ALIEN RPG vs M-SPACE
Compare ALIEN RPG and M-SPACE side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| ALIEN RPG | M-SPACE | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi |
| Tags | Fear & Stress Mechanics, Survival, Deadly, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Licensed IP | Toolkit, Modular, Skill-Based, Classless, Ship-Based, Tactical, Social Combat, Character-Driven, Faction Play, Random Tables |
| 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 at or below the relevant skill percentage to succeed. Difficulty changes the target percentage. Opposed tests compare success levels and then the highest successful roll. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d100 |
| Complexity | Medium | High |
| Accessibility | Medium | Medium |
| Runnability | High | Very High |
| License | All Rights Reserved (20th Century Studios license) | All Rights Reserved |
| Third-Party Publishing | Not yet researched | No verified route found |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | FrostByte Books |
| Year | 2025 | 2020 |
| Languages | English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese | English, French, Spanish |
| 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 to build a spacefaring campaign around a shared ship and conflicts between alien societies. |
| 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 | Modular ship construction connects crew space and equipment choices to handling and damage in combat. Extended Conflicts use depleting pools to make withdrawal a meaningful choice during negotiations and chases. Passions turn personal loyalties into skill bonuses and conflicts between competing commitments. |
| 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 | The group must supply its campaign setting and adventures. Standard combat tracks injuries by body location and can leave permanent damage. Depleted conflict pools can impose skill penalties that persist into later scenes. |