Alien RPG – Terror in Deep Space | Review

Before starting this review, I want to thank Free League for sending us a digital copy of Alien RPG.

Some quotations remain in history, which pass from one generation to another, even when the person who pronounces them is not clear where they come from. Among the many that perfectly convey the idea of anxiety and having no chance of escape, some of the most famous come from a film released in 1979: Alien.

They’re coming outta the goddamn walls

In space no one can hear you scream

Years after the first film, Free League Publishing, which never misses a beat when it comes to RPGs, offers Alien RPG. The game takes the expanded universe created by Ridley Scott to bring it, in all its restlessness, to our tables. With its almost 400 pages, it carries the claustrophobic and fantastic atmospheres on masterfully illustrated pages.

If after reading this review you would like to buy it, know that you can find it on the publisher’s website at the cost of 47 euros. As for all Free League Publishing games, the Foundry VTT module is also available for Alien RPG at around 22 euros.

I would also like to point out that Wyrd Edizioni has localized the game in Italian; if you don’t want to deal with English you can find it in their store for 60 euros

Known Atmospheres and New Adventures

Alien RPG is set about three years after the events narrated in Aliens and those narrated in Alien³, in 2183. This information is precisely detailed at the beginning of the manual. This section is used to contextualize your sessions within the timeline of the franchise that we all know. To further assist the temporal location, a reasonably detailed summary of the main events is proposed. The synthesis is found at the beginning of the manual even if, in several parts within the volume, there are more details and insights.

A well-maintained timeline, however, is not enough to immerse players in the disturbing and claustrophobic atmosphere that has made this saga one of the winning elements. In Alien RPG this aspect is not spared. The manual is full of content, sometimes perhaps too much to manage by a novice narrator.

Humankind has now populated the stars and colonized numerous systems thanks to the economic effort of Corporations. These large enterprises have deprived the previous subdivision into states of meaning. The new geopolitical order provides for new and large agglomerations and new governments born among the colonies. Corporations, federal governments, and emerging realities control portions of known space by defining a true political map of the galaxy.

The galaxy is therefore the true protagonist of the setting. But living in space is no cakewalk; all the anxiety of a context in which water, food, or shelter can become more than fundamental for survival, even before having to face a dangerous alien, makes itself felt in the game experience.

The Weight of Expectations

When you approach a game that is based on a sacred monster of science fiction, you tend to be a little wary. The doubt that the experience at the table could not render the tension that the films have given us winds its way.

Well, I’m happy to say that instead, as we will see in this review, Alien RPG escapes them all. It manages perfectly to leave you with that growing anxiety, that desire to rush actions to find an escape route. Dense with climaxes and jumpscares, it can make any session memorable.

Choose Game Mode: Cinematic Play or Campaign Play?

To do this, the game offers two distinct game modes: Campaign Play and Cinematic Play; both the same setting and system of rules are used, but the approach to the game itself changes considerably.

As it’s easy enough to guess from the name, the Campaign Play has a medium-long game time. It is therefore structured in such a way as to offer several sessions for the same characters. In this way, it is possible to fully appreciate the vastness and complexity of the setting. The narrator here called the Game Mother (with an obvious reference to the artificial intelligence present in the spaceships of the films), has the task of structuring a continuous story. It will then be possible to explore the galaxy and the universe with the same characters; they will thus be able to evolve within society by tackling problems not necessarily related to the presence of Xenomorphs.

However, not everyone has the opportunity and time to face a long campaign. To meet those who want to enjoy Alien RPG in the evening has been designed the Cinematographic Play. Instead, this type of game is based on previously published adventures designed to emulate the narrative arcs of the films. We will therefore find a fast pace of play and high mortality.. each Cinematic Play scenario is split into three Acts, just like a movie. In each of them, the protagonists will have a goal that, if completed, will guarantee them advantages in the next act.

The Characters of Alien RPG

In a game like Alien RPG, choosing which character to play can be fundamental. Moreover, given the high mortality, a new one may then be created, especially if one is facing a campaign. So I want to underline how the creation of the characters is, in reality, a simple and quick process.

First, you need to choose a career from the nine available. There is a spoiled choice: from the doctor to the pilot, but not even the roughneck or the kid is missing. The career is a sketch of the character’s personality and goals, which then needs to be characterized in a handful of steps. First of all, 14 points must be distributed between the four attributes (Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy), bearing in mind that each career has a primary attribute.

Each Attribute has three related skills; there are therefore twelve in all, in which 10 points are to be distributed. At this point, one talent is chosen among those presented within the selected career. To improve interactions between characters, you establish which of the other characters is your Buddy and which is your Rival.

Each character has a set of personal goals, referred to as a Personal Agenda. Completing them will earn a number of additional experience points; they can be spent between one session and another to improve the values ​​of one’s skills or to acquire new talents.

Filling out the character sheet ends with the choice of equipment and an object to which the character is particularly attached. This is extremely helpful in reducing the level of stress which will undoubtedly rise during the games. In my opinion, the possibility of impersonating, in addition to human beings, also the synthetics is very interesting; their sheets vary little in the maximum scores that can be used.

Year Zero Engine: don’t change a winning team

The rules system of Alien RPG, as we will discover in the review, is based on the Year Zero Engine; we have already seen it in other games and, as always, it is based on the pool of six-sided dice. On this occasion, however, small changes have been made to make the tension that this game wants to convey even better. For Alien RPG there are two sets of dedicated dice: a black one for normal dice and a yellow one for stress dice.

To overcome the proposed situations or any difficulties, players must roll a number of dice equal to the sum of the skill involved and the related attribute. Then must be added any modifiers given by the objects in his possession. If at least 6 rolls the action is successful, otherwise it is unsuccessful. In this case, it is always possible to force the die roll in search of a positive result, but doing so will increase the stress indicator. When making a subsequent roll on the same skill, it will therefore be necessary to roll a number of stress dice equal to the character’s accumulated stress value.

On the one hand, stress can be a good narrative engine (the number of additional dice to roll increases the probability of coming out of sixes); on the other, it introduces the real risk that the character falls into panic. Every time 1 comes up on the stress dice, you must make a panic roll and find out what will happen to the character.

This mechanic, simple to apply and very quick to learn, allows you to better manage the tension and dynamics of combat. This new version makes the Year Zero Engine once again perfect for running a game with a high emotional impact, with great narrative possibilities.

Combat, Weapons, and Spaceships

In Alien RPG the combat is fluid, fast, essential, and lethal. It maintains the structure of the YZE system but, despite suggesting the management of spaces with the use of zones, I can guarantee that it is possible to orchestrate a clash even with only the theater of the mind.

The management of the resources available to the characters is immediate, especially when dealing with firearms. All it takes is a one on the stress dice to run out of ammo. Combat is highly risky mainly because characters have low health value. In the Alien RPG manual, one chapter is entirely dedicated to equipment; an aesthetically very interesting and decidedly functional part when it comes to sci-fi settings.

In the core book, there is also an entire chapter dedicated to space travel. In addition to the available models of spaceships, there is the possibility to create your own or to customize already existing ones. However, the functionality of spaceships is not only aesthetic or narrative; it is possible to start space battles following a series of phases with precision, for which precise roles must be assigned to the crew. To help manage deep space engagements, there’s also a handy map.

Alien RPG Aesthetics review

Alien RPG is a very valid editorial product; after all, Free League Publishing has accustomed us to aesthetically well-finished manuals and impeccable graphics. The glossy paper is of excellent quality and the full print on black backgrounds gives those atmospheres that are perfect for immersing storytellers and players in the mood of the game; hardcover makes it a precious collector’s item.

The green boxes designed to contain the text immediately recall the aesthetics of the spaceship terminals and the depth of the unknown space. The two-column layout is constantly boxed as if we were reading directly from a terminal. Exceptions are the setting notes which instead have a specific font more similar to that of early 80s monitors. In any case, the work that mixes practicality and aesthetics is truly impactful and easy to read.

The illustrations have a very interesting trait in my opinion. The representations of the Xenomorphs alone justify the tension that transpires from the pages even just to leaf through them; in general, all the images delivered to the reader a particularly immersive precise narration. Nothing in this volume is out of place to the point of not even finding typos.

Hope’s Last Day

Inside the Alien RPG core book there is also an introductory adventure, Hope’s Last Day. Without making any kind of spoiler about the plot I can say that the 16 pages of this short scenario are perfect to introduce the narrator and the players to the mood of the game.

Hadley’s Hope is a “shake and bake” colony located on the moon LV-426. Established in 2157, the colony is a terraforming, research, and mining facility, The giant processors are changing the atmosphere: now breathable, but still choked by dense clouds and wracked by electrical storms. Hope’s Last Day tells the story of the last hours of the colony through the eyes of five colonists. It offers a taste of Cinematic Play and throws players right into the action. The pre-gen characters all have hopes, friends, agendas, and rivals. Above all, however, they have a desperate goal: to escape alive from LV-426.

As always, the presence of a ready-to-play adventure greatly facilitates the understanding of the right approach to an RPG; the presence of pre-gen characters further speeds up the use. In case you’re looking for more ready-made adventures, they’re currently available Chariot of the Gods, Heart of Darkness e Destroyer of Worlds.

Alien RPG Review Conclusions

As can be seen from this review, Alien RPG is suitable for all those who are fans of the film saga but not only. For all intents and purposes, it is an excellent editorial product that can give highly enjoyable evenings to any group of players who love the tension and oppressive scenarios. The game system can then be learned in a matter of minutes and leaves much room for interpretation, further enriching the gaming experience.

Considering all these aspects, I can only advise you to jump into deep space with Alien RPG!

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