Walk through the halls of abandoned ships, where every twist and turn can spell out death with xenomorphs, androids and other threats that make you feel like Ripley.
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: Self-purchased but we will be reviewing other RPG content sent to us from Free League Publishing including more Alien content!
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: In Cinematic Mode, you are guided by the Game Mother (GM), through a pre-written scenario that will make everyone involved feel as though they’re playing through an actual Alien movie. In Campaign Mode, the players will create characters and try to survive in space based on locations built by the GM and the players.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: We have played Dragonbane and are waiting to play Tales from the Loop and Vaesen.
What was surprising about this title: The game runs and feels as though you are watching an Alien movie. Without spoilers, characters are given motives that drive their characters during the 3 acts of the scenario, titled Chariot of the Gods. There are a few extra motives that are distributed to different players at different times during the game and these also add a sense of betrayal and surprise to the story. When these situations are finally revealed, players are genuinely shocked, and it builds a tense moment of climax. The stress system in the game works very well also. Every time you fail, get spooked, or take damage, your character adds an extra die into their pool. This simulates how adrenaline can make you more alert and focused and allows you a greater chance at success. However, as stress accumulates, you have more chances at having to do a panic roll and risk something bad happening.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very likely. The game is easy to learn and while your characters may be easily killed off, it is easy to create a new character and add them to the story in campaign mode. There are also several scenarios available for cinematic mode for those who like to use pre-written modules.
Game length: One shots and scenarios can last 1-2 sessions. We completed “Chariot of the Gods” within about 5 hours. Campaign Mode can last as long as you want it to. It is more of a sandbox mode where the GM and the players do their own thing.
Language Barrier Playability: Difficult. The game requires a lot of translation as the game is completely conversational. That being said, it is very easy for one person to GM and play with a group that only speaks one language. If all players involved speak the same language then the game is easily played this way.
Artwork: Gorgeous. The books and the dice are all creepy, dark, and make you feel isolated and small. The expansive star system and the scale of massive ships make you feel almost insignificant by merely enjoying the artwork.
Quality: Excellent. The starter set gives you multiple character sheets for the scenario “Chariot of the Gods”, maps of the universe, and maps of the ship needed to run the scenario. The dice are beautiful and mark success and failures very easily.
Strategy: The game is strategic in terms of players knowing when to stay quiet and hidden but is not necessarily a strategy game.
Instruction Manual: Easy and quick. The rulebook included in the starter set includes many options, resources and guides for how to build your own scenario and how to build characters who are interesting.
Organization: Great. Everything fits easily into the box and the box looks great on your shelf.
Final thoughts: We loved our experience with Alien and will most likely play it when our group wants to play a creepy space horror game. It is very easy for new players to play and for new GMs to run. Cinematic Mode is where Alien the RPG shines. It allows for a lot of freedom while maintaining the pre-written plot. For our table, the one shot pre-written content is exactly what we want from an RPG.
Sushiball Games 
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