Drat And Cat Suggest…

“Alien RPG Colonial Marines Operations Manual”

By Talia Heart

            The “Alien Colonial Marines Operations Manual”, the latest book in Free League Publishing’s “Alien The Roleplaying Game” line, includes information for both players and game mothers, primarily focused on the United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCMC). The book is substantial, 352 pages long, and only about 100 pages of that is player material, so I am providing minor spoilers via an overview of the remaining 252 pages to give a full review of the book.

            First, the information in the book can be used for both cinematic and campaign play modes across a wide range of time periods within the “Alien” universe (a helpful timeline is provided) and supports missions against both human and non-human enemies across all of colonized space. Additionally, the book includes basic information about military organization, units, operations, and mission types, as it assumes that most players and GMs won’t have expert military knowledge or experience (allowing for a level of reality as genuine and gritty as the group wants).

            Now, for most players the biggest draw to this book will be the expanded marine creation rules and the introduction of Military Occupational Specialties (MOS’s). Each specialty, such as Comtech Marine, Dedicated Marksman, and Hospital Corpsman, determine your key attribute, skills, and talent List.  You also roll a “field event” which grants your marine a bonus or an extra piece of equipment. All marines will start with basic gear, chosen items of bonus gear, and additional specialty gear determined by the players’ MOS.  The players will also need to determine their ranks, and though most will start off as Privates, rules for creating NCOs and officers are provided.

            Next in the player section are additional weapons, armor, gear, vehicles (including the Armored Personnel Carrier or APC, the Cheyenne Dropship, and their variants), and spacecraft built by various manufacturers and used by various governments.  The vehicle information concludes the player section of the book.

            The first parts of the Game Mother section contain information about various worlds and their significance as well as humanity’s first contact with sentient life on another world. Reading further on, information about various Weyland-Yutani “black projects” is provided.  In the last 150 pages or so in the GM section, there are 6 fleshed-out missions which form “The Frontier War”, set immediately after the events of  “Alien: Destroyer of Worlds”.  So, if you’re a GM who has any interest in running that adventure, you should do so before running any of the missions detailed in this book. After a long think and even a poll of my Twitter followers, I’ve decided not to spoil any of this material.

            Overall, I find the book to be an excellent sequel to the “Alien RPG Core Rulebook”, though I’d wish for a bit more art, and a slightly better balance between the PC and GM sections of the book. The book does deliver value commensurate with the book’s price and uses and expands on material in the greater Alien universe. Given all of this, I rate the book at a 4.5 out of 5 stars and believe it’s an essential part of the collection of any true “Alien” fan.

            FINAL NOTES: “The Alien Colonial Marines Operations Manual” is a supplement to the “Alien The Roleplaying Game” core rulebook, so you will need that book as well to plan and run adventures. The opinions expressed here are my own. The “Alien Colonial Marines Operations Manual” is available through your FLGS, major online book and game retailers, and through the Free League Publishing website (and if you purchase your book on the official FL website, they will include a free PDF copy of the book).