d20 Modern vs Shadowrun

Wanted to see what peoples thoughts were on these two games. I've never played either but was always interested in modern (of near future) setting for a Dungeons & Dragons type game. I've played AD&D, 3rd Edition, 3.5, and Pathfinder so I think I would be familiar with d20 Modern rules. I have heard that Shadowrun was a better game but was very involved (with equipment in particular). Is there a setting in Shadowrun that would be closer to present day or is it just a futuristic setting? I would love to hear from anyone that has played both games and what they liked or disliked. Or if you played one or the other how much time did you need to invest to get a understanding of the game (rules, etc.).

Shadowrun is very tied to its setting: a sort of near-future (e.g. 2050, 2070, depending on which edition you choose) Earth where magic has been reintroduced to the world. There are orcs and elves, ghosts and dragons. The world is also ruled largely by mega-corporations (which are, in turn, often run by dragons), companies so big that they have largely replaced national governments. Shadowrunners (which are the default type of PC) are the plausibly deniable assets that companies hire to do their dirty work. If you are looking for a generic modern setting, Shadowrun isn't it. If, on the other hand, you'd like to give a 'Near-future fantasy' game a try, Shadowrun is quite popular. Personally, I'd rather play games that are less complex than either d20 modern or Shadowrun (though the Shadowrun setting can be a lot of fun), so I can't really speak to what you'll get out of the systems themselves.

D20 modern is much more generic. There are different supplements with different settings (there is even a D20 modern Past setting that lets you play musketeers, victorian or pulps). So the choice depends probably more on the setting(s) that would suit you than on the rules.

Earth where magic has been reintroduced to the world. There are orcs and elves, ghosts and dragons. The world is also ruled largely by mega-corporations (which are, in turn, often run by dragons) Did not know that. I had always heard it was a real techie sort of thing with upgrades, implants, etc... That actually sounds really interesting.

Did not know that. I had always heard it was a real techie sort of thing with upgrades, implants, etc... That actually sounds really interesting. It's a lot of fun (even if William Gibson hates it). You have all the distopian feel of a tech noire story with the extra chaos of the return of magic. It's a little tricky to get your head around at first, because there are a LOT of rules (many of which are easy to forget) and a lot of character options and gear. As a GM in particular you have to be able to switch seamlessly between the meat word, the AR (Augmented Reality) world and the Astral depending on what your players are doing. After a while you get a feel for it, and the game really shines. What I like about the game is that it balances itself in a completely different way from, say, D&D 4e. Shadowrun is balanced because there are so MANY options, paths and choices to take with a character it's impossible to be all-powerful except in a very limited way. The more you specialize down one path, the more you leave yourself open to a completely different type of character. If you're going to play it, I recommend picking up the Runner's Toolkit as well as the core book(s). It has a vastly simplified character creation process, GM screen with most of the pertinent tables and cheat sheets for various combat/hacking/summoning/etc. actions. There's also a quickstart thing for free, I think? and they've been releasing content like crazy recently.

Earth where magic has been reintroduced to the world. There are orcs and elves, ghosts and dragons. The world is also ruled largely by mega-corporations (which are, in turn, often run by dragons) Did not know that. I had always heard it was a real techie sort of thing with upgrades, implants, etc... That actually sounds really interesting. Just so you know, you can easily make such a realm in d20 Modern using the Urban Arcana supplement, which adds magic and as well as rules for using D&D style races. d20 Modern can be whatever you want it to be, right now in a Zombie Apocalypse game I play in, we are pulling in Insanity Rules from d20 Call of cthulhu and rations from the d20 Apocolypse. I run a Judge Dredd style game using d20 Modern Future Tech rules with a Mech supplement I found, and I pull the Apocalypse rules if the players go outside the city. I can not compare it yet to Shadowrun as I have a friend that plays that who wants to introduce my group, but still I wanted to inform you of how expansive d20 Modern can be with the right supplements and GM.

Nothing stopping you running it closer to present. Only it would be much deadlier (worse bodyarmor) and there would be no matrix, quite a large part of the game. That said 2070 isnt that far in the future. Just far enough that you can have all those cool things that are a bit of a stretch, like the intersect, jake 2.0, virtual reality, robocop, and so on. Anyway I love it, the rules system is great and the setting detail is amazing. t really brings together sci fi, and fantasy political intrigue and good old fashion action. Its got something for everyone without seeming contrived.

I personally find the setting of Shadowrun to be too whimsical and restricting to have any real fun with it. Plus the game is quite honestly stuck in the 90s.

I don't know if I mentioned above, but I am in both a Shadowrun and d20 Modern campaign, and I find the Shadwrun mechanics real cumbersome. It took me 25 minutes lats night to hack turrent. I actually apologized to the other players as I and the GM knew it was too long.

The general impression that I'm getting is that Shadowrun has a better flavor to it but d20 Modern has a simpler rules system. Especially for someone coming from a D&D background.

The general impression that I'm getting is that Shadowrun has a better flavor to it but d20 Modern has a simpler rules system. Especially for someone coming from a D&D background. d20 Modern can be as flavorful or sterile as the DM. So no, it isn't based on the game mechanics. The canvas is just more open, with tons of supplements and modules, a good GM can work wonders on it, while a bad GM can make it feel sterile and boring. I absolutely love the game I am in (Zombie Game, using d20 Modern with the Apoclypse Supplement and the Insanity rules from Call of Chthulu) and the game I run (Vampire the Masquerade conversion to d20 from one I have taken from online and revamped entirely), but we use quite a few supplements tacked on to the system. If you need any suggestions with supplements to get the kind of game you want, I can easily help you.

Shadowrun has more of an inherent built in setting as its rules are more tied to its setting. D20 Modern is really just a rules system so you build your own setting. So like Tommy said a good DM can build a great setting with supplement books and personal additions to run a D20 Modern game with, but your assessment is correct if just looking at the books themselves and no other additions; Shadowrun has better flavor built into it from the start, D20 Modern is a simpler rules system that you then build a setting with.

I'm on the lookout for a shadowrun game myself because I find that I love the setting. The fantasy mixed with futuristic technology just hits the sweet spot for me. I've never found trouble with the rules but I've heard enough to know that certain aspects are overly complex (riggers & deckers especially). I've wanted to find a group playing d20 with a shadowrun setting because I've heard the rules are much simpler. I've also been able to work with a good GM when a system was too complex to come up with a few house rules to make the game move along faster and get you to a resolution more quickly. I think Ellmo's summary is perfect. But you have to remember any game is only as good as the effort you put into it.