Dungeons & Dragons vs Ironsworn
Compare Dungeons & Dragons and Ironsworn side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Dungeons & Dragons | Ironsworn | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Tactical, Heroic, Dungeon Crawl, Character Building, High-Fantasy, Beginner-Friendly, Classic Fantasy, Lore-Heavy, Ascending AC | Narrative, Solo-Friendly, Rules-Light, Sandbox, Low-Fantasy, Exploration, Theater of the Mind, Open Source, Random Tables |
| 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 + stat vs two d10 challenge dice. Beat both for a strong hit, beat one for a weak hit, beat neither for a miss. Momentum can cancel challenge dice. Progress tracks measure long-term objectives; iron vows drive the narrative forward. |
| Dice | d20 | d6 + 2d10 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Very High | Very High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | CC BY 4.0 (SRD); core books proprietary | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 |
| Cost | $$$ | Free |
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Shawn Tomkin |
| Year | 2024 | 2018 |
| 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. | Solo or small-group dark fantasy questing with fiction-first moves, oracle tables, and zero GM-prep play. |
| 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. | Fully free PDF, well-designed solo play, momentum system creates tension, oracle tables eliminate need for a GM |
| 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. | Progress track math can feel opaque at first, oracle tables can produce contradictory results requiring interpretation, limited asset variety in the base game, momentum economy requires careful management |