overhead: pick a hero path, grab some d6s, and play. Great for new players and convention games. |
| Highlights | Advantage and disadvantage collapse most situational modifiers into one mechanic: roll a second d20 and keep the higher or lower, so play rarely stops to total small bonuses. Each of the 12 classes offers four subclasses in the 2024 Player's Handbook, letting players reshape a class's role without multiclassing. Bounded accuracy keeps proficiency bonuses small, so low-level threats stay relevant in numbers and DCs read consistently across all tiers. | Very easy to learn and teach, hero paths feel distinct without complex mechanics, karma and hero die create drama, runs well for one-shots and pickup games |
| Considerations | High-level play (tier 3–4) introduces significant spell interaction complexity and encounter balancing challenges for GMs. No official rules for non-fantasy genres. Three core books at $50 each represent a significant investment for the full rules. | Fantasy only: no official genre support, three classes per path limits long-campaign variety, minimal character advancement, no tactical depth |