Nimble vs Shadowrun
Compare Nimble and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Nimble | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | Tactical, Heroic, Combat-Heavy, Beginner-Friendly, Low-Prep, Grid-Based | Crunchy, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll 1d20 + stat for skill checks/saves vs. DC; attacks roll weapon dice directly for damage (1 on Primary Die = miss). Initiative roll determines starting actions (1-3). Heroes get 3 actions per turn with exploding critical hits. | 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 | d20 | d6 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | Very High |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Community | Low | High |
| License | Proprietary | No open license |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Nimble Co. | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2025 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who love tactical grid combat but want faster sessions, less prep, and more teamwork — a streamlined alternative to D&D that keeps the crunch where it matters. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Fast combat with meaningful tactical decisions, 3-action economy keeps turns dynamic, exploding crits add excitement, easy to teach and prep, included starter adventures, teamwork-focused Heroic Reactions | 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 | Fantasy-only with no genre flexibility, limited class options in basic rules (4 classes), grid play strongly encouraged | 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. |