Publisher: Free League Publishing
RPG System: Year Zero
“In space, no one can hear you scream,” is still a chilling tagline that still goes hard to this day. Alien is a film that has spawned tons of media (Of varying quality) and has an incredible amount of potential in storytelling. It’s spooky, has limitless setting possibilities, and has some of the best monster designs in history. Of course, that tagline doesn’t apply to the tabletop when you are playing with a bunch of buddies at a table.
With the right group, Alien: The Roleplaying Game is plenty creepy and is just a good time. There are many areas for GMs and players to explore, and new tools for worldbuilding are always welcome. Building Better Worlds is appropriately an excellent campaign module for worldbuilding, though it does fall short in a few other ways. Still, it’s a nice addition to Alien, with a good amount of lore and a cool sandbox campaign for GMs who would rather play a pre-set campaign rather than craft entire storylines.
What Is Inside?
Building Better Worlds is a campaign module for Alien: The Roleplaying Game, offering players and Game Masters (GMs) all the necessary tools to embark on a full open-world campaign. Players will find many great chapters, with breakdowns on:
- History of Colonization: A comprehensive narrative detailing humanity’s quest for space colonization.
- Creating Explorers & Colonists: Expanded character creation rules tailored for life on the frontier.
- Gear & Ships: A meticulously illustrated chapter introducing new gear and spaceships.
- Extrasolar Species Catalog: A collection of new Xenomorphic creatures to challenge players.
- The Lost Worlds: A robust framework and backstory for a frontier campaign.
- Expeditions: Six thrilling expeditions into uncharted space, playable in any sequence.
- The Endgame: A climactic showdown that puts everything at stake.
- The Appendix: Tools to create and colonize your own frontier worlds.
Storytelling & Worldbuilding
Chapter 7 introduces 18 new systems across various regions, each with key attributes like location, climate, terrain, colonies, and resources, along with brief histories and current events to inspire GMs. Chapter 8, the Weyland-Yutani Extrasolar Species Catalog, presents a bestiary of new creatures such as Abominations and Xenomorphs Xenomorphs with descriptions, stat blocks, and attack tables. This detailed world-building section provides a rich backdrop for campaigns, though it lacks detailed mapsto drool over. Overall, these chapters enhance the universe-building aspects of the game, offering ample material for GMs to create immersive stories.
The “Lost Worlds” campaign invites players to step into the shoes of frontier colonists tasked with rediscovering and securing lost colonies in the Far Spinward Colonies, which vanished nearly a century ago. Players will search for these colonies, and then ensure the safety of their inhabitants. The campaign features six distinct colonies that suit themselves well for six sessions, plus one more that acts as the campaign’s climax. The book provides GMs with tons of tools that are perfect for sparking creativity without railroading the players. GMs are given great detail on the settings, characters, and circumstances.
The campaign is structured to span approximately seven sessions, with the potential for more if the colonization mechanics are thoroughly explored. Players who enjoy sandbox elements and exploration will find this campaign particularly rewarding. While combat is present, the focus on exploration and settlement building offers a refreshing change of pace.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Building Better Worlds introduces two new career paths for characters: Wildcatter and Entertainer. Both careers are very specific, but also unique. The Wildcatter is a prospector or surveyor who specializes in exploring new worlds to identify natural resources and assess their suitability for colonization. The Entertainer is a character who can be a performer. Each career has a clear role to play – The Wildcatter is better for exploration, while the Entertainercan excel in established colonies or spaceports.
The module also brings many new vehicles, perfectly complementing the colonization theme. The addition of colony rules, though somewhat situational and rule-lite to allow for creative freedom, could benefit from a bit more structure. Still, the freedom to explore potentially big planets is a welcome addition that lends itself well to the narrative-driven Year Zero engine.
There are enough rules here to create deep management simulation games, enabling players to focus on colonization. Sure, the GM can throw in a Xenomorph encounter now and again, but this is a great book for creating generic space colonization sandboxes too.
Those who are wanting tons of new rules will be disappointed, as this is mostly just a module that focuses on its namesake: colonization. You don’t get tons of new enemies that mix things up. The careers are unique but don’t feel too different.
Artwork & Presentation
Building Better Worlds excels in its presentation, featuring a wealth of lore and visually appealing design. The book is easy to navigate and full of visual flair, enhancing the overall experience. However, the bestiary falls short, offering few new creatures and lacking sufficient artwork for the ones included. Despite this, the campaign’s duration and potential for expansion make it a solid addition for fans of exploration, worldbuilding, and storytelling.
At 296 pages, this hardcover book is nice and hefty too.
