How To Play: Alien RPG

In this video, we're going to learn how to play Alien RPG by Free League! Specifically, we'll be covering Cinematic mode. If you found this video helpful, please let us know in the comment section below.
World of Game Design Website: wogd.com/
Alien RPG Website: alien-rpg.com/
Email: zac(at)wogd(dot)com
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Thank you so much for your viewership and subscriptions.

[@ChefOrc]

Hi Zach, thanks for this rules summary, much appreciated. However, there is one inaccuracy in your explanation. When rolling a 1 on a stress dice during a check, you do not fail the skill check automatically. As per the starter kit's rulebook p35 "A Panic Roll can cause your skill roll to fail", and p70 "If you roll a 10 or higher on your Panic Roll, you will be forced to perform a specific action. If the Panic Roll was the result of a skill check for an action, the action is cancelled and immediately replaced by the forced panic action". So as long as you roll 1-9 on your panic roll, you do not fail your skill check (assuming you rolled at least one 6 on your skill check to start with).

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Thanks for the clarification, por!

[@TheLandofWolves]

The wonderful thing about Alien RPG is that you never have to worry about your character living through a session. They all die every time! Hahahhaa

[@davyheijlands1956]

I'm really glad you made this tutorial. While I own all the Alien RPG stuff because I'm a sucker for Alien, but I have never played D&D RPG or something like it. Still want to organize a gaming night, but I never know where to start.

[@shawnhilliard]

Have you done so yet? I'm also a sucker for all things Alien and have zero experience with RPGs lol.

[@realdragon]

Good thing videos like this exist, I have session in hour and the only thing I know is that it's based on Alien movie

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Hope your session went well! Glad the video helped.

[@Danlovar]

When you showed the critical injuries sheet at the end, I instantly remembered the videogame Fallout 1.😀

[@tomphillips4306]

Nicely done! I just picked up the starter set and core rulebook. Your overview did a great job touching on the high points of the game system. Thanks a bunch!

[@alexdoran527]

Great resource. Our group is taking a break from Call of Cthulhu to play a one-shot of this this evening so I've shared this with them. Thanks!

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Awesome, thank you!

[@georgszwillus8201]

Thanks for the concise explanation, very helpful!

[@WorldofGameDesign]

I appreciate that Georg. Thanks for the view!

[@elproducto2340]

Great video, thank you. I just picked it up and will be GM'ing for the first time ever.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Good luck and enjoy the chaos.

[@Coddlesworth]

Oh, shit! Hey, Zach! It's great to see you here. Subscribed!

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Thanks, friend! Good to see you here as well. :)

[@paulhunt5393]

Good video. Thank you

[@Niodium]

Super useful summary. Many thanks. I also just bought the game and look forward to inflicting it on my players 8-)

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Have fun!

[@JAGomez]

I love the idea that as you take stress you get an extra die. I think that's one thing mothership needs in its system. A reward that comes along with your risk/punishment

[@WorldofGameDesign]

It's one of my favorite things about the system.

[@jessaking7630]

Great video! Super appreciated, thanks!

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Thanks! I appreciate that.

[@RavenNewblood84]

Playing a one shot of this tonight for spooky season \O/ ty for the help

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Hope you had a great session!

[@cralinco2483]

Thanks for the video! I'm about to GM for the first time and I feel like alien is good starting point 😁

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Good luck!

[@stirrednotshaken3111]

Thank you fantastic video

[@mawagreenfoo]

Great review! It's a lot to consider in a roll. That might be confusing when reading the rules, since all dice are 1d6. Are vehicle's also available for the players? I really liked that tank like vehicle from Aliens and the auto turrets. The forklift harness is also a thing that might be great if it is available in the game. Does the game give the players room to improvise like in dnd? For example, poor flammable fluid on the ground to create a firewall. Will you review future sets from this game? Can you play this game solo cinematic style? I love to hear more about what a campaign would look like. Thanks and you've just got a new subscriber.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

There's a nice ruleset for vehicles but I've only ever used them once (it was fun). You can definitely improvise. It works really well actually, as the rules are often more straight forward than in a more noodly system like D&D or Pathfinder. I may hop back and chat about Alien some more in future videos to be sure.

[@claytonbradley3978]

I picked this up at Dragoncon in Atlanta and met one of the creators. Can't wait to have a party wipe.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Heck yeah! You're going to have a blast.

[@icedriver2207]

I would like to see Coriolis and Alien compared. A lot of the mechanics from Coriolis seem like they were used to make Aliens.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Coriolis is definitely going on the list. It's Free League's other Sci-Fi RPG and shares the same Year Zero Engine, so they're bound to have some similarities. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@TheSerthn]

Wonderful video. Subbed for more (hopefully).

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Thanks, Kohen! We'll definitely be doing more. If you have systems you want us to cover (or specific notes on Alien) just let me know.

[@stephenmiles6516]

Best one I’ve seen.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Thank you very much, Stephen! Finally getting back into all this after the holidays and this made my night. - Zac G.

[@alzeke8707]

Can you make your own alien for the alien rpg?

[@WorldofGameDesign]

Definitely. The mechanics around monster design are pretty simple. Once you've got the basics of the system down, I think you could make your own alien in just a few minutes.

[@alzeke8707]

@@WorldofGameDesign thank you

[@davidanddragons5339]

How do you roll a d66?

[@Taifoon808]

2 d6s, 1 will be in tens, the other will represent the ones

[@Taifoon808]

Example: 2d6 results to a 3 & 5, therefore the result is 35

[@davidbeppler3032]

Check out Forge out of Chaos. Best mechanics of any game I have ever seen. Also worst history/character creation/magic. lmao

[@NomeDeArte]

I prefer mothership everytime.

[@akirandrake414]

So you can't play the aliens. Not interested....

[@MrBizteck]

Not much RPG playing an overpowered single minded killing machine. Its not as if Aliens 'negotiate'

[@rwentfordable]

How would that work in an RPG?

[@gr3yh4wk1]

I roleplayed the crap out of our latest game, but all if it made absoblutely no diffierence. I had a D6 chance of death. I got the cranium hit. So literally ALL of the roleplaying made absolutely no difference. All of it meant nothing due to a single dice roll. This is utterly shit. And has massively jaded my gameplay experience.

[@rwentfordable]

You don't play RPGs to win, you play to tell a story. Otherwise you want a board/video game.

[@kosterix123]

Sounds like a really dumb system. Roll any 6 for success 1 for failure regardless of success. That’s pre luck and belongs to the 1990s. Modern games use post luck. Too bad, I would have almost bought it, so thanks for the warning!

[@SaintMoonMoon]

I mean.....all RPGs rely on dice.....

[@kosterix123]

@@SaintMoonMoon agree, all TT RPGs I know rely on dice. But most use a less blunt one than Alien.

[@snieves4]

@@kosterix123 less blunt one…. The system is meant to be brutal. Play it one time. Then judge.

[@kosterix123]

@@snieves4 no thanks, I have better games to play.

[@savagefrito]

@Kosteri x Go play DnD5easy ya scrub

[@MikeWhiskyTango]

I think Leading Edge Games had the first Alien RPG back in the 90's and it was so slow. Every bullet tracked every fragment of shrapnel tracked. By the end of a long saturday in realtime, we had moved through one level of a building in the game.

[@WorldofGameDesign]

We've definitely evolved as a hobby. I never played the original RPG, but this one is the most dynamic action I've ever seen in a game before.