I think Vindictus has a point. It’s a very deadly game and the death rate is a challenge if you want to play longer Alien campaigns. I also agree that a campaign book would need to expand vastly on the setting. The tables in the campaign chapter isn’t really enough, I think. Simply because they don’t really reflect the depth that’s already there in the setting.
To me it’s all about what I see as the core themes: exploring the unknown, the encounter with truly Alien life, the AI challenge to mankind, and the power of corporate capitalism. To really grasp at least some of these core themes would for sure be needed in any interesting Alien campaign. Of course, it can be done in many ways. A way to expand the setting in a campaign friendly style could be to develop larger and more complex locations. It could be space stations, Lunar bases, asteroid mines, really large spaceships etc. So far, there isn’t much of that in the game - and no really good tools for creating interesting locations.
Having all this in mind, a few ideas for future campaign modules pops up in my brain:
1. Back to basic. The derelict in the original Alien movie is a truly interesting location. And we really only get a glimpse of it. There could be more to find out. And what happened there right after the initial visit? Were there any more corporate visits later, perhaps by other factions than WY? Could there perhaps be other derelicts or related objects nearby (not just those we find in the movies)? There is a quite large time span between Alien and Aliens that could be explored further. And there isn’t much that is more Alien than the original derelict.
2. AI is the real challenge. They are already there in the movies: the androids who challenge mankind in a profound way. An AI timeline is hinted (the different David models etc.). A possible interpretation could be that the androids are the real threat - and not the xenos. Still, the androids are not very central in the basic rules. I think they should be. Rethinking the entire setting from an android point of view could be really interesting. I can imagine android factories, android research, different android models, android agendas and programming (career paths seems quite irrelevant for androids). This could be a way to develop the setting in a way that’s very true to the core themes. Real world scientists like Nick Bostrom and Max Tegmark have written books about superintelligence (AI) that could very useful also for fictional development. The danger of AI is a real thing.
3. The xenos are a part of a much bigger picture. In the original Alien movie we see The Pilot and his (her?) biomechanical spaceship. It feels truly alien and horrifying, and it’s something far beyond staple sci fi. The biomechanical visions that H. R. Giger brought to the franchise are profound. Biology and technology can be combined in ways previously unknown to mankind. That logic can for sure be used to create new bizarre locations, technology, weapons, energy solutions and creatures (not just slightly different versions of the brand xenos). Think big and brave rather than lame and repetitive! I have already expanded on the Gigeresque aspect here:
viewtopic.php?t=4968 It’a not a campaign idea in it self, but it can for sure be used to create new campaign locations and bizarre things and creatures that could feel just as alien as the original movie.
4. Explore the unknown. In Prometheus we meet a crew set to explore a remote planet depicted in ancient cave paintings. There must be many other expeditions that are sent to explore newly discovered planets. I would say that’s a career path that could be used for Alien campaigns. To make it more interesting from a game point of view, I would add some new rules for expanding the star map. The factions could all have secret star maps of their own, and there might also be some extremely rare Engineer holographic maps (like in Prometheus). Mankind is insignificant in the vast space, just like in the Lovecraftian lore (a sister lore to Alien).