Explore the Far Spinward Colonies as you play as explorers or colonizers. This gorgeous book will help you create a sandbox world full of rich history, new creatures, new character options, weapons and the option to create an active fully functioning colony! It also comes with a premade campaign that will lead players to ask questions and lead to an overarching story that connects each mission.
Was this game sent for review or self-purchased?: This was kindly sent to use for review by Free League Publishing.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: You play as explorers or colonizers in the fictional world of Alien. As a GM, this book provides tools for systems, colonies, campaigns, and encounters with new horrifying creatures.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: Yes. We have played Dragonbane as well as the Alien the RPG Starter Set. Also, check out our previous review of the core game, Alien the RPG Starter Set
What was surprising about this title: The artwork is gorgeous. For being such a grim world, the artwork included in this game has a glimmer of hope and is strangely beautiful. The new character options and the new creatures are fascinating. The bestiary included in Building Better Worlds is marvelous and includes random tables for attacks, which are always greatly appreciated in our opinion.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: Very likely. This game is fantastic at what it is designed to do. Make you feel like you’re a part of the Alien universe by whittling away at your sense of safety while still making you feel like a bit of an action movie star.
Game length: Varied. Building Better Worlds makes this a longer game, potentially, as it is predominantly a campaign building tool.
Language Barrier Playability: This game can be played with a language barrier but would require constant translation.
Artwork: Amazing. The artwork is dark, grotesque, sticky and clean. It is an odd assortment of beautiful ships, eerie abominations, and rough space explorers and colonizers. It looks great on your shelf too!
Quality: Excellent. The book is well made and the lightly glossed pages help the colors pop. The book uses its color palette to great effect and immerses you as you read.
Strategy: This is not particularly applicable to this game.
Instruction Manual: The entire book is a sort of instruction manual and helps guide GMs throughout their journey of making campaigns.
Organization: This is a book that fits very well on your shelf and serves as a piece of art as well.
Final thoughts: This is an excellent book to add to your collection of Alien the RPG. If you’re looking to expand your games and add a sense of wonder and exploration and openness to your table, this is a great investment. However, if you’re a fan of the Cinematic gameplay that is an option from Alien the RPG, then this offers very little in terms of pre-written content. The missions can be played individually but as they are designed to be played as part of a larger campaign, they are not as satisfying to run in Cinematic Mode. The character options, weapons, monsters and creatures are all still useful in general but it lacks in one shot pre-written content.
Sushiball Games 