Alien RPG by Free League

[Necron 99]

So FL is going to be putting out an Alien RPG, set in the world of which the films are based. This has been announced for a while, some of you may already be familiar, but for those who aren't, here ya go.

It's about time this happened. FL has put out some quality RPGs and products for sure, so I expect good things with this one. You can check out the website: HERE.

[Necron 99]

It looks like FL is now offering pre-orders for the game, LINK: HERE

This great-value bundle contains:

The ALIEN RPG core book in Standard Edition
Two sets of custom dice (10 Base Dice and 10 Stress Dice)
GM Screen
Deck of 50 custom cards (for initiative, weapons, and NPCs)
Maps & Markers Pack

Showing $94 for the standard bundle, rulebook alone runs $47.

Space is vast, dark, and not your friend. Gamma rays and neutrino bursts erupt from dying stars to cook you alive, black holes tear you apart, and the void itself boils your blood and seizes your brain. Try to scream and no one can hear you—hold your breath and you rupture your lungs. Space isn’t as empty as you’d think, either—its frontiers are ever expanding. Rival governments wage a cold war of aggression while greedy corporations vie for valuable resources. Colonists reach for the stars and gamble with their lives—each new world tamed is either feast or famine. And there are things lurking in the shadows of every asteroid—things strange and different and deadly.

Things alien.

This is the official ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game—a universe of body horror and corporate brinkmanship, where synthetic people play god while space truckers and marines serve host to newborn ghoulish creatures. It’s a harsh and unforgiving universe and you are nothing if not expendable.

Stay alive if you can.

The ALIEN tabletop roleplaying game will be a beautifully illustrated full-color hardcover book of approximately 300 pages, both presenting the world of ALIEN in the year 2183 and a fast and effective ruleset designed specifically to enhance the ALIEN experience. The game supports two distinct game modes:

Cinematic play is based on pre-made scenarios that emulate the dramatic arc of an ALIEN film. Designed to be played in a single session, this game mode emphasizes high stakes and fast and brutal play. You are not all expected to survive. The core rulebook contains one complete Cinematic scenario.

Campaign play is designed for longer continuous play with the same cast of player characters over many game sessions, letting you explore the ALIEN universe freely, sandbox style. The core rulebook contains random tables and other powerful tools to quickly create star systems, colonies, missions, encounters, and NPCs for your campaign.

The rules of the game are based on the acclaimed Year Zero Engine, used in award-winning games such as Tales from the Loop and Mutant: Year Zero, but adapted and further developed to fully support and enhance the core themes of ALIEN: horror and action in the cold darkness of space.

[grodog]

Did they say what game engine they're using for Aliens, Jay?

Allan.

[Necron 99]

Did they say what game engine they're using for Aliens, Jay?

Allan.

Allan, see the last paragraph of the description in my post above. They are saying it's the same as M:Y0 and Tales from the Loop.

[grodog]

Aha, missed that. Thanks! Sounds like I should pull out Tales from the Loop and start reading

Allan.

[Necron 99]

I had a look through the PDF of the core rule book this evening. Overall, I enjoyed the art, layout, and general feel while browsing through.

Sections of the book include:

- careers (marines, company agents, doctors, pilots, scientists, or even a kid, plus a few others)
- character info
- combat and task resolution (general game rules)
- weapons and equipment
- various ships and vehicles
- background info on the setting detailing the different factions
- life in space and info on various planets
- xenomorphs and other enemies
- an included adventure

Most game books which top out at or near 400 pages are full of fluff or just dense material that cause my eyes to glaze over when reading. The Alien RPG, however, didn't give me that feel. The info presented is done so without that dense feeling, everything provided feels useful and worth reading. I haven't had the chance to read through the detailed mechanics of the rules, I hope to do that soon.

Of note, the reference to the GM is actually coined, Game Mother. Initially I disliked the phrase (and still probably wouldn't use it) because it seemed arbitrary and random. I later found the reason for it which you can read in my later post.

The physical book comes out in December, I believe, the game as far as I can tell so far, looks fun; with the right group it would probably make for some fantastic Alien-themed adventures.

[Ancalagon]

AWWWwwwww... How cuuuuuute! You can be a Game Mother.

[grodog]

Perhaps it's short for Game Muther Fucker

Allan.

[Ancalagon]

Perhaps it's short for Game Muther Fucker

Allan.

I'd wear a t-shirt with that printed on it during a Sunday at Gary Con when its mostly the Old Schoolers still hanging around.

[Necron 99]

Perhaps it's short for Game Muther Fucker

Allan.

LOL

After posting my dislike of the term, something in the back of my mind throughout today kept creeping up, I kept getting the feeling that at some point I recalled Ripley using the phrase "mother" in one of the movies. I had to finally hit up google and figured out why:

MU/TH/UR 6000, commonly referred to simply as "Mother", was the artificial intelligence computer mainframe aboard the USCSS Nostromo. Mother operated many of the ship's background systems, and auto-piloted the vessel while the crew were in hypersleep. It was also programmed to wake the crew during the voyage should certain situations arise.

Ripley: "Mother? I've turned the cooling unit back on. Mother?!"
Mother: "The ship will automatically destruct in T-minus 5 minutes."
Ripley: "You bitch!"

Now it makes sense and I understand the logic behind the decision. It would have made things much easier if they'd referenced that in the sidebar, relating to the original '79 film. Personally, I would have preferred to see it spelled out that way too, but at least now it doesn't bug me as much and I can redact most of my dislike.