Tremendously excited for Alien the Roleplaying Game

Alien remains one of the movies I truly enjoy watching. H.R. Giger's vision in designing the monster remains unparalleled despite the evolution technology and special effects have accomplished through the years. Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ellen Ripley still captivates and inspires as a powerful female lead who retains her passion and sensitivity despite displaying her strength and resolve. Ridley Scott's approach to telling the story penned by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusset still brings chills down my spine even if I've seen the movie so many times. Then there's Derek Vanlint's amazing cinematography, Jerry Goldsmith's powerful music, and Michael Seymour's fantastic Production Design.  All in all, the masterpiece that is Alien is a film that has set a very high bar.

This roleplaying game is one brave piece of work in its attempt to capture that same evocative piece of work. The game credits Tomas Harenstam, Andrew E.C. Gaska, Martin Grip, Christian Granath, and many others in its pages and I must admit it was hard not to stare with awe at each page as I looked at how they translated the powerful movie into an equally evocative game.  The game includes a fantastic timeline, which was a nice touch for fans of the movie franchise, like me. And I will admit a guilty pleasure to seeing the term Game Mother used for the GM.  Players asking the GM questions can literally just call out, "Mother.. what's going on in the other sector?" and it will all feel apt and appropriate to the game world.

The game offers two modes: Cinematic Play and Campaign Play.  Cinematic play will be fantastic for one-shot sessions, especially for groups who love the lethal flair of the franchise's narratives. And nowadays, with the many available Safety Tools that groups can use in their games, the mode offers a fantastic niche for those seeking to see if they can survive an Alien encounter.

I'm very excited to find a group interested in trying out Chariot of the Gods, the included cinematic module. But before any new TAG Bites can be set up, I better spend time reading more how this system works! I don't see myself being able to afford the Bundles and other special editions anytime soon, and admittedly I think that's okay. The custom dice aren't that unique enough for me to want, and the cards and screen are probably not something I'd often use. The galaxy poster, I hope, will eventually be available on Drivethrurpg or something like that.

This is going to be tremendously awesome.