I never want to watch Alien: Romulus again, but I do want to turn it into a tabletop RPG adventure. The newest entry in Ridley Scott’s franchise left me profoundly disappointed. However, its highlights – and its flaws – make it ideal fodder for Free League Publishing’s existing TTRPG, Alien: The Roleplaying Game.
Released in 2019, this tabletop RPG book has all the tools you need to create your own horrifying anti-capitalist adventures in space, complete with the most monstrous aliens ever conceived. ‘Cinematic Play’, a one-off adventure format that splits play into three narrative acts, would be ideal for recreating Alien: Romulus.
The movie opens with a simple backstory and a clear goal – perfect for getting a group of players (who will get distracted by too many details early on) moving. The core cast of characters is looking to escape a grim mining colony on a planet that never sees the sun.
The answer to their prayers seems obvious, as a decommissioned, unnoticed spacecraft is floating right above the planet. Everyone knows what they must do – sneak onto the ship, pilfer its cryosleep technology, and take a long nap / road trip to another habitable planet. So far, so fetch quest.
At this point, I won’t discuss any spoilers. However, because this is an Alien movie, you know that these plans are going to fall apart in a Xenomorph-flavored fashion. Some viewers report being totally blown away by a surprising final 30 minutes. I, however, report that each planted plot point is as subtle as a bullet through a spaceship’s hull.
In their attempts to reach the goal, the characters face a range of challenges, surprisingly few of which directly involve an actual Xenomorph. This is handy for an aspiring Game Mother (the RPG’s version of the D&D Dungeon Master), who must be sparing with Alien encounters, both to build tension and avoid killing everyone ten minutes in. Environmental hazards, stealth missions, and smaller baddies are much easier to contend with, and Alien: Romulus uses these pretty creatively.
In another movie, I’d have been more impressed by these set pieces. However, Alien: Romulus’ wins are seriously dampened by other major factors: characters, plot, and fan service. Fortunately, these flaws will fit perfectly in my tabletop RPG adaptation.
Alien Romulus is carried (or, rather, dragged) by a cast of utterly forgettable protagonists. They range from bland to outright irritating, and they’re not convincing or sympathetic heroes. Luckily, this means they can be easily replaced by your players’ group of custom characters.
In Alien: The Roleplaying Game, each character has their own career, skills, and talents. They also have a hidden agenda, which the GM rewards them for pursuing. To add further complexity to the group dynamic, every character has one buddy and one rival among the team.
These tools are an easy way to create complex characters that further the themes of the Alien franchise and create interesting storytelling beats. Both of these are pretty far and few between in Alien: Romulus.
Rather than a complex interrogation of the franchise’s core themes, Alien: Romulus offers fanservice, fanservice, fanservice. Most of the movie’s major plot points and twists have already been done in previous movies. The callbacks are so hamfistedly applied that, at one point, I actually booed the screen.
However, I think this approach would go down well in the tabletop format. We’ve all seen these characters and story beats before, but few of us have had the chance to live them.
Quoting Ellen Ripley feels less cringe-y if we’re the ones doing it. Plus, the Alien Roleplaying Game allows us to resurrect the series’ most iconic characters and moments – and unlike Alien: Romulus, we don’t need poor CGI and permission from a deceased actor’s estate to do so.
Until I’ve written my Alien: Romulus adventure, Wargamer doesn’t have much more Xenomorph-themed content to share. However, we can help you start playing other great tabletop RPGs – here’s everything you need to know about DnD classes and DnD races, for example.
Source: Wargamer
