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Hi all!

A common complaint against Alien RPG and other franchise games is that the stories one can tell within the framework of the setting are too limited. Of course, this is at best a huge misunderstanding or exaggeration, but the sentiment nonetheless does have a point – what is Alien without xenomorphs?

Since this is a potential limitation of our game, I thought it would be interesting to start a conversation on GMs experiences with Alien RPG scenarios that do not feature xenos or even xeno-adjacent plots.

What are your experiences in running such scenarios? Or if you haven’t run one, what are your general thoughts on the subject? In particular, how do players react to Alien RPG stories devoid of aliens of any kind?



As for what kinds of stories to tell, the following seem like obvious go-tos (and these are not mutually exclusive, of course):
--Military operations (CM etc. fighting terrorists and enemy supernations)
--Political thrillers (politicians/mega-corps causing problems)
--Survival in space (ship breaks down/colony reactor about to melt down etc.)
--Space exploration (in and off themselves these are not all that interesting, unless they’re paired with one of the above OR xenomorph/Engineer stuff)

What else?

How do we make non-“supernatural” Alien RPG stories as relevant as xeno-stories?

I love your question and your analysis. it's a great challenge to find an interesting story without xenomorph or the claustrophobic effects that go with it.

I guess you can set up a story about Sevastopol Station without ever seeing the xenomorph. It could be interesting to manage the business of a merchant who is having trouble getting customers and surviving. Trying to sell his products in different locations.

We can follow the adventures of a Bison-class ship with its trade routes and calculate profit margins without ever seeing a single xenomorph. It's a management game.

The same thing can be done with establishing a colony (like with the rules in Building Better Worlds book). It becomes a risk management game to establish a colony and make it prosper. Find customers.

I think the answer is science fiction. When a story has science fiction elements it's very interesting. The stories about synthetics are interesting too.

A single synthetic wanting to find parts to make his left hand work, that could be interesting and cause a lot of stress for the poor synthetic in question. Where do I go next ....

Arthur.

The ALIEN setting is far, far more than the roster of xenomorphs, Weyland-Yutani, Colonial Marines, and Seegson.

All of the stories told in the ALIEN universe (basically listed here: https://roguereviewer.wordpress.com/202 ... ien-world/) add up to fewer stories than the number of named explored systems on the maps.

Entire star systems makes for a huge "space" of additional story: fill out this universe with the rest of the scale of all human activity possible through history into the future.

The story (simply put) started with one star system: our own Sol.

The story (currently) happens now across a set on 3 maps covering dozens of parsecs of space filled with hundreds of visited, explored, exploited, or colonized star systems.

Everything that happened between the start, and "now" is "fuel" to create new adventures from that may or may not deal with xenomorph attacks.

In my own sci-fi RPG/setting - I consider 5 rough "phases" or "eras" of events in that pattern:
1. Exploration - the system is first visited, surveyed, scouted.
2. Exploitation - the scientists and roughnecks move in and start pulling value from the system from outposts ... if there's enough value, those outposts may become colonies.
3. Extermination - unfortunately, anything valuable will attack pirates and profiteers who eventually have to be dealt with: Pirates make things perilous until the Navy moves in.
4. Expansion - once there's a bit of order - the merchants move in and begin really expanding things by opening opportunities and markets
5. Enhancement - the realms of human activities continue multiplying and getting more complex.

If you consider the themes of Traveller RPG games in like this, you get something like:
1. Exploration - would be the scouts going into a new sector and survey the mainworlds
2. Exploitation - would be the Belters building mining and resource outposts and the colonies to support them
3. Extermination - the Navy arrives to cut down the pirate shenanigans
4. Expansion - the classic Free Trader merchant campaign across the Spinward main ...
5. Enhancement - the classic Travellers campaign of troubleshooters for hire freewheeling across the stars ...

So, casting back to the ALIEN RPG - can you see where any of that could drop in?

I could see two more ALIEN RPG supplements to round out what is already there and cover it all:
1. A space truckers trading supplement that really brings Elite-style trading across the existing systems beyond the already excellent jobs systems in the core book
2. A corporate movers and shakers supplement that brings more high level intercorporate management and economic warfare to the setting.

So ... what do I see could be "things to do" in the ALIEN universe beyond playing hide and seek with toothy death?

Well, basically every other sci-fi adventure module, seed, and hook from literature and media could be fit in.

To borrow a bit of Johnn Four's / Roleplaying Tips type terminology, all you need is a Map, a Monster, and a Chest
Map: pick a star system that hasn't been detailed yet.
Monster: define some factions and conflicts happening there - factions can be any grouping of people - not just W-Y vs. Seegson ... governments, NGOs, universities, religions, colonies, etc...
Chest: something to fight over, strive for, gain ... consider the angles that an enterprising party could take advantage of in that situation to make a buck or save a friend etc.

Examples of what I mean ... consider the movies from map, monster, chest:
# Prometheus
Map: SEV Prometheus, LV-223, Temple, Juggernaut
Monster: Black Goo, Hammerpede, Squid Baby, Trilobite, Fifieldthing, Deacon, David, Storm, Engineer
Chest: Engineer Head, Holograms, Ampule, Orrery, Juggernaut, DNA match

# Covenant
Map: Covenant, Sector 87, Planet 4, Crashed Juggernaut, City
Monster: Spores, Busters, Eggs, Facehuggers, 2 xenos, David, Solar Flare
Chest: signal, Prometheus answer

# Alien
Map: Nostromo, Moon, Derelict, Narcissus
Monster: Jockey, Egg, Facehugger, Burster, Big Chap, Ash, Corp
Chest: Shares, xeno info

# Aliens
Map: Narcissus, Gateway, Sulaco, APC, Dropship, Colony, Acheron, Derelict, Atmosphere Processor
Monster: Egg, Facehugger, Drones, Queen, Burke
Chest: Newt

# Alien 3
Map: Sulaco, EEV, Fury161, Prison
Monster: Facehugger, Burster, "Queen" facehugger, Runner, Big Alien, Rapists, Bishop II, Corp
Chest: Clemens

# Alien Resurrection
Map: Auriga, Betty
Monster: Betty Crew, Auriga Crew, Queen, Bursters, Drones, Newborn
Chest: DiStephano good soldier, Call / Autons

So now go grab every sci-fi book, movie, and game ever ... spend a bit of time looking at the "Maps", and then the "Monsters" or conflicts between people and groups, and the "Chests" or rewards, or revelations, found in the story... and then put it into the context of your ALIEN verse, before the border bombing, or after, as part of the cold wars between 3WE, UA, UPP, etc, the colonial wars, etc.

Grab the Leading Edge Games version of ALIENS Adventure Game if you can find it - and dive into the rest of the story there related to the star systems (chapter 3) in that version of the game that were carried over into this version - especially around Tartarus and the Harvesters there.

And of course, DTRPG is littered with with "books of plot seeds" especially for Traveller going back to the 1970s.
*all* of that is mine-able for adventure hooks set in ALIEN.

si-fi adventure see generators abound on the interwebs - file off the Star Trek, Star Wars, or what have you flavor and just focus on the map, monster/conflict, and rewards of the scenario.

Head to Earth and mix in Blade Runner ...

Even 20 parsecs really wasn't the limit...

Thanks for the comprehensive source list!

But I’m more looking to engaging in discussions with you great GMs about how you have made Alien RPG stories without aliens, work; in other words, what peoples’ experiences are and any tips and such for how to make non-xeno stories feel like Alien RPG stories.

Let’s have a discussion and share experiences, yeah?

How do y’all use themes, genres, call-backs, setting details, etc. etc. in effective ways to shape non-xeno/non-“supernatural” (or whatever one wants to call it) stories into something that feels at home in the Alien universe? And conversely, what are the pitfalls and don’ts to avoid?

Sorry for being a big, annoying Burke.

Angelman, I don't understand what you want more than what I said in my post ...

I did give some settings and clues for none-xenomorph stories.
I really don't know what you want more than that ....

I will let others fill some replies to see where this is going ...

Arthur.

Don't worry about it.

I'm just trying to discuss the art of story telling in relation to the Alien genre; and, I guess, what makes Alien Alien, apart from the aliens

But I'll let it lie.

Don't worry about it.

I'm just trying to discuss the art of story telling in relation to the Alien genre; and, I guess, what makes Alien Alien, apart from the aliens

But I'll let it lie.

A couple of scenarios that easily fits in the Alien-setting can be found for the rpg Those Dark Places. Sort of plot twist inspired by Event Horizon, Dead Space, Firefly, Outland, Life etc. Run those with the Alien rpg and players will surely think it is xenos again during mission briefing, but they will be surprised.

Here's a specific framework / recommendation - maybe this is more in line with the original wish?

Play on the setting and player *expectation* that everything is xeno-related.

But, have the villain be a straight up psychopath / serial killer type disguising their killing spree in ways to mislead any potential investigators that its one of these xenos that everyone is rumoring about thanks to Space Beast, border bombers etc.

You could even have them be a victim of Operation Dreamcatcher.

So the entire thing works out like this:
0. Someone toils late into the night:
The dream killer first has a dream thanks to the the Talos station.
They begin reading Space Beast and finding every other disconnected scrap of info about xenos.
A lucky break? chance connection? etc gets them a gold mine of info ... logs from LV223? something.

1. Something Bad Happens
The dream killer starts their spree.
Pick a location where it could sound like xenos might be that also has a reason for a lot of scattered communities.

2. Meet the Heroes and Opposition
The dream killer has infiltrated this place as a wolf in sheep's clothing - they are in some minor administrative role or position that helps them commit the crimes and cover up... say ... a colonial marshal?
The PCs have a reason to be or go there - space trucker, marines, colonists, corporates?

3. Establish Commitment of Heroes
The killer intentionally or accidentally makes it personal by killing someone close to the PCs and the PCs definitely notice the "clues" that xenos are at work.

4. Go forward towards Goal #1
The PCs hunt xenos - perhaps with the "help" or "hindrance" of the dream killer themselves - what if the marshal is the dream killer but constantly sandbags the party by claiming they must be crazy.
Start collecting clues to the pattern of killings that point to a serial killer's specific target profile, rather than xeno patterns of behavior.

5. Realize Goal #1 is flawed, reverse to goal #2
The more they interact with the marshal and the crime scenes - the more clues they pick up that its not xenos.
The evidence doesn't add up ... a critical clue implicates the marshal themselves as the pattern of the serial kills clicks into place.

6. Go forward towards Goal #2
Now they have to mousetrap the marshal to save the next victim in time.

7. Climax
Confront the marshal in the act of faking a xeno kill before he finishes the victim off.

8. Wrap-up (rewards and punishments)
A reward could be access to xeno data that had been collected.
The twist could be to find the marshal was *still being manipulated* by the Ministry of Space Science method and that the entire adventure was really just the start of tracking down who or whatever was behind manipulating the marshal.

So ... is this a more specific discussion starter?

And yes, this entire thing I just made up in 10 minutes by writing a Scooby Doo mystery in the Alien setting - wrapped in David Siegel's 9-Act story structure.

Oh, yes; I've written this exact scenario a couple of times in the past -- (victim of Dreamcatcher/Alien Queen dreams turned crazy spree killer) -- and am writing a new version as a commission as we speak. It's pretty much my go-to non-xeno Alien story at this point.

I guess an Outland ripoff might work, too; a corporate boss-type employs less than legal methods to ramp up productivity, leading to unfortunate deaths which the PCs are saddled with investigating.

For a CM scenario, the Screamers premise might work; on the frontline, the enemy faction (or perhaps secretly an allied one) is testing out new battle-synths on the unsuspecting soldiers. I feel that by leaning heavily into the Alien franchise lore, this might pass as an Alien-enough story? Lethally malfunctioning W-Y (or whatever) synths = film adjacent enough that no one would question the lack of xenos

A more Blade Runner-esque story might actually be less effective, as a hunting-rogue-human-looking-synths could be too reminiscent of BR to pass as Alien? Perhaps if one set it in a shake-and-bake colony rather than a futuristic metropolis, it might work better...

And then there are space trucker stories, which I feel are hard to make Alien-ish without xenos. Yes, one can lean into how bad the Company is, but that's every blue-collar story ever, pretty much, and not particularly Alien-esque. Still, I guess it could work if one came up with an interesting enough "mundane" conflict/issue for the PCs to tackle, with an added Alien setting lore paint job.

Perhaps pious lifers is another somewhat unique concept to milk for that "genuine" Alien feel, but without some kind of xenos/Engineer angle it might possibly end up lacking that x-factor thing that anchors it as an Alien story.

The trials and hardships of setting up a shake-and-bake colony should be fairly easy to make feel Alien, though. Here, the harsh world and uncaring company stooges adds the darkness and hopelessness of a classic Alien tale.

The issue is not coming up with ideas for scenarios sett in the Middle Heavens -- for the setting is broad enough that a lot of things could technically happen -- but rather to come up with such stories that actually feel like they belong in the company of the filmes and such... without falling back on xeno outbreaks each and every time.