Free League Publishing Announce Alien: The Roleplaying Game

Started by Corporal Hicks, Apr 26, 2019, 05:35:38 PM

Author
Free League Publishing Announce Alien: The Roleplaying Game (Read 158,474 times)

Mr. Clemens

Quote from: Monster Man on Apr 27, 2019, 01:17:15 AM
Is this a D20 ruleset or something of their own concoction?

Googling 'Year Zero Engine', I found this (follow link for better formatting):

https://rpggeek.com/rpgsystem/43636/year-zero-engine

QuoteHere follows a condensed version of the Year Zero Engine rules. To play, you will need a number of six-sided dice in three different colors.


USING A SKILL

To use a skill, roll a number of Skill Dice (green) equal to your skill level, and a number of Base Dice (yellow) equal to the current value of the attribute connected to the skill. If you are using gear, you also get a number of Gear Dice (black) equal to the Gear Bonus. For your action to succeed, you must roll at least one six.

Opposed Roll: When the rules call for an opposed roll, both you and your opponent roll for a skill. You need to roll more sixes than your opponent to succeed.
PUSHING YOUR ROLL

If you are desperate to succeed, you can push your roll. That means you grab all dice that didn't show ones and sixes, and roll them again. You get a new shot at rolling sixes, but ones on Base Dice and Gear Dice have special effects when you push:
For every Base Dice one on the table after a pushed roll, you suffer one point of trauma against the attribute you used for the skill. You also gain one Mutation Point (MP).
For every Gear Dice one on the table after a pushed roll, the Gear Bonus of the item you used drops one step.
THE SKILLS OF THE GAME

There are twelve basic skills in the game, and one specialist
skill for each role. Each skill is connected to one attribute.
Endure (Strength): When the Zone takes its toll, when your legs won't carry you any more, roll for Endure.
Force (Strength): When wreckage or debris block your way and you need to push or lift something heavy, roll for Force.
Fight (Strength): Roll for this skill when you attack someone in close combat. If you succeed, you inflict Weapon Damage. For every extra six, you inflict one more point of damage.
Sneak (Agility): To move undetected, you must make an opposed roll using your Sneak score versus your enemy's Scout score.
Move (Agility): To get out of danger or to make a difficult climb or jump, roll to Move.
Shoot (Agility): Roll for this skill when you fire a weapon at someone. If you succeed, you inflict Weapon Damage. For every extra six, you inflict one more point of damage. Each shot with a ranged weapon consumes one bullet or arrow. They also, except for some artifacts, need to be reloaded (costs one maneuver) after every shot.
Scout (Wits): When trying to spot a Sneaking enemy, roll to Scout.
Comprehend (Wits): Use this skill to understand an artifact from the Old Age.
Know the Zone (Wits): Roll for this skill to identify a monster or phenomena in the Zone, and to know its traits or effects.
Sense Emotion (Empathy): Use this skill to resist attempts to Manipulate you, or to read another person's state of mind.
Manipulate (Empathy): When trying to persuade, trick or seduce someone, roll an opposed roll using your Manipulate score against your opponent's Sense Emotion. If you win, you opponent must offer you a reasonable deal.
Heal (Empathy): Roll to get a broken friend back on his feet. Success means he recovers one attribute point.
Intimidate (Strength): Roll when you use your sheer physical presence to get someone to do what you want. If you succeed, your opponent must do what you want or immediately attack you.
CONFLICT

Conflicts are played in turns. At the beginning of the first turn, everyone who takes part rolls for initiative – a simple D6 roll. Mutations and talents can affect the roll. The initiative roll sets the action sequence for all turns in the conflict.
Actions & Maneuvers: When it's your turn, you are allowed to perform one action and one maneuver, or two maneuvers. An action can be to:
Use a skill
Activate a mutation
A maneuver can be to:
Move one range step
Seek cover
Get an item from your gear
Pick up an item from the ground
Draw a weapon
Reload a gun
TRAUMA

When you use a skill and push the roll, you can suffer trauma. This temporarily reduces the attribute score you used for the skill. If your attribute score reaches zero you are broken – unable to get up on your feet or use any skill for D6 hours or until someone Heals you. At that point, you regain one attribute point and can recover normally.
Recovery: The requirements for recovery depends on type of trauma:
Damage (trauma to Strength): Some rest and a ration of grub per trauma point.
Fatigue (trauma to Agility): Some rest and a ration of grub per trauma point.
Confusion (trauma to Wits): At least four hours of sleep.
Doubt (trauma to Empathy): A moment of closeness with another mutant. It can be a talk by the campfire, a moment of shared silence, or physical contact.

---

Now this is supposed to be a variation of those rules, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what changes. Still, seems pretty simple and elegant.

Corporal Hicks



Shevvie is going to the UKGE, I'm gonna see if I can swap a bank holiday for the Friday off so I can go too. I haven't listened to the interview yet.

Mr. Clemens

Can anyone who listens detail the juicy bits here? I stop my music for no one!  :D

[cancerblack]

[cancerblack]

#18
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Apr 27, 2019, 12:09:22 PM
Quote from: Monster Man on Apr 27, 2019, 01:17:15 AM
Is this a D20 ruleset or something of their own concoction?

Googling 'Year Zero Engine', I found this (follow link for better formatting):

https://rpggeek.com/rpgsystem/43636/year-zero-engine

QuoteHere follows a condensed version of the Year Zero Engine rules. To play, you will need a number of six-sided dice in three different colors.


USING A SKILL

To use a skill, roll a number of Skill Dice (green) equal to your skill level, and a number of Base Dice (yellow) equal to the current value of the attribute connected to the skill. If you are using gear, you also get a number of Gear Dice (black) equal to the Gear Bonus. For your action to succeed, you must roll at least one six.

Opposed Roll: When the rules call for an opposed roll, both you and your opponent roll for a skill. You need to roll more sixes than your opponent to succeed.
PUSHING YOUR ROLL

If you are desperate to succeed, you can push your roll. That means you grab all dice that didn't show ones and sixes, and roll them again. You get a new shot at rolling sixes, but ones on Base Dice and Gear Dice have special effects when you push:
For every Base Dice one on the table after a pushed roll, you suffer one point of trauma against the attribute you used for the skill. You also gain one Mutation Point (MP).
For every Gear Dice one on the table after a pushed roll, the Gear Bonus of the item you used drops one step.
THE SKILLS OF THE GAME

There are twelve basic skills in the game, and one specialist
skill for each role. Each skill is connected to one attribute.
Endure (Strength): When the Zone takes its toll, when your legs won't carry you any more, roll for Endure.
Force (Strength): When wreckage or debris block your way and you need to push or lift something heavy, roll for Force.
Fight (Strength): Roll for this skill when you attack someone in close combat. If you succeed, you inflict Weapon Damage. For every extra six, you inflict one more point of damage.
Sneak (Agility): To move undetected, you must make an opposed roll using your Sneak score versus your enemy's Scout score.
Move (Agility): To get out of danger or to make a difficult climb or jump, roll to Move.
Shoot (Agility): Roll for this skill when you fire a weapon at someone. If you succeed, you inflict Weapon Damage. For every extra six, you inflict one more point of damage. Each shot with a ranged weapon consumes one bullet or arrow. They also, except for some artifacts, need to be reloaded (costs one maneuver) after every shot.
Scout (Wits): When trying to spot a Sneaking enemy, roll to Scout.
Comprehend (Wits): Use this skill to understand an artifact from the Old Age.
Know the Zone (Wits): Roll for this skill to identify a monster or phenomena in the Zone, and to know its traits or effects.
Sense Emotion (Empathy): Use this skill to resist attempts to Manipulate you, or to read another person's state of mind.
Manipulate (Empathy): When trying to persuade, trick or seduce someone, roll an opposed roll using your Manipulate score against your opponent's Sense Emotion. If you win, you opponent must offer you a reasonable deal.
Heal (Empathy): Roll to get a broken friend back on his feet. Success means he recovers one attribute point.
Intimidate (Strength): Roll when you use your sheer physical presence to get someone to do what you want. If you succeed, your opponent must do what you want or immediately attack you.
CONFLICT

Conflicts are played in turns. At the beginning of the first turn, everyone who takes part rolls for initiative – a simple D6 roll. Mutations and talents can affect the roll. The initiative roll sets the action sequence for all turns in the conflict.
Actions & Maneuvers: When it's your turn, you are allowed to perform one action and one maneuver, or two maneuvers. An action can be to:
Use a skill
Activate a mutation
A maneuver can be to:
Move one range step
Seek cover
Get an item from your gear
Pick up an item from the ground
Draw a weapon
Reload a gun
TRAUMA

When you use a skill and push the roll, you can suffer trauma. This temporarily reduces the attribute score you used for the skill. If your attribute score reaches zero you are broken – unable to get up on your feet or use any skill for D6 hours or until someone Heals you. At that point, you regain one attribute point and can recover normally.
Recovery: The requirements for recovery depends on type of trauma:
Damage (trauma to Strength): Some rest and a ration of grub per trauma point.
Fatigue (trauma to Agility): Some rest and a ration of grub per trauma point.
Confusion (trauma to Wits): At least four hours of sleep.
Doubt (trauma to Empathy): A moment of closeness with another mutant. It can be a talk by the campfire, a moment of shared silence, or physical contact.

---

Now this is supposed to be a variation of those rules, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what changes. Still, seems pretty simple and elegant.


Sounds good, my homebrew is a d6 game too. Much more interested in having good rules associated with an authoritative "official" stamp than i am about any lore or premade missions though, i can do that bit myself just fine.

Monster Man

Monster Man

#19
Very interesting, deviates from what I know in the D20 format. So lemme throw out a scenario here using these rules to see if I can grasp them --

So I want to shoot out a window on this space station I inhabit to launch my friends and I out the airlock because my character is so evil and nihilistic for absolutely no reason. In order to accomplish this I would use a maneuver to draw out my pistol, which I aim directly at window with and because I have a skill of four in my shooting I use an action to fire my pistol proccing me to roll 4D6 worth of Skill Dice. Outta the 4D6 of dice I roll only two are sixes which lands one attack with the additional point of damage from the extra die landing on a six. Now this is where it gets foggy for me; what happens to the dice that didn't land on a one or a six? Are they null and void unless I push them or do they apply to something else?

Also if surprise rounds don't exist in this system lets just say I won initiative.

Mr. Clemens

Quote from: Monster Man on Apr 28, 2019, 04:23:03 AMwhat happens to the dice that didn't land on a one or a six? Are they null and void unless I push them [...] ?

That seems to be the case. What I'm wondering is how are varying degrees of difficulty accounted for? You'd be successful if you roll at least one six to hit that window. But would you also be successful if you roll at least one six to shoot a beetle at the other end of the hangar bay?

Of course, what I quoted is just some guy's summary of the rules. I'm sure lots has been left out...

Corporal Hicks


FenGiddel

This sounds very tasty:

Cinematic scenarios for the ALIEN RPG will work in very much the same way as the films. But for Campaign mode, we need to flesh out the universe and present the ALIEN world of 2183 AD to you as a cohesive whole. The full game will have meaty chapters on governments, corporations, star systems, planets, colonies, and xenomorphs, as well as a beautiful star map of known space for you to explore.

Still Collating...

Oh my, that does sound nice.

Mr. Clemens

Mr. Clemens

#24
One wonders if they're gonna use anything that Leading Edge had already brainstormed for their AlienS rpg lore. I don't have a horse in that race, but it will be interesting to see (not that I remember much).

[EDIT: I like that, from the quote above, they appear to be defining 'xenomorph' properly as 'extraterrestrial life form' and not 'THE Giger Alien'.]

[cancerblack]

There's .pdf files of the Leading Edge one floating around if you want a refresher. Personally i don't think their fluff was any good.

FenGiddel

I am anxious to hear from SM; his timeline breaks in 2179 and picks back up in 2294. Given his documentation of officially established events and that the RPG will be presenting "the ALIEN world of 2183", it looks like the RPG will be exploring new time, er, ground.


Further info says these two guys are involved with the writing:

Paul Elliott. Writer of campaign material such as system and mission generators, locations and adversaries. Designer of the awesome RPG Hostile.

Cam Banks. Editor. Cam is a veteran of the RPG industry, having led the development of numerous RPGs such as Smallville, Leverage, and Marvel Heroic.


Has anyone played these games to give some insight into them?

Mr. Clemens

Quote from: [cancerblack] on Apr 29, 2019, 10:05:18 PM
There's .pdf files of the Leading Edge one floating around if you want a refresher. Personally i don't think their fluff was any good.

Hmm, I might go lookin'... even if just for a walk down memory lane. I eBayed all my Leading Edge stuff back in '05 (probably to one of you lot :D ).

Corporal Hicks

Corporal Hicks

#28
Quote from: Mr. Clemens on Apr 29, 2019, 10:10:59 PM
Quote from: [cancerblack] on Apr 29, 2019, 10:05:18 PM
There's .pdf files of the Leading Edge one floating around if you want a refresher. Personally i don't think their fluff was any good.

Hmm, I might go lookin'... even if just for a walk down memory lane. I eBayed all my Leading Edge stuff back in '05 (probably to one of you lot :D ).

It's in our Downloads section: http://www.avpgalaxy.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/Aliens-RPG-Core-Rulebook.pdf


From the mailing list, for those that haven't signed up -

QuoteWelcome!

This is the first official newsletter for the upcoming ALIEN tabletop RPG by Free League Publishing and Twentieth Century Fox. In these updates we will be giving you insights into the development process and various aspects of the game itself. If you have questions for us, don't hesitate to visit our forums on the Free League website or follow us on Facebook.

This first issue will focus on something we already have received many questions about – the ALIEN universe itself, and how we will turn it into a game setting. But before we jump into that hot topic, we'll present the team behind the ALIEN RPG, just to let you know a little about us.

Please note that the information published in these newsletters is subject to change during the development process.

THE TEAM

Tomas Härenstam. Game director and lead rules designer. Co-founder and CEO of Free League Publishing.

Andrew E. C. Gaska. Setting writer and lead writer of introductory scenario Chariot of the Gods. Freelance franchise consultant on ALIEN for 20th Century Fox. More on Drew below!

Martin Grip. Lead artist. Co-owner and in-house artist at Free League Publishing. Known for the breathtaking art in the Coriolis and Symbaroum RPGs.

John R. Mullaney. Starship and vehicle artist. Known for his previous ALIEN work, as in the book Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report.

Christian Granath. Graphic designer and layout artist. Co-founder and lead art director of Free League Publishing.

Nils Karlén. Social media wizard and master of random tables. Co-founder of Free League Publishing.

Paul Elliott. Writer of campaign material such as system and mission generators, locations and adversaries. Designer of the awesome RPG Hostile.

Cam Banks. Editor. Cam is a veteran of the RPG industry, having led the development of numerous RPGs such as Smallville, Leverage, and Marvel Heroic.

Joe LeFavi. Brand manager. Through his company Genuine Entertainment, Joe brokered the deal for the ALIEN RPG on behalf of Free League Publishing, and he remains a key person in our partnership with 20th Century Fox.

Brandon Bowling. Proofreader.

Jenny Bremberg. Customer support.

Anna Westerling. Event manager.

ROLEPLAYING IN THE ALIEN UNIVERSE

Most ALIEN films tell a horryfing and thrilling story with a tight focus. They generally don't reveal that much detail about the greater universe, instead leaving the viewer with largely unexplained names of locations and organizations to spark the imagination.

Cinematic scenarios for the ALIEN RPG will work in very much the same way as the films. But for Campaign mode, we need to flesh out the universe and present the ALIEN world of 2183 AD to you as a cohesive whole. The full game will have meaty chapters on governments, corporations, star systems, planets, colonies, and xenomorphs, as well as a beautiful star map of known space for you to explore.

The lead writer of the setting chapters is Andrew E. C. Gaska – author, senior development editor at Lion Forge Comics, and franchise consultant on ALIEN, Predator and Planet of the Apes for 20th Century Fox. With total attention to the minute details of the ALIEN lore from decades of movies, games, books, and comics, Drew's work is to preserve the essence of the expanded material and bring it in line with hardcore canon, filling in gaps where needed. In addition to his setting design, Drew is the lead writer of the introductory scenario Chariot of the Gods.

To compliment Drew's work, RPG designer Paul Elliott (Hostile, Zenobia) is writing systems and missions generators for the Gamemaster to use, as well as modular locations and adversaries, to make the ALIEN RPG in Campaign Mode a truly sandbox, open-world game.

The end result is a rich game universe in the deadly cold of outer space for you to explore. More details on the ALIEN RPG universe of 2183 AD will follow in later newsletters.

Stay tuned – and tell all of your friends to also sign up to this newsletter at ALIEN-RPG.COM!

farsightblogger

I've been following Fria Ligan for a while, I interviewed some of their creators a while ago. Last year, I ran a campaign using their Coriolis game, which uses the same game engine as the ALIEN game. It was one of the best campaigns I've played in in my 35 years of gaming, and that was down to the quality of the product.

Their design, presentation and basic passion for the hobby makes me incredibly excited for this. It's an amazing coming together of my favourite movie, game publishers and one of my favourite gaming systems.

This is going to be amazing. I'm sure of it.

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