Fabula Ultima vs Shadowrun
Compare Fabula Ultima and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Fabula Ultima | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | JRPG, Narrative, Tactical, Beginner-Friendly, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Freeform Magic | Crunchy, Tactical, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll two attribute dice (d6/d8/d10/d12) paired from different attributes, sum them vs. a difficulty number. 15 mix-and-match classes (Arcanist, Elementalist, Fury, Guardian, etc.) let players multiclass freely. Fabula Points let players add story details. Bonds between characters unlock powerful combo effects. Villains have their own Ultima Points to fuel dramatic abilities. Clocks track escalating threats. | 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 | d6–d12 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Medium | Very High |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved | No open license |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Need Games / Rooster Games | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2023 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want to play a Final Fantasy-style adventure with dramatic boss fights, multiclass heroes, and collaborative worldbuilding: ENnies 2023 Best Game winner. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Flexible multiclass system with 15 classes, collaborative worldbuilding via Eight Pillars, Fabula Points give players narrative agency, boss fights emulate JRPG encounters, ENnies 2023 Best Game winner | The setting fuses megacorporate intrigue with magic and metahuman races, so a single team mixes street samurai, mages, and deckers. Distinct subsystems model Matrix hacking, spellcasting, drone rigging, and astral space, each carrying its own rules depth. The Edge economy converts situational advantages into a spendable resource for rerolls, extra hits, or penalties on opponents. |
| Considerations | Collaborative worldbuilding via Eight Pillars requires full group buy-in, Fabula Points can create pacing issues if spent unevenly, villain design relies heavily on GM improvisation | Matrix hacking runs on its own timescale and can leave non-decker players idle during a run. Character creation spreads across attributes, skills, magic or resonance, gear, and lifestyle, making the first build long. Dice pools grow large at high skill, so counting hits on a fistful of d6s slows resolution. |