An official Alien tabletop RPG is coming to stores next month

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The publishers warn that it's unlikely your character will survive.

Free League Publishing and 20th Century Fox have joined forces to create a tabletop RPG set in the harsh universe of the Alien films. It will drop players into the dark, merciless void of space, but this adaptation sounds far from empty.

Alien: The Roleplaying Game has two playable modes, cinematic and campaign. The cinematic option lets you play through a scenario similar to the events of the films in one session, and emphasises "high stakes and fast and brutal gameplay", which doesn't sound ominous at all. The campaign mode takes more of a Gloomhaven structure and lets players explore the Alien universe more freely over multiple game sessions.

The RPG comes in a chunky 392-page core rule book, which I think definitely leaves the definition of rulebook behind and goes straight into short novel territory. Free League Publishing have printed these rules in a hardback book and thrown in some cool illustrations, which you can see in the trailer above. Alongside the core rule book, you'll get a set of custom dice, a set of maps, and a GM Screen. It's becoming more and more apparent that Free League Publishing knows tabletop game fans' biggest weaknesses.

The rules of the Alien game follow the structure of other RPGs that Free League have published, including their other tabletop game adaptation Tales from the Loop which was developed from the Scandinavian sci-fi stories and illustrations of Simon Stålenhag. Alien: The Roleplaying Game also has an official canon consultant to oversee the story, so it's safe to say that they are taking the lore of the films very seriously.

Alien: The Roleplaying Game will be available in stores and on the Free League website from December 10, just in time for Christmas.

Rachel Watts
Rachel Watts

Rachel had been bouncing around different gaming websites as a freelancer and staff writer for three years before settling at PC Gamer back in 2019. She mainly writes reviews, previews, and features, but on rare occasions will switch it up with news and guides. When she's not taking hundreds of screenshots of the latest indie darling, you can find her nurturing her parsnip empire in Stardew Valley and planning an axolotl uprising in Minecraft. She loves 'stop and smell the roses' games—her proudest gaming moment being the one time she kept her virtual potted plants alive for over a year.