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 is a beautifully illustrated full-color book of 392 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 introductory Cinematic scenario, Hope’s Last Day.
- 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.
Unlocking this title unlocks the content in the digital reader on ALIEN: RPG Nexus, as well as in additional features as they become available during Early Access.
Table of Contents
1Space Is Hell
- WHAT’S THE STORY MOTHER?
- FRONTIER LIFE
- CAREERS ON THE FRONTIER
- ROLEPLAYING ALIEN
- GAME MODES
- KEY THEMES
- TOOLS OF THE GAME
- WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?
2Your Character
- CORE CONCEPTS
- PERSONAL STUFF
- YOUR GEAR
- DEVELOPING YOUR CHARACTER
- COLONIAL MARINE
- COLONIAL MARSHAL
- COMPANY AGENT
- KID
- MEDIC
- OFFICER
- PILOT
- ROUGHNECK
- SCIENTIST
3Skills
- ROLLING DICE
- THE SKILLS
4Talents
- COLONIAL MARINE TALENTS
- COLONIAL MARSHAL TALENTS
- COMPANY AGENT TALENTS
- KID TALENTS
- MEDIC TALENTS
- OFFICER TALENTS
- PILOT TALENTS
- ROUGHNECK TALENTS
- SCIENTIST TALENTS
- GENERAL TALENTS
5Combat & Panic
- TIME & SPACE
- STEALTH MODE
- ACTIONS & INITIATIVE
- CLOSE COMBAT
- RANGED COMBAT
- DAMAGE
- STRESS & PANIC
- OTHER HAZARDS
- VEHICLE COMBAT
6Gear
- WEAPONS AND ARMOR
- OTHER EQUIPMENT
- VEHICLES
7A Hard Life Amongst the Stars
- CHARTED SPACE
- LIVING IN SPACE
- SPACECRAFT BASICS
- SPACESHIPS OF 2183 AD
- SPACE COMBAT
8Your Job as Game Mother
- GAME PRINCIPLES
- THEMES
- STRESS AND HORROR
- NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
- CINEMATIC PLAY
- CAMPAIGN PLAY
9Governments & Corporations
- THE THREE WORLD EMPIRE
- THE UNITED AMERICAS
- THE UNION OF PROGRESSIVE PEOPLES
- THE INDEPENDENT CORE SYSTEM COLONIES
- INTERSTELLAR COMMERCE COMMISSION
- WEYLAND-YUTANI
- LASALLE BIONATIONAL
- SEEGSON
10Systems & Planets
- THE CORE SYSTEMS
- THE OUTER VEIL
- THE OUTER RIM TERRITORIES
- THE FRONTIER
11Alien Species
- THE ENGINEERS
- THE XENOMORPHS
- OTHER EXTRASOLAR SPECIES
12Campaign Play
- THE CAMPAIGN FRAMEWORK
- CREATING STAR SYSTEMS
- JOB GENERATOR
- ENCOUNTERS
- NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
- NOVGOROD STATION
13Hope's Last Day
- LOCATIONS
- EVENTS
- EPILOGUE