Feedback and honest review of Alien rpg after first game

So we've played the Hadley's Hope session in the core rule book for Alien RPG, is the system any good?
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[@Jason-gu2kj]

Thank you for your advice on rolling behind the screen as the GM for no reason at all sometimes. Seems so obvious, now that you said that, to keep the players suspicious and scared. Great video!

[@paintriarchdave7977]

I've been making videos of models and stand in models that wont break the bank at all and anyone can make. You've helped me understand this game FAR easier so I hope my models help your experience.

[@MarekUtd]

I saw this in the local game shop and was stunned. I've always loved the franchise and wanted to play an Alien/Predator RPG. Now I can, also really appreciate your passion for the game. Let's hope they release a Yautja expansion/sourcebook.

[@lostinalbion4223]

Free League has really been killing it in the tabletop RPG space. I recently picked up Vaesen (another Year Zero Engine RPG) and it's just quality.

[@benjaminbreig]

I really like the tip about rolling continuously, that's such a good idea!

[@boxtoboard1403]

Glad you like it!

[@mikehill9806]

Thanks for the comments. I have the game and I'm wondering how the buddy/rival "system" works for you given that with an odd number of players, one character will be left without a buddy. Plus the game only devotes a single paragraph to the idea. It might make sense in cinematic play but campaigns?

[@danielyeatts491]

Writing a compelling campaign should not be too difficult with a writer friend who understands not only the Alien franchise and core rules but also just plain horror writing. The book gives you so much space to write in you can imagine anything and make it a thing, all you have to do is make it follow the rules and make it within the possibility of resolution so the players don't feel it is impossible. Creating and keeping tension is extremely important in this horror game, but you have to give the players time to chill too - it can't be all stressful situations all the time. And you have to have backup characters pre-made so that when someone dies, and they will, you can get them back into the game fast. Have these NPCs show up in game at different points along the campaign so that they fit in seamlessly for any player who requires a new character. And have DIFFERENT characters and scenarios - this game is not all about the xenomorph! You can do ANYTHING.

[@whoisnot]

That was concise and thorough, great help in making the decision to buy it. Thank you.

[@boxtoboard1403]

You're welcome

[@paintriarchdave7977]

Also the stress dice can turn a hyped up campaign group into a trembling buffet 😆✌

[@yourfriend895]

Hello, a little question here. Is it easy to modify the game structure and "monsters" to match another universe? Like, for example, if I was thinking on running a Dead Space one shot with necromorphs instead of aliens. Thanks!

[@lucasjacksoncover1]

Yes for sure! Free League just released the OGL of the Year Zero Engine and made a bunch of games using the same base system that is used in Alien (Mutant Year Zero, Coriolis, Forbidden Lands, Vaesen and soon even a Cthulhu version).

[@brotherhoodofthedice]

What happened to the videos of the Box To Board live sessions of playing through Hopes Last Day?

[@needmorecowbell6895]

Because Aliens share a cinematic universe with Blade Runner, the GM has options. You may think you're on a bug hunt, but it may in the end be a rouge synth that has lured you into its scheme.

[@connordrake8789]

They don’t share a universe, but it is up to the Gm”s decision.

[@needmorecowbell6895]

@@connordrake8789 Actually, they do. They walk past a alien display in Blade Runner company HQ scene, This was confirmed by the writers.

[@matthewsmith2979]

Voice from the future, FLP are making a Blade Runner game

[@DeFactoLeader]

I find the game really intriguing, my chief issue with it is that it seems like it'd be very formulaic after some time. That first campaign where you're pitting your players against xenomorphs seems like a great experience; but this is an issue that's difficult to keep fresh on repeated playthroughs. You can't not have the alien in an Alien RPG (in fact this issue very much mirrors the movies after Aliens). Alien is inherently very low-concept, it's not something expansive like Star Trek, so I was frankly shocked to see it even got a tabletop RPG. How would you recommend going about this? I think a decent way to expand its life would be to introduce Predator in some fashion, but I have no idea if they'll be able to get the licensing. Even as a horror game I have a few concerns, I'm big into running CoC and I enjoy my players never quite knowing what they're up against. With Alien? You always sort of know. I love having the element of surprise in my games and it's fun catching a player off-guard both in and out of character, but with Alien, almost everyone knows what that big, viscous egg contains... In any case, your review was good, you definitely allayed a few of my concerns mechanics-wise.

[@One21Jiggawatts]

I think you are underestimating the Alienverse. The timeline of the Ripley films spans hundreds of years and you have a wide variety of characters, ships and locations, with a lot of agendas between military, corporations, freighters, miners, colonists, renegades etc. Beyond this, you also have a lot of mystery about the origins of the Aliens, Space Jockeys, Alien queens, facehuggers, cocoons etc. I reckon it’s just as expansive as Star Trek or Star Wars.

[@AFnord]

@@One21Jiggawatts The universe itself is very expansive, which you can see hints of in other media, but it's going to be a tricky RPG to play, I feel. If every adventure leads up to there being an alien, that's going to be predictable. Even if you start mixing in the Neomorphs (and frankly I would want to forget about the existence of Alien covenant, so I would not...), that's still just ultimately an alien variant. But if you don't have the aliens show up, then I would imagine that a lot of players will end up finding it anti-climatic, unless you already set it up beforehand that you're doing another part of the Alien universe. And the game does not feel all that well suited for adventures that stray too far away things concerning the aliens (it would probably be easier to just use another more open-ended rule system for that and say you're playing in the alien universe than try to tweak the alien RPG). So yeah, staying power is a bit of a concern with this game. It's still an interesting game, mind you, but it feels like you'll likely not get more than maybe 10-15 sessions out of it before you'll start reaching the limits of what it's made for. That can still be worth the price of admission for an Alien fan though, and the book itself is an enjoyable read with a lot of great art.

[@stingaarshark2353]

Hey I sadly missed out on pre ordering this table top game and I'm going to be picking up my own copy as soon as my retailers get it in stores, this will be my first DND table top bored game iv ever played I'm going to be watching all your videos about the Alien RPG table top game but are there any tips you could let know or any like tricks to really make the game feel more emmerseive, I'm going to be the GM or DM as well and it's my first time for this aswell any tips or tricks to help me keep the game going smoothly for the first few games until we complete it then I'm gonna let some one else GM for me

[@boxtoboard1403]

The cards are actually pretty helpful I found. But also silly little things like if you can lowering lighting. I use my fingers under the table to make a skittering sound sometimes when they are arguing and suddenly someone notices and freaks out a little. Be creative. It's fun

[@bennethos]

Definitely the alien soundtrack and a soundboard in which you upload samples of xenomorphs. Imagine saying : you spot something in a dark corner (while at the same time playing a a slight rattling tapping noise... oh my god !)

[@seanconnorsfanpub7188]

I have bought the book because of your review I have one question campaign mode possible and how?

[@boxtoboard1403]

Key thing is to build the stories you want to weave around the world of Alien. So lots of grit and a bit of intrigue and hints of xenomorphs at the start. The key I think is to build the tension over the sessions so that when the alien actually appears it is truly awesome.

[@Steel_Scholar]

I might have missed it but was there anything you didn't like about the system? Also, I'd heard rumors about mistakes or errors with the books/cards and certain stats not matching up... did you see any of that?

[@boxtoboard1403]

We didn't spot any obvious mistakes but they may be there. The one shot format suits this rpg REALLY well and it truly shines. There are definitely some things you need to think about prior to play as a gm. So for example you roll when the players enter a room with passive aliens in them to check if the alien becomes active, now you need to think about that as a gm because sometimes the players aren't meant to necessarily be able to sense that alien and if you only roll when they enter a room with an alien you take a lot of that tension away. The tension really matters in this game and I suspect that sustaining a longer campaign would actually be really tricky as you would lose a lot of that over a prolonged period. That would be not so much something I don't like as a limit, I can't see month after month campaigns here. I may be wrong but that's my gut but for shorter campaigns it truly is awesome.

[@Steel_Scholar]

@@boxtoboard1403 Thank you Sir

[@ronnithecyberwitch8027]

I just wanted it for the xenomorph

[@boxtoboard1403]

It is awesome

[@judyhopps9380]

Can you do a 1 alien campaign, like Alien or Alien 3, where a single monster absolutely wrecks face?

[@boxtoboard1403]

I would say so. Sounds like an awesome idea

[@NefariousKoel]

I also tend to prefer 'dice pool' systems. If for no other reason than not having to juggle so many die roll modifiers. You just change how many dice are in the pool for positive and negative modifiers. Easier and less to fumble around looking up.

[@boxtoboard1403]

With you on that. I like the fact they don't swing as much as well.

[@FellVoice]

Not crazy about the having to roll 6's. My table played 3 games of about 4 hours each with dice pools from 3-7 and the number of times my players failed to get any 6's at all was frustrating to the entire group to the point that we decided to just use the book as a resource and use another system. This dice system just made the characters look incompetent at anything below 6 dice but I guess that's to be expected when you have an 83.3% chance of failure per die baked into every roll, it's like freaking amateurs wrote this system.

[@ClintSaenger]

Please zoom out the camera a little more and get a better mic.

[@boxtoboard1403]

Advice taken

[@Scifismurf]

You know i don't do RPGs cause they are not focused enough but ill give this a go, so convince me

[@reallivebluescat]

Looks like he already convinced you

[@mattlugo5776]

Fix the framing man. Why is your head cut off, back up from the camera.

[@BeholderMask]

The sound is so terrible it's a torture to watch! Buy yourself a micro or just write articles, KZbin is made for video content.