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Free League and Titan Books Announce RPG Tie-Ins With New Novels!

In a new announcement issued today by Alien: The Roleplaying Game publisher Free League, and Alien novel publisher Titan Books, it has been revealed that a new storyline for the RPG will be published over the course of three new Titan Alien novels!

Free League Publishing and Titan Books today announced a collaboration to publish a unified storyline set within the ALIEN Universe. For 2022 and into 2023, the editorial and writing teams will share assets and coordinate plotlines to form a cohesive narrative across three original novels and the multiple award-winning ALIEN RPG.

“The ALIEN RPG has established the ‘Frontier War,’ as remote human colonies come under assault by an unknown enemy, dropping a deadly pathogen that unleashes monsters on those worlds,” Titan Acquisitions Editor Steve Saffel said. “At the same time, in the wake of the Titan novel Alien: Into Charybdis, political tensions on Earth reach a boiling point.”

These dramatic events play out in the recently released ALIEN RPG: Colonial Marines Operations Manual by Free League and three upcoming trade paperback novels by Titan Books, each independent but all set against a dramatic galactic backdrop:

  • Alien: Colony War by David Barnett  (April 2022)
  • Alien: Inferno’s Fall by Phillipa Ballantine and Clara Carija (July 2022)
  • Alien: Enemy of My Enemy by Mary SanGiovanni (February 2023)

The results will set the stage for further developments within the ALIEN Universe, as depicted in the roleplaying game and original fiction.

To further establish the connection between the game and the novels, the ALIEN RPG lead setting writer Andrew E.C. Gaska will develop three unique RPG scenarios which will appear as bonus features in the books, one per novel. The first such scenario, Fallout, is included in Alien: Colony War. Readers intrigued by these adventures will have the opportunity to further explore the RPG experience.

 Free League and Titan Books Announce RPG Tie-Ins With New Novels!

As Alien vs. Predator Galaxy understands it, each book will feature its own shorter scenario that will form an overarching storyline continuing on from the narrative set in motion by Alien: Into Charybdis and the Alien RPG: Colonial Marines Operations Manual.

This is also the first mention we’ve had of Alien: Enemy of My Enemy, a new novel from Mary SanGiovanni that will release in February 2023.

Alien: Colony War is currently slated for release before Alien Day 2022, on the 19th of April. It is available for pre-order on Amazon (US/UK). The next expansion for the RPG, Heart of Darkness, has also been announced for release later this year, but pre-orders are not yet available.

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  1. Corporal Hicks
    The colonist book has been announced!

    https://freeleaguepublishing.com/en/store/?product_id=8385978663235

    Quote"Space is a pitch black room—stick your hand out and you might never get it back. Of course, you also might touch god. It's a gamble either way. To not try, however, is to wither and die—only those bold and foolish enough to take a chance will change their lives."

    —Captain J.V. Gorham, Far Spinward Colonies, Pioneer, Weyland Corp.

    All the wonder and danger of the stars is yours—if you can just wipe the grime off your face and dig the dirt out from under your fingernails first. Airless moons circle swirling gas giants, eager to be transformed into tomorrow's paradise. Dark ancient mysteries wait to be unearthed beneath a millennium of debris. Searing solar flares boil your flesh and blacken your bones as you harness their power to light a hundred worlds. Long lost mysteries lie entombed in the frozen hearts of icy comets. Unstable tectonic plates shift to drown iridium mines in scalding lava. Even the truth of humanity's origins awaits you out there, orbiting some dying star. And out there amongst it all is something truly horrifying—something that nature never intended.

    Something alien.

    Building Better Worlds is a complete campaign module for the award-winning official ALIEN roleplaying game, giving you all the tools you need to run a full open-world campaign as a pioneering explorer or colonist. This book includes:

        History of Colonization – the story of humanity's reach for the stars.
        Creating Explorers & Colonists – expanded character creation rules for life on the frontier.
        Gear & Ships – an extensive chapter with new gear and spaceships, gloriously illustrated.
        Extrasolar Species Catalog – new Xenomorphic creatures to encounter.
        The Lost Worlds – the framework and backstory for a frontier campaign.
        Expeditions – six thrilling expeditions into uncharted space, playable in any order.
        The Endgame – the final showdown with everything at stake.
        The Appendix – create your own frontier and colonize it.
  2. Xenomrph
    Quote from: Kailem on Mar 02, 2023, 12:41:36 PMI got an email from Free League a few days ago announcing their 2023 line-up, and there was nothing for the Alien RPG listed on there.

    Granted they said there would still be more announcements this year, but given that Heart of Darkness came out in PDF form a year ago now and we've still not had any official announcements of what's next (most likely that colonist/explorer sourcebook "Building Better Worlds"), I get the feeling we might be entering a bit of a lean time when it comes to new content here.
    I can ask Andrew Gaska if you'd like, he might have an idea on release timelines.
  3. Xiggz456
    Just read through the short cinematic scenario included with "Enemy of my Enemy". Like the novel it somewhat spoils the mystery of the "Colonial Marines" cinematic scenario so I'd recommend playing/reading through that first. Overall it's a fun scenario that ties in nicely with its novel counterpart.
  4. Kailem
    I got an email from Free League a few days ago announcing their 2023 line-up, and there was nothing for the Alien RPG listed on there.

    Granted they said there would still be more announcements this year, but given that Heart of Darkness came out in PDF form a year ago now and we've still not had any official announcements of what's next (most likely that colonist/explorer sourcebook "Building Better Worlds"), I get the feeling we might be entering a bit of a lean time when it comes to new content here.
  5. BlazinBlueReview
    Another solid rpg experience that may like is The Wretched from Chris Bissette. It's a solo experience. But heavily inspired by ALIEN, almost a Fifth Act that is very effective. Played a playthrough earlier today.
  6. Elliott
    That still answers my question. I still liked pouring through the Destroyer supplemental just because of the neat references and tiny lore additions.

    Love that Spears made a return in the Colonial Marines Operations Manual.
  7. Corporal Hicks
    Apologies, thought you were talking about the Operation Manuals. So far we've had the Corebook, and a single Operations Manual that is focused on the Colonial Marines. We'll be getting another big book like that (not sure if it'll be called an Ops Manual for everyone) about colonists and etc.

    Destroyer and Darkness were additional story campaigns.
  8. Elliott
    How's the lore dump on the new book? I've only purchased the first two purely for the juicy details in the books and hope this one follows through.

    I think I read on the facebook group from the author that one of the upcoming ones focuses on colony building and management?
  9. BlazinBlueReview
    Quote from: Stitch on Dec 06, 2022, 01:03:13 AM
    Quote from: BlazinBlueReview on Dec 04, 2022, 06:46:28 PMFinally cracking open the ALIEN RPG. Have had it for so long.

    But now looking at trying my hand at a SOLO run, as have found some Solo Rules and the Mythic Variations II to emulate a GM. So should make for an interesting experiment.
    Please show me where to find these solo rules. I cannot foresee a time when I'd actually be able to play it with people.

    https://www.ppmgames.co.uk/free-alien-rpg-solo-rules/

    Here's the link. Still used the Core Book for generating mission and setting up the campaign. There are also generators online that can help set up a cast of characters. Also generated the planet and such from the Corebook as well.
  10. BlazinBlueReview
    So far, the setup is going okay. It's interesting how things are going to go down.

    Space Truckers are delivering fertilizer to the Koh Station that's orbiting (Unnamed Earth Like Planet). The Koh Station is WeYu Property.

    Roughly the basic gist. Eventually, it may lead down to the planet where the colonists need rescuing.
  11. BlazinBlueReview
    Finally cracking open the ALIEN RPG. Have had it for so long.

    But now looking at trying my hand at a SOLO run, as have found some Solo Rules and the Mythic Variations II to emulate a GM. So should make for an interesting experiment.
  12. judge death
    Got mine today, opened it and is impressed by the size of the map, book and everything in the box is high quality. Will read it now. :D

    Picture of the expansion boxes, the books are in my bookshelf:
    https://scontent.fbma2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/306946329_10228499726344967_9207813923100441348_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=DptH3v7qyD8AX_YHcsZ&_nc_ht=scontent.fbma2-1.fna&oh=00_AT-3lTejBneyMmEBeMnBSAXWka2AjjdfNo3HoC_QnyYxCA&oe=6340BBB8
  13. Kailem
    I'll basically just be doing the same thing I did when the pdf arrived ages ago; opening it up briefly, skimming through a couple of pages to see how it looks, then putting it away and never looking at it again because I'm not a gm! :laugh:
  14. Wompdonkey
    Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 12, 2022, 07:55:58 PMNo worries, you know Free League Publishing's actually doing a Blade Runner RPG soon? So the crossover should be easier for you in practical terms then.

    Also I just got word one of my friends in the UK's got Heart Of Darkness, so that should be shipping anyday.

    I'm pretty stoked for the BR RPG. It'll make it a little easier to incorporate the Replicants and Blade Runner's themselves.
  15. BlueMarsalis79
    No worries, you know Free League Publishing's actually doing a Blade Runner RPG soon? So the crossover should be easier for you in practical terms then.

    Also I just got word one of my friends in the UK's got Heart Of Darkness, so that should be shipping anyday.
  16. Cosmic Incubation
    Quote from: Wompdonkey on Sep 12, 2022, 07:43:47 PMI'm working on a campaign right now that involves a colony that has an Alien hive brewing in the reactor. Pretty standard set-up for the franchise.

     The hook of the story however is that there is an undercover Blade Runner on the colony looking for a rogue Synthetic. One of the players will be given the Blade Runner secret backstory while another will be given the rogue Synthetic backstory. The other players are different staff members in the colony. There are also the character archetypes from the core game like Corporate or Mechanic. I think the Blade Runner angle spices up the campaign a little bit.

    I've always wanted  Blade Runner to officially cross over with Alien, and if I can't get that then the RPG is perfect for doing this sort of stuff.

    Thanks to BlueMarsalis79 for encouraging me to share this idea on this thread.

    Cool idea!
    I'm always a sucker for crossovers lol

    I haven't delved into the RPG too much, aside from reading some of the lore in the core book, but I love hearing about the creative campaigns people come up with, along with their experiences playing!

    Hope to maybe find time and a group to play with someday.
  17. Wompdonkey
    I'm working on a campaign right now that involves a colony that has an Alien hive brewing in the reactor. Pretty standard set-up for the franchise.

     The hook of the story however is that there is an undercover Blade Runner on the colony looking for a rogue Synthetic. One of the players will be given the Blade Runner secret backstory while another will be given the rogue Synthetic backstory. The other players are different staff members in the colony. There are also the character archetypes from the core game like Corporate or Mechanic. I think the Blade Runner angle spices up the campaign a little bit.

    I've always wanted  Blade Runner to officially cross over with Alien, and if I can't get that then the RPG is perfect for doing this sort of stuff.

    Thanks to BlueMarsalis79 for encouraging me to share this idea on this thread.
  18. Xenomrph
    Quote from: [cancerblack] on Aug 12, 2022, 09:28:40 PMYeah but that's not actually the worst part, it's the implication of how stupid everyone else is for not putting the connections together. What with their giant glowing Engineer runes and all and the fact that these ancient ruins are (unfortunately) supposed to be really common.
    If I remember right, some of that is roundabout "studio mandate" kind of stuff, based on what Gaska told me at one point. I might be misremembering, but it was something like that the only way he was even able to include semi-sentient races like the Arcturians/Arctura or whatever was by connecting them to the Engineers for some reason. I can ask him for clarification whenever he's not busy.

    Edit-- I asked him, we'll see what happens.

    Edit-- got a response:
    Short version is there was a studio mandate that the only sentient extraterrestrials are humans and Engineers, and he was told that if he wanted to put them in the book and make them sentient that they'd have to be near-human. Since Engineers made humans, it would stand to reason that they made anything genetically close to humans as well.

    Apparently the upcoming Colony expansion will reference the Arcturians and expand on them as well.
  19. judge death
    Any news on when they will start sending out heart of darkness expansion book? I remember the planned date was early summer but havent seen anything or heard about my preorder, or have anyone here yet received your copy?
  20. BlueMarsalis79
    It's perfect for the most part.

    I'd prefer it as space Bangkok for sure, but them being half way between us and Engineers' certainly better than them being a completely other civilization, that we bone apparently.

    The Alien Universe should be full of dead civilizations and spacefaring cryptids but nothing we can have a conventional war with please.
  21. [cancerblack]
    Yeah but that's not actually the worst part, it's the implication of how stupid everyone else is for not putting the connections together. What with their giant glowing Engineer runes and all and the fact that these ancient ruins are (unfortunately) supposed to be really common.
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