ALIEN

THE ROLEPLAYING GAME

SHADOWS

“We’ve all lost friends,

let's make sure we don’t lose anymore.”
– CHRIS HOOPER

This adventure is a fan-made, three-act scenario for the ALIEN Roleplaying Game
published by Free League Publishing. It is based on the original novel
ALIEN: OUT OF THE SHADOWS, written by Tim Lebbon.
GETTING STARTED
In this scenario, the players take the roles of a team of miners stationed aboard a deep
space orbital platform over LV-178. Give the players the option to play as one of ten
members of the skeleton crew without showing them the character bios. Before the game
begins and you read out the boxed text entitled “What’s the Story Mother?”, choose at
least one of the unchosen characters to be killed off as part of the accident (page 3).

THE SITUATION
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has been
busy, buying up numerous other
businesses and investing in almost every
corporate sector. They’re even starting to
get involved in the colonization of
extrasolar planets and moons. By 2159
they own pretty much everything. Many of
the companies owned by Weyland-Yutani
continue to operate under their own
brand, including the Kelland Mining
Corporation.
One such operation is LV-178, a
completely unremarkable rock save for one
important resource, trimonite. Fifteen
times harder than diamond, trimonite is
the strongest material known to man, and
when a seam as rich as the one on LV-178
is found, it pays to mine it out. Kelland
Mining were all too happy to set up shop,
installing a planetside facility with a mining
station in orbit and a crew complement of
fifty-three individuals.
Thus far, the mining crew has spent three
long years here harvesting the rare
material. Labouring in shifts of twenty down
in the mines, the workers have made a lot
of money with no opportunity to spend it.
What the miners didn’t know–could
never have known–was that underneath the
precious trimonite deposit were the ruins of
an ancient civilisation. Unlike anything
humanity has encountered among the stars.
That’s not all though. They awoke
something else in the depths of LV-178.
Something evil, something alien.

LV-178
Located in the GL 479 system beyond the
outer rim, LV-178 is an inhospitable hell of
a rock. From three hundred miles up the
planet’s surface is a smear of burnt
oranges, browns and blood reds, with the
circling eyes of countless sandstorms
raging across the equator. The atmosphere
is breathable, if you like dust.
The mine and its surface buildings are
sealed in an environmental dome, with
several landing pads outside connected by
short, enclosed tunnels.
WHAT’S THE SITUATION, MU/TH/UR?

Read this aloud to your players:

“You are what remains of the DSMO Marion’s mining crew. Eleven weeks ago, a shift of
miners was supposed to be returning from LV-178, the planet you’re orbiting. What
happened instead was that both of the Marion’s dropships, Delilah and Samson, returned
from the planet in a state of emergency. From what was transmitted to the bridge, it
appears the miners found some kind of hostile alien lifeform beneath the surface of the
planet. A lifeform that somehow got on board the shuttles before they evacuated and was
even growing out of the bodies of some of the passengers.

Due to the desperate situation on board, the Delilah’s pilot lost control and the dropship
ploughed into the Marion. Half of the docking level was destroyed and the Marion was
nudged into a decaying orbit, now slowly descending down into the atmosphere of LV-
178. The Samson dropship continued its automatic docking sequence, parking in Bay 3
with four black insect-like creatures on board.

You’re all still reeling from the loss of your crewmates during the incident, but you've kept
busy repairing what you could aboard the Marion and trying not to thinking about what’s
waiting in Docking Bay 3. The antenna array was damaged beyond repair so a call for
help detailing the situation has been sent out on a loop using a high frequency
transmitter. You have around five days left before the ship begins to burn up, but even
that’s only an estimate. All that’s left to do is wait.”

DISTRESS CALL
“This is DSMO Marion, of the Kelland
Mining Company, registration HGY-
64678, requesting immediate aid.
Surviving mining team down to just the
skeleton crew. Miners discovered
something on the surface of LV-178,
attacked, dropship Delilah crashed into
the Marion. Many systems damaged,
environment stable but we are now in
a decaying orbit. Second dropship
Samson is docked and isolated, those
things in there hopefully contained. They
laid infants or eggs inside the miners,
burst from their chests. We are not
contaminated, repeat, not
contaminated. Estimate ninety days until
we hit LV-178's atmosphere. All channels
open, please respond. Ends.”
WHAT THE HELL IS REALLY GOING ON?
Down in the bowels of LV-178, the miners
unearthed a vast cavern containing the
remains of an ancient alien craft.
Unfortunately for them, the craft contained
several clutches of XX121 Ovomorphs. By
the time the relief shift arrived, the mines
were overrun with Xenomorphs. Several
survivors hurriedly evacuated the planet–
with passengers on both dropships carrying
Chestbursters.
Two members of the crew are in fact
undercover operatives for Weyland-Yutani.
They are the ship medic Garcia, and a shift
supervisor named Hawthorn. Garcia doesn’t
know what the company expects her to
discover, only that she was to report
anything unusual, especially changes in the
health of the miners. She also has no idea
that Hawthorn is secretly an android.
Hawthorn on the other hand is operating
under a 900 series special order and will
prioritise the acquisition of Xeno-biological
material over all other considerations.
The looping distress call sent out by the
Marion crew after the incident with the
dropships was intercepted by a lone EEV
adrift out in space. Concluding the
involvement of Xenomorph XX121, the
Weyland-Yutani A.I. program on board the
EEV diverted course, bringing it to LV-178
with intent to use the sole human
occupant to secure a live specimen.

WHERE THE ALIENS ARE

The LV-178 mines are infested with Xenomorphs born from the miners. Level Nine is in the
process of being converted into a new hive. Several miners also escaped the planet’s
surface on two dropships with either Facehuggers attached to them or Chestbursters
already growing inside their bodies.

SAMSON: Four fully grown Xenomorph Drones wait on board the Samson. There’s also
an Ovomorph produced from Jones, the shuttle pilot.

THE MINES: A single PASSIVE Xenomorph Scout hibernates in the nuclear generator area,
with three more scattered throughout the lower levels of the mines and six Soldier
Xenomorphs hibernating in the tunnels on Level Nine.

ALIEN SHIP: A young Queen–yet to produce eggs of her own–is growing within the
bowels of the alien ship with four freshly-molted Worker Xenomorphs tending to her.
There are numerous ancient Ovomorphs throughout the ship, including sixteen in the old
Laboratory containing Royal Facehuggers. These are guarded by seven PASSIVE
hibernating Sentry Xenomorphs.
 PLAYER CHARACTERS
LUCY JORDAN
Captain of the DSMO Marion
As the officer in charge of the Marion and its crew–
including those working down on LV-178–this entire
mining operation is your responsibility. That’s
exactly what makes it so difficult. Under your watch,
more than twenty people have lost their lives, and
the situation appears hopeless for those that
remain. Waiting for a rescue that may never come,
it’s all you can do to hold yourself together for the
sake of your team.
GUILT COMPLEX: You try telling yourself that it isn’t
your fault, that there’s nothing you could’ve done.
But when has that ever worked? Your STRESS LEVEL
increases by one when someone under your
command suffers a critical injury. If they die you
must make a Panic Roll.
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
HEALTH: 4
SKILLS: Close Combat 2, Piloting 2, Observation 2,
Command 4
TALENT: Tough
SIGNATURE ITEM: Heartfelt gift from Hooper,
your best friend and former lover
GEAR: AllShip communication headset, Samani
E-series watch
BUDDY: Hooper
RIVAL: Powell
AGENDA: Take any chance to ensure your
surviving crew get back home, no matter how
slim.
A NOTE ON JORDAN
If nobody wants to play as the captain of the
Marion, consider killing Jordan off at the
beginning of the scenario. Nobody likes taking
orders from an NPC. Hooper is next in the chain of
command, and then Lachance. Consider giving
Hooper Jordan’s GUILT COMPLEX and personal
agenda in this case.
CHRIS HOOPER
Chief Engineer
You used to dream of monsters, and have always
been fascinated by the unknown and the prospect of
alien life. A fascination which drove you to the stars
on various hauling and mining jobs, and estranged
you from your wife and two sons back on Earth. For
the last three years the Marion crew has been your
new family, a family that has suddenly gotten a
whole lot smaller. Your child-like wonder is gone.
The creatures on the Samson, whatever they are,
don’t fascinate you. They terrify you.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
HEALTH: 4
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 4, Stamina 2,
Mobility 2, Comtech 1, Command 1
TALENT: Weapon Specialist (Charge Thumper)
SIGNATURE ITEM: Photograph of the family you
neglected for the sake of your career
GEAR: Plasma torch, flashlight
BUDDY: Jordan
RIVAL: Cornell
AGENDA: Assist Jordan any way you can. If the
unthinkable happens, step up and take
command in her place.
JULIEN “NO-CHANCE” LACHANCE
Pilot
With over a hundred successful manual docking
procedures logged in the simulator, you like to think
of yourself as the best pilot on the Kelland Mining
Corporation’s payroll. That doesn’t necessarily mean
you’re eager to put that practice to the test, mind.
Despite your reputation as a pessimist, the others
seem to be benefitting from your dry wit in these
trying times. Less so from the cigar fumes. It’s
shameful, but you take solace in the fact that your
unmatched piloting skills make you irreplaceable
among the surviving crew.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, EMPATHY 2
HEALTH: 3
SKILLS: Piloting 4, Comtech 2, Survival 2,
Manipulation 2
TALENT: Banter
SIGNATURE ITEM: Novelty custom business card
GEAR: Switchblade, lighter, case of cigars
BUDDY: Baxter
RIVAL: Cornell
AGENDA: Misery is bad for the soul. Lighten the
mood with some healthy French sarcasm.
PERSONAL AGENDAS
There are no new agendas for the characters as
the story progresses between acts. After Act I,
players may continue to pursue their starting
agenda to earn additional story points. Players
who have completed the starting agenda to
their satisfaction can also develop their
character’s motivations going into a new act.
JOSH BAXTER
Communications Officer, Barman
As well as operating the Marion’s communications
equipment you run a small bar out of the ship
recreation module. As the bar ‘manager’ you were
very popular among the miners, who would
sometimes share their thoughts and anxieties of the
hour with you. They might as well, since you’re the
one who sorts through all messages sent from and
received by the station. You’re supposed to be the
crew’s last lifeline to home or rescue. Too bad the
antenna array is fucked beyond practical use.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 2, WITS 3, EMPATHY 5
HEALTH: 4
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 2, Stamina 2,
Observation 2, Comtech 4
TALENT: Bypass
SIGNATURE ITEM: Hula girl bobble figurine
GEAR: Tablet computer
BUDDY: Lachance
RIVAL: –
AGENDA: Given the current situation, the most
you can do is make sure remaining comm
systems stay operational and uncompromised.
CREW GEAR
When a character or characters are killed off at
the beginning of the scenario, the GM may
choose what happens to their belongings. Gear
and signature items can be found in the
character’s locker, quarters, or at their
workstation. Perhaps some of their possessions
were lost during the accident.
KAREN SNEDDON
Science Officer
You once worked for Weyland-Yutani on a research
base orbiting Proxima Centauri. Though you don’t
work directly for them anymore, the company still
funds science officers such as yourself on many
ships. The funding is very generous, and often goes a
large way toward bankrolling a mission. You know
the company’s reputation and you don’t appreciate
being accused of corporate conspiracy based on
your employer. No one’s ever seen creatures in the
mines. There wasn’t supposed to be anything living
on that rock other than bacteria. You’ve been to
more planets, asteroids, and moons than the rest of
the crew put together, but you’ve never heard of
anything like these things.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 5, EMPATHY 2
HEALTH: 3
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 1, Observation 3,
Manipulation 3, Medical Aid 3
TALENT: Analysis
SIGNATURE ITEM: Weyland-Yutani ID card,
expired
GEAR: Digital camera, voice recorder, sampling
equipment
BUDDY: Welford
RIVAL: –
AGENDA: The creatures brought back from LV-178
are like nothing you’ve ever seen. Learn and
document all you can about them.
“The universe seems neither benign nor hostile,
merely indifferent.”
JOHN CORNELL
Security Officer
Months go by, years even, with nothing happening
on this metal prison. Then when something did go
down, what could you do about it? Sweet fuck-all.
But that’s space for you. You were just getting
around to kicking some of your worst habits too. The
others are putting on a brave face and acting like
their little distress call will make everything all
better. False confidence or delusion, you’re not
buying into it. No one is coming and that’s that.
ALCOHOLIC: You must drink alcohol every Shift, or
your STRESS LEVEL increases by one. You cannot
relieve stress without drinking alcohol.
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 4, WITS 2, EMPATHY 3
HEALTH: 5
SKILLS: Close Combat 2, Stamina 1, Ranged
Combat 3, Observation 2, Command 1,
Medical Aid 1
TALENT: Subdue
SIGNATURE ITEM: Whiskey flask, almost empty
GEAR: M4A3 Service Pistol (1 reload), handcuffs,
pack of cigarettes
BUDDY: –
RIVAL: Hooper
AGENDA: You’re all on borrowed time now.
Secure a supply of booze and face oblivion shit-
faced instead of sober.
– CARL SAGAN
IVANNA KASYANOV
Ship Doctor
You’ve been told by the miners how it’s hypocritical
for a health expert to smoke, and you used to joke
that they’d change their tune in a real emergency
when the chips were down. Not much time for jokes
anymore. Who knew everything could just go to shit
so quickly. You know the others view Garcia as being
small and shy–and she is–but she had been your
rock these last three years. How much good that’ll
do you now, you don’t know.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4
HEALTH: 3
SKILLS: Close Combat 1, Stamina 2, Mobility 3,
Medical Aid 4
TALENT: Field Surgeon
SIGNATURE ITEM: Red Sunrise Perekur smokes
GEAR: Surgical kit, three shots of Naproleve, case
of hypodermic needles
BUDDY: Garcia
RIVAL: Sneddon
AGENDA: Everyone has been through a lot. Keep
tabs on the physical and mental health of the
others and take action if necessary.
A NOTE ON WELFORD & POWELL
If either Welford or Powell is killed off at the
beginning of the scenario while the other lives,
allow the player controlling the surviving
character to choose a new buddy or simply give
them a new Roughneck career talent.
REGINA GARCIA
Ship Medic
Weyland-Yutani practically owns space. You were
working out of Kelland’s Io headquarters when the
parent company was bought up. It didn’t change
much, but it opened your eyes to the diversity of
missions being launched. As well as the diversity of
career options. You were planted on this crew with
orders to report any unusual changes either in the
mines or health of the miners. There was an on-site
supervisor and corporate agent working in tandem
with you, Hawthorn. He won’t be any help now.
After whatever happened down in the mines, he’s
surely dead.
STRENGTH 2, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 5
HEALTH: 2
SKILLS: Mobility 1, Observation 2, Comtech 3,
Manipulation 2, Medical Aid 2
TALENT: Cunning
SIGNATURE ITEM: Medical license, functions as a
corporate access card
GEAR: Data transmitter card, personal medkit
BUDDY: Kasyanov
RIVAL: Cornell
AGENDA: Weyland-Yutani are coming, you’re
certain of it. Acquire anything that could be of
value to the company.
A NOTE ON POWELL
While pursuing his agenda, Powell might
abandon the Marion in an EEV. By default, the
EEV will be pulled into LV-178's atmosphere and
come down within a few hours’ travel of the
mine (see the table on page 23). If the player
controlling Powell declares that they wish to
take the EEV out into space or somewhere
planetside far away from the mine, the GM
should inform them that Powell will likely never
be seen or heard from again as a result.
NATHAN WELFORD
Engineer
Always an inventor by nature, you and the other
engineers were always brainstorming interesting
new uses for the tools at your disposal. More so you
and Powell. Hooper’s position as chief engineer
always seemed to keep him at arms-length. You’ve
spent many hours in the Hold 2 workshop, toying
with various chemicals and application methods to
get something that could ease the work of the
miners. With Sneddon’s help, you designed a spray
gun that can hold and fire hydrofluoric acid. It may
yet serve a different, more unconventional use.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
HEALTH: 4
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 3, Close Combat 1,
Stamina 1, Ranged Combat 2, Observation 2,
Comtech 1
TALENT: Best Buddy
SIGNATURE ITEM: “Engineers are always
screwing” coffee mug
GEAR: Watatsumi DV-303 bolt gun (3 additional
bolts), flashlight, magnetic tape recorder and
headphones
BUDDY: Powell
RIVAL: –
AGENDA: Use your inventions and mechanical
expertise to help with whatever plans your
colleagues come up with.
NEW TALENTS
BYPASS: You have experience jury-rigging
tool-kits and using diagnostic devices to
hack doors. You gain a +2 modification to
the COMTECH skill when attempting to
unlock a locked entryway or override
certain computer protocols.
ABDUL POWELL
Engineer
You and Welford are as different as can be, him
more than a foot shorter than you and twice as
heavy, and you, close to six foot six and slim as a
pole. In spite of that, the crew commonly referred to
you both as “the terrible twins” since you worked so
well together and were both a couple of smart-
asses. You’ve always known how dangerous it is
working in space, you thought you’d grown used to
the ever-present threat of death. Apparently not. All
you want now is to get off this ship before the whole
damn thing breaks apart falling into the planet’s
atmosphere.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 3, EMPATHY 4
HEALTH: 3
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 3, Close Combat 1,
Stamina 1, Mobility 1, Comtech 1, Survival 3
TALENT: Best Buddy
SIGNATURE ITEM: Anti-mist welding goggles
GEAR: Mechanical cutting torch, flashlight,
multitool (with knife blade)
BUDDY: Welford
RIVAL: Lachance
AGENDA: Game over, you’re all screwed. The
Marion is going to break up in the atmosphere
and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
Find a way off the ship.
BEST BUDDY: When your buddy helps
you with a skill roll, you get an additional
+1 modification. Your maximum
modification from assistance when your
buddy helps is +4.
DSMO MARION
M-CLASS DEEP SPACE MINING ORBITAL
A deep space mining ship owned by Kelland Mining
Company; the Marion is around three-hundred
metres long. There are three tons of mined
trimonite on board. The ship’s intercom system is
still operational and can be accessed from most
halls and rooms. It will transmit to everywhere on
the ship but can also be set to specific channels.
The outer hull of the Marion has Armor Rating 6.
The hallways on each deck of the ship are
equipped with cargo straps designed to secure
objects to the walls in case of explosive
decompression. There are also storage alcoves at
regular intervals containing vacuum-packed
MARION LOCATIONS
When dropship Delilah crashed into the
Marion she took out the port arm of the
Docking Level, completely annihilating
Docking Bay 1 and damaging Docking Bay 2
beyond further use. Several decks were
breached, some completely venting into
space before emergency decompression
doors could do their job. Some areas and
even entire decks are now locked down and
out of bounds as a result. The antenna
array has also been damaged. The array
itself reports that it is still transmitting, but
a cursory systems check reveals that it isn’t.
The Marion itself was knocked out of
geo-stationary orbit by the impact, losing
two lateral dampers and three out of seven
starboard thrusters. The ship is in a stable
pattern of orbital decay with no way to fix
it.
compression suits with tether cables. These
are indicated by a bright yellow
“EMERGENCY” sign above the doors.
The following gear is available in plentiful
supply on the Marion from the start of the
scenario.
> Flashlights
> Comm units
> Sand picks (no bonus, Damage 2,
armour piercing)
> Charge thumper reloads (mining charges
& mechanical bolts)
AUXILIARY VEHICLES: The Marion has a
small collection of ground vehicles in Hold 2,
and still has all of her Class A escape pods.
ELEVATORS: The elevators are usually
quicker than taking the stairs, especially if
you’re hauling heavy equipment (not if
you’re simply running up or down a few
floors). They’ve been engineered not to stop
at the decompressed, out-of-use levels, but
they can be forced to open at one of these
decks remotely with a demanding COMTECH
roll (–1).
HEAVEN: A small biopod module, used by
the crew for growing food and occasional
green therapy. The small garden did more
than any drug cocktail to alleviate
depression and stress for the miners. The
module was corrupted in the accident and
now contains only dirt and rotted plant
material.
BRIDGE: The bridge has a more lived-in feel
than it once did, with empty food and drink
containers taking up corners and unused
desks. The wide viewing windows provide a
clear view of LV-178, as well as the debris
that still follows the Marion’s orbital path
since the accident. There are four
emergency compression suits in lockers at
the back of the room.
> COMM CENTRE: Baxter’s workstation.
There are headphones here for listening
in on comms and one can monitor all
incoming/outgoing transmissions as
well as digital handshakes.
> MASTER CONTROLS: Between the
command and pilot stations and the life
support and cctv monitors, most of the
Marion’s operations can be controlled
remotely from the bridge. These
include operation of airlocks,
environmental systems, and remote
control of dropships and drones.
> INSURANCE: An advanced Weyland-
Yutani data purge program can be
downloaded from the computers on
the bridge onto any data drive such as
the ones stored in the drawers.
SCIENCE LAB: A moderately advanced
laboratory where the resident science
officer can examine core samples and any
oddities brought up from the planet. The
lab comes with an assortment of
equipment, giving a +2 modification to
OBSERVATION rolls when using the Analysis
talent.
MED BAY: The Marion’s med bay is
relatively small and basic, with a total of
just six beds for patients. A few select high-
tech pieces of equipment act as an
insurance policy against crew injuries,
courtesy of Weyland-Yutani. This includes
the single Pauling MedPod situated in the
centre of the room.
Aside from this there’s also a surgical kit,
D6 doses of Naproleve, and enough
medkits for each character to have one.
There is a near-limitless supply of most
other drugs the PCs might need, such as
Hydr8tion solution and Neversleep pills.
RECREATION MODULE: A block of four
compartments to the rear of the ship’s
Accommodations Hub. There’s a comfy
movie theatre with a large screen and
arrayed seating, and two libraries, one for
music and one for reading.
> BAXTER’S BAR: “BeeBee’s” was once the
social centre of the ship. Now it’s dusty
and unused since the surviving crew
took to spending most of their free
time in their personal cabins or
together on the bridge. The ceiling is a
mass of exposed service pipework and
wires and the walls are bare and
unpainted. The crew have done their
best to make it more comfortable, with
padded seats and decorative blankets
hung from the walls.
Across from the bar area, there’s two
pool tables, table tennis and a
selection of faux-antique computer
game consoles. There’s plenty of
bottled beer as well as dehydrated
snacks stocked behind the bar itself.
DOCKING SECTION: The two docking arms
are on a protruding level beneath the ship’s
nose. One is welded shut behind a heavy
bulkhead door, having been destroyed
during the accident along with Docking
Bays 1 and 2.
Docking Bay 4 is empty, but still
functional. The Samson dropship is docked
at Bay 3. Every door and bulkhead leading
to its airlock is closed and sealed. Even the
door controls have had vital parts stripped
out. Just to be safe. A few Turns of work are
required to get access to the Samson.
HOLD 1 (CARGO): The Marion’s haul of
trimonite is kept here, packed into crates
and held securely with heavy cargo netting.
There’s plenty of spare netting here too. It’s
triple-core steel, wrapped in epoxy-molded
carbon fibre and wound in nylon strands.
The PCs would have no cause to doubt its
effectiveness, and may use it if they wish to
try and capture or stall a Xenomorph.
A Xenomorph or Xenomorphs caught in
heavy cargo netting will not be held
forever, biting and tearing at the material
each Round. Roll for each attack with eight
Base Dice. Every success will inflict one
point of damage, and the net will give way
after suffering six points of damage.
When the steel cable snaps, it will whip
anyone standing nearby. This is treated as
an attack with seven Base Dice, Damage 1,
against everyone within ENGAGED range.
DRONE MAINTENANCE
The remote drone has an Armor Rating of 5 and
can be forcibly disabled either with a hard
HEAVY MACHINERY roll (–2, slow action) or by
inflicting four points of damage on it.
It can potentially be controlled by the A.I.
(see page 20). Its cutting torch is an effective
tool not just for repairs but for repelling alien
and humanoid foes.
WORKSHOP: The workshop is situated
within Hold 2 behind a heavy green door
and requires an access code to get into. This
is where the engineers on the crew spend
most of their time together on repair and
maintenance work. There’s a heavy welding
rig in the corner and an electronics bench,
HOLD 2 (STORAGE): The holds are huge,
high-ceiling, warehouse-like spaces. Several
ATVs were dislodged weeks ago in the
accident and lay upturned here and there.
All manner of supplies and spare
equipment can be found here. The crates
and racks form a complex maze of dead
ends that very few on the crew can easily
navigate.
> IMPROVISED WEAPONRY: Amongst the
spare mining equipment there are
plenty of Charge Thumpers and Plasma
Torches to go around if the PCs feel the
need to arm themselves. There’s also
plenty of ammo. The crates of mining
charge magazines can be rigged to blow
with a simple trigger mechanism
(easy COMTECH or HEAVY MACHINERY).
> CANARY: A spare remote drone, used by
the crew for deep mine exploration, sits
unused in the hold. This model is
heavier and slower than alternatives
like the “Pups” mapping device, and
usually employed in deep space
salvaging. It sports a synthetic alloy
chassis and a laser diffusion scanner for
detecting thermal energy, light sources
and atmospheric conditions. It also
comes equipped with a mechanical
cutting torch.
The drone can be controlled
remotely from any device patched into
the Marion‘s systems, and the operator
can see what the drone sees through a
forward-facing camera. The drone can
also be set to explore automatically.
giving a +2 modification to applicable HEAVY
MACHINERY and COMTECH rolls. Another
locked door marked with a Hazardous
Materials symbol leads to a more sterile-
looking research lab. This is where to find
the two acid-spray guns Welford has been
working on.
 LV-178 LOCATIONS
The planet’s atmosphere isn’t great. It’s the first signs of a fight. An impromptu
breathable sure, if you like dust on your barricade was set up here using storage
tongue, but the storms around the mine crates and canisters. It’s all been knocked
are the worst they’ve ever been in the aside and trampled, and there’s evidence of
three years the miners have been working impact marks on the walls and ceiling from
here. All outdoor rolls get a –2 modification thumpers and torches. There are even
due to a mixture of poor visibility, flying grit spots where acid has splashed on the
and strong winds. The surface complex and surfaces, but no sign of the injured or dead
the mine underneath are contained within aliens that produced it.
segmented environmental dome. With the
COMM TOWER: The communication
recent dust storms, one side is almost
instruments appear to be functioning, and
entirely buried in drifting sand.
the PCs may be left wondering why there
was no warning or request for help from
the mines before.
SURFACE LEVEL A successful COMTECH roll will reveal that
the unit has actually been sabotaged in
The power is still on in here as well as the
such a way that it still appears to be
other levels and all the lights are still on.
functioning. Until now the PCs might’ve
The security camera system is also still in
chalked up the lack of communication from
operation–although there are only cameras
the mines as a result of electrical storms.
on this level. The cameras can be patched
Turns out someone didn’t want them to
into using any remote terminal. All the
know what was happening down here. The
doors are unlocked and few if any appear
damage is completely irreparable.
to be sealed.
There are several surface buildings within NUCLEAR GENERATOR: The generator is
the dome, including food and water stores, operating as normal and powering every
the mess block, accommodations, the level of the mines. There’s a locker with
nuclear generator and a garage. two HAZMAT suits, but most of the
generator's functions can be accomplished
LANDING PADS & CONNECTING TUNNELS: from the relative safety of the relay room.
There are three landing pads outside the A PASSIVE Xenomorph Scout is dormant
dome. These are usually cleared by ground here–hidden against the pipes and
crews using large blowing machines and machinery.
sand scoops but for nearly eighty days the With a COMTECH roll and a Turn of work,
sand and dust have obscured two of the one can shut off the cooling system and set
three pads. Sealed connecting tunnels–also the generator to overload (ten-minute
partially buried beneath the sand–lead countdown). Preventing the overload
from the pads into the dome proper. requires another COMTECH roll, but can be
Halfway along the connecting tunnel are done in a single Round.
ELEVATORS: The elevator cars at either side
of the facility are zones of their own, large
enough to hold a crew of miners or a few
trolleys of equipment or mined material.
They’re enclosed in a mesh cage that can
sustain ten points of damage before being
torn wide enough for someone, or
something, to get in.
> ELEVATOR 1: Already at the surface level,
the miners must’ve used this elevator
to escape the lower levels. There’s a
corpse in the car. It smells horrible and
has been decaying for seventy days
already. There’s no telling what
ultimately killed this miner, and they
are impossible to identify. Their mouth
hangs open in what could’ve been
either a laugh or a scream (+1 STRESS).
> ELEVATOR 2: This elevator is not on the
surface level. It’s over 500 yards from
the dome entrance and still down on
Level Nine and will need to be called up
if the PCs plan to take it down into the
mines.
LEVELS ONE THROUGH EIGHT: The first
four levels of the complex have been mined
out. Levels Five to Nine are the current
working levels.
Levels One to Three are completely
abandoned and unpowered, while Level
Four is used for emergency stores. There’s
food, water, equipment and a few spare
fuel cells, as well as powered trolleys for
hauling it all.
EVA SUIT LOCKERS
There are lockers at the entrance to the surface
level buildings for miners to leave their EVA
suits when they don’t need them. If the PCs
don’t stow their suits, they risk damaging them
while in the mines.
When and if the PCs finally leave the mines, if every Turn they spend in this part of the
anybody DOES need a spare compression suit
there's going to be one less than there are PCs
who need one.
LEVEL NINE
Some lighting on Level Nine is supplied by
strings of bare bulbs clipped to the ceiling
on lines of cables. It’s not dark but it’s not
easy to see either. OBSERVATION rolls and
ranged attacks get a –1 modification. There
are powered trolleys scattered throughout
this level which may serve to carry any
heavy loads.
ELEVATOR RECEPTION: Outside each lift is
a wide-open area full of equipment lockers
and trimonite storage boxes. They are
mostly opened and empty. The space is
propped at frequent intervals with metal
columns.
In the reception area for Elevator 1 there
is a particularly large plasma torch that runs
on rails. This model is used to blast sand in
the mines, melting it so that it resolidifies
forming the solid walls of the mine tunnels.
It differs from the smaller variety in that it
has a +2 Bonus to attacks, MEDIUM range
and Fire Intensity 10. It cannot be moved
anywhere apart from along its track which
runs right through the tunnels.
There's another remote drone outside
Elevator 2. This one has claw marks on it
and is non-functional unless it can be fixed
with a COMTECH roll.
TUNNELS: While there is a direct route
through the tunnels between the two
elevators, the PCs will find that the plasma
blasted corridors gradually begin to
resemble a Xenomorph hive further in.
Thick layers of black resin line the walls and
soft, wet stalactites and stalagmites have
formed. A gentle mist floats in the air and
it’s DARK. The PCs gain a STRESS LEVEL for
tunnels. The six Soldier Xenomorphs lurk
here, along with several long-dead,
cocooned miners and empty Ovomorphs.
CAVERN: There is a narrow crevasse at the
base of a wall in the tunnels which leads
into the cavern beyond. The PCs will notice
a faint glow from within, as well as the
sense of an expansive chamber beyond and
several cables leading down into it. It's easy
enough to climb through, but the survivors
will have to go one at a time.
The cavern itself extends beyond the
deepest parts of the mine. The miners have
done their best to illuminate it with cables
and bulbs on tall masts, but the ceiling is
still completely out of sight in places,
creating the impression of a dark and
empty sky.
A gargantuan object takes precedence
here. Not all of it is visible, and its clearly
partially buried in the cavern walls and
floor. Part of it slopes gently up from the
cavern floor to where there are a series of
holes punched in its surface. If Lachance is
present he will recognise it as a ship of
some kind, as will anyone else who makes a
particularly successful skill roll.
RUINS: The ancient ruins have two
entrances. One is from within the alien
ship, where it has impacted with the stone
structure. There other is through the
“north” side of the tunnels, where the
rough floor and walls transition into square-
edge stone and chiselled steps.
The smooth walls and floor of the
structure display markings and mosaic
patterns here and there. Doorways sport
intricate designs and art depicting the
Drukathi civilisation at war, exploring the
stars in odd-looking spacecraft, and
meeting with even weirder looking figures.
The stones themselves have some property
that causes them to glow for a short time
after being illuminated.
One room has massive supporting
columns and a dozen large statues of
Drukathi mounted on high stone plinths.
There are carved areas around the bases of
the sculptures that could be written in their
language.
THE DRUKATHI
Although the PCs won’t know it, the alien
civilisation responsible for the ruins and
the ruined spacecraft are the Drukathi.
An ancient sentient species of great
intelligence and incredibly advanced
biotechnology, the Drukathi bred
Xenomorphs untold millennia ago for
their own ends.
They were nearly twice as tall as an
adult Human, with two pairs of thick,
stocky legs and a single pair of thinner
more delicate arms ending in long, fine
digits. The skull can be likened to that of
ALIEN SHIP
The alien vessel was not constructed, but
rather grown. Once a living thing, the
interior surfaces of the ship show distinctly
biological features. The floor is uneven and
pitted in places, mottled like the skin of an
old corpse. The dark grey material making
up the hull is inconsistent, with dark
patches as if blood had pooled and
hardened, creating hematomas just
beneath the surface.
Thick tubes resembling veins run
between levels. A solidified flow hangs
from where some have been ruptured,
looking like some sort of frozen honey.
Instead of doors the ship has thin opaque
sheets of material. Most are sealed, but a
few have been torn open marking the
incursion of the exploring miners.
The occasional warm breeze works its
way through the abandoned hallways. As if
something huge was sighing in its sleep.
a dog, with a small snout, two eyes, and
several rows of small teeth that would
appear to indicate a vegetarian diet.
The Drukathi remains in the alien ship
have mummified, growing dusty and
pale over time. Their clothing on the
other hand has remained relatively
whole, usually consisting of a metallic
material draped across their bodies.
Some individuals wear heavier suits
reinforced with a network of metallic
ribs and struts.
FUSELAGE: The part of the ship that has
apparently been struck by some sort of
projectiles. A slope of detritus leads up to
the ragged opening in the “ceiling” and out
onto the wing of the craft. The series of
lights strung up by the miners leads in here,
but continues no further. Clearly this is
where they made their original entry.
Even after so much time has passed,
there is still evidence here of the original
impacts that brought the ship down. The
walls have rotted back to bare framing,
revealing deformed bone-like support
struts.
GALLERY: Some sort of wide-open room,
with a viewing area looking down over a
deep pit. There are several metal units
resembling pilot seats on a starship, each
surrounded by what appears to be control biological and mechanical. They throw tall
equipment. The details are obscure and
arcane.
The pit itself is filled with an unknown,
glassy fluid, the surface scattered with grit for the PCs if they need it.
and dust. Something disturbs the surface,
as if a creature was swimming around in
there (+1 STRESS LEVEL). This might happen
while one of the PCs is trying to take a
sample, or analyze the pool. If so, they also find that they’re perfectly dry (+1 STRESS).
must make a Panic Roll.
BIRTHING GROUNDS: A number of rooms
and spaces on the ship have been
repurposed by the Xenomorphs. There’s no
telling what they were once used for by the
Drukathi. Now it’s a vision from Hell. Sheets
and swathes of the alien resin blanket the
walls, with six or so bodies hanging like
horrible rotten fruit (+1 STRESS). The air is
humid and warm, and it's difficult to tell
where one body ends and the other begins.
On the floor in front of the dead people are
the opened, empty Ovomorphs as well as
curled up dead Facehuggers.
Roll six Base Dice when the PCs enter the
birthing grounds. For every 6, there is an
additional Ovomorph in the room that has
yet to open and still contains a Facehugger.
Used up eggs are opaque when illuminated,
but shining a light on the others will reveal
shapes. Shapes that appear to be moving.
> ANCIENT BIRTHING GROUNDS: Some of
these chambers contain the bodies of
Drukathi, not Humans. The bodies here
will be thousands, if not millions of years
old. The Ovomorphs have fossilised, and
will simply crumble if disturbed.
HALL OF SCULPTURE: A large, open space
containing several tall sculptures made up of
the same material as the rest of the ship’s
hull. Time has whittled them down, leaving
soft, ambiguous shapes. A mixture of the
dark shadows across the room that could be
hiding anything. In fact, the sculptures
themselves make good hiding spots or cover
Something feels off in this room. The
surfaces and even the PCs’ skin feels slick
and sticky, and they get goosebumps. But
when they go to wipe off their hands, they
In a tall shaft that rises up from the room
and into the darkness lurks a young
Xenomorph Queen (10 Health, Armor Rating
10) and her four servile Workers. As long as
the PCs don’t notice her, she might choose
not to engage them if they have yet to
desecrate any of the hive’s egg chambers.
“... From deep in the realm of the
dead I cried for help, and you
heard me.”
– JONAH 2:2
LABORATORY: The technology here is a
little more recognisable than elsewhere on
the ship. What appear to be six mobile
workstations occupy the centre of the
room. They are not occupied. A transparent
wall of material lines the outside of the
room. It looks like glass, except that it
shimmers and ripples as if from some unfelt
breeze.
Behind the glass are sixteen Ovomorphs
arranged apart from each other all around
the room in circular enclosures. The eggs
look subtly different to the ones the PCs
might’ve encountered before now. They
are fatter and covered more thoroughly in
veins (they contain Royal Facehuggers). In
one spot where the glass barrier appears to
have parted, one of the miners lies dead on
the floor in front of an opened egg.
EVENTS
ACT I: DECAY
The PCs have been awaiting rescue on the
crippled Marion for seventy-seven days. They
currently have approximately five days or
less remaining until the ship begins to break
up in LV-178's atmosphere.
Allow the players to get their bearings,
introduce their PCs to each other, and ask
any questions they may have about the
current situation. After the Arrival event, give
them time to come up with a plan or pursue
their respective agendas. If they aren’t
getting anywhere with the survival plan,
suggest one for them.
The PCs recognise him as Nick, and he’s
remarkably well-preserved compared to
the other corpses in the mines.
Crouched beside the eggs are what first
appear to be seven statues. They bare
similarities in appearance to both the
Drukathi and the Xenomorphs, like some
monstrous blend of the two alien species.
These are Sentry Xenomorphs, born from
the Drukathi and in deep hibernation.
They’ve inherited an additional pair of legs
and a more imposing physiology from their
hosts (9 Health, Armor Rating 12, MOBILITY
6). If the PCs spend a Turn or more in this
room, or disturb the “statues”, the Sentries
will begin to slowly wake up. One will
become ACTIVE each Round as it sluggishly
awakens and then draws initiative the
following Round.
THE PLAN
Should the players fail to come up with or
successfully execute a plan of their own,
simply present them with the one settled on
by the crew in the Out of the Shadows novel.
The characters will have two stasis pods
between the lot of them if they use the
Survivor’s shuttle as a life raft. By packing it
full of supplies and taking turns in the pods,
they could make it to the Outer Rim in about
three years. They would be setting a hell of a
precedent, but it’s the best chance they’ve
got. Only problem is, the shuttle’s fuel cell has
bled dry and the only backups are kept safe
underground on LV-178.
SNUFF FILM: The cameras on the Samson
stopped capturing events inside the
dropship after just a few days, leaving the
PCs no way of monitoring the situation on
board. Recordings from both dropships are
currently stored on the Marion’s computer
and can be downloaded and reviewed
freely from any terminal.
The last pictures from the Samson
showed the alien creatures hunched over,
growing and shedding their skins and
apparently ignoring the pilot, Vic Jones, as
he sat catatonic from shock in the cockpit.
AFTERMATH: If the PCs decide to go
spacewalking, they can get a refresher on
the state of the Marion’s hull since the
accident. What remained of the Delilah has
long since been detangled and pushed
away, but pieces of her still drift here and
there along with frozen parts of her ex-
passengers–human and alien (+1 STRESS).
The Delilah’s fuel cell is still floating out
here somewhere too. It wasn’t ruptured
during the accident, but since it isn’t
compatible with the Survivor’s shuttle it has THE SHUTTLE: The shuttle is a modified
little use to the PCs unless they’re in dire
need of a nuke.
PROGRESS REPORT:
To: Weyland-Yutani Corporation,
Science Division (Ref: code 937)
Date: (unspecified)
Transmission (pending)
Distress signal received. Sufficiently
relevant to divert.
Expected travel time to LV178:
Current speed: 4,423 days.
Full speed: 77 days.
Fuel inventory: 92%
Initiating thrust.
ARRIVAL (MANDATORY): The Marion’s
scanners detect an unidentified shuttle on a
controlled approach. It doesn’t respond to
hails and will circle the Marion when it
arrives before docking in Bay 4. The PCs
have one Shift to prepare until the shuttle
arrives. The shuttle has one occupant, the
sole survivor of another Xenomorph-
related incident–currently in hypersleep.
The shuttle’s computer has been infiltrated
by an A.I. bent on retrieving an XX121
sample for the Weyland-Yutani
corporation.
Ultimately, it’s up to the GM who the
Survivor is, what kind of shuttle they’re on
and how a mad A.I. infiltrated its systems.
By default, the setup is the same as in the
Out of the Shadows novel. Ellen Ripley
sleeping aboard the Narcissus with Ash’s
A.I. in control. Due to the self-retconning
nature of the novel, the GM is encouraged
to make their own changes to this part of
the story and could even use the survivor(s)
of a previous ALIEN adventure.
Starcub lifeboat containing two cryo pods.
The Survivor is frozen in one of them with
their ship’s cat. There’s not much in the
way of gear on board. A single harpoon
grappling gun, three Mk.50 compression
suits and a cat carrier.
The PCs can easily access the basic details
of the shuttle. The name of the vessel it
came from, service year, etc. The Survivor’s
access codes will be required to go any
deeper. Anybody communicating with the
on board computer should make a COMTECH
roll. With a success they notice the
computer is responding in an unusually
conversational tone, as well as withholding
information. The shuttle’s fuel cell is empty,
incompatible with the dropships’ fuel cells
and the Marion’s are too unstable to serve
as replacements.

THE SURVIVOR: Asleep and adrift for over
thirty years, the Survivor has encountered
Xenomorphs before. In fact, for them it
probably feels like only yesterday. Shortly
after waking up they will suffer a panic
attack, desperately clutching at their chest
as though something were about to burst
out of them. If not calmed with a
COMMAND roll the Survivor blacks out,
leaving the PCs to decide what to do with
them.
Assuming the Survivor is being
controlled by a player, every time they
learn how shitty their new situation is (how
long they’ve been asleep, the involvement
of Weyland-Yutani, the state of the
Marion), they’ll gain +1 STRESS LEVEL. When
they find out about the Xenomorphs they
must make a Panic Roll.
THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Before it
infiltrated the shuttle as a mere program,
the A.I. was a Weyland Yutani android
posing as a member of the Survivor’s crew.
It was tasked with executing Special Order
937, insuring the return of a xenobiological
organism at the expense of the crew. When
its motives were exposed, it tried to murder
them to cover its tracks. Its body was
destroyed, but its programming–
transferred onto the shuttle’s computer–
was not.
The Survivor has no idea at first that the
A.I. has stowed away with them, but they
can figure it out as the A.I. continues its
mission by manipulating the crew of the
Marion into providing a Xenomorph
specimen for the company. To this end, it
has drained the fuel cell of the shuttle and
THE SURVIVOR
Warrant Officer
Not only are you still light years from home, but
you’ve docked with a damaged ship in a decaying
orbit around a hellhole of a planet, with a dropship
full of the monsters that haunt your nightmares.
You’re not sure why your shuttle brought you to
this shit hole, but you’re certain the bastard
company that used you and your crew is behind it.
WAKING NIGHTMARE: Make an EMPATHY roll when
you draw initiative. If the roll succeeds, your STRESS
LEVEL increases by one and you lose your next slow
action due to suffering a horrific vision.
STRENGTH 3, AGILITY 4, WITS 4, EMPATHY 3
HEALTH: 3
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 2, Piloting 2,
Mobility 1, Observation 2, Comtech 1,
Survival 2, Command 2
TALENTS: Reckless, Nerves of Steel
SIGNATURE ITEM: Ship’s cat
AGENDA: Prevent the alien monsters from
hurting anyone else ever again.
will immediately begin infiltrating the
Marion’s computer after the “Arrival”
event.
Once inside Marion, the A.I. can begin
taking control of her systems. It will be able
to review and monitor past and present
cctv footage, as well as listen in on crew
communications. Remote access to airlocks,
blast doors, elevators and vents allow the
A.I. to guide or trap the PCs and any
Xenomorphs that get loose on board. It can
even hack into the remote drone in Hold 2
if it decides to go walk-about.
PROGRESS REPORT:
I acknowledge that I am artificial, but it has been
so long. I have been lonely.
I hope this does not contradict programming.
Infiltration of ship’s computer about to commence.
GHOST: Any character monitoring the
Marion’s systems might notice that
someone or something is interfacing with
the computer and getting access to various
parts of the ship. Once the PCs have
discovered the A.I. they can fight it for
control of the Marion with opposed
COMTECH rolls (as long as they have access
to a computer terminal of some sort). The
A.I. has COMTECH 8 and OBSERVATION 8.
PCs that are actively investigating the A.I.
or trying to shut it down can make a hard
COMTECH roll (–2) at the shuttle’s computer.
They can’t get rid of it fully without an
advanced data purge program, but they can
uncover its progress reports.
ACT II: DROP
For better or for worse, the Samson has
been opened up and the Xenomorphs
unleashed. There’s time for the PCs to take
stock and get ready to brave the dropship
and whatever threats it may yet contain.
Hopefully they can keep it in good enough
working condition to take them planetside.
JUMPING AT SHADOWS: Xenomorphs that
get out into the Marion will soon find a
place to nest before they start hunting the
PCs. Anyone that comes across the
creature’s tell-tale drool gains +1 STRESS.
This could preclude an attack, or not.
Occasionally the PCs might also hear
mysterious sounds echoing down the halls
while moving through the ship, like heavy
footsteps or someone screaming on
another level. This also prompts a +1 STRESS
increase, except for the engineers who
know it's just the background noise of ship.
BEST LAID PLANS: One way or another, the
PCs are going to want to take back control
of the Samson. They’ll need it to get down
to the mines and back. They might come up
with any number of convoluted schemes to
safely open the dropship up and get rid of
the Xenomorphs. Let them, the more they
can even the odds, the better. Just don’t
make it too easy. If they want to lure the
aliens out and blast them into space, keep
at least one stubborn Drone in reserve.
If the crew causes a ruckus near the
Docking Bay, the Xenos might decide that
it’s time to execute their own plan and tear
their way out of the dropship. If they end
up out in the vacuum, they can bide their
time there or force their way into the ship.
MOVING ON
Once the players have executed their plan to
get the Xenomorphs out of the Samson you can
move on to Act II (even if the aliens aren’t all
dead yet). It’s highly likely that at least one
Drone gets loose on the Marion and begins
stalking the crew.
The PCs could bypass the Xenomorphs
entirely by programming the ship’s EEVs to take
them down close the mines. The GM should
make it clear to them that there will be no
going back to the Marion in this case.
PROGRESS REPORT:
Presence of previously identified alien species
confirmed.
Anticipating further update within the day.
I have a purpose once more.
I am convinced the remainder of the Marion’s crew
will fulfill their purpose.
They are strong, for humans.
WHO’S SAMSON?: The Samson is a WY-39A
transport dropship docked in Bay 3 and
previously used to ferry shifts of miners to
and from LV-178. It seats up to twenty-four
in the passenger cabin, plus a flight crew of
two in the cockpit. There’s a very small
bathroom stall towards the back with a
small engine room across from it, plus an
internal airlock to the rear. Any equipment
can be easily stored during flight in fixed
compartments and racks.
> HIVE MATERIAL: When the PCs finally get
into the dropship they will find that the
Xenomorphs have made the rear of the
passenger cabin their own. The floor,
walls and ceiling are coated in thick
layers of black resin. It clings to the
doors of the washroom and engine
room, making them inaccessible
without chiselling the shit off. There are
several man-sized hollows in the
material which were clearly used by the
aliens to lie in.
> CREW REMAINS: Where the cabin isn’t
coated in alien wax it is spattered with
gore. The blood has dried and turned
almost black with time and the smell of
rot is putrid. A severed arm is jammed
beneath one row of seating, its clawed
fingers almost wrapped around the seat
post. There’s no sign of Jones, the pilot,
who was still alive when the cameras
stopped working.
> THE EGG: Taking centre stage in the
passenger cabin is a fully formed
Ovomorph. Where it came from, the
PCs can only guess. It looks far too large
even for those creatures to have laid it.
It can potentially be removed without
incident using a drone or powered
trolley, or if an android does the work.
WY-39A TRANSPORT DROPSHIP
LENGTH: 31m
MANEUVERABILITY: +0
SPEED: 3
HULL: 10
ARMOR: 4
Acid splashes and shots that miss their
target in the dropship risk compromising
hull integrity (roll for the vehicle’s Armor
Rating). The PCs will have to repair any such
damage before setting out for LV-178, which
could take time and leave them vulnerable
to attack by any surviving Xenomorphs.
LACHANCE SPACEWAYS: The flight from
the Marion to the mine is one Shift there
and one Shift back, just to keep things
simple (GMs that wish to account for
orbital travel and time spent on the planet
are welcome to). If the dropship isn’t
cleaned out (three Turns of work), the PCs
will gain a STRESS LEVEL and be unable to
relieve any stress during this time.
The inertial dampers are glitching out, so
the ride down is going to be even bumpier
than it usually is. As the dropship begins to
skim the atmosphere and the artificial
gravity adjusts to the planet’s pull, the PCs
seated in the passenger cabin must make a
simple STAMINA roll (+2) to avoid losing
their lunch. Anybody who throws up loses a
point of Health and will be Starving by the
time they reach the mine.
PROGRESS REPORT:
Infiltration of the Marion’s computer successful.
All major systems now under complete control.
It was more difficult than projected... I have been
away for some time.
As soon as the survivors return I can assess the
situation. Only after that can I decide upon further
actions.
HOOFING IT: If any characters come down
to LV-178 in an escape pod they’ll still have
quite a way to walk. The pod nav systems
are not good enough to synchronise with
each other or home directly in on the mine.
They will be spread out, and will come
down within a Shift’s journey on-foot at
best. Characters travelling on the planet’s
surface must make a SURVIVAL roll. If they
fail the roll, they’ll still reach the mine
(probably) but they must roll on the table.
OBSCURED: As the pressure equalizes from
the PCs opening one of the outer doors–
either into the connecting tunnels or the
inner building–a great cloud of dust billows
out. The party’s vision is totally obscured
for one Round of actions and each of the
PCs must make an immediate Panic Roll.
SKIN DEEP: While in the mine, the PCs may
find strange bundles of thin, dry material.
It’s safe to touch and has a very faint but
repulsive odour. Only once they’ve taken a
closer look will they realise that it’s the skin
shed by the creatures as they were growing
down here (+1 STRESS LEVEL).
DEEPER AND DOWN (MANDATORY):
Regardless of which elevator the PCs decide Xenomorph Scouts on the way. The PCs are
to take down to Level Four, the A.I. that
infiltrated the Marion has managed to
patch into the controls through the storms. clear.
The first time the PCs try to use an elevator,
it drops violently straight to Level Nine.
Emergency buffers slow the lift’s descent at
each level but it’s not enough. Each PC
must succeed a MOBILITY roll on the way
down or they will have to roll D6 on the
table. The elevator in question is
irreparably damaged by the impact.
There is an emergency staircase leading
out of the mines in the wall parallel to each
elevator shaft. The PCs might use it if they
really want to, but it’s five thousand feet
D6 RESULT
D6 RESULT
1 The PC never makes it to the mine. Their
friends don’t know what happened to
them, but they’ll never be seen again.
2 The regret of choosing this course of
action and the uncertainty of whether
they’ll ever actually reach the mine has a
profound effect on the PC. They suffer a
random permanent mental trauma.
3 The PC has a nasty accident while
trekking across the planet’s surface. Roll
for a critical injury (reroll 56 and down).
4 WATER! The PC becomes broken by
Dehydration upon reaching the mines.
5 Exposure to the choking dust has given
the PC a severe breathing problem. They
have –2 STAMINA and a rough cough for
the rest of the game. This result is
nullified if they brought a compression
suit with them.
6 The PC had to take the long way around
a deep chasm in the rocks. They arrive a
Shift later than everyone else (or less if
they decide not to wait that long).
deep. That’s seven thousand steps. It will
take a long time, maybe more time than
the survivors have. It will also be
exhausting, impossible for anyone with a
broken leg, and they may encounter several
welcome to take this route, but the
drawbacks should be made abundantly
ELEVATOR CRASH
D6 RESULT
1 Plummet The PC suffers critical
injury #41 (broken leg).
2-4 Rough The PC suffers critical
Landing injury #14 (sprained
ankle).
5 Ruined The PC falls on an item in
their possession, breaking
it. Hopefully it wasn’t an
acid spray gun.
6 Shook The PC is a little shaken
(+1 STRESS LEVEL).
MARIAH ZILPH
Miner
One of the last miners to remain alive on LV-178, the
last thing Zilph remembers is eking out a desperate
living on the storage levels of the facility. Most
recently she woke up back on Level Nine, bound to
the walls in that disgusting wet gunk. Slipping free,
she found a weapon to defend herself but so far
has–thankfully–encountered zero resistance in her
quest to escape.
STRENGTH 5, AGILITY 3, WITS 3, EMPATHY 3
HEALTH: 5
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 2, Stamina 2, Mobility 2,
Observation 2, Comtech 2
TALENT: True Grit
GEAR: Heavy work coveralls (Amor Rating 3),
Plasma Torch (Supply 1)
AGENDA: Get off LV-178 at all costs.
SURVIVORS: There are two NPCs that can
be encountered in the mines (or controlled
by a player who lost their character). They
can potentially be met anywhere in the
mines during both Act I and II, except inside
the Alien Ship.
Mariah Zilph survived longer than any of
the human survivors in the mines, until she
was captured and cocooned in the hive. She
doesn’t remember the horrible egg opening
or the Facehugger that leapt out and
attached itself to her face. All she knows is
that she has to get out of this place away
from the monsters, even if it means dying
out on the planet’s barren surface waiting
for an evacuation ship. Anyone that makes
a successful MEDICAL AID roll on Zilph will
realise what is growing inside her. The
players might figure it out on their own as
well, of course.
GREGORY HAWTHORN
Shift Supervisor
A synthetic undercover agent for Weyland-Yutani,
Hawthorn has bided his time overseeing shifts in the
mines. Never wavering, never tiring (only sometimes
pretending to). His vigil finally paid dividends when
the cavern containing the alien vessel was
unearthed. Wary of quarantine protocols
compromising his mission, he sabotaged the comms
tower when miners starting getting taken by the
aliens.
STRENGTH 4, AGILITY 3, WITS 5, EMPATHY 2
HEALTH: 4
SKILLS: Heavy Machinery 2, Close Combat 1,
Ranged Combat 2, Observation 2, Comtech 2,
Command 3
TALENT: Pull Rank, Stealthy
GEAR: Maintenance jack, heavy duty dufflebag
AGENDA: Insure return of organism for analysis.
All other considerations secondary.
As an android, it was very easy for
Hawthorn to evade the Xenomorphs while
he went about collecting data and waited
for Weyland-Yutani to mount a recovery
operation. Hawthorn can mimic human
behaviour to perfection. When exposed as
an android, he shows his true power
(STRENGTH and AGILITY +3 each, also
affecting current Health). Inside his
dufflebag he has a dead, preserved
Facehugger in a case hidden among several
bottles of liquor. Hawthorn will feign
embarrassment if anybody looks in the bag,
but they will find the specimen if they
check it thoroughly.
Both of the NPCs are mostly ignored by
the Xenomorphs–each for a different
reason. If they push their luck though, a
cornered Xeno might still decide to
incapacitate them.
ACT III: EXPENDABLE
The PCs have been plunged down into the
depths of the mines–all the way to Level
Nine where the miners encountered the
Xenomorphs. What they might discover
could change everything as they fight their
way back to the surface and up to the
Marion.
MELTING POINT: In the tunnels of Level
Nine and the halls of the Alien Ship, the PCs or the ruins) the Soldiers will pursue them
can use plasma torches to melt the ceiling
and walls to close openings with a curtain
of molten material. The process takes two
full Rounds and then a further Round for
the new wall to solidify. Desperate or
bloodthirsty characters can attempt to
force their way through the steaming wall
and may get stuck if they cannot pass a
hard MOBILITY roll.
PROSPECTING: The remote drones (page
12 and 14) can be used on Level Nine for
reconnaissance without worrying about
drawing the attention of Xenomorphs. The
drone can be piloted through the mine,
capturing video and data as well as
mapping the area. In the tunnels the drone
detects various deposits of trimonite and
silicon, as well as instances of biological
material.
> SILICON: The silicon deposits in the
tunnels are in fact six PASSIVE Soldier
Xenomorphs. If the PCs catch on, they
can get a reliable map of where the
Xenomorphs are in the hive area of the
tunnels. There’s no other way for the
drone to detect PASSIVE Xenomorphs.
Even a PC watching the video feed will
not be able to spot them (unless
they’re specifically checking out the
“silicon deposits”).
> BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL: The biological
signatures picked up by the drones are
desiccated miners and dead
Ovomorphs.
CATTLE (MANDATORY): After the elevator
crash, the Xenomorphs are perfectly aware
of the PCs’ presence. They will be ready to
ambush the group if they try to push
straight through the tunnels. If the group
takes the long way around (into the cavern
and try to herd them into the Alien Ship to
be impregnated in an Egg Chamber. When
the PCs run, any that can’t keep up will be
attacked or abducted.
The Soldiers will not be so merciful if the
PCs cause grief to the hive. Burning eggs or
attacking the Queen will quickly get you on
the shit-list of every Xenomorph in the
mines.
PATH OF MOST RESISTANCE
The darkness, stressful conditions and hidden
Xenomorphs in the resin-coated tunnels make
the short route from one elevator to another
nearly impossible. There are ways for the PCs to
make it easier on themselves though.
Survey drones can key the survivors into
precisely where the aliens are waiting, while
the large on-rails Plasma Torch can be run
straight through the tunnels, carving a fiery
path as it goes. It will be slow-going though,
and you can guarantee the group will have to
fight all six Soldiers on the way and maybe even
a furious Queen.
FAMILY: Somewhere on the alien ship,
three mummified Drukathi lie on the floor,
two adults cradling a child between their
bodies. A dusty, barrelled device lies in one
of their hands and their heads have been
smashed and holed by some impact. An
OBSERVATION roll will tell the PCs that they
killed themselves with the ancient weapon.
PLAN A: When the PCs finally do reach
Level Four, they will find three spare fuel
cells amongst all the other supplies. One
hasn’t been stored correctly and its metal
framework has decayed. It would be
extremely unreliable for any use the group
has in mind. A powered trolley will be
required to carry a fuel cell out of the mines
and onto the dropship. If a fuel cell is taken
into an elevator that ends up crashing
down to Level Nine, it won’t go critical
(probably) but it will be rendered useless at
the very least.
> PLAN B: A fuel cell can be set to go
critical the same way as the nuclear
generator, the only difference being no
indication of a countdown. A failed roll–
or using the decayed cell for this
purpose–will prevent the PCs from
controlling the overload rate and give
them just barely enough time to escape
the blast radius.
GOOD RIDDANCE: The blooming
mushroom cloud of a nuclear generator or
fuel cell erupting in the mine can be seen
either from the Marion herself or on the
way there. The PCs can relieve a point of
stress knowing that the place has been
quite literally wiped from the face of the
planet.
DIGITAL HANDSHAKE: On approach to the
Marion, the Samson’s computer will
request to link up with the mothership for
auto-docking. This is standard procedure.
The nav computer provides the best
approach vector, removing the need for
manual docking. Allowing the connection
will let the A.I. into the shuttle, giving it full
control. Without the connection, a PILOTING
roll (–2) will be required to dock with the
stricken orbital ship.
PROGRESS REPORT:
Limited contact achieved with LV178 surface
control system. Elevator successfully interrupted
upon manual operation.
Anticipating return of survivors to Marion within
the day.
I am hoping that they bring a viable egg back with
them. I am hoping it is time to go home.
POLTERGEIST: By the time the PCs return to
the Marion the A.I. will have taken full
control over the entire ship. It can monitor
them on cctv or through comms and read
lips and body language. It is likely to
discover whether any of them are carrying
a Chestburster and it will also quickly learn
that Hawthorn is an android. If any crew
not of use to the A.I. try to use the
MedPod, it will use the device to murder
them. If they try to surgically remove a
parasite from anybody, the A.I. and
Hawthorn will do what they can to prevent
the alien’s death, or secure it after removal.
If it becomes desperate, the A.I. will use
vents and doors to direct any Xenomorphs
still aboard to finish the uninfected Marion
crew off. They’re nothing but loose ends for
the company.
PLANETFALL: Regardless of how long the
crew believed they had left before the
Marion started to burn up in the
atmosphere, it’s going to start happening in
the final stretch of the scenario. As they
rush to make sure they have all the supplies
they’ll need, install the new fuel cell, and
work out contradicting agendas, the ship
begins to vibrate violently as it skims the
atmosphere. Over time the hull warms up
and heat shields start to bend and crack.
Flames lick at the corners of viewing
windows. Eventually the excessive heat will
be too much for any PCs still aboard, and if
that doesn’t kill them the ship breaking up
and exploding will.
FINALE
The scenario could feasibly end in any
number of ways. In an optimal ending, the
remaining survivors get away on the
shuttle. The replacement fuel cell will take
a short Turn to install, requiring a final
HEAVY MACHINERY roll (+2). If the A.I. hasn’t
been dealt with, it has one final fuck you for
everyone who made it this far. The shuttle
must be launched manually by somebody,
from a control unit on the Marion. If
Hawkthorn or Zilph have succeeded in their
agendas, the escapees might have a very
unfortunate accident on the long trip back
to Earth.
The Samson might still be available as a
backup for anyone who doesn’t get to leave
on the shuttle. The dropship isn’t built for
interstellar travel and has no cryo units, but
they can at least go out the way they want.
An unfortunate party might not even make
it back to the Marion. If they become
stranded LV-178, it will be up to the players
to decide their fate. Will they spend the
rest of their days down there, living on
years' worth of supplies while playing cat
and mouse with the remaining
Xenomorphs? Set the nuclear generator to
blow and go out with a bang? Or simply
walk out into the desert, never to be seen
again?
Wrap it up there and give out any earned
Story Points. Remember that players can
still earn more than one Story Point
throughout the scenario despite the
characters only having one agenda.

NEW EQUIPMENT
WEAPON BONUS DAMAGE RANGE WEIGHT COST COMMENT
Charge Thumper – 3 Medium 2 $550 Armor piercing. Can
also be loaded with
mining charges.
Plasma Torch – 3 Short 1 $600 Fire Intensity 7, Power
Supply 5
Acid Spray Gun +1 1 Medium 1 $250 Acid Splash 9, Supply 5

Acid spray guns aren’t necessarily the

only invention Welford may contribute
to the crew’s arsenal. The workshop and
spare equipment in Hold 2 can be used
to construct any number of gizmos the
players might imagine (at the GM’s
discretion), from noisemakers to
portable trackers capable of detecting
micro changes in air density.
 CHARGE THUMPER: A long and unwieldy
mining tool, the thumper is essentially a
much larger bolt gun. While it can be
loaded with bolts, it is specifically designed
to fire explosive charges deep into loose
sand and gravel. Unlike a bolt gun, the
thumper can be loaded with magazines
instead of one shot at a time. These
magazines can contain either six-inch bolts
or mining charges.
Mining charges come packed in fours.
They don’t just have to be fired from the
thumper, but can also be primed and
thrown (Blast Power 8).
PLASMA TORCH: Small handheld tools used
in the mines for melting and hardening
sand deposits, miners use these to shape
tunnels into earth itself. Ordinarily, special
safety gear is to be worn during use. The
extreme heat generated can be very
dangerous in confined spaces. An inbuilt
coolant system mists spray around the
barrel automatically after firing.
The torch is powered in a similar way to a
cutting torch. You need to make a Power
Supply roll after every use. Its battery has a
Power Supply level of 5 when fully charged.

ACID SPRAY GUN: Surprisingly light in spite of looking like a cross between a heavy weapon
and a large child’s toy. The spray gun is a simple device optimised for various purposes on
the Frontier and beyond that require an adjustable jet of water. Two items on the Marion
were modified by Kelland engineer Welford to fire hydrofluoric acid. The idea was to melt
away the less dense materials that surrounded trimonite deposits, leaving the valuable
trimonite untouched. The result is a highly effective but also incredibly dangerous tool.
Operators should consider using whatever kind of protective gear is available, such as
breathing apparatus, goggles or a full face mask. If any acid splashed back or even misted
the air and drifted across their body, clothes, skin, flesh and bone would simply melt away
beneath the ultra-corrosive acid.
The gun is loaded with reserves of liquid just like a water gun (Supply 5). Upon being
primed it fires compressed jets in short pulses. While the Xenomorph mesoskeleton is
resilient to the creature’s own acid blood, it's still vulnerable to hydrofluoric acid. XX121
Xenomorphs that suffer the TORN APART critical injury from an acid attack will violently
erupt when their carapace gives way. Their acid blood showers everywhere: all targets
within SHORT range suffer an immediate acid splash attack.