Hogwarts: An RPG vs Shadowrun
Compare Hogwarts: An RPG and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Hogwarts: An RPG | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | Beginner-Friendly, Character-Driven, Collaborative, Family, Fiction-First, Licensed IP, Magic School, Mystery, Narrative, One-Shot Friendly, Open Source, Roll to Cast, Roleplay-Heavy, Rules-Light | Crunchy, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + trait (Bravery, Cunning, Intellect, Loyalty, or Magic). On 10+, full success. On 7–9, success with a cost or complication. On 6 or less, fail but mark Experience. Moves are triggered by the fiction: Basic Moves cover danger, stealth, persuasion, and knowledge; Magic Moves handle spellcasting, potions, dueling, and magical creatures; Quidditch Moves resolve matches. | 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 | 2d6 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Very Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | Very High | Medium |
| Runnability | Low | Medium |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | No open license |
| Cost | Free | $$$ |
| Publisher | David Brunell-Brutman | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2020 | 2019 |
| Best For | Harry Potter fans who want a rules-light, narrative RPG for playing out original stories at Hogwarts — especially groups with younger or first-time players | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Complete 16-page game with character sheets, spell lists organized by school year, Quidditch match rules, and setting reference — all free. Mysteries mechanic drives story forward with player-generated questions. Friends & Rivals system creates immediate inter-character drama. Conditions track both emotional and physical harm with distinct recovery paths. | Unique cyberpunk-fantasy setting blending megacorporate intrigue with magic and metahuman races. Dedicated subsystems for Matrix hacking, magic, rigging, and astral space. Edge system replaces many situational modifiers with a spendable tactical resource. Decades of published lore spanning in-world history from 2011 to the 2080s. |
| Considerations | Unlicensed fan game with no official support from the IP holders. No structured character classes or playbooks — characters differ mainly by trait scores and House. Advancement is slow, tied to accumulating four Experience. No rules for combat beyond the Duel magic move — physical conflicts use the same basic moves as everything else. | Matrix hacking runs as a parallel subsystem that can leave non-decker players waiting. Multiple supplemental rulebooks needed for full coverage of magic, Matrix, and rigging. Published books have documented editing and layout issues. |