Like Ghostbusters, Alien Sex is played with several six-sided dice (d6). An alien's ability at a particular task depends on one of six stats plus an associated skill - if it doesn't have the skill, then its ability is determined by the appropriate stat alone.
All tasks for which there is a chance of failure have a difficulty rating between 1 and 10. To attempt the task, you roll a number of d6 equivalent to your ability. If any of the dice show a six, roll them again and add five to the result. If any of the dice gave you a number greater than the difficulty, then - hurrah! - you have succeeded. If all the dice rolled equal to or less than the difficulty, then - boo! - you have failed, and Bad Things usually result.
There are, of course, a few complications. Firstly, if you roll all ones then regardless of your ability and the difficulty of the task, you fail and something Very Bad happens. This is unlikely if you have an ability of 3 or more, but aliens just rolling on their stat had better watch it.
Secondly, if you fail (or if for some reason you have an ability of zero in a particular skill), there is a last resort option; you can opt to sacrifice plot points to re-roll one or more of your dice, at the rate of one point per die, up to your ability. You can spend one plot point and roll one die at a time if you wish, providing that the total number of attempts does not exceed your ability in the skill you are rolling against. If you have an ability of zero, you can only spend one point and roll one die (this is known as the "million-to-one" chance). There are a few caveats, however. Firstly, you have to start from the beginning - you can't "keep" sixes that you may have thrown the first time round and just re-roll the roll-up (if you see what I mean). Secondly, if you re-roll combat attack or defence rolls, you have to use the re-rolled number for damage calculation even if it is lower than the number you originally got. So use of re-rolls in a combat situation can be a double-edged weapon.
But what are plot points, I hear you cry. Patience...
Aliens under the control of players are, unsurprisingly, known as Player Aliens. It is permitted for players to play one of the alien races described above if they so wish, but they are likely to end up with less plot points if they do (see below). Far better (and more fun) is to design your own alien. To do this, you need to determine six things; the alien's personality, its stats, its skills, its shticks, its starting possessions and its starting plot points.
A few words of warning before you start: Remember that this game is all about alien interactions, and that interactions are only possible if said aliens have something in common. You are welcome to design an alien for which space simply doesn't exist (for example), but if you do you are going to have to figure out a) how it even knows that normal space-dwelling aliens are actually there and b) why it chooses to hang out with them when it has so little in common with them. Basically - make your alien different, but not too different!
Also... by all means co-operate with the other players in designing your alien. Perhaps two of you are mutual enemies, either from the same or neighbouring planets. Perhaps one player alien is the natural prey of the other (note that Guild rules forbid the eating of fellow crew members...). Perhaps two of you share a common religion, or are rivals for the affections of another crew member. Remember that several play sessions are likely to take place on board your trading ship with only a few non-player aliens around, so it's worth setting up as many interaction points with other player aliens as you can. You're going to need to consult with the other players anyway to ensure that the team has a reasonable spread of jobs.
One other thing - don't be afraid to create planets, history, other alien races or anything else you need to detail your alien's background. Indeed, such useful information will gain you plot points! I've deliberately left the background vague so that players' ideas can be incorporated. So if you want there to be a civil war on Trelhame or you'd like the Hniffni to have an obsession with loud musical instruments, be my guest. I'd prefer, though, for new background to be original and not lifted directly from other SF universes - no Dark Sides of the Force or quests for the Question of Life, the Universe and Everything, please!
I'll start with this, since in many ways it's the most important. Below is a sort of personality quiz - answering the questions should give you a fairly clear idea of what your alien is like.
What kind of being are you? Plant-like, animal-like, gaseous, fishy, reptilian? How big are you? How intelligent? What kind of intelligence do you have? Do you perceive the world through the normal five senses, or through other means? How do you obtain your energy? What sort of societies does your species form?
Use one of the planets shown on the Eighteen Worlds map, or make up one. What sort of planet is it? Cold, hot, wet, dry, volcanic, water-covered, high-gravity, low-gravity? Are growing things common or rare? Are there any other intelligent species, and if do how does your species get on with them? What sort of tech level is your home planet?
Grade your alien on a scale of 1-6 in the following qualities:
Authoritarian
Brave
Cheerful
Curious
Cultural
Friendly
Generous
Greedy
Hard-working
Manipulative
Noisy
Open-minded
Spiritual
Technophilic
Violent
What other qualities does your alien have? Are you typical of your species? What is the dominant behaviour of your alien?
What does your alien believe in? Is it typical of its species? How strongly does it hold such views? What are its views on politics? What does it think of the Lalgoozians? What sort of attitudes or actions would make it react strongly, and in what way?
What are your alien's favourite foods, drinks, smells, sounds, colours, art forms etc.? What does it particularly dislike?
Does your alien have a family, and if so what is it like? How do you get on with them? What sort of position do they hold in your species' society? Have any of your relatives become traders? What was your childhood like?
Why did you leave your home planet? To make money, to gain prestige or influence, to escape an enemy, to find someone or something? How did you acquire the skills which you possess?
What are your short-term, medium-term and long-term plans? To acquire money or prestige, to find something, to achieve a spiritual quest, to have revenge on someone, to get rid of something, to organise something, to get back home? (NB Keep these updated after each adventure - the more aims you have, the more plot points you get!).
Do you basically get on with other aliens, or do you dislike them? Do you like working in teams or prefer to be on your own? How do you cope with the very strange things other aliens sometimes do? Are there other species to which you react particularly strongly?
Have a look at the starting background information your ever-helpful referee has provided on your starting situation. How did you get to be where you are? If you haven't joined a trading ship yet, why are you looking to do so? What is your alien's current state of mind?
These are the basic defining characteristics of your alien and (normally) come within the range of 1-5. There are six of them, as follows:
Strength (STR)
Controls some skills. STR x 3 determines the number of items that can be carried without undue discomfort.
Dexterity (DEX)
A measure of the ability to manipulate items delicately. Controls some skills.
Brains (BRA)
This isn't a measure of intelligence as such; it represents the ability to understand concepts foreign to your way of thinking. Controls some skills.
Speed (SPE)
A measure of reflexes and rapidity of movement. Controls some skills. Determines initiative and dodging ability in combat.
Constitutution (CON)
A measure of the ability to resist damage. CON determines your basic level of armour and your resistance to nasty diseases.
Experience (EXP)
Represents the amount of previous experience you have had. Controls some skills. I'll probably also use it as a "general knowledge" stat, for determining if you've heard of or know anything about unusual alien races you come across.
At the start of the game, you have 10 points to spread amongst these six stats. That's right, just ten points (you can gain more as Shticks, or by trading in plot points - see below). You can have a score of zero in a particular stat if you really want to, but I'll interpret this literally - a score of zero in DEX, for example, will mean that you are unable to manipulate any sort of object, and a zero CON rating means that you have an alien equivalent of AIDS and will have to spend plot points to survive when you get infected.
Skills are the things that your alien has learnt to do. As in Ghostbusters, all skills have one or more controlling stats which determine what your basic ability in that skill is. If two (or more) stats control a skill, it is the lowest stat which determines the base ability. Some typical skills are shown below.
A square bracket ([ ]) after the skill indicates a specified skill. This means that you have to specify the general thing that the skill acts on (e.g. Hit with Fist, Hit with Club etc.).
STR-controlled
Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Lift, Rip Things Open, Run, Swim.
STR/SPE-controlled
Grapple, Hit (with [ ]), Kick.
STR/DEX/SPE-controlled
Slash (with [ ]), Stab (with [ ]).
DEX-controlled
Athletics, Hide, Listen, Sing, Sneak.
DEX/EXP-controlled
Extra-vehicular Activities (EVA), Make [ ], Play [ ], Pick Locks, Repair, Ride [ ], Sail [ ], Steal.
DEX/SPE-controlled
Catch, Drive vehicle [ ], Fire weapon [ ], Pilot Spacecraft, Throw.
BRA-controlled
Command, Tracking.
BRA/EXP-controlled
Astronomy, Bureaucratics, Chemistry, Communications Equipment, Computers, Culture [ ], Electronics, Field Generators, Geology, History, GG Law, Language [ ], Maths, Medicine, Navigation, Physics, Politics [ ], Robotics, Space Drive, Weaponry, Xenobiology, Xenopsychology.
BRA/SPE-controlled
Bluff, Bargain, Hunting.
You can of course have any skills you like - just agree with the referee what stat(s) control it.
Again, you have just 10 points to spend on skills. Remember that your total ability at a particular skill consists of the skill points you put in plus the value of the controlling stat.
JobsIf you do not have Guild accreditation In at least one job, you will need a darn good reason for a Captain to take you on. Likewise, a Captain is unlikely to take on two aliens skilled in the same job without good reason, so it would be a good idea to discuss your choice of career with your fellow players and the referee.
Typical Guild-accredited Jobs (largely taken from a certain well-known sci-fi TV series):
Bureaucrat:
Bargain, Bureaucratics, Computers, Culture [ ], GG Law, Politics [ ].
Communications Officer:
Communications equipment, Culture [ ], Language [ ], Listen, Xenopsychology.
Cultural Officer:
Language [ ], Culture [ ], History, Make [ ], Play [ ], Sing, Xenopsychology.
Engineer:
Space drive, Computers, Communications Equipment, Electronics, EVA, Field Generators, Repair, Robotics.
Explorations Officer:
Hide, Hunting, Survival, Tracking, Xenobiology.
Medical Officer:
Computers, Medicine, Xenobiology, Xenopsychology.
Navigator:
Astronomy, Computers, Maths, Navigation, Space Drive.
Pilot:
Command, Drive Vehicle [ ], Pilot Spaceship, Ride [ ], Sail [ ].
Scientific Officer:
Astronomy, Chemistry, Computers, Geology, Maths, Physics, Xenobiology.
Trader:
Language [ ], Xenopsychology, Bargain, Bluff, Intimidate (NB For impressing less reputable captains, add Pick Locks and Steal).
Weapons Officer:
Fire Weapon [ ], Grapple, Hit (with [ ]), Intimidate, Kick, Slash (with [ ]), Stab (with [ ]), Weaponry.
A shtick is basically any special ability or feature your alien has that isn't covered by anything else in the rules. They come in two varieties (determined mainly by how much I reckon it's going to upset the game); major and minor. Some typical major and minor shticks are shown below.
Flying, Long reach, Money, 360* vision, UV/IR/X-ray vision, Web-spinning, Doesn't need space suit, Deadly weapon (e.g. sting, poison bite), Underwater breathing, Symbiont (major), Position of influence in the GG, Invulnerability to impact weapons, Invulnerability to energy weapons, +1 in one stat, +5 skill levels.
Extra limb (short), Useful item (e.g. weapon, spacesuit), Omni-vore, Position of influence on home planet, Obscuring cloud, Sharp vision, Sticky slime, Acute hearing, Sensitive touch, Symbiont (minor), Large size, Small size, +2 skill levels.
You can have one major shtlck or two minor shticks for free. "But I want my alien to be invulnerable to energy weapons and have 360° vision!" I hear you cry. Fear not, you can. Only there's a price. For every good shtick you want in addition to the ones that are yours by right, you have to take an equivalent bad shtick. So, in the case of the example above, the alien can indeed be invulnerable to energy weapons and have 360° vision, but will also suffer from a brain parasite that occasionally causes it to behave in a completely random way. Almost certainly at the most inconvenient moments...
Equipment works in a similar fashion to Ghostbusters, with individual items specified on cards. Basically you can have what starting equipment you like, but anything too useful will count as a minor (or major) shtick. Your alien can carry up to STR x 3 equipment cards, but large items may take up two or more cards... Clothing and light items can be carried for free, and don't go on equipment cards.
No doubt these will also be known as karma or brownie points, but plot points is the most accurate description of what they are. They have several functions, as follows:
1. Damage:As you can see, plot points are useful! So how do you gain these wonderful things? Well, basically by doing or saying anything that gives the referee ideas for future developments or scenarios. Background on your alien's home planet. New weird and wonderful aims and goals (see the section on Personality). Making friends, making enemies. Achieving an adventure objective in an interesting way (leaving room for a sequel). Failing to achieve an objective in an interesting way (ditto). Speculating (wrongly) on possible scenario developments (Referee thinks: "Hmmm. Good idea, but it's not what's happening here. But in the next adventure..."). Refereeing an Alien Sex adventure yourself. A chance remark that sets the referee thinking. Plot points can be awarded at any time for practically anything.
You start with 20 plot points, plus a bonus of up to 10 points depending on how many good ideas your alien design has generated in the referee's fertile imagination. Completely new aliens will tend to get a bigger bonus than aliens that have been already described in these rules.
At some stage it is probable that you will become involved in a fight. Should this regrettable event occur, the following system is used to resolve it:
Initiative
All participants roll their SPE in dice, rolling up any sixes as usual. Actions are resolved in order, the highest roll going
first.
Missile Fire
Roll the appropriate skill against a difficulty level of 3 (short range), 5 (medium range) or 7 (long range) plus any modifiers specified by the referee. If your opponent sees you firing, it gets to dodge by rolling its SPE in dice. If your maximum roll is greater than the difficulty and the dodge roll, you have hit and your opponent may take damage (see below). Otherwise, you miss.
Melee
This works just the same as missile fire except that there is no difficulty factor; the roll you have to beat is your opponent's defence. If your opponent has a melee weapon, it can use its skill to defend, or it can use its SPE to dodge.
Damage
The plot points lost if a successful hit is made is calculated as follows:
Hit roll + weapon modifier - dodge/defence roll - CON - Armour
Note that for missile fire it is your opponent's dodge roll that is subtracted, not the difficulty of the shot. The weapon modifier can be found on the appropriate equipment card. NB most weapons have a negative modifier! CON is the victim's CON (of course), and the damage subtracted by armour (which includes shields) is found on the appropriate equipment card. The referee may also modify the damage by a point or two to take account of tactical advantages or disadvantages that one side or the other may have. If the damage as calculated is zero or less, no damage is taken. It is of course permitted to expend plot points to roll extra dice to eliminate damage (or to inflict it), but recall that a) you can only spend points up to your weapon ability (or SPE, if you are dodging) and b) your opponent can also spend plot points to reverse the reversal (if you see what I mean).
The exception to all this is if unarmed combat occurs3. In this case damage is calculated in the normal way except there are no weapons modifiers and stun damage is taken. If the total stun damage ever exceeds the current plot points of an alien, that alien is knocked out/inactivated. In addition, if any damage is taken, the victim must make a CON roll with difficulty equal to the damage taken or be inactivated for a number of rounds equal to the amount it missed by.
Running Away
If you have a low CON and low combat skill, you should consider running away or surrendering as soon as you get down to ten plot points or less. The combat system can be quite deadly as the difference between hit and defence rolls can be up to ten points. Fortunately, running away is quite simple. On your move you make a Run or SPE roll against your opponents weapon skill; if you win, you escape without damage. Otherwise, you take damage in the normal way but you still escape.
From time to time, you will encounter bizarre new alien objects which may or may not cause you to respond in various interesting ways. Naturally if you've stated on your character sheet that all small round orange things are sexually exciting to you and you encounter a tangerine, or if the object is similar in some way to something you've already encountered to which you had a strong reponse, or if Mr. Referee says that for plot purposes your alien might care to behave in this way (and gain a plot point), then you can respond appropriately. But in other cases, the object might be so odd that an alien reaction roll is called for.
To do this, roll a d6 and consult the following table:
| 1 | Negative reaction |
| 2-5 | No reaction |
| 6 | Positive reaction |
If you rolled either a positive or negative reaction, roll another two d6. The first d6 determines the strength of the reaction from 1-6. The second d6 determines the type of reaction, as follows:
| Roll | Positive Response | Negative Response |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nutritious, tasty | Nasty tasting, toxic |
| 2 | Religiously significant | Blasphemous |
| 3 | Sexually exciting | Sexually repulsive |
| 4 | Behaviour-modifying - good,pleasant | Behaviour-modifying - bad, unpleasant |
| 5 | Aesthetically pleasing | Aesthetically unpleasing |
| 6 | Stat/skill modifying - positive | Stat/skill modifying - negative |
From these rolls you can make up your own detailed response or accept a suggestion from the referee. Plot points will be awarded for particularly imaginative interpretations.
Alien reaction rolls will only apply when the referee says so - otherwise you'd be making dozens of the things every time you landed on a new planet.
That's all the rules I think are relevant - any further suggestions gratefully accepted. Have fun designing your aliens and playing the game!
Mark Tolley 23/1/94.
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