The Alien: Fate of Nostromo Board Game is an intense and immersive experience for fans of the sci-fi horror movie franchise. The game is a cooperative strategy game that puts players in the shoes of the crew of the Nostromo, trying to survive against the xenomorph threat. The game comes with a beautifully designed game board, cards, miniatures, and tokens that add to the game’s overall theme and atmosphere. The rule book is well-written and easy to follow, making it accessible to both casual and hardcore gamers. The game play is challenging and requires careful planning and strategising to survive. Turns are played in two phases, with the first phase focusing on exploration and resource management, while the second phase is all about survival and combat. Players must work together to accomplish their goals, each player has a unique set of skills, which adds to the game’s strategy so choosing who to play as is important. The game can be played by 1-5 players, and the cooperative nature of the game makes it a great choice for game nights with friends or family. Alien: Fate of Nostromo Board Game is an excellent addition to any board game collection. It’s a thrilling and challenging game that captures the essence of the Alien franchise and is sure to provide hours of fun for players.

Whats in the box?

Inside the box you will find

• Nostromo game board
• 5 player reference cards
• 5 crew placards
• 5 crew figures
• 1 alien figure
• 1 morale marker (white base)
• 21 encounter cards
• 10 objective cards
• 5 final mission cards
• 20 scrap tokens
• 12 item tokens
• 6 coolant canister tokens
• 13 concealed tokens
• 1 self-destruct track
• 4 countdown tokens
• 1 ash standee (blue base)

The game board features locations from the Nostromo ship as well as a crew morale area which is used to track the morale as the game goes on.

Scrap tokens are placed around the board and collected during game play to be used to craft items. The number of scrap tokens required to craft an item is shown on the item token.

The morale marker (cardboard alien standee) is placed on the morale board at the appropriate place depending on the number of players.

You can place the Ash marker in the med bay for a more complicated game. Ash steals scrap tokens from locations and also from crew members. If a crew member encounters Ash they dont just lose one piece of scrap but also one morale. If the final mission card is You Have My Sympathies Ash will no longer steal scrap or cause players to lose morale.

The self destruct track is used in conjunction with the four countdown tokens. If activated by a final mission card the countdown tokens are removed each time the play passes a particular player until they are all gone and the Nostromo is destroyed.

The concealed tokens are placed face down around the board in specific locations. You are also instructed to place concealed tokens at various points in the game via the encounter cards. When you encounter a concealed token you turn it over to reveal the other side. These can show safe, surprise attack which decreases your morale by the number shown or Jonesy the cat who decreases your morale by 1.

Item tokens and coolant canisters tokens are needed throughout the game to complete objectives. Coolant canister tokens are placed in specific locations at the beginning of the game. Players can only hold three items and one coolant canister, they can hold any number of scrap tokens.

Which characters can you play as

Players can choose to be one of five characters.

• Commanding Office Arthur Dallas
• Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley
• Chief Engineer Dennis Parker
• Engineering Technician Samuel Brett
• Navigation Officer Joan Lambert

How to set up the game

Lay out the board and place the tokens as instructed. Deal one more objective cards than there are players face up at the top of the board so everyone can see them. Return the remaining cards to the box. Draw one final mission card at random and place face down next to the objective cards. Place the shuffled encounter cards next to the board. Place the alien in the nest. Each player takes a crew placard and player reference card. The crew figures are placed in the Galley.

Where do you place the scrap tokens?

Two scrap tokens are placed at each of the following locations with the remaining placed in a pile next to the board

• Garage
• MU-TH-uR
• Med Bay
• Maintenance Bay

Where do you place the concealed tokens?

After shuffling the concealed tokens place on token face down in each of the following locations. The remaining tokens are placed face down in a stack next to the board.

• Garage
• Workshop
• Maintenance Bay

Where do you place the coolant canister tokens?

One coolant canister token is placed in each of the following locations.

• Workshop
• Garage
• Maintenance Bay
• Equipment storage
• MU-TH-UR
• Hyper Sleep

Taking a turn

Turns are taken in two phases the crew action phase and then the encounter phase.

Crew action phase

The number of actions you can take during the crew action phase depends on your crew placard. You may take no more actions than shown but you can take less.

• MOVE – 1 action per movement into an adjacent corridor, room or ladder.
• PICK UP/DROP – 1 action to pick up or drop any number of scrap tokens or one item.
• USE AN ITEM – Some items cost actions to be used
• SPECIAL ACTION – Some crew members have special actions which can be taken multiple times unless specified
• CRAFT – craft an item using scrap
• TRADE – If you are in the same room or corridor as another player you can trade scrap or items

Encounter phase

Draw one encounter card and follow the instructions on the card. The cards may have a certain type. They may have an action that you must follow. They also indicate alien movement, morale damage and if you have to place any items. The alien figure is to be moved by the appropriate number of spaces as indicated on the encounter card. They must move towards the closest player along the shortest path.

Alien encounter

If the alien encounters a player they stop moving. the player loses morale as indicated on the encounter card. The player then flees three spaces away in any direction. If a player encounters the alien during the crew action phase they immediately lose 2 morale and flees 3 spaces and their turn is over.

Item tokens

• Flashlight – costs 2 scrap – unlimited uses – if you lose morale this reduces it by 1. May be used when not your turn. Costs 0 actions.
• Motion tracker – costs 3 scrap – unlimited uses – reveal a concealed token up to two spaces away. If an alien, place the alien figure in that room, shuffle the token back into the token stack and gain an action. Costs 1 action
• Grapple gun – costs 3 scrap – 2 uses – If the alien is within 3 spaces of you, move it up to three spaces in any direction. Costs 1 action.
• Incinerator – costs 4 scrap – 2 uses – If the alien is within 3 spaces of you send it back to the nest. If you do, don’t draw an encounter card this turn. Costs 1 action.
• Electric prod – costs 3 scrap – 2 uses – Reduce the amount of morale lost by an alien encounter by 2. May be used when not your turn. Costs 0 actions.
• Cat carrier – costs 1 scrap – if you reveal Jonesy, capture him underneath the car carrier in your inventory. Costs 0 actions.

How to win

Players work together to complete the objectives, once complete turn the card over. The final mission card is revealed when all the starting objectives have been completed. All requirements on the Final mission card must be completed to win. Players lose straight away if morale runs out or the self destruct sequence completes.

What age is it suitable for?

Suitable for ages 10 plus, this strategy game requires concentration, the ability to follow complicated steps and team work.

How long does is take to play?

This game takes around 60-120 minutes to play depending on the number of players and how many times you have played the game. It can be slow at the beginning but you soon get used to the steps you need to take.

Do they have other products

Ravensburger have a range of strategy games that are based around film titles including the Jurassic Park Danger! Board Game and Jaws Board Game