Bengt Petter
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Re: ALIEN RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Fri 14 May 2021, 15:55

I haven’t ordered this supplement yet, and I’ve still not decided if I should. The issue for me is the campaign framework. I know there is some new stuff, but is it more than the tables in the basic rules? To me, an Alien campaign should be a lot more than that. It’s a mythos setting with a corporate dystopian twist. I think there should be some kind of corporate conspiracy (in this case with the Marines involved). I want tools for that, not just a list of sample missions for Colonial Marines (go there, do that).

I’m also thinking of the scenario locations. Are they surprising and creative or do they feel more generic? If it’s a space station or a colony, there should be something special about it. But I do prefer something that is more unique and not just something you could just find by flipping through any of the franchise novels.

I have been listening to a couple of interviews with Andrew Gaska. He obviously knows a lot of lore, but there is more to RPG worldbuilding than very detailed timelines and new vehicles. What I missed in the basic rules, is tools to build campaigns that really feels like Alien - and a campaign framework that makes it really interesting to play.

Since this is kind of a Lovecraftian setting (google ”cosmic horror” if you have doubts), I think it’s fair to compare with various Cthulhu games. They usually provide tools for working with the specific mythos. Those games wouldn’t work without those tools. It’s not just a chapter with monsters and then another chapter with a timeline. The point is rather what you could do with that stuff.
 
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ExileInParadise
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Re: ALIEN RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Sat 15 May 2021, 07:52

The Colonial Marines campaign framework is more than some generator tables.

There are 10 linked missions all driven by a lot of story arc.

Each mission is its own thing, that gradually uncover more and more "metapuzzle" clues that lead back into the underlying story arc.

Earlier in the book at more "generic" Marines mission generation just to spark some ideas, but the campaign in the back of the book is a much different thing.

I am no fan of "pre-order" ... but ALIEN is ALIEN so... I've pre-ordered all of this stuff so far, and so far I have not been disappointed in the least.

Half of the fun is playing "spot the source reference" and Colonial Marines doesn't let you down there either... the NPC homage to H.R. Giger has been my favorite so far, followed closely by the the W-Y cornbread recipe.

In all, I rather liked the structure and layout of both the mission table generation and the linked mission story campaign setup in the back.

I have no idea how much additional prep would be needed to run each mission and be able to pull off the whole story, or how hard it would be to keep the players able to do their thing, and not feel railroaded, but it *looks* like it's setup well.

Other than the usual few silly typos, I've really liked what I see so far and recommend jumping on it no problem.
We live, as we dream -- alone. ~ Joseph Conrad
 
Bengt Petter
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Re: ALIEN RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Sat 15 May 2021, 11:20

Thanks, ExileInParadise. Are there any kind of tools for creating your own ”metapuzzle”? To me, that’s crucial because it means that the franchise (setting) premise matters from a game point of view. You get support for creating campaigns that are true to what’s specific for Alien.
 
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ExileInParadise
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Re: ALIEN RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Sat 15 May 2021, 17:42

I haven't been able to read it that closely to see if there's "build your own" in there - the book has a LOT of pages =)

But, if anything, the campaign framework and metapuzzle setup provided are an *example* of how you can build your own too.

As I read deeper I will be looking at that myself.

However, as far as "systems" for campaign design go - I've been participating at an online forum called "Campaign Community" - the operator there is a guy named Johnn Four who writes a lot about role-playing tips and tricks including adventure and campaign building.

From the perspective of how his "tools" (checklists, etc) work - the metapuzzle approach fits right in.

In an *extremely* simplified view - the way Johnn does it is to boil down your adventure design into "seeds" that you build "5-room dungeons" from - which are not actualy limited to 5 literal rooms.

Instead the 5 room dungeon approach lets you quickly develop the "framework" of an adventure from any starting point, and covers how to place 5 different kinds of "encounters" between that starting point and an adventure end.

A key piece is building in clues to the additional adventure seeds somewhere in the current adventure that way when the party has solved the currentl problem - they already have other threads of story they can pull on.

The metapuzzle system seems a bit like that - its an overlaid set of clues that link together - and you pick up various clues to the puzzle within each mission which is its own start-to-end short adventure.

If you are looking for inspiration and tricks/tips on how to GM easier/better/faster - check out Johnn's roleplaying tips archive - which is also moving into the Campaign Community site.

https://www.roleplayingtips.com/archives/

Most of the tips are from a "fantasy RPG" perspective, but are readily adaptable to modern or sci-fi as well.
We live, as we dream -- alone. ~ Joseph Conrad
 
Bengt Petter
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Re: ALIEN RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual

Sat 15 May 2021, 19:40

ExileInParadise, thanks. It might be possible to create an Alien campaign from a more or less generic RPG premise. But what I’m looking for is something that’s specific for Alien. I think it’s very much a creature (pun intended) in it’s own right. As I said, I want tools for creating cosmic horror. I see Alien as a Lovecraftian mythos game (with a dystopian twist). In at least one of the Cthulhu games (ToC?) there is something called ”The Terrible Truth” or something similar. It’s usually something mythos related that will be revealed during the scenario. As a GM, you allways get that part early in each scenario. A brilliant design solution!

In the Alien universe, it should probably be something that involves both corporate representatives and some kind of xenomorph horror. ”The Big Dark Secret” could be a good headline because I think there has to be one. That is what I see as the most interesting premise for an Alien campaign. If there isn’t a dark secret, I guess it’s not really interesting. In all Alien movies, the characters encounter something terrible that’s completely unknown to them. The secret in a campaign could perhaps be designed in a slightly other way, but there should be at least something corporate or something xeno related. In this particular case, some kind of marine mission should be the way to solve the bigger problem. That’s my take on this.

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