Free League Publishing and Titan Books have teamed up for a series of ALIEN franchise novels with ALIEN RPG scenario tie-ins.
I've seen/heard some commentary that the books are "not good" for various reasons.
I can see where a lot of people may have specific expectations that these books or scenarios don't meet.
I don't personally agree and that is only my opinion and the others are entitled to their opinions.
There's also a lot of different opinion on what "the best alien stuff" is across all of the various movies and media are - so there's bound to always be "someone* not happy with some particular view.
For example, even the crew who made ALIENS were not at all happy someone was making a sequel ... took them a long time to come around after giving the producer and director a heck of a time just trying to get things made.
I also think that negative opinions may be from the more passively-entertained reader rather than a more active imagination type like a GM or their tabletop group.
The first tie-in book is ALIEN: COLONY WAR which continues an arc of stories set up in several previous books - while being a stand-alone story there's a lot of backstory in previous books which some reviewers may have missed.
ALIEN: COLONY WAR includes the ALIEN RPG scenario "FALLOUT".
The Fallout scenario is a cinematic scenario (which is ALIEN RPG speak for "comes with pregenerated characters with agendeds) with scientists on a raid - a trader/pilot, a biologist, a chemical engineer, and an academic android on a sneaky mission to rescue some folks, grab some samples, record some evidence, and skedaddle ... but that does not mean it's an eggheads-only scenario.
The FALLOUT scenario is set to follow the events of the book, which makes the entire book an introduction story to the game, where you take the story in your own direction.
The second tie-in book is ALIEN: INFERNO'S FALL (which contines story elements from previous books as well) comes with the included ALIEN RPG "EVAC" scenario.
The EVAC scenario is Marines based with a combat surgeon/CO, a rifleman, combat synthetic, and a dropship pilot on an evacuation mission for a colony under siege.
The story involves a mining colony digging "Eitr" which is a valuable mineral used in hyperdrive shunts but also a bit much to mine: explosive, poisonous to be exposed to, with a bit of a mutagenic effect on wildlife exposed to the mine tailings.
Controverisally, I'll say there's been nothing "must have" in either story or RPG scenario (or anything else made since ALIEN (1979)).
But with that said, there's lots of "nice to have".
I am really liking the novel + scenario tie in, least of all because these are effectively "new canon" ALIEN universe stories that also expand the RPG.
The scenarios are both decent, IMO, and far more detailed / extensive than some early RPG tie-in things I've seen the past.
Basically, they are one-act scenarios, tied around a core colony or outpost.
You get pre-gen characters and some new vehicles or equipment to go with them.
You get a pretty flexible situation to run the PCs through with a mix of challenges - including bits of skullduggery.
And, of course, you get alien "xenomorph" variants to play with.
The books AND scenarios have lots you can make your own stories out of - as well as plenty of background details about the Weyland Isles sector of the RPG map to drop in and use as you like in your own campaigns.
The RPG setting is feeding back into the ALIEN franchise canon as well which is rather unique as far as I know and the ALIEN franchise canon is directly weaving into the RPG as *both* move forward.
Well worth the price of the ride in my view - bought both - and enjoy both as Alien stuff in that universe and for use in the RPG.
To me, this is really starting to feel like the way a tie-in RPG should work.
This post is an expansion and update of an earlier post I made here on the Free League ALIEN RPG forums:
https://forum.frialigan.se/viewtopic.php?p=74134#p74008
I've seen/heard some commentary that the books are "not good" for various reasons.
I can see where a lot of people may have specific expectations that these books or scenarios don't meet.
I don't personally agree and that is only my opinion and the others are entitled to their opinions.
There's also a lot of different opinion on what "the best alien stuff" is across all of the various movies and media are - so there's bound to always be "someone* not happy with some particular view.
For example, even the crew who made ALIENS were not at all happy someone was making a sequel ... took them a long time to come around after giving the producer and director a heck of a time just trying to get things made.
I also think that negative opinions may be from the more passively-entertained reader rather than a more active imagination type like a GM or their tabletop group.
The first tie-in book is ALIEN: COLONY WAR which continues an arc of stories set up in several previous books - while being a stand-alone story there's a lot of backstory in previous books which some reviewers may have missed.
ALIEN: COLONY WAR includes the ALIEN RPG scenario "FALLOUT".
The Fallout scenario is a cinematic scenario (which is ALIEN RPG speak for "comes with pregenerated characters with agendeds) with scientists on a raid - a trader/pilot, a biologist, a chemical engineer, and an academic android on a sneaky mission to rescue some folks, grab some samples, record some evidence, and skedaddle ... but that does not mean it's an eggheads-only scenario.
The FALLOUT scenario is set to follow the events of the book, which makes the entire book an introduction story to the game, where you take the story in your own direction.
The second tie-in book is ALIEN: INFERNO'S FALL (which contines story elements from previous books as well) comes with the included ALIEN RPG "EVAC" scenario.
The EVAC scenario is Marines based with a combat surgeon/CO, a rifleman, combat synthetic, and a dropship pilot on an evacuation mission for a colony under siege.
The story involves a mining colony digging "Eitr" which is a valuable mineral used in hyperdrive shunts but also a bit much to mine: explosive, poisonous to be exposed to, with a bit of a mutagenic effect on wildlife exposed to the mine tailings.
Controverisally, I'll say there's been nothing "must have" in either story or RPG scenario (or anything else made since ALIEN (1979)).
But with that said, there's lots of "nice to have".
I am really liking the novel + scenario tie in, least of all because these are effectively "new canon" ALIEN universe stories that also expand the RPG.
The scenarios are both decent, IMO, and far more detailed / extensive than some early RPG tie-in things I've seen the past.
Basically, they are one-act scenarios, tied around a core colony or outpost.
You get pre-gen characters and some new vehicles or equipment to go with them.
You get a pretty flexible situation to run the PCs through with a mix of challenges - including bits of skullduggery.
And, of course, you get alien "xenomorph" variants to play with.
The books AND scenarios have lots you can make your own stories out of - as well as plenty of background details about the Weyland Isles sector of the RPG map to drop in and use as you like in your own campaigns.
The RPG setting is feeding back into the ALIEN franchise canon as well which is rather unique as far as I know and the ALIEN franchise canon is directly weaving into the RPG as *both* move forward.
Well worth the price of the ride in my view - bought both - and enjoy both as Alien stuff in that universe and for use in the RPG.
To me, this is really starting to feel like the way a tie-in RPG should work.
This post is an expansion and update of an earlier post I made here on the Free League ALIEN RPG forums:
https://forum.frialigan.se/viewtopic.php?p=74134#p74008
