Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
If you’ve ever played Dungeons & Dragons and thought, “huh, I don’t know if this game has enough horrifying Xenomorphs and paralyzing fear of those unknown for my liking,” then Free League Publishing and 20th Century Fox are about to cover your very specific needs. They’re gearing up to launch an ALIEN tabletop RPG and have just announced the release date for the game.
Free League Publishing announced the release date for the ALIEN Tabletop game on November 12, 2019 in a press release. Coming on December 10, 2019, the ALIEN Tabletop will offer players a game set featuring a 392-page full color hardback book and a setup that allow for both single-session games and longform continuing campaigns across multiple play sessions. The single play “Cinematic Play” scenario is designed by sci-fi novelist Andrew E.C. Gaska (Death of the Planet of the Apes) while the longer “Campaign Play” style is more of an open, sandbox-style game that will allow players to deeply explore the universe, threats, and rules laid out in the game. The initial launch is part of a plan to launch a multi-book series of expansions to the base game.
True to its horror form, the ALIEN Tabletop RPG intends to push players into extreme and tough decisions. “You are not all expected to survive,” the overview on the game’s website explains, and as major ALIEN fans, we probably wouldn’t expect any different. Also on the game’s website, you can sign up for updates and news as the game nears its launch date in December - good for if you want to keep it on your radar through the holidays.
While a bit more in-depth with its longform rulebook, the ALIEN tabletop RPG joins a small list of franchised titles that have explored the horror space in board games, notably Mondo’s The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31. On the more cheerful side, we’ve also seen Rare take Sea of Thieves in a tabletop RPG direction, as well as Game of Thrones: Oathbreaker from Dire Wolf Digital.
That said, there’s a certain cold fear that runs down our spine at the mention of running into a Xenomorph in a creative RPG setting and we can’t wait to see if Free League Publishing properly captures it come December 2019.
[Featured Image by Free League Publishing]