Shadowdark RPG vs Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Compare Shadowdark RPG and Werewolf: The Apocalypse side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Shadowdark RPG | Werewolf: The Apocalypse | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Horror, Modern, Fantasy |
| Tags | Deadly, Dungeon Crawl, Rules-Light, Low-Prep, Theater of the Mind, Ascending AC, Roll to Cast, Random Tables | Atmospheric, Base-Building, Character Building, Character-Driven, Corruption, Drama, Lore-Heavy, Strong GM Support, Superpowers, Urban Fantasy |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 + ability modifier vs. DC/AC. Real-time torch tracking (1 real-world hour per torch), risky spellcasting (fail a check and lose the spell until you rest), and randomized character generation (3d6 down the line). | Build a d10 dice pool, usually from an Attribute plus a Skill. Each 6 or higher is a success, and meeting the Storyteller-set Difficulty wins. Each pair of 10s counts as four successes. Rage dice replace regular dice up to current Rage and can cause Brutal outcomes. |
| Dice | d20 | d10 dice pool |
| Complexity | Low | High |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Runnability | Very High | Very High |
| License | Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | Commercial publishing allowed — Storytellers Vault |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | The Arcane Library | Renegade Game Studios |
| Year | 2023 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese |
| Best For | Tense, fast-paced dungeon crawling where resource management and player ingenuity matter more than character builds. Ideal for groups wanting old-school lethality with a modern, 5e-familiar ruleset. | Groups who want long-form modern horror about shapeshifter packs defending communities from ecological and spiritual threats, with violent power constrained by moral and social consequences. |
| Highlights | Light burns in real time (one torch lasts one real-world hour), turning the dungeon into a ticking clock that pressures every decision. Built-in random tables for dungeons, NPCs, and treasure let the GM generate content at the table with almost no prep. Casting requires a spellcasting check, and failure ends the spell and locks it until you rest, making every spell a gamble rather than a guaranteed resource. | Brutal outcomes can force destructive failures or add four successes to actions the Storyteller judges can benefit from Rage. Choosing a Garou form changes a character's capabilities, creating tactical and narrative options. Caerns give the pack an improvable spiritual home whose traits connect campaign advancement to territory and community. |
| Considerations | Character creation offers limited customization: ancestry, class, and rolled stats, with little room for build optimization. Talents are gained by random roll at level up, so advancement is partly out of the player's control. Real-time light tracking only works if someone reliably tracks elapsed time, which can be disruptive or forgotten at the table. | A Crinos-form Garou who did not kill in the previous turn must spend Willpower at the start of the next turn or enter frenzy, making the war form difficult to sustain outside violent scenes. Harano and Hauglosk can remove a Garou from play when despair or absolutism fills either track, making moral decline a campaign-level consequence. The game centers mature environmental and spiritual horror, including graphic violence and themes of exploitation and extremism that require deliberate table boundaries. |