World of ‘Alien’ Comes To Life With Upcoming Tabletop RPG
The world of “Alien” will soon be translated into an original tabletop role-playing game series, according to io9.
“Tales From the Loop” creator Free League Publishing is working in tandem with 20th Century Fox to create a game set in the “Alien” universe set for release in 2019. “Alien: The Roleplaying Game” is an original story set within the “Alien” universe. It will feature a series of “cinematic” storylines, an “open-world” campaign, and artwork submitted by creators including Axel Torvenius, Martin Grip, and John Mullaney.
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“Alien: The Roleplaying Game” will mark the first time the series has seen a tabletop RPG in the 30 years since “Aliens Adventure Game” debuted in 1989. That game was meant to follow the plot of the sequel “Aliens,” while “Alien: The Roleplaying Game” is simply set within the “Alien” universe with a swath of new original characters and stories. Established characters seen in the films won’t be in the game, but their actions will have echoed throughout the tabletop translation of the world.
In fact, according to Free League Publishing co-founder and “Alien: The Roleplaying Game” director Tomas Härenstam, the world of this particular adventure takes place after the events of “Alien 3.”
“We’re focusing more on certain aspects of the universe than others. I think the key thing there is we’ve set our game in the year 2183, that’s a very conscious choice,” said Härenstam. “The more recent prequel movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, those are part of the canon, part of the story and universe. But as they take place in a much earlier era, that era is not where our focus lies.”
The game’s debut will include one storyline to begin with for newcomers and veteran players to enjoy in the form of “Chariot of the Gods,” but there are additional storylines coming to the game in the future after it debuts. It will be meant for players to continue enjoying the game in groups with their pre-established characters as additional installments are released.
There is currently no release date for “Alien: The Roleplaying Game,” but it’s targeting a debut by the end of 2019.
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