ALIEN RPG vs Stars Without Number
Compare ALIEN RPG and Stars Without Number side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| ALIEN RPG | Stars Without Number | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi |
| Play Style | Horror, Survival, Deadly, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Licensed IP | Sandbox, Exploration, Low-Prep, Faction Play, Tactical, Ascending AC, Vancian Casting |
| 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. | 2d6 + skill + attribute ≥ target for skills; d20 + modifiers for combat. OSR-inspired. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | 2d6 / d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Medium |
| Accessibility | High | Very High |
| Community | Medium | High |
| License | All Rights Reserved (20th Century Studios license) | Proprietary |
| Cost | $$ | Free / $$ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Sine Nomine Publishing |
| Year | 2025 | 2017 |
| 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. | Sandbox sci-fi campaigns with comprehensive GM tools for faction turns, sector generation, and adventure creation. |
| 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 | Free version is generous, comprehensive sandbox tools, faction system |
| 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 | OSR combat can feel flat compared to modern tactical systems, B/X heritage means limited mechanical support for social or narrative play |