ALIEN: Hope's Last Day - RPG Review
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- čas přidán 22. 04. 2021
- In the final days of the Hadley's Hope colony, five Player Characters race to escape the planet before all is lost. Here's my tips, criticisms, and suggestions for running this introductory adventure for the ALIEN Roleplaying Game.
You can find the corebook and the downloadable maps for Hadley's Hope on the Free League website: freeleaguepublishing.com/en/g...
Find the PDF corebook on DriveThruRPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
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Guest starring Jack the NPC. - Hry
As one of the authors of Hope’s last day I enjoyed this, especially Jack’s idea at the end about all the PCs being kids. That’s where we started in fact, before broadening the scope of the adventure. We wrote it as one of three short demo adventures, each was meant to last only 90 minutes.
" giant snakes escaped from the bodies into the vents"
So our heroes are sent out to do some repairs.....
Man and I thought my union was bad
If you can breathe you can work ;)
I think Sam Jackson should have been the pilot..."Get the mutherf***en snakes off the mutherf***en shuttle!!!"
About average for a union shop
Yeah, I was not happy with that either. So I made it out to be some form of punishment/sidelining for MacWhirr from Colonial Admin Simpson, because she acted up when he wanted to send more people to the derelict. And I gave a personal reason to all of the other PCs for joining up with her.
This way it's not the union that's bad, but management.
Weyland-Yutani isn't the most employee-friendly company. Like starship crews have to pay for their own food. In Alien, when Dallas says, "I'm buying" to the crew, he wasn't kidding. They do have free coffee because coffee helps workers stay up later and work longer, so there is that at least.
11:56 Never underestimate the power of a single-line summary of an NPC that players should know and want to care about in some way. A simple thing like, "It's Loval, that guy from Human-Resources who helped walk you through correcting a computer error that nearly cost you your bonus last year." It is amazing how many players will turn that statement into a deeper connection. Once had a player decide, in a zombie-horror game, that "Dieter, that older man who remembered how she liked her coffee and even brought her the right creamer when the new waitress gave her the wrong one," was actually her unrecognized soulmate and so she convinced the whole team to commit to rescuing him before they tried to leave town. Couple of in-game years later, he was at her side holding little baby Hope when she was elected President of Ruritania. He was just one of three NPCs created by a d4 for survivors in the cafe!
My "Seth released a new video" sense was tingling
I minmaxed my life character
I waited for that end scene
Very satisfying, thank you Seth
"Hello internet, Seth Skorkowsy, and today we're gonna..." the magic words that infuse me with life
We saw Jack get facehugged, but didn't see him get chestbursted... Does that mean Jack is an android?
... Oh, nevermind.
well he did say he was an artificial player character. So I guess that makes him a synth, yeah.
And here I was all ready for the eventual comment from someone, "Why was Jack's blood not white like a synthetic's blood should be?" so I could reply with, "The color of it isn't blood. It's whiskey."
@@SSkorkowsky XD
I thought the toxicity had killed it
@@janwitts2688 That's why the chestburster wanted out. "I have acid for blood, but this is ridiculous!"
Hope's Last Day is such an evocative title.
So far all 3 of the ALIEN scenario titles have been perfect. Hope's Last Day, and Destroyer of Worlds, being the best. Chariot of the Gods is a good title, but sort of low-hanging fruit considering the subject matter and the literary reference.
A year ago your channel helped me remain passionate about TTRPGs and have now begun a Call of Cthulhu campaign. Thanks Seth!
So after buying the Alien Core Rulebook, Alien Starter Set, Alien Colonial Marines Operations Manual, a ton of reading, Seth's videos and some practice sessions I finally ran Hope's Last Day with four players. It was a ton of fun. All the players involved had a blast. I had some minor rule hiccups but got a good review from my wife who played a lot of AD@D back in the day. Your videos really helped a complete beginner who had never even played a TTRPG GM a fun game. Thank you very much Seth.
Also, I have you to thank you, Seth, for motivating me to get the Alien RPG. Which was one of my best buys to date.
The audiobook river of pain did a great job of telling the story of Hadleys hope fall to the xenos. I recommend it to fans ^^
It's not at all compatible with this scenario, though. And officially, it's also not canonically. What with there being colonial marines and such. But it is a great audiobook!
YESSSSS!
Ideas to beef up the scenario: 1. PCs divert to a pumping station for parts before returning to base. If they find a body it will increase the stakes and make the walk back more tense. 2. PCs need to fuel shuttle before escape. 3. Shuttle damaged on tarmac, PCs need to divert for repairs before escaping the planet. Maybe a pumping station or other semi autonomous site.
Never clicked on a video faster.
Time to feed the algorithm and say "Awesome, more new Seth Skorkowski content!"
Not gonna lie, I jumped during Jack's closing monologue. Hehe, well played.
Yeah I about shit myself
Chekows Facehugger
Great review of the good and the bad of this adventure. Thanks Seth!
My 5 minute DM prep tips to improve this adventure:
1) Write down a half dozen NPC names and ask the PC's for a half dozen more at the start of the story. "What's the name and title of one NPC at the colony that your PC can count on for a favor?"
2) As they explore the complex, have them discover the demise of these otherwise unnamed NPCs, examples below.
.
2a) Bill Smith's bloody ID badge and lanyard are found in the hallway of the Block A1 offices.
2b) When searching the Post Room, you find a letter written to Sam Grimley. His transfer request was denied.
2c) Below Sara Skyreen's dead body, you find she made her last stand behind a UA 571-C Sentry Gun.
2d) Charlie B's twitching corpse lies under the Xenomorph Scout, who's attention is now on you - roll for initiative!
2e) A W-Y company envelope lies opened on the desk. It shows that in compensation for his work-related injury, he's been awarded a bonus in the form of 1 week's worth of lunch vouchers in the company cafeteria.
.
These names personalize the horror and the darkness of the story. I would also consider substituting one of the player's NPC names for each of the 'rescue' NPCs in the story. That should give the players a little more motivation to risk their lives.
Whoa. The facehugger mask is really sweet.
When I ran this I had the players play through the intro rather than just read it. Allowed more time for roleplay and slightly mislead them about what would happen as they expected to be boarding the alien ship.
I suppose It also gives some piloting time for the pilot. Now If we could figure a use for survival...
Jack the Artificial Person's wardrobe is impeccable!
I literally just thought "I really hope Seth reviews some more Alien RPG material one of these days" and then was immediately graced by this! Thanks for the great content, Seth!
Watched when there were 792 views.
I appreciate this being uploaded on my birthday. Big fan of Alien, and looking forward to trying out this system with my group eventually.
I also think Seth with the facehugger mask on is the funniest thing I've seen all day.
Happy birthday.
Happy birthday
Happy birthday (hope it is still your day, I am probably in different time zone)
oh man, I can't wait to play Alien RPG. Unfortunately, it is very expensive for me to buy in Brazil.
Seth has brought me back to loving RPGs hahhaha
I own it but have no friends. If you send me half of yours I'll send you half of the game. When your done with that half we can swap for the other. :)
@@mattellis3297 amazing plan hahhaha perhaps we could join forces and set up an online session with the halves joined together hahahah
What do you expect from Brazil? It sucks living there with one of the reason being the expense compared to everywhere else
@@JabAtLife Yes, I agree. I have the bad luck of being born here, though. I'll be living abroad soon, however
Three day weekend AND a new review..Seth you really spoil us after just doing a MOTHERS LOVE review. We appreciate it!
I knew it was comin but that end gag still got me!
The funny thing about GMing Alien is I always get the feeling that it was OK, not bad, not great after finishing session. Yet my players tell me they had a blast and itching to play next one.
Same here.
What's bugging me most, every time, is the clunky panic mechanics. Everytime there is a nice tension built up, it gets ruined by rolling these stupid tables...
But my players never see this as a problem.
@@dereausoe8832 clunky? It seemed pretty good from what I saw from the core role review
Thats the best part and I feel the point.
I tried running this and it didn't go great. I'd misunderstood the Stress mechanic and the PCs ended up getting way too much, but also one of the players meta-gamed the whole situation, which was frustrating. But the group mentioned they wanted to try again, so thanks for making your resources available. They'll be a huge help if we do try replaying it.
Wait... does Jack have a 5 o' clock shadow?? The attention to detail you have, my dude.
"Hope's Last Day?" Fie, I say! For Skorkowsky most dear to us has provided yet again! I do declare, t'were the day to end this eve, I would meet my destiny with graceful aplomb.
Ever since your Starter Set review, every week I've been hoping. "Surely today's the day I get more of Seth's thoughts on Alien, so I can live the RPG through his stories." Then your Chariots of the Gods review came out and it seemed great. Between that review and this one, I've actually managed to get a hold of the Alien core rulebook and the starter set and have been taking my players through Chariot of the Gods. To celebrate Alien Day, we're playing Hope's Last Day in a few hours with a slightly different crew, so good timing with this review. I think I'm gonna need it!
Hope you all have fun with it.
I'm surprised the chest burster survived being in Jack with how much whiskey he drinks
To make the agendas gel with this scenario I actually made this group travel with one extra corporate NPC agent and the group was carrying artifacts from the engineer ship.
This really worked well to push the game forward as I had the same motion detector problem as you. So i had him get attacked first, and because he was such a jerk he was left behind for dead.
Later when the group went for the shuttle I had him waiting with a gun and carrying a live facehugger which he threw at one of the players. You bet people died in that last moment. It was looking pretty bad for my group too, until the rule of cool, when the chest burster exploded out at the last moment before the final player died. It was epic!
A nifty idea for the rival crew idea could be that the other crew consists of the backup characters. That way, both the players and their characters feel the impact and weight of their decisions on how to deal with their adversaries of circumstance.
That ending got me haha, can't wait for the core rulebook review if you have one in the pipeline. Keep up the good work!
I honestly look forward to Seth's videos as much as some of my favorite shows. Seriously great stuff and so useful for getting ideas.
Thank you so much for recommending Alien, just mastered (mothered?) the first Act of Chariot of the Gods for my group, so far we're having a blast!
Loved the payoff at the end. Thanks for making these reviews! =D
Thanks for doing these, Seth. They really help give a feel whether I’d probably like a game or not.
The full story of the last days of Hadley Hope is told in the "Alien: River of Pain" novel by Christopher Gold. It is very good, and it shows how fast the situation can deteriorate when Xenomorphs are involved. It is available on Amazon Audible too.
Our group just played it yesterday. I took us 5 hours to play (we play slowly and RP a lot). It was a lot of fun and a lot of stress dice were tossed.
We also did the same thing... first huger - first dead guy, "maybe lets use the motion sensor from now on". :P
The game was cinematic to the fullest extend. Even Holroyd sacrificed himself at the last moment by blowing himself up with gas canister. Hannah was the only survivor as she left Sigg and face-hugged Janice behind, closing the ramp of the ship to fly away alone. Also Janice closed the door when Komisky was on the run from Alien.
Glorious clusterfuck! :D
Idea: During a completely unrelated review, you could have a chest burster erupt, causing Jack and the Guys to finish it.
There’s a novel called Acheron: River of Pain that covers this story, primarily from Newt’s perspective, and it’s good.
notice that the caller in the bar is Doctor Manhattan so he should be fine vs just the aliens
Currently going through Redemptor, wanted to let you know still loving the series, loved the 'bombshell' reference in Redemptor, also I started the grimnoir series, and it is really good
seth, i've been watching you for 3 years now and i've never seen you this close to the camera. it's unsettling. not unlike the idea of being facehugged by a good buddy. sure, i may appreciate it but it's weird, unfamiliar and i just may grow to love it.
I'm like that creepy girl in The Ring. I'm just getting closer and closer until I crawl right through your screen. There is no escape.
Seriously, yeah, I hadn't noticed how close I was until I began editing and was all, "Holy crap, I look like the giant head of Zardoz."
Perfect timing! I’m running this tomorrow!
I do not intend to play the game at the moment, still watched the whole video for some insights into adventure design.
Would really love a series about how to start as a GM or pitfalls for new GMs.
Thanks for making these so entertaining.
Nice! I was planning to run this game with my friends, can't wait to hear your suggestions.
Really looking forward to running this system for my table. Thanks for the great content!
Good jumpscare! I was expecting a chestburster and you still got me.
Great review as always.
You recently got me through an weekend of fever and sickness.
Thanks :)
Happy to help. Hope you're feeling better.
That ending legit scared me :D good job
Thanks for this. I really appreciate everything. Never would have occured to me that ladders/stairs can only go one way. Weird, but good to know. Everything else, including the downloads are also good to know!
Another informative review, thanks! And that last bit with the chest burster, LOL!
Awesome video and even though I expected that jumpscare, it still got me hats off man :)
Awe thanks Seth!
I love this channel. I can't wait for more war stories and general videos and material from this channel. Makes me miss my old group and role playing in general.
thank you so much for all the info and links, going to GM this game and this helps me a lot!
Yay! Thanks Seth. I've been needing some more TTRPG stuff to get the creativity flowing.
That all-child scenario sounds really cool.
One way to sidestep the matter of the kids not being able to fly a shuttle is to make it a truck instead. The base wasn't the only base on the planet, so escaping to safety can be as easy as hopping on some sort of ground transport. A kid being able to fly a shuttle is unlikely. A kid being able to drive a truck is more plausible.
To make it so they can't just walk to the other base, create some environmental hazard outside. Sub-zero temperatures, maybe a minor blizzard, can work well for this. It means the kids _need_ the heated transport truck to survive the trip. It's also why the xenomorphs are sticking to the inside of the base; they don't like the cold any more than the humans do.
Have the kids do tasks to get the truck working. Like finding the keys, or getting a spare tire fixed on. The kind of stuff that children of roughnecks would possibly have been taught.
Holy crap that jumpscare ending, you made me swallow a whole mouthful of toothpaste! Probably shouldn't be watching while brushing..!
I’m seriously thinking of grabbing this RPG it sounds so good! Thanks for another review
Keep up the good work Seth. Planning on doing some ALIEN RPG stuff over the summer with my group so this helps :D
These videos are very helpful. Thank you for making them.
I've tried to run this scenario last night. I started the session with the players entering the west lock as desribed in the book and the players made their way towards Miranda and then Medical (A player rolled some great successes when they tried to use a terminal, so I let them hear that there was a survivor in medical screaming to be let out of quarantine). However, I had a hard time using the stealth rules to have the players move through the facility. I let each player go in order moving 2 rooms at a time. I thought it was important to sort of rachet up the tension and make it seem like something could jump out at any time. However, I found it took the players a really long time to move around....and once a player discovered they could search rooms for '"loot", it slowed the game down even further. I probably should have increased the sense of tension and ticking clock by making aliens start stalking them...but I didn't want to throw a xenomorph at them too soon. The general feeling I got after the session from players, was that it was fun but they thought the way stealth mode worked just slowed the game down too much, and even kind of took people out of RP a bit. When I watched an official Free League play of a similar scenario, they didn't even use stealth mode really. My question is, did you use stealth mode at all when you played Aliens? And if so, when did you activate it and how did you run the mechanics of it so it worked well. I like the general idea of players taking turns so that each player has a moment to say how they act...but it does seem to slow things down a bit...and can feel a bit board gamey.
Great review as always! I'm really looking forward to running this scenario someday. Just need to finally convince my group to play something other than 5e or Delta Green.
Ya got me. I was lulled into a pleasant state of semi-somnolence with the expectation that the video was winding up and I wonder what I'll watch next?... when chest burster happened! I jumped and almost dropped my phone. 😆
Confusing when Seth speaks like Jack, that: 'this one's mine' was legit confusing....
We can’t wait to play this. Looks amazing!
I think it’s a great intro to the Alien RPG system. I understand it had to be cut down to fit in the core book. But as a cinematic adventure it has worked really well for the groups I’ve run it for.
Love the Alien content Seth!
I haven't played this game yet(its on my list), but I'm a big fan of Seth and when I'm within the first 5 to comment, I just had to. Love your content man. Keep it up.
Thanks for the great guides Seth! Awesome help and highly entertaining- and you inspired Scott Brown Ale brewed by my mate Nick too!
Thank you very much!
Really chaps me when "printer friendly" still has the space and stars border to eat up black ink.
Why did I know that I had to wait around for the very end? Very nice, Mr. Skorkowsky, very nice.
My problem with the Alien RPG is it is one-note. I have watched a few of the on-line groups play and it is always the same thing: ignorance ---> run for your lives. They need more than just "Alien" aliens. With the Mothership RPG you aren't tied down with a single type of foe, so you can change things around much more easily.
Surveyor/Cartographer stair-direction tip:
two arrows = going up: -->--> (two arrows because going up is harder than down)
one arrow = going down -->
gonna remember that for dungeon maps for D&D
20:05 I was expecting something like this to happen the moment he got facehugged.
Ah dammit! The chest burster jump scare got me. Great review!
I know what you meant, but when referencing the stairs you said "It's not clear if they go up or down." I reacted "All stairs go both ways!" because those are the people I have to deal with.
I'm so glad you released another video on an alien module. I hope you do them all! I'm going to watch your video on the start set module about ten times next week in preparation for playing it next weekend. I'm using basically the same system as Alien with a different flavor to train my players on how to play the Alien game next weekend by running a b flick horror movie game Saturday night. It's gonna have all the tropes and the references, and the bad jokes! All the PCs are stereotypical female characters, and it's a cabin trip with a bunch of guys! 🤣
That end scene with Jack scared my GF good. Nice job Jack! Muwahaha. :)
Thanks for the Review!
Played with my crew. Amazing rpg, stunning scenario
3 mins. Gday from down under
Gday from Georgia, USA.
I really hope I get to run this soon looks awesome.
Got all the Alien free league books after trying the Starter Set on Seth's recommendation, nabbing up all the Alien minis I can find now lol. Loving it.
I was waiting for that chest burster! Lol
You know you’re old when retro sci-fi stylings are hard to read 😂 (I can’t read them either)
I was waiting so long for that chestburster
You know, I already know a Sequel is in the Works. The players have to investigate a lost Space Port, north of Lake Michigloom. A salvage team has not returned, and the Baron of Horn is looking for his "favorite team" to save the day. More 'golden warriors' have been spotted along a remote shore line, and some of the Baron's researchers suspect something is amiss. You gotta get in there and investigate. "Don't detonate any friggin' Trek bombs or power plants!" they warn however.
Fun video! Seth takes another module to a higher level!
A Tales from the Loop and Aliens mashup would be a hoot
Hi Seth, do you have a link to where ever it is you get the intercom voices from at 7:29? You've used them in your other Alien reviews too and I'd love to use them in my games.
Great video as always
Check the link in the video description to the handouts and character sheets I made for my players. WAV file of the intercom message in in there.
*I watched all your videos and i want more .*
*I also feel like you are working up to doing a Overview video series for Alien .*
Lol, that is my maps that Seth is recommending and linking to. Cheers to you Seth!
What can I say? You did good work.
I'll be honest I found Hope's Last Day to be quite underwhelming as a scenario, & I'm not sure it being an Aliens prequel is enough to remedy that, though you do provide some great pointers & suggestions here for expanding the adventure. It would take a lot more work, but for me if I'm playing in Hadley's Hope then that demands a fuller treatment, I'd prefer to write my own much grander scenario depicting the slow yet inevitable infestation of the colony & then play a mad scramble to escape (which IMO should either be doomed to failure or at least be bittersweet). Nevertheless a great video as always Seth, I just hope a more complete adventure gets produced one day, something of the size & scope of Destroyer of Worlds.
You and Seth were in agreement in your assessment of this scenario. I just wanted to add that the scenario writers have said that Hopes Last Day was originally a 3 Act Scenario with a lot more going on, but it had to be cut down to be included in the core book. We all may have really liked a longer, 3-Act version of Hopes Last Day...
8:19 THAT IS EVERY KIND OF CREEPY!
Nice Vid Seth, I kinda wish there was more about the mechanics of the game though.
19:33 The reason why I am subscribed.
11:06 - One suggestion is to 100% let the PCs do anything within the realm of reason, however if they do it in the sight of an alien or after one or two uses of the same strategy, the aliens should start to use the same technique or directly counter it. This can really freak out the PCs since it demonstrates that their bag of tricks has a bottom, encouraging more feverish (and unwise...) improvisation. It also highlights that the aliens are not just brutish beasts, but are actually fairly clever and can learn. Being chased by a bear is scary, but if that bear can learn, adapt and anticipate, it gets a lot scarier.
Thanks Seth. I was looking for a sci-fi system to master, and because of your reviews, I choose Traveller. Which is actually the first rpg I ever wanted to buy, back in my early days, but the shop was sold out and I ended up with Star Wars (d6, hardback, somebody borrowed it and never gave back). Now we are somewhere in the beginning of Ship in the Lake and heading towards BT-SHT 365 or maybe Makergod or wherever my players will choose to. To be fair, I was looking at Alien but gave it back after comment of one of my player - the feeling of horror should b be increased by a narrative, not an increased number of dice. Maybe he is right, maybe he is wrong. I choose Traveller as I wanted something to create a longer story, to build a character which will not be wasted and swapped to fulfill a fast paced scenario.
Alien looks like a fantastic one night stand, not a long term fancy, I need to try this on a such occasion - as a horror story shared under the canvas.