Monster of the Week vs Shadow of the Demon Lord
Compare Monster of the Week and Shadow of the Demon Lord side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Monster of the Week | Shadow of the Demon Lord | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Horror, Modern | Fantasy, Horror |
| Play Style | Narrative, Horror, Beginner-Friendly, Investigation, Playbook-Driven, Fiction-First, Character-Driven, Theater of the Mind | Dark Fantasy, Grimdark, Fast Sessions, Beginner-Friendly, GM-Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 2d6 + stat. 10+ full success, 7–9 success with a cost, 6 or less the Keeper makes a move. Playbook moves trigger from fictional actions. Luck points turn failures into successes but never come back. | Roll d20 + modifier vs. target number 10. Boons and banes (d6s) add or subtract from the roll, canceling each other out. |
| Dice | 2d6 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Accessibility | High | High |
| Community | High | Medium |
| License | Generic Games Third Party License | Forbidden Rules SRD |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Evil Hat Productions | Schwalb Entertainment |
| Year | 2023 | 2015 |
| Best For | Groups who want episodic monster-hunting adventures inspired by Buffy, Supernatural, and The X-Files — investigating mysteries, confronting creatures, and dealing with hunter drama. | Groups who want fast, dark fantasy with streamlined d20 mechanics and a sense of impending doom. |
| Highlights | Very easy to learn, mystery countdown gives the Keeper a clear prep framework, playbooks map directly to genre archetypes, large community | Fast character creation, quick sessions, single boon/bane mechanic replaces most modifiers, 11 levels keep campaigns short |
| Considerations | No pre-written mysteries in the core book, limited mechanical depth for long campaigns, custom move design requires GM experience, monster creation guidelines are loose | Dark horror tone limits genre range, setting tightly coupled to core rules |