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14:25, 25th April 2024 (GMT+0)

Interest Check: Aliens 4.

Posted by Solar_Dawn
Solar_Dawn
member, 32 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 13:28
  • msg #1

Interest Check: Aliens 4

I'm just curious what kind of interest there would be in such a game, or if there would be any whatsoever.


TS-729 is a barren volcanic planet discovered 167 years ago by one of Wayland-Yutani's scout ships. It's lack of valuable minerals, a revolution around it's sun that takes 1.208 days by earth standards. And the planet's own rotation of 34 days by earth standards, all made them classify it as unsuitable for terraforming, even though it had the required size and basic carbon requirements.

3 years ago, that changed, as Wayland-Yutani suddenly decided to set up a highly sophisticated and advanced research lab upon the planet, along with the terraforming generators that would create a habitable atmosphere upon the planet. This briefly drew a great deal of attention, there were rumors that the company was experimenting with a new type of nuclear reactor and they wanted a planet far away from any other system, where nobody would come and snoop around. And which nobody would miss if something went wrong. These rumors were fueled by the fact that reports showed the company had ordered a nuclear reactor 3 times more powerful than anything such a relatively small facility should need. But after about a month, the public lost interest. Who cared in the end, if the company wanted to blow up it's own planet by meddling with new fusion reactors.

The truth, is far more sinister. For years the company has been searching for any remnants of the xenomorph species. Planets were scoured, entire sectors searched. But no sign was found. The last of the creatures seemed to have died with Ellen Ripley, when she sacrificed herself on the prison colony of Fiorina 161. But after 39 years of searching, they found an invaluable treasure. A ship, similar in design to the one found by the Nostromo on the moon of LV-426.

The ship was found drifting between the stars, derelict for thousands of years. The ship was considerably smaller than the one reported to have been found by the crew of the Nostromo. But in it's hold, were 7 xenomorph eggs. Treated like priceless treasures these eggs were kept in stasis and with tremendous effort and cost, the Icarus facility was build upon TS-729. Though officially a research facility it has a a strong marine presence. For the Xenomorph has always been considered a weapon.

The facility consists of 11 buildings of varying sizes and functions and a single nuclear power plant. Which provides power not only to the buildings surrounding it, but to the defense grid that keeps the facility safe. 41 electron guidance towers have been placed around the facility, and these towers generate an electrical grid around the facility that will destroy any living being that passes through it, even a Xenomorph. The towers themselves are coated in a special plastic newly developed, resistant to the acidic blood of the xenomorphs. These towers were so expensive they nearly bankrupted the company by themselves. Yet they are needed. For only a mile from the facility itself, hidden within a great mountain. Is the hive itself.

The hive now consists of 103 Xenomorphs, and a single queen. By utilizing micro drones, the military is studying the xenomorphs and their behavioral patterns. Though occasionally drones are lost, the creatures seem content to leave them alone for the most part, perhaps considering them little more than insects. The hive is kept fed by a steady supply of animals which are delivered to the planet every 3 months by a large cargo ship, as the military studies how the xenomorphs hunt, how they behave., and eventually, how to control them.

One of the first things learned is that the xenomorphs seem to take on characteristics of whatever host is used by the parasite known as a 'facehugger'. A xenomorph born from a cow is more likely to use all fours legs, while a xenomorph born from a kangaroo is more likely to stand on both legs and make fantastic jumps. Though nobody seems willing to answer the question of the queen as well as the 4 surviving members of the 7 original xenomorphs, each of which seems to be gifted with unusual intelligence, and a far more cunning mind than any of the others spawned on the planet, as well more capable digits.

But this is not the only research being done upon the planet. While the military tries to study and control the Xenomorphs, doctor Murphy, bound to a wheelchair her entire life, has started a project far more terrible yet. For the xenomorphs suffer from neither disease nor infirmity. She dreams of a human species, genetically perfected with Xenomorph genes. A world where no human would need to suffer as she has suffered all her life, where no one needs to grow old and die simply because they have lived too long. Yet every attempt proved a failure. Most of her children died long before they were capable of taking their first breaths, and those that lived long enough to breathe were nothing more than monstrosities. Time again and again she made nothing but living horrors that haunt her dreams and give nightmares to all those scientists who worked with her.

But after 15 months of fruitless, monstrous experiments. She succeeded, and even the company, which has never been accused of being bound by morals or ethics, found itself wavering. Her experiments were shut down, her team reduced to a mere 20 scientists. And whatever it is that she created, is kept within a single facility, never shown to those who live near it, hidden in a veil of secrecy. And Doctor Murphy's spends all her time studying that which she has created.

But things are bound to change, fear has gripped the inhabitants of the Icarus facility. It's only 2 days to another 17 day night. Something that never concerned them before. But only a day before, three men were killed, when a Xenomorph tried was found sneaking into the vehicle facility. Yet no one has been able to explain how it got there. How it managed to circumvent the facility's defenses, which are considerable and have never failed. Inspections have gone out to inspect the towers and found them fully functioning. And as night grows closer and rumors spread, the fear grows..

This message was last edited by the user at 11:30, Sun 01 May 2016.
engine
member, 44 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 13:48
  • msg #2

Interest Check: Aliens 4

Interesting premise for a story. Given what I know of ALIEN stories, I can well imagine where it would go if it were just written out. As it's a game, proposal, what exactly would be the goal of the characters? Survival after everything goes to pot? Wiping out the hive? Most ALIEN stories involve a dwindling number of characters, so how would character death and replacement be handled?
Solar_Dawn
member, 33 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 14:22
  • msg #3

Interest Check: Aliens 4

Survival would be the goal, of course wiping out the hive would be an excellent way to do that but exceptionally difficult.

In order to keep things tense and scary but not slaughter player characters by the dozen I'm thinking of a health system. You start out at healthy, if an encounter with an alien goes badly you end up on wounded. Then the next time things go bad you end up on badly wounded which means a broken leg, missing arm, something horrible, and finally death.

That's just my work in progress though
engine
member, 47 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 15:00
  • msg #4

Interest Check: Aliens 4

In reply to Solar_Dawn (msg # 3):

Interesting. I wouldn't think there'd be much satisfaction in surviving if the hive wasn't destroyed. Conversely, wiping out the hive and dying in the process would be pretty rad, storywise. Probably easier to destroy it that way, too.

If you're trying to emulate the movies, I recommend against a death spiral approach. There's not much halfway in the movies. If you're wounded, you're generally either out of commission or about to die, except in the case of androids who have a little left in them. Counterexamples: Hudson gets burned by acid, which doesn't seem to affect him from then on. Gorman is concussed, but revives.

In the movies, the minor characters are the "hit points." Each attack removes a few and also removes some capability. In that sense, equipment and positioning are also "hits" to be removed. You're attacked and you lose a bunch of guys, their weapons, access to the safe area, a bunch of other equipment, and the vehicle that got you away. "Healing" consists of salvaging what you can and healing a couple of people (as in Hudson and Gorman). "Victory" consists of learning more about what you're really up against. Even "successful" forays against the aliens usually cost a couple of major expenses, even if the survivors are in perfect shape.

Now, that's not an approach I think I've seen in many other games, though Dungeon World and Fate come close with soft moves and consequences. I recommend a look at those, if you're not familiar with them.

(And possibly you're not trying to emulate the movies.)
This message was last edited by the user at 15:41, Thu 21 Apr 2016.
InvisibleSword
member, 55 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 15:50
  • msg #5

Interest Check: Aliens 4

Very interested, depending on the system used and the roles of PCs.
Solar_Dawn
member, 34 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 17:59
  • msg #6

Interest Check: Aliens 4

I was thinking of using free-form with perhaps a very simple system created myself. My main interest lies in the roleplaying, and truth is, I don't know a system that would fit well.

I do like the idea of using NPC's as both resources and life shields. If you loose certain critical NPC's, you might loose access to important skills and abilities. Like losing your mechanic just when you try to restart the power plant.

As for the role of PC's, basically any position and human character would be open, including doctor murphy and the general in charge of the whole facility as well. I would want to focus on roleplaying and suspense rather than actual combat.
engine
member, 49 posts
Thu 21 Apr 2016
at 18:10
  • msg #7

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

Solar_Dawn:
I was thinking of using free-form with perhaps a very simple system created myself. My main interest lies in the roleplaying, and truth is, I don't know a system that would fit well.
Are you familiar with Dungeon World or Fate? If I was using a system, they'd be what I used.

Solar_Dawn:
I do like the idea of using NPC's as both resources and life shields. If you loose certain critical NPC's, you might loose access to important skills and abilities. Like losing your mechanic just when you try to restart the power plant.
Making the stakes about keeping other things around rather than just keeping oneself alive removes the need to worry about keeping the characters alive, or replacing them when they die, while keeping the ultimate tension. Ripley was the voice of reason, but she couldn't really do very much herself that was helpful until the end, and if she dies at the end it's only to be expected. Yeah, she drove the assault vehicle out of the hive, but she wrecked it in the process. And most people can drive a car. Ripley can't shoot (until the end), can't run a bypass, can't analyze specimens, can't fire a smartgun, can't pilot a dropship, can't reach the uplink, can't check Newt's health, can't patch up the wounded. But she can plan. Point is, she depended on the Marines and Bishop for pretty much everything, but she was the brains.

So, as fun as it would be to blast aliens, I would recommend making the players more like Ripley: capable, but not the doers themselves, until all the other doers are dead. Which is what happens to the doers in ALIEN stories.
InvisibleSword
member, 56 posts
Sat 23 Apr 2016
at 01:39
  • msg #8

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

FATE makes it easy for everyone involved, but that's just my opinion. Compared to GURPS or DW, it's an opinion steeped in logical accuracy.

The rules are largely free, easy to use, combat is a hilarious flash, and there's very little clean-up. Pretty much having your cake, eating it, and going for seconds.

Ellen Ripley was God. She was that little voice in your head that kept saying "I don't know, let's approach this logically...", but no one listens to God anymore, right?

She's almost killed by Ash, almost killed by several aliens, almost killed by Burke, almost killed by an alien Queen, almost rape-killed by Fury 161 inmates, almost killed by an alien, until - she gets tired of trying to save stupid people and kills the alien-Queen in her belly by committing suicide. It was saddening to me that when she finally cried, it was because she lost Newt - never for anyone else.

She had lost her innocence. Great, great series. I'd like to repeat that here with good PCs and an engaging story. FATE, as a system, gets out of the players way and lets us RP.

So, FATE?
Solar_Dawn
member, 35 posts
Sat 23 Apr 2016
at 22:55
  • msg #9

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

The problem with the FATE system is that i've never played it. Let alone GM'd it, now if it's now too hard I might be able to learn. But let's have a look and see how much interest there is before I have to learn a whole new system.
Jacob_VVV
member, 196 posts
Via Veritas Vita
Savage World's Fan
Mon 25 Apr 2016
at 22:43
  • msg #10

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

Beyond interested. This is an awesome idea! I like Fate as well, but free form works. Worried it might make things less intense though idk. Dpekeds on how you handle things.
Solar_Dawn
member, 36 posts
Wed 27 Apr 2016
at 14:59
  • msg #11

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

I managed to get a hold of a core rulebook of the fate system but i can't say it makes sense to me yet.

How would all of you feel about 'All flesh must be eaten'? Obviously it's meant for zombies but I think it would be pretty easily adapted to xenomorphs. It's a pretty basic system too so not hard to learn.
Jacob_VVV
member, 197 posts
See all them deleted rp?
80% had no players...
Wed 27 Apr 2016
at 17:20
  • msg #12

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

I'm good with afmbe, though I don't have the rulebook.
Solar_Dawn
member, 37 posts
Wed 27 Apr 2016
at 17:34
  • msg #13

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

If anyone doesn't have the rulebook I could help them make a character, it's not a complex system, but has just enough rules to make dice matter. I also like that it has a system for fear. I think being hunted by a xenomorph would call for a good fear check.
RPGamingGirl
member, 1 post
Fri 29 Apr 2016
at 18:48
  • msg #14

Re: Interest Check: Aliens 4

Do it! I want to play (please).
Livember
member, 7 posts
Fri 29 Apr 2016
at 19:54
  • msg #15

Interest Check: Aliens 4

In reply to Solar_Dawn (msg # 1):

Got my interest, let me know if this goes ahead
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