Free League Publishing Announce Alien: The Roleplaying Game

[razeak]

How far was the colony from the derelict?

[Local Trouble]

Not far enough. 

[Xenomrph]

How far was the colony from the derelict?

I don't know if an exact number is given, but there's a mountain range between the colony and the derelict.

[Local Trouble]

Another theory...

I remember reading a Local Trouble post, where he says the explosion triggered a volcanic activity which destroyed the ship.

It's plausible enough.  We know that the derelict was already damaged by volcanic activity between Alien and Aliens.  It's not much of a stretch to believe that a powerful nuclear explosion could trigger another eruption that finished it off.

[Xenomrph]

That feels really unlikely IMO. Is there even any evidence of nuclear detonations triggering major seismic activity on Earth?

Like, it's not impossible, but counting it as evidence that the ship was destroyed feels mega-spurious. It's also circular reasoning - it presupposes it was destroyed. I think it'd be more relevant if we knew for a fact that it had been destroyed, and were coming up with theories as to how it happened.

[Local Trouble]

That feels really unlikely IMO. Is there even any evidence of nuclear detonations triggering major seismic activity on Earth?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42305161
https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/02/asia/north-korea-nuclear-test-mt-paektu

It's also worth noting that North Korea's nuclear tests are puny compared to the ~40 megaton ground burst at the end of Aliens.  Hell, the biggest nuke ever detonated on Earth was the Tsar Bomba at 50 megatons, but that was at an altitude of 13,000 feet in the air.

Like, it's not impossible, but counting it as evidence that the ship was destroyed feels mega-spurious. It's also circular reasoning - it presupposes it was destroyed. I think it'd be more relevant if we knew for a fact that it had been destroyed, and were coming up with theories as to how it happened.

I do presuppose that it was destroyed on account of the fact that Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection happened.

[razeak]

Not far enough. 

Applause


Yeah 40 megatons would be pretty epic lol. Descriptions of Tsar Bomba are mind blowing.

[Xenomrph]

The CNN article is fascinating, thanks.

I don't see how Alien3 has any bearing on the Derelict - the CMTM directly takes it into account, in fact.

As for AR, that's a stronger case but I don't think it's bulletproof, and easy to work around (your quarantine idea, for example). Even the WYR is ambiguous aside from saying it's not a viable source of eggs as of the book's position in the timeline.

I think the RPG being ambiguous is a very fair way to handle it.

[[cancerblack]]

The CNN article is fascinating, thanks.

I don't see how Alien3 has any bearing on the Derelict - the CMTM directly takes it into account, in fact.

As for AR, that's a stronger case but I don't think it's bulletproof, and easy to work around (your quarantine idea, for example). Even the WYR is ambiguous aside from saying it's not a viable source of eggs as of the book's position in the timeline.

Basically, one take requires ignoring some material. The other requires creating stuff from whole cloth to justify. Obviously neither are perfect, but I think most are far happier to go the reductive route.

I think the RPG being ambiguous is a very fair way to handle it.

Fair enough.

[Local Trouble]

I think the RPG being ambiguous is a very fair way to handle it.

That's why the quarantine theory is a thing.  Unless I missed something, it checks all the boxes.

[Xenomrph]

The CNN article is fascinating, thanks.

I don't see how Alien3 has any bearing on the Derelict - the CMTM directly takes it into account, in fact.

As for AR, that's a stronger case but I don't think it's bulletproof, and easy to work around (your quarantine idea, for example). Even the WYR is ambiguous aside from saying it's not a viable source of eggs as of the book's position in the timeline.

Basically, one take requires ignoring some material. The other requires creating stuff from whole cloth to justify. Obviously neither are perfect, but I think most are far happier to go the reductive route.

I think the RPG being ambiguous is a very fair way to handle it.

Fair enough.

I guess I'm the outlier, I've never been a fan of reductionism. I'd much rather find ways to include things rather than exclude them.

[[cancerblack]]

The CNN article is fascinating, thanks.

I don't see how Alien3 has any bearing on the Derelict - the CMTM directly takes it into account, in fact.

As for AR, that's a stronger case but I don't think it's bulletproof, and easy to work around (your quarantine idea, for example). Even the WYR is ambiguous aside from saying it's not a viable source of eggs as of the book's position in the timeline.

Basically, one take requires ignoring some material. The other requires creating stuff from whole cloth to justify. Obviously neither are perfect, but I think most are far happier to go the reductive route.

I think the RPG being ambiguous is a very fair way to handle it.

Fair enough.

I guess I'm the outlier, I've never been a fan of reductionism. I'd much rather find ways to include things rather than exclude them.

Clearly. For the record, I largely agree with the idea that "there is no canon" ie; there is no distinction in "truth" between various things. However, I don't think it's a stretch to say that most people prefer a more tightly curated selection from the available options (and of course then argue over which parts should be included). As far as I'm concerned it's just different takes on the material by different creatives and I'm not overly worried about making it all fit or unpicking a "coherent" truth when viewing the existing media as a whole.

But boy howdy is the default headcanon I use to inform projects and argue shit, brutally reductive.

[Xenomrph]

I can respect that, that approach just isn't for me.
It's also part of why seeing the RPG make wacky offhand references to obscure silly shit has me cackling like a crazy person. This is some of the most fun I've had with the franchise in ages.

[Local Trouble]

And yet no references to Labyrinth?  That must be disappointing.

[Xenomrph]

And yet no references to Labyrinth?  That must be disappointing.

Maybe we just haven't found them yet, it's a real dense book.