ALIEN Starter Set - RPG Review

[@MySqueezingArm]

I love that Seth is always honest and straightup with his information. By far he's the most useful TTRPG channel.

[@hammond1994]

Straight up honesty is a rare thing these days.

[@Glaswalker1001]

There are others that are equally honest and straight forward. As an example: Prof. Dungeon Master from the Dungeon Craft channel

[@the-real-Lovefist]

@@Glaswalker1001 Agreed, Prof DM has great content and is highly entertaining.

[@MySqueezingArm]

@@Glaswalker1001 He is another one I highly regard.

[@Dr.Molotov]

100% agree. He’s my go-to.

[@LegallyBlindGamer7926]

I couldn't help but notice that the timeline has the events of Alien: Isolation on it. That is AWESOME! It's nice to see that game get some recognition.

[@EvanPerlman]

And some of the concepts from the infinite rejected drafts of Alien 3 made it in here too!

[@bythepowerofnani421]

There's even a reference to the events of the Prometheus: Fire and Stone series from Dark Horse Comics in the setting information section of the corebook

[@spiritconsumer]

Yes - and it has stats for even the androids from it - the Working Joe.

[@SuperG3X]

Missing the Kellen mining incident from out of the shadows

[@th3lonef0x4]

​@@SuperG3XThe planet Out of the shadows and Sea of sorrows takes place on is listed on the star map.

[@joshuaperrine2019]

I watched AVPR in the theater and when a character said, "the government wouldn't lie to us" everyone let out a laugh, stopped and looked around, before bursting into laughter.

[@spec24]

It's funny until you realize no one cares. Then you cry.

[@chriscotgrove9674]

It's a damn good thing that no second AvP movie was ever released. That would have been just as bad as say, someone creating a sequel to Highlander. REALLY glad that never happened too.

[@dustincameron787]

Personal Vendettas & Hurt Feelings sounds like the title of a high school based RPG!

[@docsavage8640]

Love how the Starter Set actually gives you enough dice to actually play the game. So many skimp on dice that you still need more of your own if you want to play the damned thing. One thing about using cards to determine initiative that is superior to chucking dice: nobody can get the same result, no need for roll-offs to resolve ties. Those weapon cards are really handy as well.

[@trequor]

Great point

[@oddmind55]

while I agree normally for this game specifically Ive been using a d10 and when some one gets the same roll I have them decide who goes first and then they can switch as the combat goes on as if trading initiative since that is a mechanic in this game it keeps the combat still fluid and acts as if they both were able to react at the same time

[@SirPanfred]

This is so random. I just came home from my local game store and held this in my hands for quite a while, wondering if it's worth it. And then I come home, open YT and see this just got uploaded!

[@SSkorkowsky]

I got an emergency text that you were on the fence about it, so I threw this video together real quick to help you decide. True story.

[@SirPanfred]

@@SSkorkowsky thanks mate, you're the best! Will you also make a Cyberpunk Red review? I'm not at all on the fence about it, but would still love to hear your opinion as I know you played some games of CP2020

[@SSkorkowsky]

CPRed will happen. As far as when that will be, I defer to the original announcement of Cyberpunk 2077, "Coming when it's ready" It might be some while before we can fit it in for a real play run.

[@SirPanfred]

@@SSkorkowsky Glad to hear that. I am looking forward to it!

[@metallkopf988]

Love the flag Sir Panfred. "Eala Frya Fresena!"

[@JamesCateyes]

All the other times you talked to yourself in some weird psychosis, I found amusing and interesting and informing. But this one, about AVP? That, I don't know, it hit a little close to home, and it actually felt like two personas within the Seth Collective talking to each other.

[@thebrokenhandle7691]

I knew the Seth collective was a thing! They told me I was crazy, but I knew that he was a collection of entities, he’s too powerful not to be!

[@swaghauler8334]

Glass jr?

[@ricmrp]

I believe in the Seth cloning theory myself

[@stm7810]

So is he a plural system?

[@bythepowerofnani421]

20 hours to run through Chariot of The Gods? And here I thought I was doing something wrong when it took my group about 16 hours to complete it.

[@blondknight99]

Before we go any further, I think we oughta discuss the bonus situation.

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

Look, you will get what is contracted to you just like everyone else. (Anyone who doesn't get the reference is going to be very confused).

[@RobertWF42]

@@RandomPerson-nd2ey Yes, but everyone else gets more than us!

[@thorinpalladino2826]

You wore the wrong shirt for this video. It should have been the Weyland-Yutani shirt.

[@nicknumber1512]

Jack probably swiped it along with the baseball cap.

[@narcozero8410]

I feel like the card mechanic for initiative is GREAT ! It's really different from rolling a dice ! I have yet to try it but i feel like it will be waaay faster at the table. It clears up the time spent where everybody has to report what their initiative numbers are, writing them down, and having to put them in the proper order and whatnot. Here you just draw a card. That's your initiative. Boom. You don't need to write it down because it's already on a card, and you don't have to compare it to make sure there are no bigger numbers, because they already are in order. Plus nobody can tie. That's a great system ! Makes me wanna implement it in other games

[@alanwake5239]

Savage Worlds handles initiative in the same way but with a standard deck of playing cards. I don't remember if it distinguishes between the jokers but it's a huge deal when a player gets one and devastating when a bad guy gets it because it comes with some heavy bonuses

[@generalsci3831]

I have to admit, this game looks SOLID. I could imagine homebrewing a 'The Thing' scenario with it.

[@HeadHunterSix]

I can imagine them doing a Thing RPG, honestly.

[@keegansullivan1571]

Biggest issue I had with the card initiative is it's more of a pain in the ass running games remotely

[@EvanPerlman]

Yeah, we struggled with that in our Roll20 playthrough. Wound up just rolling D10s and writing it down.

[@nolgroth]

From watching the video, I want that ship (map). The resource consumption rules are okay but I see a lot of grief over arbitrary dice rolls limiting resources unrealistically. I like the concept of the Stress rule but I would need to test it in play. The Personal/Hidden Agenda thing also seems neat in concept. Sort of like Paranoia in that regard. Mostly there is a lot of presentation polish but the system itself is pretty bland looking. I can drop any lite system, like FATE, in its place and not miss anything. Based on this review, I don't see anything that compels me to drop the money for this product. Thanks for the balanced review.

[@tombunch9195]

I see you have a Mothership patch on your alter-ego in this video. Do you have a preference between Mothership and the Alien rules?

[@blackhammer5035]

I'd be curious to hear this as well. Much as I was interested in the Alien setting, I really wasn't a fan of how this rule system played out in MYZ and didn't want another game with it. Grabbed Mosh and the modules and was very impressed.

[@cameronframent8976]

Mothership seem much easier to learn/play and it’s a WAY cheaper. I would be very interested to hear Seth’s thoughts on how Alien RPG compares to Mothership.

[@cameronframent8976]

Mothership pdf is pay what you want. www.drivethrurpg.com/product/245017/Mothership-Players-Survival-Guide

[@frozensun07]

Was coming to the comments to see who else noticed this too! I love Mothership, i'd be very interested to hear what Seth thinks of it!

[@calvigilles9362]

And another voice to the choir. Any quick comparison between Mothership and Alien please? A simple comment should do really.

[@Adrian_of_Arcane_Lore]

"Now this game is based off of Adult Movies" WHAT PARTS OF ALIEN DID I MISS SETH?!

[@iododendron3416]

Alien vs. Penetrator

[@SSkorkowsky]

Clearly I was referring to R-rated, but let's run with this. Go back and take a good look at the Geiger alien in the first film. It's got a wang for a head. Not a, "that looks kinda dick-shaped," but it's a dick. Next, let's look at the derelict ship. That was very intentional. Then there's the rape theme. Not just the part where a dude gets attacked and has a fleshy tube rammed down his throat, but the 'pregnancy' that resulted from the encounter. Then we have Ash ramming a skin mag down Ripley's throat. All in all, it's a pretty damned Adult movie.

[@morpheus7347]

Great, now I’ve got the idea of alien porn inside my head. Wonder how I’ll get rid of that one.

[@RipOffProductionsLLC]

@@SSkorkowsky my mom showed me Alien and Aliens because they were must see movie that are "important to modern culture", but forbid me from watching Alien 3 because it had a sex scene in it... after watching it anyway behind her back(I was like 12 or 13, what boy that age isn't going to be motivated by that? besides my mothers tastes on what was and wasn't appropriate was all over the place, Rugrats was forbidden because it had bad grammar in it) I confronted her about how there wasn't a sex scene in the movie, she corrected herself and said that it was actually a rape scene.. but that didn't happen in the movie either, so she corrected herself again and said it must have just been an attempted rape scene... which still didn't happen or was so vague/subtle about it that I didn't notice... the funniest part of all this is how I'd been allowed to watch Conan The Barbarian since I was like 6 or something and that has a pretty explicit sex scene with the demon/witch lady, and probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting about.

[@paulvalentine4157]

Alien is not a movie for kids. I watched it when I was 9, scarred for life.

[@Anacronian]

I just wait for the day when Seth and Jack start a fight club... It seems unavoidable.

[@SSkorkowsky]

The First Rule requires that I cannot confirm or deny that we totally have created a Fight Club.

[@nicknumber1512]

Is Jack my bad dream? Or am I Jack's?

[@cloak5857]

People are gonna homebrew Predator so fast.

[@rgama1173]

I was already thinking how to incorporate the predator in the game, maybe as extremely rare enemy type

[@gingermcgingin1733]

@@rgama1173 Maybe after surviving a few Xenomorph encounters the PCs are forced to join a hunt, either as prey or honorary Predators.

[@TheGrimoiresVoice]

Took the words right outta my mandibles.

[@swissarmyknight4306]

Already doing it.

[@StephMcAlea]

Re: AvP I'm 100% with Seth on this. In terms of rights, they are two distinct properties now owned by 2 different companies and are NOT canon. In terms of play and fandom, Predator, Blade Runner, Soldier, The Thing, and Breach are 'linked' via easter eggs and are considered Apocrypha. This is detailed more accurately in the core rules.

[@Rodrigo_Vega]

That's pretty neat. I clearly see how including all of those movies would be an IP mess, but also it's the kind of thing that would lead to an awesome gritty sci-fi epic action mistery-horror universe so ... players will homebrew stats for all of that anyway sooner than later.

[@DoctorEviloply]

I don't see how they're owned by two different companies. Fox owns the rights to Alien and Predator. When Disney bought them out. Those rights were bought over.

[@nonya1366]

"So a vampire, an alien hunter, a soldier trained from birth, and two creatures who are dominantly biologically horrifying walk into a bar."

[@LegallyBlindGamer7926]

I have an in-universe explanation for why AVP isn't on the timeline. AVP takes place in an alternate timeline.

[@nonya1366]

@@LegallyBlindGamer7926 AVP doesn't take place on the timeline because literally everyone involved either died or was quietly silenced by people wondering why aliens exist.

[@OptimusOmega6]

Seth has sold me on yet another game system. I've been on the fence about whether I should invest in Alien RPG for some time now, but this video has convinced me to add it to my collection (the beautiful and atmospheric artwork doesn't hurt the case, either). I probably will end up getting the starter set for the accessories and the core book for the full rule set.

[@padraiglohan]

A friend of mine has been talking about this for months and I never understood the appeal! This has opened me up to it a bit!

[@lbur7119]

Looks pretty cool. I think mothership would work just as well for an alien RPG, while being much cheaper and less fiddly.

[@C0b4ltN1nj4]

I don't understand how they're justifying charging $20 for a set of 10d6

[@javidproductions9353]

If the improvement isn't worth the cost then you don't have to buy it, so it's not too much of an issue. Might be a question of supply chains seen as they have to have different designed dice and it's not (to my knowledge) and RPG that would have the scale necessary to drop the prices of personalized dices to a huge scale.

[@emielpeper9248]

I think their justification is "you technically don't need them, so consider them collectors' items"

[@rob7953]

The cynic in me sees specially-marked dice for games that use them as a cash grab. This one at least seems quite a bit easier to play without them than others do. Similalrly, I kind of see the lack of character generation rules and even a limited "bestiary" as making the Starter Set something like free heroin samples from a pusher -- get you hooked then take all your money. Of course, if you play it and really like it, you'll likely buy the full version of the rules anyway. But it does seem to drastically hinder the ability to use the materials for anything beyond what's provided.

[@coreymayo8321]

Anything they need to do to make enough money to stay in business and keep making awesome games is fine in my book.

[@JimmiWazEre]

Because they're a luxury item. By no means are you held to ransom here - any old d6 will do.

[@micahdesilva1685]

I like the idea of using cards to decide turn order because they can function without replacement. If you draw a 1, you're going first, and there's no chance that somebody else rolls the same as you and you have to fight over first for a second time.

[@-Markus-]

There was no second AvP movie, just like there was no terminator movies after Judgement Day! We all agree!

[@benjamink6778]

And there’s only three Indiana Jones movies.

[@TheFeanor74]

@@benjamink6778 And only Godfather and Godfather II.

[@metallkopf988]

There is also no Highlander II

[@TheFeanor74]

@@metallkopf988 Oh yeah, that's so freaking true, man!

[@Webshooters1]

@@metallkopf988 That movie was so stupid. Why would aliens care about Earth religions? The rules for immortals only worked because we didn't know the reason for their immortality. Highlander was one of those movies that really shouldn't have become a franchise because it's antithetical to it's own premise that "there can only be one". Also General Katana's a fucking idiot. Going to Earth and shaking McCloud's tree when he had not come back to Ziest 40 years after winning The Prize instead of shortly after and thinking he was gonna go back when no sane person would and the only reason McCloud wanted to kill him was because he fucked up his retirement.

[@predtime]

I'd be extremely interested in seeing what you think of Mothership, particularly in comparison to this. Alien seems very aware of the OSR, and seems to borrow from a lot of OSR titles including Mothership.

[@P9ctMak3r]

I was gonna say this looks ALOT like Mothership. Like, almost a little too much.

[@HeadHunterSix]

@@P9ctMak3r could that be because... Mothership was inspired by a couple of 40-year old movies? ;)

[@ClutchSituation]

I find this to be a really odd Starter Set. I bought the Core Book and have absolutely no desire to invest in this.

[@blackhammer5035]

I think it was aimed at people new to RPGs but fans of Alien. Hence including a bunch of six-sided dice.

[@hawkthetraveler6344]

starter sets imply that it comes with pregens and an adventure. the appeal is being able to run a game night for a group of friends for less than the cost of a movie ticket for each. Its less imposing than figuring out which 20 pages of a 300 page book you should start with and many RPGs with character building systems fail to provide a good balance of pregens that show you the breadth of what can be played.

[@RockOfLions]

When they do a starter set that's disjoint from the core rules it makes me hesitate to buy either. I don't want to waste money on duplicate rules but I feel penalized by not being able to get all the content if I don't. Had the same issue with mongoose traveller

[@ClutchSituation]

Recently, Call of Cthulhu and Warhammer FRPG have proven that these "get a taste" Starter Sets do not have to be the industry norm. I still find Fria Liga to be stuck in an ancient mentality that needs to be updated.

[@RPGNook]

Destroyer of Worlds is a sequel to Chariot of the Gods. They only ever mention this on promo materials, no idea why, but there it is.

[@TheInfamousRPGGroup-on-Rumble]

I've used heavy machinery my entire life, especially my 6 years in the Army. If you need strength to operate it, youre doing it wrong.

[@richmcgee434]

It's an artifact of their earlier games, which insist on linking each skill to one and only one attribute. It should be thrown in the dumpster with the initiative system if you ask me. Forbidden Lands sticks "Crafting" (ie the skill that you use to make anything and everything) under Strength. That's dandy for smithing and constructing buildings, but it starts getting really, really dumb when you're talking about making glassware, bookbinding, jewelry, etc. Faberge did not pump iron to make his eggs better.

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

Haha. Yeah, you're right but... we're not talking about real life. We're talking about the "Alien" universe which may be different. Perhaps using things like the full body suit requires strength?

[@NefariousKoel]

It's because the Strength stat is under-utilized, in nearly every skill-based RPG, when it comes to Skills. Obviously a stat balance thing, and by no means unique to the Year Zero system.

[@rob7953]

Really, really, _really_ heavy machinery...?

[@davidpeters6743]

Depends on what kind of machinery you're using bud. Like factory stuff? probably not. Like Cranes? Sure you might not have to be strong, but there's a lot of times when it helps.

[@AlanGChenery]

One major question for anyone who has tried the scenario: How easy would it be to adapt for a single player? I've run a few short one-shots with the core rules for my one player and we've both really enjoyed it. Thankfully as a not inexperienced game master with a fairly extensive knowledge of the setting I've been fine coming up with my own ideas, but thought the published adventures might be worth a shot for something a little special. But the scenario in the book really didn't seem to adapt at all well, and given the nature of the scenario not really special either. I mean the events there in are probably the most over exposed and not particularly exciting piece of the franchise. Lol.

[@EvanPerlman]

Chariot of the Gods is tough for one player, mostly because it's so long. Even ignoring the combat, there's a lot of *stuff* that has to be done, and in order for it not to take forever you (the G/M) would have to run at least 3 NPCs while your player does their thing. And there are probably some challenges that *can't* be accomplished by 1 player alone, so you'd have to find a way to make sure some NPCs are there. Plus you'd need to put your thumb on the scale during combat in a pretty obvious way.

[@adrianwebster6923]

The consumables mechanic seems like it could be easily adapted to other rpgs with a survival focus. Still tracking, but it seems simple enough to not be tedious.

[@joelblom1388]

The cumsumables mechanic is in a lot of free legue games...in one way or the other ;)

[@PersephoneDarling28]

It's simple but also really fun sounding

[@mogmogwaii]

do a bit reasearch on the termn "usage dice". I think this stems from the black hack.

[@goth_fraggle]

I LOVE this game and the CHARIOT OF THE GODS adventure is so much fun! I have no idea how well the campain mode works and honestly...I don't really care. If I want to play long, eternally going campains I will reach for D&D or maybe the FFG STAR WARS game, but with ALIEN I am more than fine with one shots, it just feels more in line with the source material and the system. And wow, the one shots are great. At first I thought "Cinematic Mode" is just some fancy talk to have a brand, but when I read up the rules and actually played it, I realized that it really is something else. Normally one shots are just very very short campains. But ALIEN really did make them their own subsystem. I personally love how Cinematic Mode encourages "Player vs Player" conflict. Every RPG player has these urges to play against the party some time but good players will resist that, here they can do it, because it won't have lasting consequences since you can't derail a campaign. OF course one still has to be sensible about it, but still..it's awesome and refreshing. Player Death's aren't a mood killer but actual story moments and jesus christ the stress system is so meta. Yes, on a pure rule standpoint they just showcase pretty well, how stress works, but the fact that the actual real player will get increasingly stressed out the more stress dice they acquire is such delicious torture. And when that facehugger symbol hits in a crucial live or death situation? Such a joy to have the whole table cry out in disbelief when they realize that that playewr just dropped a barrel of highly explosive space fuel and is blown to smithereens. And I love that all the additional stuff like the dice or the cards are aweseome, fun and well designed but not necessary. Just use some regular old D&s and 10 playing cards and you're good to go. I have allt he accesories and I am happy I own them, but Free Leaguq could have so easily gone the route of demanding you to buy the specific definitely necessary ALIEN(TM) dice. I have only one gripe. The markers and the map. The space map is aaawweeesome, but the maps of the interior of the ships are way too small to be used with the markers. If there are multiple entities in two adjacent zones, the map will be covered in cardbord coins and noone will no what the hell is going on rendering the markers useless and degrading the map to something that just helps you and the players visualize the ship so they can more easily navigate through the differnet med bays and stuff. Last pro-Tip: Whether you like ALIEN COVENANT or not (I haven't seen it) the score by Jed Kurzel is perfect as background music. Obviously all the music from the franchise will fit (special shout out to my favourite horror score of all time: ALIEN 3) but COVENANT's lean to the more atmospheric, sound design-y side of modern scores (which I usually dislike) works wonders for RPG sessions

[@cfd1052]

Thank you Sir for this comment-review.

[@docartemis2878]

Sorry Seth, as much as I liked AVP, the crossovers have never been canon.

[@ZeroNumerous]

Not true. The AVP franchise was canon until Prometheus, which retconned the founding of Weyland-Yutani and brought the canonicity into question. But before that, the Alien and Predator comics were intricately connected.

[@docartemis2878]

@@ZeroNumerous The Comics, I don’t believe the Movie was ever actually canon.

[@scottyboy1958]

Cross over with Cthulhu ? Background material could make an interesting setting

[@gideonmele1556]

That would be both amazing and terrifying

[@EvanPerlman]

Crossover with Cthulhu starts to get you into Event Horizon territory... which would be an amazing game...

[@fran3ro]

I feel this game could become repetitive (storywise) relatively fast.

[@PersephoneDarling28]

I'm planning on offering it up as a game to rotate in when we're feeling a little burnt on D&D. My group has played Call Of Cthulu, Kids On Bikes, and Lament Of The Flame Princess that way

[@EvanPerlman]

That's been my main question all along. Once you've played Chariot, you've had the Alien experience. Once you've played Hope's Last Day (I think?) you've had the AlienS experience. What's left? How do you keep a campaign going in a way that feels fresh and engaging?

[@kevingriffith6011]

@@EvanPerlman Kind of in the same way that maybe only 10% of Call of Cthulhu adventures have anything to do with Cthulhu. This *might* be a more focused alternative to Cthulhu Icarus, but that depends on if the publishers can push more adventures that go beyond Xenomorphs and Xenomorph Accessories.

[@fran3ro]

@@kevingriffith6011 The problem, as I see it, is that the franchise is inherently tied to the name Alien wich are the Xenomoph. One would play Alien to fight the Xenomorphs, not to fight Wayland-Yutani or overthrow some planet king or fight space pirates. Cthulhu is not about Cthulhu per se, but about Cthulhu mythos, in other words: lovecraftian stories, wich can vary greatly and encompase much bigger universe than just Cthulhu. Maybe they can make the game interesting enough, it's just a feeling I have.

[@EvanPerlman]

@@fran3ro Yeah I think Kevin has a great point here. If we start to see scenarios focusing on other parts of the universe - say, the synthetics, or the Engineers - or that stretch the format of the gameplay, I think it'll start to blossom and people will build out the universe.

[@TheWarpGhost]

Yep, my friends and I are completely on-board for the Alien RPG, it's been a massive hit! We just completed Destroyer of Worlds (note I said completed, not survived of course...) after running through the other cinematics. Looking forward to a more complete review. Also holy crap - 20 hour Chariot of the Gods!? We are slow, RP heavy group and even we couldn't drag it out for half that time! Can't wait to hear that story!

[@l0stndamned]

Interesting. I hadn't realised this game was coming out. The movement system sounds very similar to that of Demon Hunters: a Comedy of Terrors, so I expect I'd adapt to it quick if I were to start this. How adaptable is the system for other sci-fi stuff? I'm always on the lookout for a good system for a sci-fi cop-show game (got a setting ready, just need a system)

[@MoragTong_]

Cyberpunk RED!!! Woot! Let's see it buddy!

[@scottknudsen6611]

My group and I are halfway through that initial scenario and we're really digging this game. You're spot on that a higher degree of player maturity will be needed to handle the almost inevitable PVP elements too. We totally agree with your thumbs-up review and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming edition of Twilight:2000 from this publisher!

[@ts25679]

Does anyone know of any good "Who goes there"/The Thing scenarios?

[@DarranSims]

I’ve been running Alien RPG games at conventions and Board Game Cafes for the last couple of years and it’s great. Been running two new scenarios on Roll20 during the the last six months too. A nice counterpoint to Tales from the Loop RPG too.

[@richmcgee434]

Pretty sure I saw AVP 2 in a double feature with Highlander 2. Which is odd, because neither of them ever existed. They really stuck to that idiotic card initiative system, eh? Doesn't work worth a damn in Forbidden Lands, won't work here. Toss it out the window and use something better. The resource mechanic is also really wonky. One yahtzee roll and you suffocate (or whatever) no matter where you started, and while the odds obviously decrease radically the higher your rating started at, it still happens - there's a reason people still play the actual Yahtzee game. Much worse than Forbidden Lands, where your resource is a die type (max d12) and you roll it for usage failing on a 1-2, with a fail dropping your die type by 1 in the future till restocked. Your effective rate of consumption increases as you drop so the system's non-linear, but also absolutely can't leave you dry in a single test like Aliens here does. The Story Points reward thing is an interesting twist, I suppose forced on them by this super-episodic cinematic format they're pushing (despite Ripley being a recurring character to the point of literally being resurrected via cloning). Don't think I've seen a "player reward rather than character reward" approach to experience since TSR's old Amazing Engine line. Have to wonder, if you're playing an ongoing campaign that isn't all about one-shots with pre-gens, do they have a proper character experience (and injury/trauma) system, and do they still use the story point thing? Definitely skipping the starter box, but I might grab the core book. Not that huge an Alien fan to start with and Free League's Forbidden Lands has left me a bit annoyed with their marketing strategies, particularly past the core box.

[@SSkorkowsky]

That sounds like a really weird dream, going to watch 2 movies that have never existed and should never exist.

[@richmcgee434]

@@SSkorkowsky The next screen over was showing Ishtar, and the one beyond that had a double feature of Metalstorm and Yor, Hunter From teh Future.

[@sasugashogun]

People are Curious what MU/TH/UR stands for now, and I've come up with this: Mulfunctioning/thromboembolisizing/uranography - If you ask our pilot. MUltiprocessing/THoughtful/URanography - If you ask our captain, but what does he know? "Think it's something like, MUltifactorial, something.... " - If you ask our lead Scientist. "B!*ch!" - If you ask Ripley

[@peterdickinson4599]

Seth, that was an excellent review. Very clear on what I would be getting if I bought the Starter set, and also a neat introduction to the mechanics with some fair-sounding criticisms. Does sound to me that they should have a third option; a Complete set; the starter set contents with the Core rulebook instead of the introductory softback. Price it just under what it would cost to buy the Starter and Core book together. Thanks. Looking forward to further videos on this game.

[@bjulianlm]

I've seen multiple reviews of this RPG. I bought the starter set. I can say that you have one of the best walk-through out there. I really appreciate you time and effort. Thank you sir.

[@mikegould6590]

Seems offensive that ALIENS (xenomorphs) aren't in the ALIEN starter set.

[@williamozier918]

An idea for a cineatic scenario and/or an actual movie sequel: ALIEN: PARADISE. Basically a xenomorph breaks out on the Floston Paradise pleasure cruise ship type ship. Character1: Corporate Duchnozzle, s/he has booked a small cheap room, and plans to meet some smugglers smuggling a xenomorph frozen in stasis. Character2: The smugglers, four undercover mercs who have rented a suite and a cargo shed where they keep the xenomorph claiming its food frozen for transport. Character3: The Monkeywrenches, another group of corporate mercs who had planned to hijack Corproate Douchenozzle's secret cargo, but had no idea it was a xenomorph. Character4: A synthetic crew member who's job is to help passengers to get to shelters during emergencies, however someone has hacked it and is using it for their own agenda. Character5: Ship security agent. Character6: Passenger, you just needed a vacation from your high stress job, and now its a DieHard INSPACE with ALIENS.

[@bossman4799]

Some of the mechanics, like the zones, armor, and spending extra successes seem a lot like the FFG Star Wars RPG. I have those books, but have only run it a few times. My players seemed to like it so I wonder if they'd like this Alien RPG too.

[@StitchRizz90]

Alien may be part of the Predator franchise as seen in Predator 2, but Predator is not considered to be part of the Alien franchise. Here's why. Predator 2 takes place in 1997. We see an Alien skull on the wall inside the space ship which means it was killed sometime prior to this film. But the Alien as we know it from the Alien franchise was created by David 8 at some point after 2091 by using Shaw as the foundation. So no, AVP should not be part of this franchise as it breaks with the lore.

[@EricLinstone]

HA! Yes. AvP is an awesome movie and there is no sequel. 😁 That being said, there are tiny lore nods to the first AvP comic. I believe Chigusa Corporation is mentioned and in the most recent book, Building Better Worlds, they have the helicopters from the comic as well.

[@antytrend]

Predator has no part in my alien universe. the alien exists in the predator universe not the other way around

[@iconocast]

ooh good point

[@thebrokenhandle7691]

This

[@coreymayo8321]

Great work... and I know it must be a lot of work with such high production values and thoughtful commentary.

[@MisterZimbabwe]

Love these reviews! By the by, any plans for a Cyberpunk Red review at any point?

[@Acmegamer]

Great review Seth. I prefer to get the physical products from Free League because I get the PDF included with that price.

[@janinemaimanakos9682]

Great review, your reviews are so fantastic. I love them. I believe the advantage of using cards for initiative instead of using dices, is that no one has the same iniative number. I have not played the game yet, but I think the rolls for consumables is a bit tricky. This mechanic means the more I have the more I loose. I think it would be better if a character rolls always with 2 or 3 dices no matter how many oxygen the character has. I imagine following situation, the crew put on their vaccsuits on a mission in hostile environment,. They have 5 Oxygen supply points and after a while, they have to roll for Oxygen depletion. If one of them rolls 5 1s and the Ox is streight empty, that would be frustrating. Even in an oneshot adventure with character replacement.

[@SSkorkowsky]

On the bright side, the chance of rolling 5 dice that all come up 1 is 1/7,776 (or .01286%). Not impossible, and I've watched my fair share of weirdly improbable dice results with even less chance than that. But it's extremely unlikely to be a problem you'll ever encounter.

[@ADiceySituation]

Sooooo, about that Destroyer of Worlds review... I know a baker. I can get ya any kinda cookies ya like.

[@dertseha]

This does sound very cool! Sadly, the Venn diagram of my friends and people who like the Alien universe has hardly an overlap. Where would one find people (online) to play this?

[@nlnrose]

How can you do this? You finally make an alien video and forget to wear your weyland yutani shirt? Come on man!😉

[@Toriatrix]

I'm still hoping Seth will make an RPG from Damoren universe. With all his rpg experience I'm really sure it would be epic. And the he'd have to review his own game right?!! 😅

[@piece1309]

I love every game I’ve ran Free League had anything to do with. Mutant Year Zero, Coriolis, Mork Borg, and my personal favorite, Tales from the Loop.

[@mirigolde8502]

Really appreciate all the work you do bringing these other systems to light for folks! Love me some horror RPG and definitely went over to grab this after your fair and informed review! Great work, as always.

[@IshanDeston]

The "Game mother" makes me think that you will be coddled and doted on. Why do we constantly need to try to be original what the GM is being called?

[@SSkorkowsky]

Every time I see it, I hear Danzig's 'Mother' playing in my head. Like...non-stop.

[@IshanDeston]

@@SSkorkowsky That sounds awesome at first... dunno why the Game Mother gives me pause. Just feels odd. Gotta admit tho... after 20 years of people being creative of what they call it, they found one i haven't heard before.

[@iPwnedMSCS]

It's a play on MU/TH/UR.

[@vladd6787]

Well the computer in Alien is called Mother

[@ArawnNox]

I get it, because MOTHER from the movie, but man this one is just kinda awkward.

[@benl4198]

Not only am I sold on the starter set, but I 100% want to see more of this version of Jack the NPC. Amazing look.

[@JasonHauser125]

We are currently almost done with Chariot of the Gods in Roll20. I have the core book and just adapted a pdf of Chariot, uploading all the images I needed to Roll20. So far, I think it will take about 12-15 hours to finish the scenario, which is more than I expected, but I had a blast adding bonus maps, including lots with dynamic lighting to enhance the scare factor. We love the game so far. The first two sessions were story/cinema heavy and dice rolls weren't really that important. The third session that changed and we had to dive heavier into the nitty gritty mechanics, but they're not particularly complex, and in the case of Stress/Panic, quite ingenious. We just use the base d20 tracker in roll20 for Initiative, it works just fine. I agree with Seth, the cards are not anything special. Rolling for Armor reduction is slightly clunky and it would have been easier with just a 1:1 reduction, but the random nature of armor does had some welcome unpredictability. This was sort of our learning curve in the game, and next I'm prepping Destroyer of Worlds in Roll20, although I did buy the gorgeous box set this time. Destroyer is an even longer and more complicated scenario, so we are still going to be in the Alien world for months. The writer is also planning a third part of a trilogy, so by the time that rolls around I think we will have had our fill of Alien but enjoyed every minute of it. If you're wondering, someone did create a Roll20 character sheet for Alien that looks identical to the official one and works perfectly.

[@MatthewBester]

19:57 Ooo the black backgrounds... I didn't consider that. Good heads up.

[@malcolmrose3361]

Perhaps you should take a look at "Hostile" by Zozer Games? It's inspired by 1970s/1980s SF movies and there are several supplements that you could mine for inspiration. In fact, an interesting topic for a video might be translating from one games system to another. God knows there have been enough different versions of Traveller alone to give you plenty of material!

[@gabrielhamdan245]

I swear I saw this on your shelf the other day and I thought it'd be so awesome to have you review it. Alien was just released here in Brazil and I can't wait til I get my copy. I'm really looking forward to playing this game. Take care, Seth.

[@JamesCorp]

I love Year Zero system, Did you check out Tales from The Loop as its more or less the same system as Alien? I know you didn't like Kids on Bikes.

[@geoffreynelson8012]

Game Mother is one of the only proprietary GM titles that really feels like it matters. That's pretty awesome. I have played a TON of Savage Worlds which uses card-based initiative, and for me, it adds a lot to the game. In this game, it also gives the players a way to cooperate in the meta-game by swapping cards and it is an easy shorthand for creature abilities. Seeing the GM draw two cards for one creature is a heart sinker. In f2f play, these characteristics would really shine; they seem like they's be a little less impactful in a VTT or other online platform. I'd definitely give the cards some more table time before judging them.. When I read Savage Worlds, I thought it was ridiculous. When I played it, it was the most fun I'd had playing RPG;s.

[@controladordemasas99]

Thanks a lot for the subtitles! English is not my first language so its always handy to have them just in case. PD: Great videos. Thanks to you i'm trying to play CoC even before DnD. Just checking the core book (keeper) right now.

[@eatingweevils]

I've bought a few starter sets in the past and think Alien is one of the better ones. I too I'm not sure about the initiative cards, but waiting to see how they go down when I play the game.

[@kevinbirge2130]

I plan on exploring other horror possibilities in this universe. So many great possibilities.

[@sethseth9059]

They should have included Ripley, Bishop, Hicks, Hudson, and Vasquez as pregen characters.

[@PersephoneDarling28]

Yeah when I pick this up to run for my group I'm going to stat them up and give them as options for players

[@PhilippeLemaire]

Hi Seth. Great review! I'm glad to see free league's games get reviews from you guys overseas. Would you consider reviewing Coriolis from the same team? It's similar mechanically but the setting is Arabian Nights in space...

[@matthewconstantine5015]

This one is really calling to me. The campaign mode definitely seems to be what I've been wanting from this sort of thing. A more survival-leaning, system light alternative to Traveller...if maybe a bit more 'low' Science Fiction.

[@HeadHunterSix]

Have you heard of the Hostile RPG from Zozer Games? It's perfect for this kind of setting, and based on the Cepheus Engine - so if you know Traveller, you can step right into it.

[@matthewconstantine5015]

@@HeadHunterSix I've seen it on Lulu, but haven't checked it out. I've actually never, in 35 years of gaming, played Traveller, somehow.

[@ChronicGames365]

Hey Seth are you going to review the cyberpunk red core rule book??

[@Skullkan6]

I do hope you do a long-term campaign with truckers and slowly weave the alien into it in-between some traveler or Sean Connery's Outland-type space trucker shenannigan stuff.

[@witchfynder_finder]

Found this video while browsing for info on the Alien game, trying to figure out if I wanted to pick it up and which version to get if I did. Found this incredibly helpful! Thank you!!

[@SSkorkowsky]

Happy to be of service.

[@ivancrespogomez5777]

I love the costume you gave Jack for this review, just needed a tacky Hawaiian shirt to complete the look

[@SSkorkowsky]

I considered it (it requires I not only buy a Hawaiian shirt, but one with no green in it, as that would look like Jack had holes in him) but after putting the jacket together I was all, "Eh. Good enough."

[@ArcNeoMasato]

AVP freaking rocked! (it was actually the reason I watched both the Alien and Predator movies later on, so I owe it a lot) And yeah, I totally wanna try this out now, it looks fun, and I like the idea of a simplified rule set for one shots.

[@Surllio]

I have run Chariot of the Gods 7 times. Only ONCE did we finish in 5 hours, and it was because the group was pretty much dead because of freak outs. I LOVE this system. Its fast, fluid, and really makes the players feel the situation. Nothing is more fun than listening to players argue about if they should make a role. They have to do this thing, but it means rolling stress dice, and they are afraid of what happened. I have a lot of wonderful stories from this game. I've run it 10 times. Chariots 7, Hadley's 3. I'm eager to jump into Destroyer of Worlds but with everything going on, its hard to get a real table going.

[@Raptros01]

I petition to have Jack the NPC join the usual rouge’s gallery of players at the table in future videos.

[@verlandes1]

I ran Chariot of the Gods using the ruleset from Mothership - a superior game.

[@alonsoaguilar313]

What do you think Mothership does better? I am looking at both options for when I want to run sci-fi horror, and really struggle with getting my head around pool dice systems like this one. Seemst to fiddly and gamey to me, coming from BRP Call of Cthulhu. I've heard Mothership kind of runs like an OSR for BRP.

[@SquireWaldo]

Game Mothers? Are you serious? If the word 'Master' is a problem why not a gender neutral option? Moderator? I am no ones Mother...

[@SSkorkowsky]

It's a reference to the ship computer MU/TH/UR. In the movies, mainly the first one, they were always talking to 'Mother'

[@Kyleology]

So basically it's useless.

[@relentlessairwaves319]

Hey Seth, great Video! We wait every Week for a new episode and celebrate it. Thanks for reviewing the "alien Rpg" ! Keep up the good work! Greetings from Germany!!

[@BoardgameHeaven]

Wow that's an amazing review! Thanks! Loved the space trucker scenes ;)

[@vesperschake6241]

Free league is dope! I'm stoked to run symbaroum

[@MarcusVance]

This game looks super cool.

[@craftsmenMC]

I’m glad you like this ruleset, Seth. I’ve only had this game for a little bit, but it’s already one of my favorite RPGs, second only to my love for COC

[@Liveforfilms]

Excellent.

[@SorryBones]

Always excited to see the new Jack outfit

[@RockOfLions]

When Seth said, "This game is based on adult movies" I did a "What? .... oh yeah... like that. True."

[@erc3338]

YES!!! FINALLY, SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THIS GREAT SYSTEM!!

[@HeadHunterSix]

I had already purchased the main rulebook, but as you mentioned, since I was looking to pick up the dice (because what gamer doesn't want more special dice?) I realized it would be more economical to get the Starter Set. Dice, a condensed rulebook, and all the other peripherals made it a good value.

[@phxsisko]

So far I have picked up all of the Alien Free League stuff released so far and the Fantasy Grounds Alien modules as well. Can't wait to run a campaign and see how much we enjoy it. Just flipping through the core book I am highly impressed by the depth of information and the quality of all of the printing of each book/guide.

[@MaxWriter]

Nicely done, as always. I backed the Kickstarter for this and have kept up with releases since. You're description of the game was concise and clear. I've always been a big fan of Alien and Aliens (even ran the old Aliens rpg once, though that was a bear). Thanks for the additional info.

[@morecringe89]

acting like adults....that is an empty hope lol

[@meatguyf1375]

Glad you seem to have dug it. I'm a huge fan of Free League and I cannot sing their praises enough. Just a fantastic outfit.