SO, obviously one of the planks of a good RPG is the faction system.

 

Right, so in an Alien setting, we can have a couple of factions of people, sure, and then the Xenomorphs on the other side, right?

 

What about having a couple of different Xenomorph factions?

 

Just like ants and termites, or even red and black ants, when two different types get together it is an ancient blood feud. This could be handled similarly to the Demons/Devils in DnD, of course, but I think it adds some interesting potential for the player ... dare I say there might be a Xeno queen with a less-than-total-ethnic-clensing opinion of the humans (maybe as food, like humans keep cattle, or just reproduction: perhaps people are a better medium for the Xenomorphs); and perhaps another competing queen who has a different view.

 

I dunno if this has been covered in the comics as I don't read them.

Yeah, this has been covered in the comics. Red aliens versus black aliens.

So, exactly like ants, then.

 

It makes sense, I suppose, eventually any all-conquering organisation will have factional splits once it reaches a critical size ... except for the Borg, of course, but they aren't real.

Different factions of aliens based on what creature they gestated in might be amusing.

 

"Your mother was a dog!"

"Squeee!"

*fight*

 

Covered in comics or not, I'm sure having factions that might have conflicts between each other could work game-wise, and would definitely add something to a plotline.

I prefer the simple Aliens vs. slight mutated Aliens. Keeps things more structured than basing it off of what they gestated from as both groups can be assumed established and given their own queen.

Edited May 30, 200718 yr by Tale

I suppose it would only be a problem if/when more than one queen (and therefore colony) were established close to each other. Termite colonies tend to keep a specific ratio of the roles for the many isoptera in the nest ... if a particular role is under-represented, then another is either mutated from an existing role, or a new one is hatched.

 

This would give a couple of opportunities: two queens starting from scratch, unbeknownst to each other, and too close to each other; or perhaps a mistakenly written off queen (perhaps one that was injured and recovered) and a replacement, with the two starting a blood feud to control all the resources.

So long as we (the humans and the PC) never get to understand the true reasons behind it, I think such factions would be an interesting element of the game. It leads to some tricky options - do we attempt to play one group off against the other? Since we don't really understand the aliens or why they behave as they do, it could spectacularly backfire, but might be worth the risk.

 

I don't know. I've only really watched the first film properly, so I know next to nothing about these creatures other than that they don't seem to like humans very much, and I quite like that. I don't know how much the other movies or comics have filled in some of those blanks...

Alien faction. What other factions are there.

So long as we (the humans and the PC) never get to understand the true reasons behind it, I think such factions would be an interesting element of the game. It leads to some tricky options - do we attempt to play one group off against the other? Since we don't really understand the aliens or why they behave as they do, it could spectacularly backfire, but might be worth the risk.

 

I don't know. I've only really watched the first film properly, so I know next to nothing about these creatures other than that they don't seem to like humans very much, and I quite like that. I don't know how much the other movies or comics have filled in some of those blanks...

Aliens exist for two purposes. To reproduce and to kill. There are no motives beyond that. If they see anything that's not themselves, TIME TO KILL or impregnate.

 

Alien faction. What other factions are there.

Different strains of Alien. Different corporations looking to use the Aliens for their own goals. etc.

Edited May 31, 200718 yr by Tale

I agree with Tale. The whole point about Aliens is that they don't care. They can't be reasoned with. However, that COULD make for an interesting subplot. i.e. if the player is dumb enough to be fooled by a the divergent super-clever queen into thinking they can be treated with.

 

The problem is that with such a single minded player in the 'game', other factions fall into only two groups in Aliens canon. They are either dupes who believe they can exploit teh aliens and get chowed. Or they're counter-capitalist plucky heros.

Presumably individual aliens (under the same queen, perhaps?) are capable of co-operating with each other for a common purpose. How then does one alien know that another alien is friend or foe? (Other than consulting his faction variable in the toolset, that is.)

Aliens are like ants. They work purely on pheromone signatures. This is discussed in detail in one of the graphic novels.

Alien factions. What a nutty idea.

 

Can I play at least as an Alien engineer? Or is it restricted to humans only? If I can't play as an Alien, I won't buy your game!

I agree with Tale. The whole point about Aliens is that they don't care. They can't be reasoned with. However, that COULD make for an interesting subplot. i.e. if the player is dumb enough to be fooled by a the divergent super-clever queen into thinking they can be treated with.

 

The problem is that with such a single minded player in the 'game', other factions fall into only two groups in Aliens canon. They are either dupes who believe they can exploit teh aliens and get chowed. Or they're counter-capitalist plucky heros.

So you think that the Alien colonies would be at war with everyone else, including the other colony and any and all other species, then?

 

Certainly that is the most logical and safest conclusion (they are like Daleks: they don't make alliances with anyone because everything else is beneath them), but I still think there could be room for factioning ... the humans (PC) could try to engineer a fight between the Alien colonies instead of being lunch (at least a temporary stay of execution).

the humans (PC) could try to engineer a fight between the Alien colonies instead of being lunch (at least a temporary stay of execution).

Sounds like the path of the dupes who believe they can exploit teh aliens and get chowed.

I was more thinking of putting the warring colonies on a collision path, rather than overt negotiations.

why doesn't humanity ever launch a giant can of ant spray into the nests?

 

also, how would the hives be set up? would they be different depending on the faction?

Crazy idea; How about a faction that is deliberately trying to engineer super-intelligent aliens in the hope that they will become capable of negotiation?

That would depend upon the premise of human beings being absolutely freakin' insane, so I don't see any problems.

 

I like the idea of a new species (possibly a variation on the old aliens, possibly not) appearing on the scene attacking both everyone, and for it to turn out later that the new species was created by humans as a weapon against the aliens.

That would depend upon the premise of human beings being absolutely freakin' insane, so I don't see any problems.

 

I like the idea of a new species (possibly a variation on the old aliens, possibly not) appearing on the scene attacking both everyone, and for it to turn out later that the new species was created by humans as a weapon against the aliens.

 

You mean like my cyborg ratinator?

We can start with the stererotypes classics...

 

The cult of religious nut cases that see the aliens as a sign of the apocalypse (OVERSIZED grasshoppers?)

 

The environmentalists who are against the killing of baby aliens with clubs

 

The corporate ladder climber who wants to present his share holders with new investment opportunities (Whatshis name, the yuppie in the second movie?)

 

The van helsings of the future who runs around, wearing trench coats and wooden stakes, searching for aliens to kill (meh, Blade... *yuck*)

 

The mad scientists who wants to cross breed them with cows and sell the result in his new fast food franchise (McAlien?)

 

The rich and spoiled who goes alien hunting just for the adrenaline rush (meh, Predator)

 

The mutant human freak who can actually control them through brainwaves/pheromones/whatever (alien whisperer)

 

The naive who wants to seek them out and comfort them, because they are clearly misunderstood and in need of protection

 

Did I forget someone that we can scratch off the list?

Edited June 1, 200718 yr by Gorth

why doesn't humanity ever launch a giant can of ant spray into the nests?

 

also, how would the hives be set up? would they be different depending on the faction?

Bug spray is just poison. I'm sure humanity would like to use some sort of poison, but I doubt there's much that would work on the xenomorphs (that wasn't completely unworkable for humans to implement and recover from). For example, arthropods like crabs and cοckroaches are the odds-on favourite to survive a nuclear exchange (there are crabs in the French Polynesian nuclear test zone that are too toxic to eat now), and the only recourse for destroying organic pathogens like ebola is to resort to the most toxic substances for life (some sort of sulphurous iodine salt, if memory serves), though that would be a useful plot point, to discover and construct a weapon against the xenomorphs out of some known hazardous substances ... there must be a substance somewhere that has an effect on their system ... maybe the xenomorph colonies might have some such weapon to use against each other ...

Alien factions. What a nutty idea.

 

Can I play at least as an Alien engineer? Or is it restricted to humans only? If I can't play as an Alien, I won't buy your game!

Alien hitman! They are paid to take out those nasty human Marines that would do their queen harm.

The basic problem with teh alien is that they're just damned tough. They don't eat and they don't breathe. They derive energy trhough sympathetic electrical currents. This is why they ahve acid for blood. They're bloodthirsty coppertops. Then they have an inert exoskeleton made from (if memory serves) silicon. Combine that inert skin with the fact that they don't ingest or respire and chemicals just wash right off. the only way to get them is to physically dismember them.

 

The facehuggers are probably the most important phase in their lifecycel to target and may be more vulnerable.

Hmmm. So they would be affected by magnets and strong electric currents, even if they don't eat and respire.

 

Well, maybe we can take some instruction from the successful attack on the malarial pathogen, at its weakest stage, during the incubation in the bloodstream: no chance for the pathogen to adapt to this, as it is totally wiped out before it can even know about the antidote.

 

Also, a ballistic weapon can coerce a (small) hole in the exoskeleton of the xenomorph, which can be a useful vector for a poison. (I assume "acid blood" means they have some sort of circulatory system.) Acid dissolving a toxic substance will still kill 'em. Dead.