Character Creation Challenge 21: A L I E N

31 Day Character Creation Challenge

21: ALIEN

(website)

A game I read in 2020 and which is set in the 2100s.

A L I E N is a new, fairly light system for the setting, unlike the heavily tactical ALIENS RPG released in 1991 by Leading Edge Games. I talked about it here.

The game presents the setting after the first three films (and the prequels) in a time of uncertainty when human contact with the Xenomorph is still largely unknown. The background material draws from the expanded universe and its divergent timelines, notably other versions of ALIEN³ and the Dark Horse ALIENS comics which were initially set after the second film with alien contact becoming widely known and a threat to humanity as a whole. So you have options if you want the threat to be known or unknown as play begins. It also includes some other things out there in the dark (including the Harvesters from the Leading Edge game!) and its first big adventure introduces another.

It also has two play styles, Campaign and Cinematic, determined by how long you expect the game to run and how long you expect the characters to survive.

Cinematic adventures default to pregens complete with conflicting agendas and secrets, so I’ll make a Campaign character, for the Frontier Colonists framework. I’ll make a human rather than an android, which have different rules, notably not being affected by the Stress mechanic. Picking from the short list of playbook-style Careers...

Franks

Roughneck

Career

(one of nine archetypes in the rulebook)

Roughneck, manual or technical worker

Attributes

(14 points, on a range of 2-4 except the career key Attribute, here Strength, which can go to 5)

Strength 3

Agility 4

Wits 4

Empathy 3

Skills

(10 points, up to 3 in career skills, asterisked, and up to 1 in others - the Roughneck has all three Strength skills, but not every Career follows suit)

Heavy Machinery* 3

Stamina* 1

Close Combat*

Mobility 1

Ranged Combat 1

Piloting

Observation 1

Comtech 1

Survival

Command 1

Manipulation

Medical Aid 1

Career talent

(one of three options)

True Grit: You can push any skill roll based on Strength twice, not just once like other characters. Each push increases your Stress Level by one.

Health

(As Strength unless affected by a Talent)

3

Name

(Careers have first and last name examples, but first names are rarely mentioned in the films. Franks has a -ks ending like Hicks and would be easy to shout.)

Franks

Appearance

(Careers have playbook style options, as well as the option to create your own.)

From the list: Smirking face

Personal Agenda

(Careers have suggested Agendas, but a player can make more here too, with Game Mother agreement as pursuing them in risky ways gives Experience. In Cinematic they’re assessed in every Act of an adventure.)

You once sacrificed your family for the job. Now you won’t let your friends down - ever.

Buddy and Rival

(Relationships with other PCs.)

Left blank for now.

Gear and a signature item

(Gear is based on career, a signature item can be any generally small or practical thing. This is a game where encumbrance might actually matter.)

Cutting torch

Maintenance jack

Signature item: Photo of ex-partner

Roll for cash

(Based on career)

$300

Franks is a maintenance engineer at a terraforming colony, and one of the louder voices in the local dock union.