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Alien: Fate of the Nostromo board game adapts the final days of the doomed mining vessel

Jonesing for a play.

Live out a dream/nightmare getaway aboard a Weyland-Yutani Corporation mining ship in Alien: Fate of the Nostromo, a cooperative board game coming August 1st from publisher Ravensburger.

One to five players fill the company-issued boots of the Nostromo’s crew members - Ripley, Lambert, Parker, Brett and Dallas - as they go about the spacecraft completing necessary work as it returns from deep space with a haul of minerals. They must manage their morale as turns progress and the deadly xenomorph begins to stalk the shadows until they can complete one of five final missions and clinch victory from the acid-tinged jaws of defeat.

Cover image for YouTube videoLet's Play Alien: The Role Playing Game - RPG actual play (Sponsored)

Each turn is composed of two phases: the Crew Action phase and the Encounter phase. The halls connecting rooms on the Nostromo are no longer safe, but travel between them is necessary to collect resources, craft gear and complete objectives revealed during setup. Specific crew members boast unique abilities that suit them to specific work, though they may not always have the luxury of choosing their chores.

Encounters drawn during the next phase could see the Alien emerging from its nest to hunt, but plenty of other perils can strike at an inopportune moment, forcing all hands to address the crisis and open themselves up to a lurking predator. The final mission remains hidden until all previous objectives have been completed and will often throw an 11th-hour wrench into the works. For example, the Nostromo’s self-destruct sequence could activate, severely limiting the amount of turns the crew have to secure their survival.

Alien: Fate of the Nostromo is designed by Scott Rogers - creator of Pantone: The Game and Rayguns and Rocketships - along with Steve Rogers. It will come with miniatures of the five crew members (plus Science Officer Ash, who can be added to increase the difficulty), along with the eponymous Alien.

The 1979 seminal horror film has previously been adapted into a tabletop RPG from publisher Free League that we called a terrific blast of sci-fi horror even if it does depart heavily from the movie's plot to build out its universe. The upcoming board game looks to stick faithfully to original events as a foundation for its mechanics.

Ravensburger is perhaps best known for publishing grid-shaped territory control title The Castles of Burgundy, though it recently worked on Despicable Plots, the latest expansion for the popular Disney Villainous board game where classic antagonists take the spotlight as they endeavour towards nefarious ends.

Alien: Fate of the Nostromo is scheduled to release on August 1st of this year. No information on pricing or what’s included in the box is currently available.

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Alien: Fate of the Nostromo

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Chase Carter

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Chase is a freelance journalist and media critic. He enjoys the company of his two cats and always wants to hear more about that thing you love. Follow him on Twitter for photos of said cats and retweeted opinions from smarter folks.

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