The second seasonal offering from Fria Ligan, Alien RPG: Destroyer of Worlds is a full blown boxed set adventure set in the Alien universe. With this offering we get to see what the Alien RPG team has in store for us with a complete, multi-session adventure of colonial marine action. Here’s what’s in store for you.
What’s Included
Within its slim box is a trove of materials for running a multi-session adventure. You get:
- 42 page adventure booklet, detailing the situation on the frozen moon of Ariarcus in the Kruger 60 system.
- Deck of reference cards, including NPC’s, weapons, vehicles, and player character agendas.
- Seven double-sided pre-made character sheets, featuring five colonial marines, an android medic, and a marine officer.
- Four fold out poster maps detailing the Ariarcus colony and its various environs. You get a multi-level colonial marine outpost built into an abandoned reactor, a hospital, a nightclub and bar, a colonial marshal’s station, and a space elevator cargo conveyor.
All of the materials are tailor made for the adventure, but the maps, characters, and cards are versatile enough that they can be reused for other ALIEN RPG campaigns and adventures. There’s a lot of replay value to what’s in this box.
A Cold Day In Hell
Destroyer of Worlds finds players taking up the role of a newly formed squad of colonial marines being sent on a search and destroy mission on the frozen moon of Ariarcus.
Ariarcus is a United Americas colony in a system that borders UPP space (The Union of Progressive Peoples). Both sides are locked in an escalating cold war that’s on the brink of getting hot. The moon is rich in natural oil and is fiercely protected by the colonial marine corps and their Weyland Yutani masters, fearing that the UPP may one day annex the system and take over. The colony is filled with disenfranchised colonists, oil workers turned UPP insurgents, and marines with itchy trigger fingers. The entire conflict is straight out of cold war escalation of the 1980’s, with the players on the side of America with the looming threat of space Communists on the horizon.
The players are ordered to track down a group of special forces marines that have gone AWOL somewhere in the colony, and are in the possession of secret military research. Unbeknownst to the players, that military research is actually xenomorphs: each one of the AWOL marines is infected with either a chestburster or the black goo (like in Prometheus).
By the time the players track down the missing marines and go toe-to-toe with the UPP insurgents in the colony, things go sideways in some very unexpected ways. The rest of the adventure is all about surviving war against the UPP, then about survival against an infestation of xenomorphs (and their queen!).
If the Starter Set adventure Chariot of the Gods was all about capturing the slow dread of Alien and Alien Covenant, Destroyer of Worlds is all about capturing the white-knuckle action and thrills of Aliens. Player characters are tougher, armed with pulse rifles and smart guns, and can go toe-to-toe with more than one alien at a time. As it progresses, this adventure becomes a total roller coaster.
Another Glorious Day In The Corps
Destroyer of Worlds feels like a big accomplishment. Not only does this product provide an adventure that’s a blast to play through, the production value of the game aids and maps is some of the best in the industry. The art is more detailed than previous offerings, and there’s more of it.
The fold out maps and NPC/Item reference cards are high quality and very helpful for in-person play. They’re also chock full of small references and details to the rest of the ALIEN franchise that fans of the series will spot and enjoy.
This particular cinematic scenario is a deep dive into the background conflict that’s at the heart of Fria Ligan’s ALIEN rpg, the cold war between the Soviet Union-esque Union of Progressive Peoples and the United Americas in space. It’s a tale of people being left out in the cold (literally) by mega-corporations like Weyland-Yutani, deciding to side with UPP insurgents…all while their own government and military is experimenting on horrific alien organisms without their knowledge.
It’s a really well thought out and detailed scenario that offers a lot of ideas and conflicts to chew on while you and your squad of marines do their best to survive until the very end. It’s a welcome addition to the more straight-forward nightmare in space that is Chariot of the Gods and Hope’s Last Day.
Conclusion
ALIEN RPG: Destroyer of Worlds is a magnificent vertical slice of the ALIEN universe to play in, filled with secrets, betrayals, ongoing mysteries, and every kind of xenomorph threat we’ve seen so far in both the films and comics. It’s a real treat for ALIEN fans looking for some action, and it makes for a roller coaster ride of a game for roleplayers both new and old.
If you already own the ALIEN RPG core rulebook or starter set, this boxed cinematic scenario is easy to recommend. Its maps, plot elements, and accessories are great for re-use and replay.
