How To Play: Aliens

Overview

Aliens turns a quiet space station into a noisy panic box, where every corridor may hide trouble. I played it with friends, and our brave plans fell apart faster than a cheap airlock. This guide gives you an outline of the game rules, from moving and fighting to handling key missions. It also shares the best strategies for winning, so you can keep your crew alive and avoid becoming space monster snacks.

What’s in the box

• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Scenario Book
• 1 Game Board
• 1 Operations Board
• 6 Character Boards
• 6 Character Miniatures
• 16 Alien Warrior Miniatures
• 1 Alien Queen Miniature
• 60 Cards
• 20 Blip Tokens
• 20 Door Tokens
• 10 Noise Tokens
• 10 Ammo Tokens
• 6 Wound Tokens
• 6 Objective Tokens
• 6 Dice

How To Play Aliens: Rules Summary

Aliens puts your squad inside a very bad day, usually with claws, teeth, and far too little ammo. These simple rules explain how to set up the game, take turns, complete missions, and survive. I have played Aliens with friends, and trust me, splitting the group rarely ends well.

Setup: Get Your Squad Ready

1. Choose a mission and place its map tiles as shown in the mission guide.
2. Pick your characters and place each figure on the starting space.
3. Shuffle the Event, Blip, and Gear cards, then place each deck beside the map.
4. Give each character the weapons and gear listed by the mission.
5. Place the starting Blips on the map. Keep their alien values hidden until a character reveals them.
6. Set the turn marker, dice, wounds, ammo, and other tokens where everyone can reach them.

Gameplay: Move Fast and Watch the Vents

1. Begin each round by resolving the mission’s starting effects or Event card.
2. Next, each player takes a turn and activates one character. Players may choose the order, so talk before acting.
3. Spend action points to move, search, attack, trade gear, open doors, or perform the mission’s special actions.
4. When a character enters a space with a hidden Blip, reveal it and place the correct alien figures there.
5. Roll the required attack dice when you shoot or fight. Apply hits, wounds, armor, and ammo results right away.
6. After every player acts, resolve the Alien Phase. Move aliens, make them attack, and add new Blips as the mission directs.
7. Then start the next round. Keep checking the mission rules, because the game enjoys springing nasty surprises on your squad.

Winning: Finish the Job and Get Out Alive

1. Read the mission objectives before the game begins. The mission tells you what counts as success.
2. Complete every required objective, such as reaching a location, rescuing a character, collecting an item, or defeating a threat.
3. Follow the mission’s escape rule if it asks the squad to leave the map. Usually, surviving characters must reach a marked space.
4. Declare victory as soon as the group meets all required objectives.
5. If the mission gives bonus goals, complete them only after securing the main objectives. Heroics look great until the aliens eat everyone.

Special Rules & Conditions: The Things That Go Bump

1. Keep Blip values hidden until a character reveals them. Once revealed, replace each Blip with the listed alien figures.
2. Noise can attract more aliens. Resolve noise tokens and extra Blips exactly when the mission tells you to do so.
3. Some spaces block movement, attacks, or line of sight. Check doors, walls, corridors, and map symbols before you act.
4. Characters may suffer wounds, become incapacitated, or die, depending on the game’s current rules and mission.
5. Use character abilities when their timing allows. A good ability at the right moment can save the squad from a truly grim hallway.
6. Follow card text and mission text before the basic rules when they conflict. Special instructions get the final say.
7. Track ammo, gear, wounds, and objective tokens carefully. Missing one tiny token can turn a brave plan into space soup.

Best Aliens Strategies

Win Together: Make Every Character Pull Their Weight

After testing Aliens with friends, we learned that teamwork beats lone-hero nonsense. Assign clear jobs, share danger, and change plans when the board gets rude.

Choose a Leader

1. First, pick the character who can rescue mistakes, not merely score glory.
2. Then, give that player the final call during panic, but keep discussion short.

Cover the Weak Spot

1. Meanwhile, pair a fighter with a support character before danger arrives.
2. Also, announce your needs early; silent players create more trouble than the aliens.

Share the Spotlight

1. Finally, rotate support duties, because tired players miss clues and waste precious actions.

Win the Bug Hunt: Smart Resource and Ammo Control

Count Every Shell

1. When friends and I played Aliens, we wasted ammo early. Therefore, count shots, and use weak weapons against weak targets.

Share the Good Gear

1. Next, give powerful guns to players facing big threats. Also, keep one spare weapon ready, because jams love drama.

Buy Before Trouble

1. Meanwhile, spend supplies before missions, but skip flashy gear. Save enough ammo for the final room and ugly surprises.

Track the Panic

1. Finally, check reserves after fights. If ammo runs low, change routes, search crates, and let cheap tools handle pests.

Beat the Clock: Smart Mission Timing Wins Games

Read the Goal

1. First, read every objective before moving before spending actions.
2. Mark the main goal, then note bonus tasks and failure triggers for everyone.

Set Your Pace

1. Next, set a turn limit for each phase and announce it aloud.
2. This timer stops wandering and keeps your squad focused during each round.

Choose Safe Progress

1. Meanwhile, tackle objectives that unlock safer routes first before exploring optional areas.
2. As a result, moves become less risky when pressure rises.

Secure the Win

1. However, do not chase a side objective when the main mission nears failure.
2. Instead, secure the win condition first. Finish safely, then return for extras. Then use remaining time for bonus rewards.

Stay Calm, Shoot Straight, and Trust Your Crew

Aliens rewards players who plan ahead, share supplies, and keep their cool when the mission gets ugly. My friends and I learned this the hard way after one brave fool charged into a room full of bugs with one bullet left. Work together, watch your objectives, and never waste a good action. The game may throw nightmares at your team, but smart choices can still bring everyone home. Usually. Maybe.

Want to know what we think of Aliens? Read our detailed review of Aliens here