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Konungr
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Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Wed 14 Oct 2020, 15:53

I use a version of an exp system from other games for all my games.

-You showed up. 1 exp.
-You completed a dungeon/story chapter. 1 exp
-Completed a whole story campaign. 1-3 exp depending on its scope.
-You completed a personal character arch. Learning a lesson and growing as a character or dealing with their past catching up to them. 1 exp.
-There was an instance of particularly good rp. Especially if playing true to the character had negative consequences. (I let this be a discusion at the table and have players nominate each other). 1 exp.
-Someone had a particularly ingenious solution to a problem. See above. Its a conversation. 1 exp.
-"heroic moment" or big risk for big reward and doing cool shit in general. Wow moments. This can even be a big betrayal or the pay off for shadowy machinations if thats in the characters nature. Again, conversation. 1 exp.

I might add in extra criteria depending on the game. Like in forbidden lands reaching a new hex is 1 exp.

This system rewards advancement as a group and individual merit for playing what the game is supposed to be.

That being said, an alien rpg cannot focus on the titular xenomorphs. They don't work as ongoing villains because they loose their edge. Like lovecraft stuff the really weird horrifying things need to show up rarely and have massive impact or they suffer from villain decay. At which point... Why are you playing alien?

I plan to ise the game to run a series of one-3 shots that will jump around to different smaller stories and characters to tell a bigger narrative. We will play our regular forbidden lands. Then break it up with a little alien. Then regular FL. Then another seamingly disconnected alien. And eventually a finale alien that ties the other smaller stories together.
 
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Vader
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Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Wed 14 Oct 2020, 16:25

I agree that having the Aliens constantly be the "bad guys" of every single adventure would quickly get old — either because they get predictable and dull, and/or because you constantly kill off the character party...

But considering the narrative of the movies, the true recurring villain of the stories isn't really the Alien itself, but the Weyland-Yutani Corp., and the various machinations of its internal corporate culture. So, having a campaign with a succession of adventures that have the characters somehow butting heads with WY and/or other Megacorps, and then only every once in a while an encounter with the Alien, could work.

Also, the comparison with Lovecraft is of course highly valid: in the classic great CoC campaigns like Masks of Nyarlathotep and Horror on the Orient Express, you have chapters where the powerful Mythos creatures aren't present, but you deal mainly with cultists or lesser entities; the encounters with the really significant monsters are reserved only for the climactic moments.
Likewise, in ALIEN, you could use a similar structure, just rambling off the top of my head ... say your players are following a trail of an "off-the-books" Company operation that is smuggling a shipment of ovomorphs, but they're constantly a step or two behind. The have a few encounters with Company minions ... then perhaps a single Facehugger ... then some pirates working as "consultants" for the Company ... then a small group of accidentally (and unaware) impregnated civilians ... then some corporate mercenaries ... and so on. After several smaller adventures like that, with a successively increased stress level, they could finally catch up with the egg transport ... where things of course have gone severely sideways. Or something like that.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
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Rhonin84
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Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Wed 14 Oct 2020, 17:01

I put together a rough Alien civilian campaign book. It's rough, but it has lots of pictures, details, lore, etc. If you are interested let me know!
I know I would be interested!
Roy Batty: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
 
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TSQUAUGHPFT
Posts: 10
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Location: US

Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 01:04

I put together a rough Alien civilian campaign book. It's rough, but it has lots of pictures, details, lore, etc. If you are interested let me know!
I know I would be interested!
Here you go! It's very very rough and I haven't been able to find a group to play. I tried to make it unique by adding some of my own stuff instead of just adding cyberpunk stuff. Please let me know what you think! I want to revise it because it needs it
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18gwXa_ ... p=drivesdk
 
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Vader
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Location: The Frozen North

Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 08:51

Here you go! It's very very rough and I haven't been able to find a group to play. I tried to make it unique by adding some of my own stuff instead of just adding cyberpunk stuff. Please let me know what you think! I want to revise it because it needs it
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18gwXa_ ... p=drivesdk

Brilliant piece of work — very well done indeed! A lot of stuff here that FL to my mind wouldn't have been amiss to incorporate already into the base game.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
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Rhonin84
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Joined: Tue 21 Apr 2020, 19:20

Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 15:47

Very well done! Thanks and I loved how you pulled from A LOT of sources, nicely done!!
Roy Batty: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
 
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TSQUAUGHPFT
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Location: US

Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 16:56

Wow thank you all! I really appreciate that! I'm planning on revising soon! Any ideas please message me.
 
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TSQUAUGHPFT
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Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 18:57

I'm not comfortable enough with the framework to truly check how well it will hold up to expanded play. Is there in reality enough character profundity and improvement heated in or was the game truly just intended for one-shots

Moderator Action: Removed suspicious link.
I think it'll hold up. The trick is to allow for the universe to be expanded beyond xenomorphs vs marines, and not just be Traveller or Cyberpunk 2020 with spaceships. There is a considerable lack of universe lore which presents a problem, but it's minor if creative enough minds tackle it! I know I'd love that job!
 
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Vader
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Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 22:06

I'm not comfortable enough with the framework to truly check how well it will hold up to expanded play. Is there in reality enough character profundity and improvement heated in or was the game truly just intended for one-shots

Moderator Action: Removed suspicious link.
I think it'll hold up. The trick is to allow for the universe to be expanded beyond xenomorphs vs marines, and not just be Traveller or Cyberpunk 2020 with spaceships. There is a considerable lack of universe lore which presents a problem, but it's minor if creative enough minds tackle it! I know I'd love that job!

That may actually be the core of the problem.

Let us remember that Fria Ligan do not own the property — this is published on license. Thereby, they also do not own any right to freely create the universe surrounding the lore that constitutes the core of the property.
Any material, and all new lore, written must be approved by the license holders, which ... may not be a smooth process.
Before you use the word "XENOMORPH" again, you should read this article through:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/aliens-throwaway-line-confusion
 
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TSQUAUGHPFT
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Location: US

Re: Any tips for Campaign Play?

Thu 15 Oct 2020, 22:45

Right! It's hard enough, I'd imagine to get the owners to agree on what's canon and whats not-let alone the fans! I've seen the message boards and Facebook groups lol

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