14-04-2025
The Official Alien Role Playing Game Evolves On Kickstarter
Director Fede Alvarez (L) and actor Cailee Spaeny (R) on the set of the film, 'Alien: Romulus', ... More Budapest, Hungary, 2023. (Photo by)
The Alien franchise has emerged from a cryosleep-like state the past few years. Alien Romulus provided a solid cinematic entry to the franchise last year. Alien: Earth hopes to continue the winning streak when it premieres on FX sometime later this year.
Fans of tabletop role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons have had a lot to be excited by as well. Free League Publishing put out an official Alien Role Playing Game in December of 2019 as part of a fresh batch of space horror games. Now, the company has taken an updated version to Kickstarter.
The Alien Role Playing Game casts players as humans on the edge of a hostile universe. They may be the crew of a space freighter, a band of Colonial Marines or the settlers of a corporate colony. Not only must they deal with the titular xenomorph and all the spin-offs from the other movies in the series but there are the harsh realities of frontier worlds and company policy that can be just as deadly.
The game can be played in cinematic or campaign modes. Campaign games are the classic long term games where players might fight a space war or manage a settlement. Cinematic games are meant for one or two sessions full of tense moments, human intrigue and alien slaughter.
One of the most innovate things about the game is how it handles stress and fear. Taking on stress gives a player stress dice which can make it easier to succeed as a character focuses up knowing that there's a deadly alien about. But too many stress dice make it easier for a character to freak out and fail hard, leaving them a weepy mess when the creature finally comes calling.
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Alien Evolved Edition looks to refine the award winning game play of the original while also expanding it based on feedback from players over the last five years. The Kickstarter features three main titles on an ambitious release schedule. In addition, fans are excited to pick up official miniatures sets to paint and portray desperate battles between humans and Xenomorphs on the table top.
The corebook offers refinements on stress, stealth rules, talents and more. It's also including material from Alien: Romulus such as weapons, technology and locations players can use in their own campaigns. It's also going through a refreshed look that keeps the gorgeous, brooding art while shifting to an easier to read layout.
The Starter Set provided several materials that make running the game easier such as dice, reference sheets, gear cards and even a Xenomorph miniature. The box included an expanded edition of Hope's Last Day, the killer introduction adventure that's been played by thousands of Alien fans. It's a cinematic adventure that sticks players in the colony of Hadley's Hope in the worst possible time; before the events of Aliens take place but after the Xenomorphs have started taking over.
Rapture Protocol is the first in a series of campaign boxed sets with maps, character cards and full-color maps. The players are a crew of a small freighter caught between human factions on a remote colony. Soon enough, the xenomorph appears to kick everything into a higher gear.
As a long time fan of the franchise, I am a huge fan of this role playing game. I'm looking forward to see where they go with it in the next few years. Even with uncertainty looming in the tabletop games industry, I know Free League will put out an excellent update to their most popular game soon.
Alien Evolved Edition is on Kickstarter until April 17th, 2025. Backer rewards are expected in late Q3 of this year.
