ALIEN RPG vs Deep Sky Ballad
Compare ALIEN RPG and Deep Sky Ballad side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| ALIEN RPG | Deep Sky Ballad | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi, Post-Apocalyptic |
| Play Style | Horror, Survival, Deadly, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Licensed IP | Cinematic, Drama, Character-Driven, Pulp Action, Ship-Based, Combat-Heavy, Crunchy, Tactical, Skill-Based, Classless, Resource Management, Grid-Based, Mission-Based, Lore-Heavy |
| 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. | Blackjack System — each player and the GM draw from their own poker deck (cards 1–10 in each suit, no face cards). On a Challenge, draw two cards, then up to (Attribute) more, then remove up to (Skill) cards from the table. The remaining hand must reach the difficulty (Easy 16, Medium 18, Hard 19, Very Hard 20, Extreme 21) without exceeding 21. Hitting exactly 21 before the elimination phase is a Critical Success; busting over 21 is automatic failure regardless of the target. Aces count as 1 or 11. Emotional Bonds with crewmates can be spent during play to fuel near-superhuman cinematic abilities. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | Diceless |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | High | Medium |
| Community | Medium | Low |
| License | All Rights Reserved (20th Century Studios license) | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Winged Lion Games |
| Year | 2025 | 2023 |
| 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 Space Western centered on cinematic crew drama and modular spaceship combat, with a card-based resolution that turns every challenge into a poker hand. Designed for a Posse of adventurers who share ownership of an interstellar ship and chase wealth across the wreckage of a fallen galaxy. |
| 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 | Card-based resolution gives players visible information about their hand before committing to a Challenge, turning each roll into a press-your-luck decision. Six-axis Hardboiled System tracks Loyalty/Rivalry, Affection/Hatred, and Trust/Grudge between Posse members at multiple stages, granting bond-fueled cinematic abilities tied to those relationships. Spaceship combat uses a hex-grid module map with simultaneous six-phase turns (Maneuvers, Movement, Shield, Mine Release, Fire, Resolution), requiring each crewmember to act from their assigned station. Modular ship construction lets the Posse design custom hulls under Energy and Charge limits and upgrade modules over the campaign. |
| 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 | Heavy mechanical load: separate subsystems track Vigor, Resources, Fatigue, Mental Fatigue, Emotional Bond stages and tokens, Wear, and Spaceship Conflict each with their own rules. Card-based resolution requires a full poker deck per player plus a separate GM deck (an official Discord bot exists as a substitute). Spaceship combat's simultaneous-phase structure expects every player to participate from a different ship module and slows considerably with larger crews. Designed specifically for Space Western themes within the New Frontier setting — not a generic engine for other genres. |