ALIEN RPG vs TimeWatch
Compare ALIEN RPG and TimeWatch side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| ALIEN RPG | TimeWatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Scifi, Historical |
| Tags | Fear & Stress Mechanics, Survival, Deadly, Atmospheric, One-Shot Friendly, Gritty, Licensed IP | Investigation, Mystery, Mission-Based, Cinematic, Narrative, Resource Management, Tactical, Gonzo, Hackable, Strong GM Support |
| 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. | A relevant Investigative ability reveals necessary clues without a roll or point spend. For General ability tests, roll a d6 and add points spent from that ability's pool before rolling to meet or exceed the difficulty. |
| Dice | d6 dice pool | d6 |
| 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 | Commercial publishing allowed — Community content program |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Free League Publishing | Pelgrane Press |
| Year | 2025 | 2016 |
| Languages | English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese | English |
| 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 investigative missions across historical eras with action-movie combat and opportunities to solve problems through time travel. |
| 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 | Investigative abilities guarantee necessary clues, keeping mysteries focused on interpreting evidence rather than failed searches. Paradox Prevention spends let agents arrange helpful circumstances through time travel, including assistance from their future selves. Campaign frames change the premise and rules for alternatives such as body-hopping missions or time-traveling heists. |
| 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 | Spending General ability points commits limited resources before the die result is known. Paradox can reduce Chronal Stability far enough to rewrite an agent's identity or erase them from existence. The GM can refuse time-travel tactics that contradict established events or make the game less workable. |