Shadow of the Demon Lord vs Shadowrun
Compare Shadow of the Demon Lord and Shadowrun side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Shadow of the Demon Lord | Shadowrun | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy, Horror | Cyberpunk, Fantasy |
| Play Style | Grimdark, Fast Sessions, Beginner-Friendly, GM-Friendly | Crunchy, Tactical, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + modifier vs. target number 10. Boons and banes (d6s) add or subtract from the roll, canceling each other out. | 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 | High |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | Forbidden Rules SRD | No open license |
| Cost | $$ | $$$ |
| Publisher | Schwalb Entertainment | Catalyst Game Labs |
| Year | 2015 | 2019 |
| Best For | Groups who want fast, dark fantasy with streamlined d20 mechanics and a sense of impending doom. | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. |
| Highlights | Fast character creation, quick sessions, single boon/bane mechanic replaces most modifiers, 11 levels keep campaigns short | 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 | Dark horror tone limits genre range, setting tightly coupled to core rules | 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. |