ALIEN RPG vs Aurora
Compare ALIEN RPG and Aurora side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| ALIEN RPG | Aurora | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi |
| Play Style | Horror, Survival, Deadly, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Licensed IP | Crunchy, Combat-Heavy, Skill-Based, Mission-Based, Base-Building, Character Building, Lore-Heavy, Deadly, Random Tables, Random Character Creation, Superhero |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d6 dice pool (attribute + skill). Each 6 is a success. Stress adds extra dice — better odds, but stress dice that roll 1 trigger panic. Push rolls to reroll failures but gain stress. Cinematic mode for one-shots, Campaign mode for long-form play. | Roll d100 equal to or under skill value for a standard success. Degrees of success scale with the margin: standard (full value), difficult (half value), very difficult (quarter value), legendary (01 only). Misfortune triggers on rolls of 96+ (99+ for skilled characters). Combat uses initiative based on Dexterity, with major actions, minor actions, and reactions (number limited by Dexterity / 30). Defenders choose to dodge, parry, counterattack, or maneuver as reactions. Superpowers cost energy points and risk destabilizing the dimension when used in front of witnesses. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | High | Low |
| Community | Medium | Very Low |
| License | All Rights Reserved (20th Century Studios license) | All Rights Reserved |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | GrubyBang |
| Year | 2025 | 2024 |
| Best For | Sci-fi horror campaigns and one-shots in the Alien universe, with a stress/panic system that mechanically drives tension. Supports both deadly cinematic one-shots and long-form campaign play. | Groups who want a crunchy BRP-based sci-fi game where superpowered agents travel to other dimensions on tactical missions, build up a shared base between operations, and face detailed combat with location-based wounds. |
| Highlights | Stress and panic system mechanically reinforces horror tension, two distinct play modes (Cinematic and Campaign), Evolved Edition streamlines rules and improves layout, well-supported licensed setting | Dimension-hopping premise supports any genre or historical period within a single campaign. 16 superpowers with leveled upgrades and a risk-reward discretion system. Base-building expands Facility 13 with modules like the Isomer Forge (iconic weapons) and Nanite Workshop. 120+ weapons spanning primitive, modern, and futuristic eras. Detailed wound tables by body location and weapon type. |
| Considerations | Tightly bound to the Alien IP with limited genre flexibility, stress mechanics can feel punishing at high levels, Evolved Edition changes are modest over 1st edition | 11-step character creation process is detailed but lengthy. Translated from Polish — occasional language inconsistencies. No free rules or SRD available. |