Alien RPG Heart Of Darkness Expansion Review (Tabletop)
For our Alien RPG Heart Of Darkness Expansion Review, we sit down with Heart of Darkness a complete Cinematic Scenario for the ALIEN roleplaying game, written by sci-fi novelist Andrew E.C. Gaska. It is a stand-alone adventure but also serves as a conclusion to the Draconis Strain Saga begun in the cinematic scenario Chariot of the Gods and continued in Destroyer of Worlds. The scenario is designed for 3–5 players plus the Game Mother and is a spiraling descent into soul-crushing madness. This is the PDF digital version that we cover.
Alien RPG Heart Of Darkness Expansion Review Pros:
- Standalone or can be attached to previous game scenario expansions.
- Amazing art.
- The style of the book is the same in looks and presentation as the other scenarios and main game rule book.
- 3 – 5 players.
- The PDF fits perfectly on readers.
- You get 7 printable character sheets for each preset character.
- Personal agenda card printouts.
- The flavour text outlying the game is mouth-wateringly good and sucks you straight in.
- Any leftover characters become NPC controlled by the Game Mother (DM).
- USCSS Cetorhina handout is included for each player.
- The game is split into 3 scenarios that generally dictate that this would be played over 3 sessions.
- Personal agendas are given to each player at the start of each act. These are a player’s personal agenda and must be kept to themselves.
- The determination of if a player achieved their agenda lies with the Game Mother.
- Story cards are like personal agendas except a player gets one when they trigger the specific scenario and again keeps the info to themselves.
- Story points are what you earn through playing and doing personal agendas and story cards.
- Maps are included as a printout.
- Takes place in the 26 Draconis system.
- Famous quotes from in-game characters are presented throughout the book.
- You get a lot of flavor text and background info so you can be confident and knowledgeable about elements of the world.
- Leaves enough room for you to expand and improvise.
- Your ship is the USCSS Cetorhina which is a relatively new ship and has its own stash of weapons and gear.
- The Cetorhina is of the Rorqual class and is designed to collect plasma energies from stars and comets.
- Quick select contents page making it so easy to find rules etc.
- If you played the others then you can jump straight in.
- Replayable with many random aspects and alternative routes and solutions.
- Playing as a different character does change it all up in itself.
Alien RPG Heart Of Darkness Expansion Review Cons:
- Despite being standalone you do still need the Alien RPG core rulebook.
- The expansion book is just for the Game Mother.
- A lot of printing out.
- Dealing with combat can be a bit of pain as you flip through the book.
- No standard printout options as the screens are green and colorful.
Related Post: Chained Echos Review (PlayStation 4)
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Summary
When it comes to reviewing expansions it can be really tricky to show off your enthusiasm without giving away way too much detail. In Heart Of Darkness, you are offered a Sultans wealth of riches to just go and get some samples and specimens. Obviously, you know deep down it’s not as easy as they say but you crack on. Having played the original game and expansions before the layout of the book meant I just carried on, it was like I never left! In the digital version you do get all the extras you need such as character sheets, maps and cards so stick up on your printer ink! What you get for investing in printer ink is a story that has all the quips, jump scares and scary encounters that you expect from the Aliens franchise, the game hooks you in almost immediately and refuses to let up. You get given so much clear information that you can successfully run the game but I found it allowed me to extend it further and add a bit of fluff and gore because nothing keeps people coming back more than fluff and gore! What if this is your first time playing Alien RPG? Well, you will need to read the core rulebook which is a bit of a beast in itself. You can still play this game but I would highly suggest you have at least one person who has run the game a few times, the rules are not as deep as you would expect but it does take some getting used to. I really just want to spill all the amazing epic memorable encounters and scenarios we experienced playing this amazing expansion but I can’t, the Game Mother should be the only one in the know and I don’t want to ruin that sacred bond. This is honestly right up there and cements the Alien RPG as one of the best Tabletop adventures.
