Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Aliens RPG Post Mortem
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8406482" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>I have no familiarity with PF2 at all, so I don't know about similarity there, but I agree that the outcomes as you've summarized do fit well with the setting.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>My group of players have mostly played D&D or similar systems, and they all enjoy tactical combat to one degree or another, and the system seemed to give the ones that love that stuff enough to use, but not too much for those that aren't as concerned. It seems like a pretty good balance. </p><p></p><p>And yes, the xenomorphs are potentially very deadly. I liked the idea of the GM having to roll on the creatures turn to see what action it takes because it kind of helps portray them as unknowable and unpredictable, but also because it helps absolve the GM of responsibility for deploying their deadliest moves.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I have to say I don't recall too many opposed rolls coming up in our game too much, except for combat rolls, so I don't recall this being an issue. It sounds like maybe it stands out as obvious given the scenario you've got with the viral outbreak? Probably something to be aware of and to adjust if you don't like how it works.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah, I like that the game moves you toward more capable as your stress mounts, but then at any moment things can go terribly wrong because of panic. It allows the characters to be capable and to pull off cool and dangerous stuff, but they know at any moment things can spiral. I've not yet had the chance to play Dogs in the Vineyard, but it does seem like a similarity, based on my minimal knowledge of that game.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I like the simplicity of zones. I think that it does come at the cost of some level of specificity as it relates to positioning and the like, but we were able to handle that in play. I recall when a Roughneck specifically moved into position to protect another PC, I think the rules would still allow an enemy to attack the other character because they're at Close range. We didn't do that because it undermined the Roughneck's move and seemed needlessly technical, but I remember thinking this could be an issue in some way or for some groups.</p><p></p><p>My memory could be off here, though.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah, I like how Androids do change things up instead of just being like a race option for a PC. And given that with Prometheus (and supposedly Covenant, but I can't say for sure as I've yet to see it) the nature of AI through the lens of David was pretty much the most compelling part of the film, I think your idea of an outsider among us seems suitable.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Most of this worked just fine for our game, which was a three part cinematic scenario. We didn't concern ourselves immediately with the Supply mechanics; they seemed unlikely to come up given the shorter nature of the game. But later in the second session I started to implement them. I think on an expedition type of situation, where choice of loadout is meant to be important, these rules will help drive play and ratchet up the tension.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah, I like the list of XP triggers. I don't have my book handy, but I think you need like 5 xp to improve an existing skill or gain a new one, and I think it's pretty easy to get 5 xp in a session. Not sure about that rate of progress in a campaign. We weren't really concerned with it during our initial cinematic scenario. We did plan on taking the surviving characters from that cinematic scenario and then going into a campaign after, but we only did a session or two before we got interrupted, and then we haven't yet gone back to it.</p><p></p><p>I loved how the Agenda worked in the cinematic play, but in that case, they were chosen ahead of time because we used pregenerated characters. But I like how it gives the character clear cut goals, and they're more immediate than far off. Buddies and rivals also worked quite well. My players immediately accepted those and played accordingly, without even the xp carrot to chase. </p><p></p><p>All in all I think it's a good game, and they made some decisions that really suit the setting and the feel that they're going for. I'll be interested to hear how your game goes if any of the PCs live past your next session.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8406482, member: 6785785"] I have no familiarity with PF2 at all, so I don't know about similarity there, but I agree that the outcomes as you've summarized do fit well with the setting. My group of players have mostly played D&D or similar systems, and they all enjoy tactical combat to one degree or another, and the system seemed to give the ones that love that stuff enough to use, but not too much for those that aren't as concerned. It seems like a pretty good balance. And yes, the xenomorphs are potentially very deadly. I liked the idea of the GM having to roll on the creatures turn to see what action it takes because it kind of helps portray them as unknowable and unpredictable, but also because it helps absolve the GM of responsibility for deploying their deadliest moves. I have to say I don't recall too many opposed rolls coming up in our game too much, except for combat rolls, so I don't recall this being an issue. It sounds like maybe it stands out as obvious given the scenario you've got with the viral outbreak? Probably something to be aware of and to adjust if you don't like how it works. Yeah, I like that the game moves you toward more capable as your stress mounts, but then at any moment things can go terribly wrong because of panic. It allows the characters to be capable and to pull off cool and dangerous stuff, but they know at any moment things can spiral. I've not yet had the chance to play Dogs in the Vineyard, but it does seem like a similarity, based on my minimal knowledge of that game. I like the simplicity of zones. I think that it does come at the cost of some level of specificity as it relates to positioning and the like, but we were able to handle that in play. I recall when a Roughneck specifically moved into position to protect another PC, I think the rules would still allow an enemy to attack the other character because they're at Close range. We didn't do that because it undermined the Roughneck's move and seemed needlessly technical, but I remember thinking this could be an issue in some way or for some groups. My memory could be off here, though. Yeah, I like how Androids do change things up instead of just being like a race option for a PC. And given that with Prometheus (and supposedly Covenant, but I can't say for sure as I've yet to see it) the nature of AI through the lens of David was pretty much the most compelling part of the film, I think your idea of an outsider among us seems suitable. Most of this worked just fine for our game, which was a three part cinematic scenario. We didn't concern ourselves immediately with the Supply mechanics; they seemed unlikely to come up given the shorter nature of the game. But later in the second session I started to implement them. I think on an expedition type of situation, where choice of loadout is meant to be important, these rules will help drive play and ratchet up the tension. Yeah, I like the list of XP triggers. I don't have my book handy, but I think you need like 5 xp to improve an existing skill or gain a new one, and I think it's pretty easy to get 5 xp in a session. Not sure about that rate of progress in a campaign. We weren't really concerned with it during our initial cinematic scenario. We did plan on taking the surviving characters from that cinematic scenario and then going into a campaign after, but we only did a session or two before we got interrupted, and then we haven't yet gone back to it. I loved how the Agenda worked in the cinematic play, but in that case, they were chosen ahead of time because we used pregenerated characters. But I like how it gives the character clear cut goals, and they're more immediate than far off. Buddies and rivals also worked quite well. My players immediately accepted those and played accordingly, without even the xp carrot to chase. All in all I think it's a good game, and they made some decisions that really suit the setting and the feel that they're going for. I'll be interested to hear how your game goes if any of the PCs live past your next session. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Aliens RPG Post Mortem
Top