How to play Alien RPG

Alien RPG is built on top of the Year Zero Engine. Here is an HTML version of the SRD, and here the PDF version direct from Free League Publishing.

This review video of the Alien RPG Starter Set does a good job of introducing the basic rules.

These three cheat-sheets also usefully sumarise different aspects of the rules. I downloaded these a long time ago and have unfortunately lost the original links and author names:
- "Alien RPG" cheatsheet
- Game Mother Screen
- Halfsheet

NOTE: Avoid rolling if you can. As soon as you have one point of stress, any roll brings the risk that you will panic. With this in mind, as the GM (Game MU/TH/UR) I will only ask for rolls when I feel they are in a situation which really is dangerous or risky. This may also impact how you choose to play the game - there is a mechanical reason to take fewer risks, although some are of course inevitable. But, for example, rolling for Observation often would give you frequent opportunities to panic - it would be as if you were walking around terrified peering into every corner, risking that something small and insignificant surprises you and makes you panic.

In the posts below I outline some of the rules for the game that I am fairly sure you'll need information on. I'll add others as we encounter/need them during play.

SKILL CHECKS
If your PC does something risky or dangerous, you'll be asked to roll for a skill - there are 12 skills, three of each associated with each of the four attributes.

In general, to make the roll, you roll a number of d6 equal to the sum of your skill level, the attribute level associated with that skill, and your stress level. If you don't have any points associated with that skill, then you just roll the number of dice associated with the attribute. Several sources of modification to the number of dice rolled exist - some linked to characteristics of the environment (e.g. light levels), some to gear you are using.

Typically you need to roll at least one 6 to have success on your roll. Additional 6s (from either the stress dice, or the other 'base' dice) can be used to enhance the impact of your action in some way - depending on the skill being rolled.

A roll of a 1 on a stress die triggers a panic roll.

The Skills associated with each Attribute are:

ATTRIBUE: Strength
- SKILL: Heavy Machinery
- SKILL: Close Combat
- SKILL: Stamina

ATTRIBUE: Agility
- SKILL: Ranged Combat
- SKILL: Mobility
- SKILL: Piloting

ATTRIBUE: Wits
- SKILL: Observation
- SKILL: Survival
- SKILL: Comtech

ATTRIBUE: Empathy
- SKILL: Command
- SKILL: Manipulation
- SKILL: Medical Aid

STRESS
Increasing Stress Levels
There are many different things that can cause your stress level to increase
- you see something scary - such as an alien creature
- some actions you can take (using full automatic fire on a pulse rifle, for example)
- other players panicking around you
- suffering one or more points of damage
- you go without sleep, food, or water
- "pushing" a dice roll (see below for what's meant by that)
- other things (see p69 Starter Rules Set if you have it)
NOTE - failing a roll (getting no 6's/successes) DOESN'T INCREASE STRESS

Reducing Stress Levels
- Taking a rest somewhere relatively safe for 5-10 minutes - reduce stress by one
- Once per act in Cinematic play (for this scenario, that means once in the entire game that we'll play), you can interact with your signature item in some way to reduce your stress by one
- Some conditions (Starving, Freezing, for example) can block your ability to relieve stress
- Other things


PANIC ROLLS
Make this roll (1d6 + current stress level) when the following happens:
- You roll one or more "1" on your Stress Dice in a skill roll. If this happens, you can't push the skill roll — instead, roll for panic.
- You witness a friendly character suffering from a certain panic effect (see the table).
- You are pinned down by a ranged attack.
- You suffer a critical injury.
- You’re attacked by a strange alien creature that you’ve never seen before.
- A truly horrifying event occurs, as determined by a scenario or the GM.

NOTE - IF PANIC ROLL IS 10+, AND ROLL WAS RESULT OF A SKILL CHECK FOR AN ACTION - then the action is cancelled, even if you rolled one or more successes.

NOTE - IF ALREADY SUFFERING FROM A PANIC EFFECT (Panic Roll 7+) AND MAKE ANOTHER PANIC ROLL - new panic effect replaces previous one - if new roll lower than previous roll, then new effect is one-more-severe than the previous effect

NOTE - DIFFERENT PANIC EFFECTS LAST DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME - CHECK THE PANIC TABLE TO SEE HOW LONG IT CONTINUES
"Some effects on the Panic Roll table are immediate or last one Round. Others remain in effect until one of the following happens:
- Another character comes to your aid and makes a COMMAND roll (see page 71). This counts as a slow action in combat.
- You are Broken.
- One Turn passes (5-10 min)


PUSHING YOUR ROLL
If you don't get any successes, or you want to try and get more successes, you can ONCE PER SKILL CHECK 'push your role' i.e. re-roll all the dice that you didn't get successes on (including stress dice).

This increases your stress by one - and that extra stress is also part of the roll i.e. you add another stress die to the roll

You get only one chance to succeed with an action - if you fail you need to try something different, or wait until substantial change in circumstances.

Androids cannot push rolls.


HELPING OTHERS
If you help another PC or NPC perform an action, it costs you one action of the same kind (slow or fast). You have to state that you are helping someone before any dice are rolled. Helping others breaks the initiative order in the Round.

The help you give must make sense in the story—you must have the capacity to support the person you are helping. The GM has the final say.

For each person who helps you, the person doing the task gets a +1 modification. No more than three people can help with a single roll, meaning your maximum modification from assistance is +3.


RANGE CATEGORIES
The distance between you and your opponents is divided into five range categories. See the table below.

Engaged: Right next to you
Short: A few meters away, in the same zone as you
Medium: Up to 25 meters away, in an adjacent zone
Long: Up to about 100 meters (four zones) away
Extreme: Up to about one kilometre

Further away the target, the harder it is to hit.
Medium range -1 modification
Long range -2 modification
Engaged range -3 modification - although defenceless or unwitting enemy gives +3 if engaged

ACTIONS DURING COMBAT
You can typically make one SLOW and one FAST action

Slow Actions
Crawl; PREREQUISITE: You are prone
If you are prone, you can’t run. Instead, you must crawl. Crawling works just like running, but it’s a slow action. That means you can’t crawl twice in the same round. In a Cramped zone, crawling is the only movement possible.
Close combat attack; SKILL: Close Combat; if grappled or held (for example by a drone xenomorph that rolled a 4 on its attack) then make an opposed Close Combat roll, you have no other action choice until you succeed in this, in which case you break loose.
Shoot firearm; PREREQUISITE: Firearm; SKILL: Ranged Combat
Burst of full auto fire; PREREQUISITE: Firearm; SKILL: Ranged Combat
Throw weapon; PREREQUISITE: Thrown weapon; SKILL: Ranged Combat
Reload; PREREQUISITE: Firearm
First aid; PREREQUISITE: Broken or dying victim; SKILL: Medical Aid
Stop panic; PREREQUISITE: Panicking character; SKILL: Command
Give orders; PREREQUISITE: Character who can hear you; SKILL: Command
Persuade; PREREQUISITE: Your opponent can hear you; SKILL: Manipulation
Use signature item; PREREQUISITE: Signature item
Climb into space suit; PREREQUISITE: Space suit; SKILL: Mobility
Start engine; PREREQUISITE: Vehicle

Fast Actions
Run; PREREQUISITE: No enemy at Engaged range
Run from one zone to a neighbouring zone or between SHORT and ENGAGED range from an enemy or PC in the same zone you are already in; No roll is required to run, unless it’s into a Cluttered zone (see page 49).
Move through door/hatch
Get up; PREREQUISITE: You are prone
Draw weapon
Block attack; PREREQUISITE: Attacked in close combat; SKILL: Close Combat
If you are attacked in close combat, you can choose to block the attack, to avoid being hit. Blocking is a fast action, and you roll for CLOSE COMBAT. You must declare that you are going to block before the attacker rolls for their strike. If you are unarmed, you can only block unarmed attacks from other humans. To block an armed close combat attack, or an attack by a Xenomorph creature, you need to wield some kind of sturdy weapon or tool. For each 6 you roll, choose an effect below:
DECREASE DAMAGE: You remove one of the enemy’s 6s. If they are left with no 6s, the attack misses. This effect can be chosen multiple times.
COUNTERATTACK: You perform a counterattack, dealing damage to the attacker equal to the Damage rating of your weapon. You cannot spend additional 6s to increase the damage of your counterattack.
DISARM: You disarm your enemy.
REACTIVE ACTION: Blocking is a reaction that breaks the normal initiative order in the Round. However, it does count against your two available actions in the Round (one slow and one fast). Each time you block, you lose one action lat- er in the Round, and if you have already used both your actions, you can’t block. When it’s your time to act, it might therefore be wise to save your fast action if you fear you might be attacked later in the Round.
Pick up item
Shove; PREREQUISITE Enemy at Engaged range: SKILL: Close Combat
you can try to shove an opponent at ENGAGED range away from you. This is done with a CLOSE COMBAT roll. The GM can modify your roll for certain opponents. If you succeed, your opponent is shoved away to SHORT range from you. Shoving a target away can be useful if you want to engage it in ranged combat rather than fight it hand-to-hand. Shoves can be blocked.
Grapple attack; PREREQUISITE: You've grappled an opponent: SKILL: Close Combat
When you grapple your opponent as a stunt in close combat, both you and your opponent fall to the ground. The opponent drops any weapon they were holding, and cannot move. The only action they can perform is an attempt to break free—which is a slow action that succeeds if the opponent wins an opposed CLOSE COMBAT roll against you. While you are grappling, the only action you can perform (apart from releasing your opponent) is a grapple attack. This works as a normal unarmed attack, but is a fast action and cannot be blocked. Alien creatures can grab you or attach themselves to you in nasty ways. This follows special rules and is described in the section on Xenomorphs (p78 Starter Rule Set).
Retreat; PREREQUISITE: Enemy at Engaged range; SKILL: Mobility
If you have an active enemy at ENGAGED range, you can’t just walk away from them. Instead, you must retreat (see page 59).
Aim; PREREQUISITE: Ranged weapon
If you take your time to aim carefully before squeezing the trigger, you get a +2 to your attack roll. Aiming is a fast action. If you do anything else except shoot your weapon after you have aimed, or if you are hurt, you lose the effect of the aim and you need to spend another fast action to aim again.
Seek cover; PREREQUISITE: Cover in same zone
Assume overwatch position; PREREQUISITE: Ranged weapon
Grab the wheel; PREREQUISITE: Vehicle
Drive; PREREQUISITE: Vehicle; SKILL: Piloting
Enter/exit vehicle; PREREQUISITE: Vehicle
Use item; PREREQUISITE: Varies; SKILL: Varies


ENCUMBRANCE
You can carry a number of regular-sized items equal to double your STRENGTH rating without problems. A regular item is generally the size of a small bag and weighs no more than a few kilos.

Heavy items typically count as two regular items (but could count more). Light items typically count as half a regular item, or sometimes a quarter.

Tiny items are so small they don’t affect your encumbrance at all. The rule of thumb is: if the item can be hidden in a closed fist, it’s tiny. Tiny items also need to be listed on your character sheet.

Most androids look human. They can have any career and may be open about their nature or secretly pose as human. Rules-wise, androids work a little differently from humans:

- get a +3 bonus to two attributes of their choice after the 14 attribute points have been assigned.
- can’t push skill rolls.
- don’t suffer stress and thus don’t have a STRESS LEVEL. For this reason, they don’t need a signature item.
- never make Panic Rolls.
- suffer damage differently

Note that androids don’t have STRESS LEVELS and thus don’t risk running out of ammo. This in intentional, to simulate the controlled nature of synthetics.

POSING AS HUMANS
If trying to pose as a human, the android/synthetic runs its rules as human - removing the +3 bonus to two attributes, taking stress - it is attempting to emulate the behaviour of a human, including responding to panic etc.

They can at any time choose to reveal their status as an android, at which point their stats are used as above.

If they receive a critical injury that shows their insides to be white, not red, they are also revealed.

DAMAGE
If a synthetic is Broken, roll for a critical injury on the table to the right. Until the android suffers a System Shutdown, it can continue to operate, only suffering the effects of the critical injury. This makes androids very hard to stop. Each further attack inflicting damage on a Broken android will inflict another critical injury. If you roll the same critical injury again, shift it down one step on the table (from a 4 to a 5, for example).

REPAIRS
Androids don’t heal. Instead, a Shift of work and a COMTECH roll is require to repair all lost Health points and all critical injuries, as long as the android hasn't suffered a System Shutdown. They can repair themselves.

DEATH
Androids don't make Death Rolls and cannot "die." If they suffer a System Shutdown they can be reactivated to communicate with. This requires a power source, a Turn of work, and a COMTECH roll. An android "revived" in this way can be repaired (above) to working order, but it will suffer a permanent mental trauma.

RESOURCES
Synthetics don’t need air, food, water, or sleep. They are immune to vacuum, cold, and disease. Androids are typically unaffected by alien pathogens.

VIOLENCE AGAINST HUMANS
It is illegal to program an android for violence against humans. While modern synthetics are governed by behavioural inhibitors that prevent them from injuring others, earlier models are not so equipped and are therefore dangerous. Expensive bypass packages are available on the black market for those who want to circumvent these laws. An android that goes too long with- out scheduled maintenance can also begin to experience mental degradation and the onset of psychosis, which will render the inhibitors moot.

Xenomorphs find androids a curiosity and will only attack them if provoked.

When you roll more than one 6 on a skill test AND you don't trigger a Panic effect that cancels out your success, then the first 6 brings the success, and other success can be used for "Stunts" i.e. additional positive things you bring to the success.

Different stunts are available for different skills - for example, extra 6s on a Ranged Combat roll can be used to increase damaged caused by 1. If you can take the same stunt multiple times from a given roll, that will be indicated in the description of the stunt ('increase damage by 1' can be taken multiple times, for example).

This cheat sheet (unfortunately I've lost the information on where I found the sheet so not crediting it here) describes the stunts available for each of the 12 skills.

Note that most stunts are intended to be used only once per roll - however the following can be taken multiple times:

- Close Combat - add +1 damage (if you rolled three 6s, you'd have one for the overall success, and then can add two additional damage for the two stunts)
- Ranged Combat - add +1 damage (as for Close Combat)
- Command - add +1 to target's roll to carry out the order
- Medical Aid - recover +1 Health Points

Brief description of what each of the skills can be used for.

Heavy Machinery (STRENGTH)
Attempting to use, repair, jury-rig or break any kind of heavy machinery.

Stamina (STRENGTH)
Testing your physical endurance or vigour, for example to surviving in space without a spacesuit, or resisting a disease.

Close Combat (STRENGTH)
Attacking someone in close combat/melee.

Mobility (AGILITY)
Getting out of a hazardous situation e.g. a risky climb, a dangerous jump, or sneaking past
a lurking enemy. Has specific uses in stealth and combat.

Ranged Combat (AGILITY)
Firing all types of ranged weapons.

Piloting (AGILITY)
Attempting any difficult and dangerous maneuver while running any type of vehicle – spaceship, air, ground, water.

Observation (WITS)
Spotting something sneaking, learning more about an unknown threat.

Comtech (WITS)
Challenging attempt to program, repair, decrypt or otherwise manipulate any type of computer or communications technology.

Survival (WITS)
Figuring out a way to survive in a hazardous planetside environment.

Command (EMPATHY)
Either stopping panic - when another character makes a Panic Roll and looses control you can try and COMMAND them to come to their senses.
Or giving orders - each success gives +1 to the person you order when carrying out your order.

Manipulation (EMPATHY)
Making another person see things your way (use an opposed roll for MANIPULATION – it takes a liar to spot a liar). Your chances are affected by your negotiating position.

Medical Aid (EMPATHY)
Either aiding recovery - if a character's health is zero, you can apply MEDICAL AID to get them back on their feet and recover Health points.
Or saving a life of someone who has suffered a critical injury.

When asked to make a Panic roll (for example, if you roll one or more 1 on stress dice when doing a Skill roll), roll 1d6+STRESS against the 1-6 Skill roll is fine, resolve normally, no panic effect

7-9 Resolve action, then Panic

10-12 Action you rolled for, that led to panic roll, is replaced by a Panic action

13-14 Action you rolled for, that led to panic roll, is replaced by a Panic action PLUS MENTAL TRAUMA ROLL AFTER END OF SESSION

15+ Catatonia and MENTAL TRAUMA ROLL AFTER END OF SESSION


Panic levels are NOT CUMULATIVE - when you move from 8 (Tremble) to 10 (Seek Cover) you stop trembling, and start to do what Seek Cover describes, see this post from the game's developers.


Permanent mental trauma

Panic Roll of 13+ then, after end of session, roll for Empathy (not using any skills). Any 6s, and you develop a permanent mental trauma (see table p70, starter set rulebook)


Stopping Panic (p70 Starter Set Rulebook)

Some effects on the Panic Roll table are immediate or last one Round. Others remain in effect until one of the following happens:

- Another character comes to your aid and makes a COMMAND roll [see page 45, Starter Set Rulebook]. This counts as a slow action in combat.
- You are Broken.
- One Turn (5-10 minutes) passes.