How To Play: Aliens

Overview

If you’ve ever wondered how to play Aliens without watching your team get eaten in the first five rounds, you’re in the right place. My friends and I battled through the chaos (and a lot of yelling) just to bring you this guide. I’ll lay out the main game rules, then share the sneaky strategies we used to survive (mostly). Grab your flamethrower, it’s time to play smart!

What’s in the box

• 1 Game Board
• 22 Miniatures
• 7 Character Cards
• 45 Motion Tracker Cards
• 60 Endurance Cards
• 20 Dials
• 84 Tokens
• 6 Dice
• 1 Rulebook

How To Play Aliens: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Put the board in the middle of your table. Try not to spill snacks on it. My cousin did. Bad idea.
2. Hand out character cards, minis, and equipment to each player. If someone tries to grab Vasquez AND Ripley, stop them. Share fair.
3. Shuffle the motion tracker and endurance decks. Place them face down next to the board.
4. Put tokens, dice, and dials in reach. Trust me, you don’t want to knock over the table later.

Gameplay

1. Players take turns in order. Each turn, you can move, shoot, interact, or do something heroic like yelling ‘Game over, man!’
2. Draw a motion tracker card at the end of your turn. This tells you where aliens go. Sometimes they pop up right behind you. Yikes.
3. Fight aliens with dice rolls. Use your equipment wisely. I once wasted all my ammo on empty rooms. Don’t be me.
4. Keep your endurance tokens above zero, or you’re alien chow.

Winning

1. Check your mission card. Complete all goals—like rescuing Newt, escaping the complex, or just staying alive.
2. If at least one player finishes the mission, you win! If not, well… blame the guy who didn’t cover the rear.

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Aliens swarm when triggered. If you see lots of blips, hide or run. Or both.
2. Use command points to give each other boosts. Teamwork is key, as my friend Dave learned after sprinting solo and getting dragged away by a xenomorph.
3. If you run out of tokens (like med kits), you’re out. No whining.

Now you know How To Play Aliens. May your dice roll better than mine ever do.

Best Aliens Strategies

The Secret Sauce: Teamwork and Role Coordination

Talk (A Lot!)

I learned the hard way in my first game of Aliens that silent squads lose fast! Keep talking to your teammates. Discuss every move and idea. A louder table is a safer table. Your How To Play aliens search will reveal teamwork is king.

Know Your Job

Each role does something special. Don’t step on toes! Instead, be the best at your job. For example:

1. If you are the Medic, heal at the right time.
2. As the Gunner, clear paths and keep others safe.
3. Engineers, fix stuff—don’t try to fight aliens!

Cover Weaknesses

Aliens find your weak spots quick. So always back each other up and cover the bad rolls or unlucky flips. That’s how we survived longer than five rounds last time!

Resource Management Tricks To Survive The Alien Onslaught

Ammo Is Gold

Never waste bullets! Save those sweet, sweet shots for when you really need them. If you think you can skip a turn and reload, do it. My friend Dave once spent all his ammo shooting at a wall. He did not last long.

1. Always count your bullets.
2. Share ammo with teammates when possible.
3. Never let anyone run dry!

Don’t Hoard First Aid

Next, spread healing supplies! That first aid kit looks great, but you can’t use it if you’re alien chow. Pass it to whoever needs it most.

1. Keep wounded marines alive.
2. If someone gets low, vote to heal.
3. Don’t wait until it’s too late!

Use Tools Wisely

Finally, don’t burn your motion tracker just to feel useful. Tools matter more as the aliens close in. Think ahead, plan moves, and you’ll look smarter than you are.

1. Coordinate tool use with your team.
2. Save the best tools for critical moments.

If you remember these tricks on how to play aliens, you’ll find your group surviving longer. Maybe not Dave, though. That wall really had it coming.

Alien Movement Prediction: Outsmart the Stalkers!

Watch Their Patterns

Aliens act like hungry raccoons—always appearing where you least want them. To know how to play aliens right, pay attention to past moves:

1. Track where aliens spawned last round.
2. Check which entry points lead to your squad.
3. Note how often aliens double back.

Block Likely Paths

If an alien comes close, expect it to keep hunting. Here’s how to avoid surprise hugs:

1. Place obstacles on main routes.
2. Stay away from dark, quiet corners.
3. Use fire or noise to make paths risky for aliens.

Use the Map Wisely

The board lets you guess the next alien attack. My friends and I learned to do this every time:

1. Pick exits with wide open lines of sight.
2. Leave a teammate to watch blindspots.
3. Always have an escape route planned.

Wrap-Up: Keep Calm and Blast On!

Well, there you go – my brain is now empty of all my best tips on How To Play aliens (and not get eaten in the process). Remember, teamwork saves lives, ammo is golden, and sometimes running away is the bravest thing you can do. My friends still tease me for closing every door behind me, but hey, I lived! So get your squad together, trust no one (except maybe Bishop), and prove you’re not just fresh meat in the xenomorph buffet. Good luck – and watch those motion trackers!

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