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If you're looking for a truly stressful tabletop roleplaying game, look no further than Free League's Alien: The Roleplaying Game. Taking inspiration from the Alien films, Alien: the RPG replicates the same sense of hopeless terror that the characters feel in any Alien story. And now, the game is set to release an updated "Evolved Edition" and new content on Kickstarter very soon. 

Alien: The RPG came out in 2019, and offers a two different modes of play. The "campaign" mode is akin to your Dungeons and Dragons campaign, where it's a large story where players generate their own characters to play as, and the story is a collaborative effort between the gamemaster and the players. The "cinematic" mode, however, is a pre-generated story that's intended to provide a similar experience to watching an Alien movie. Players choose from pre-generated characters, and the gamemaster follows the pre-determined module. 

Now, there's a lot to like about Alien: The RPG, but given that it's Free League's first effort with the game, the Evolved Edition incorporates feedback from players. According to the game's page on Kickstarter, the Evolved Edition provides a more "streamlined" approach to Alien: The RPG, revising many of its rules. More crucially, it includes weapons and ships from Alien: Romulus, along with a solo mode called Last Survivor. Even better, the content from the Evolved Edition is all compatible with the previous version of the game. You can check out the trailer for Alien: The Roleplaying Game's Evolved Edition below. 

The Kickstarter for the Evolved Edition will launch March 25, 2025. It includes a brand new starter set, a new cinematic scenario box set called the Rapture Protocol, and a set of miniatures for the Rapture Protocol. The Rapture Protocol is described as "the first installment in the upcoming Jeremiah Saga" which gives us lots to look forward to once we finish playing this cinematic scenario.  

Having played the Alien TTRPG myself, I can see why Free League would want to streamline their game. As much as I enjoyed playing as a gamemaster, I definitely felt like mechanics within the game could have been whittled down more for my players so that we could be more immersed in the sense of horror. It's heartening to see that Free League has geared the Evolved Edition for newcomers with its starter set, and I'm greatly anticipating where this game will take me and my crew next. 

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.