It’s been five years since the ALIEN RPG launched from Free League, and in that time it’s found success among not just fans of the classic horror series but also fans of horror TTRPG thanks to its innovative use of atmosphere and stress to emulate the same claustrophobic terror as the source. But now Free League has decided to try something new.
Announced at last year’s Gen Con, ALIEN RPG: Evolved Edition launched on Kickstarter March 25th, and has already raised nearly 2 million dollars against a $51,241 goal. To learn a bit more about how the new edition came about and what went into it, I had a chat with Free League CEO Tomas Härenstam.
What was the impetus for revamping the ALIEN RPG for a new edition?
Tomas : Over five years have passed since the ALIEN RPG was first released and we have learned a lot since then, and gotten lots of great feedback from the community. The list of minor tweaks and small improvements that we wanted to make kept growing until the point where we felt the time was right for a revised edition – not a complete overhaul, but rather an evolved improvement on the original. We also wanted to add a more sturdy stealth mode, support for using miniatures, and a solo mode.
One of the big changes for Evolved is making the game streamlined. What does that mean for the new edition compared to the old one? How do you identify the parts that can be optimized?
Tomas: It’s still the same game at its core, but the rules for things like stress and panic, as well as armor, have been revised to avoid too implausible results and create a smoother gameplay. Also, we have overhauled the graphic design to make the core book easier to read and use at the gaming table.
Is there a single change you think is going to be the most impactful?
Tomas: It depends on the group I guess, but I really think the improved and expanded stealth mode will be a lot of fun to play!
What was it like getting to incorporate Romulus into the game?
Tomas: It was great! We had access to Col Price’s amazing concept art of the Jackson’s Star colony, and could discuss with him directly and use his art – and the film itself of course – to create a map of the colony, by Stefan Isberg, and the text description of it, by Paul Elliott. Also, John R. Mullaney did a fantastic job researching and recreating the new pulse rifle and the Corbelan spaceship featured in the film.
How did you got about identifying what you want the solo mode to do and how did Shawn Tomkin and Matt Click go about designing it?
Tomas: They did a great job designing the solo mode, called Last Survivor. It gives you the tools you need to create a great solo experience that feels very ALIEN. I think ALIEN lends itself very well to a solo experience, and Shawn and Matt really nailed it.
Why make Hope’s Last Day the intro adventure?
Tomas: We decided to expand Hope’s Last Day, which was the introductory adventure in the first edition core rulebook, and instead use it in the new Starter Set. The location, the Hadley’s Hope colony as seen in ALIENS, is such an iconic location from the films, and it’s just the perfect starting point for the entire game. So we enhanced the adventure with new maps, new art, expanded it to a full three acts, and more.
Tell me a bit about Rapture Protocol, the new cinematic adventure. What might players see in this story?
Tomas: Rapture Protocol is our love letter to the original Alien film, and we really want to recreate that creeping horror, being alone against a terrifying beast in the darkness. But that’s not all there is to it – in Rapture Protocol, as it should be in a great ALIEN story, the true evil might actually be human…
You can back the ALIEN RPG: Evolved Edition on Kickstarter now through April 17. In addition to the Core Rulebook, Starter Set, and Rapture Protocol Cinematic Adventure, backers can also pick up minis, a Collector’s Edition of the Core Rulebook, custom dice, and more.
Images via Free League Publishing
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