Shadowrun vs White Box: FMAG
Compare Shadowrun and White Box: FMAG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Shadowrun | White Box: FMAG | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Cyberpunk, Fantasy | Fantasy |
| Play Style | Crunchy, Tactical, Combat-Heavy, Heist, Character Building, Faction Play, Lore-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Urban Fantasy | Rules-Light, Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Deadly, Hackable, Beginner-Friendly, Random Character Creation, Vancian Casting, Descending AC, Hexcrawl |
| Core Mechanic | 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. | Roll d20 + modifiers against a target number derived from the defender's Armor Class (descending AC by default, ascending AC optional). Attribute modifiers are compressed to −1, 0, or +1. Each class has a single saving throw number that improves with level. Side-based initiative is rolled each round on d6. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d20 |
| Complexity | Very High | Very Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | Very High |
| Community | High | Low |
| License | No open license | OGL 1.0a |
| Cost | $$$ | Free/$ |
| Publisher | Catalyst Game Labs | Seattle Hill Games |
| Year | 2019 | 2016 |
| Best For | Groups who want cyberpunk-fantasy heists with deep mechanical subsystems for hacking, magic, and combat. | Groups wanting the simplest possible version of original D&D — four classes, compressed modifiers, and intentional rules gaps that invite house rules and Referee creativity. |
| Highlights | 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. | Attribute modifiers compressed to −1/0/+1 keeps math fast and reduces stat dependency. Complete game in 143 pages including monsters, treasure, spells, and wilderness/dungeon procedures. Free PDF and under $5 in print makes it one of the most accessible OSR games. Intentional rules gaps and a blank House Rules page explicitly invite customization. |
| Considerations | 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. | Four classes (three without the optional Thief) limits character variety. No formal skill system — the Referee adjudicates all non-combat actions. Level tables cap at 10, requiring house rules for extended campaigns. |