Ironsworn vs Shadowrun
Compare Ironsworn and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Ironsworn | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | Narrative, Solo-Friendly, Rules-Light, Sandbox, Low-Fantasy, Exploration, Theater of the Mind, Open Source, Random Tables | Crunchy, Tactical, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | 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 + 2d10 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | Very High | High |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 | No open license |
| Cost | Free | $$$ |
| Publisher | Shawn Tomkin | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2018 | 2019 |
| Best For | Solo or small-group dark fantasy questing with fiction-first moves, oracle tables, and zero GM-prep play. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Fully free PDF, well-designed solo play, momentum system creates tension, oracle tables eliminate need for a GM | 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 | 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 | 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. |