Planets Of The Alien 'Verse

The planets of Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Prometheus and Alien Covenant.

Sourced from the films, novelisations by Alan Dean Foster and The Weyland-Yutani Report by S.D. Perry

David's Lab: Last Signs Of Life

We're In The Pipe, Five By Five

I was already excited for the prospect of an official Alien roleplaying game, but then I read Adam Dickstein's similarly excited - and informative - post on his Barking Alien blog, and now it's all I can think about!

Sure, I'd pretty much, mentally, committed myself to run some form of old school Dungeons & Dragons variant for the Tuesday Knights, had designed my new gamesroom around that concept, and spent a bucket-load of cash on 28mm fantasy miniatures to do combat on my ever-growing collection of battle mats...

And, sure, this new game, from Sweden's Free League Publishing, will use a variant of the Year Zero Engine, as seen in games such as Tales from the Loop and Mutant: Year Zero, which will mean dice pool mechanics and only using d6s, two prospects that would usually stick in my craw.

But this is the world of Aliens, and somehow, as the Free League describe it, it just makes my geek squee.

 And, speaking as someone who actually liked Covenant, it would give me a chance to truly feed my inner Ancient Aliens hunger (beyond shoehorning them into both superhero and fantasy settings).

And, after Monty Python, it's probably the most referenced franchise at the games' table. Strewth, I'm so fickle.

I'm sure if I could have just stuck with one system, or even one genre, from day one, I could be a mega-famous gaming blogger or a writer or a publisher, but I'm always being distracted by the next new shiny thing (or, in this case, grimdark).

I'd also be a lot better off financially, because I wouldn't have pissed so much money away on things I was really into at that moment, then moved on from before I got to properly use them.

Part of the problem is only gaming once a month gives me too much time between sessions to look around the Internets at all the other amazing work being produced, that then lures me in with its seductive siren song.

But, I can't deny the fact that I've always had a short attention span - and my stroke hasn't helped - and so from the moment I discovered RPGs I've been reaching for that elusive Holy Grail, that's always just round the corner, of the "perfect system" and "perfect setting".

Perhaps, Alien will be it.

But then again, just the other day, I was wondering if it would be Dune?

Perhaps it will be neither.

Perhaps it was old school Dungeons & Dragons after all.

Or maybe, Villains & Vigilantes...

Or Red Dwarf... Oy vey!

To quote Michael Corleone:

And to misquote Giorgio Tsoukalos:

Now hand me that bucket of six-siders that I keep handy for close encounters, we're on an express elevator to Hell, going down!

A sampling of the orgasmically-good, atmospheric, artwork from the forthcoming Alien RPG.

Alien - Covenant (2017)

After the risible disappointment of Prometheus and the underwhelming reviews that Alien: Covenant garnered upon its cinema release, I approached the DVD with a great deal of scepticism and low expectations.

And was completely taken aback by how enjoyable it was.

Although a sequel to Prometheus, and yet more backfilling of the xenomorph origin story, the weaknesses of the earlier movie are soon forgotten as we are reminded of how great - on a good day - director Ridley Scott can be at atmospheric world-building.

The crew of the deep space transport ship Covenant are guiding a cargo of 2,000 settlers on the long voyage to potential new home in the stars, when a series of accidents leads them to a 'ghost signal' from a previously unknown planet.

They investigate and discover the remains of a crashed alien spaceship and the soul survivor: the synthetic lifeform David (Michael Fassbender).

To be honest, the Covenant's crew aren't exactly memorable characters - even the wannabe 'last girl', Daniels (Katherine Waterston), is no hard ass Ellen Ripley - but this was a return to the franchise's horror roots, meaning we should be more tolerant of an abundance of chum to seed the water for the sharks to feed upon.

That said, given that they're blue collar working stiffs you have to question the level of training the crew received for such a crucial mission when their default reaction to most problems seems to be immediate panic.

The real stand-out (unsurprisingly) is Fassbender, on whose mighty shoulders the entire enterprise rests.

He is superb as the identical synthetics, the protective Walter of the Covenant's crew and the deranged David, whose programming had allowed him to transform into a terrifying Prospero or Dr Moreau, cultivating his crop of genetically-engineered xenomorphs.

Alien: Covenant isn't quite the Gothic haunted house horror of the original but more the good old fashioned shipwrecked-sailors-trapped-on-an-island-with-a-monster yarn, with a dash of slasher flick mixed in for seasoning.

If it wasn't so beautifully crafted, the film would probably have felt a lot pulpier than it actually does, but it still skates a fine line between serious and gonzo.

The film really comes alive once the stranded crew are rescued from their first encounter with albino xenomorphs by David, and then gradually we learn what he has been up to.

All the elements that initially had me asking 'why has Ridley changed that?' are all gradually explained as David's apocalyptic machinations are made manifest.

I guess, post-Prometheus, I was second-guessing too much and expecting the worst, when in truth the core plot is very tightly scripted.

A worthy addition to the Alien franchise, this has reignited my enthusiasm for more Ridley Scott-helmed Alien movies... something I never thought I'd say again.

Alien: Covenant - You Can Run, You Can Hide, But In The End You Scream

More Messages Home From Covenant Crew

Mark "Alien Day" With Covenant Prequel

The Crossing, an official prologue short to Alien: Covenant, reveals what happened to crew members Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and the synthetic David after the events of Prometheus. Set aboard an abandoned Engineer vessel, Dr. Shaw repairs David as they continue their search for humanity’s creators.

Alien: Covenant Crew Send Messages Home

Take Me Home In Time For Alien Day

Run, Pray, Hide: The Definitive Guide To Alien Survival...

MEET WALTER

Please Be Better Than Prometheus, Please Be Better Than Prometheus...

The official prologue to Alien: Covenant introduces the crew of the mission as they gather for a final meal before entering cryosleep.

Set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew (all couples) and their android, Walter, enjoy their final meal together before cryosleep.

Conceived by Ridley Scott and 3AM, directed by Luke Scott, and produced by RSA Films.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with Alien: Covenant, a new chapter in his groundbreaking Alien franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

In Theaters - May 19, 2017

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby