How To Play: Aliens

Overview

If you’ve ever wanted to shout, “Game over, man!” while surrounded by plastic aliens, you’re in the right spot. I played Aliens with my friends (and survived—barely). This guide gives you a quick outline of the game rules, plus the best strategies for not ending up as alien chow. Grab your pulse rifle, because you’re about to learn How To Play aliens and maybe even win.

What’s in the box

• 1 Game Board
• 7 Character Miniatures
• 16 Alien Miniatures
• 45 Tokens
• 85 Cards
• 12 Dice
• 1 Rulebook
• 6 Player Boards
• 24 Standees
• 20 Objective Markers

How To Play Aliens: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Unfold the board and place it center-stage. Everyone leans in dramatically. (It’s not required, but it helps.)
2. Hand out character cards, matching minis, and tokens to each player.
3. Shuffle mission and event decks. Place them within reach, unless you have a cat. Then, guard them fiercely.
4. Put the aliens and any starting obstacles on their marked spots. Remind your friends the aliens will show no mercy.
5. Decide who goes first. We suggest rock-paper-scissors, but arm wrestling is fine too.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, choose your action: move, attack, collect, or use gear. Everyone takes turns clockwise.
2. Draw an event card at the end of your turn. This makes you nervous. It should.
3. Aliens move after every player. They love to chase the loudest person at the table.
4. Coordinate with teammates. Yelling is optional, but effective.
5. If your character gets attacked, follow the damage rules. Complain loudly for dramatic effect.

Winning

1. Check the mission card for your goal. Usually, it’s escape or destroy the alien nest (or both if you’re feeling brave).
2. Complete every mission objective before the last player is eaten, vaporized, or abducted.
3. If one player makes it, the team wins. High fives are mandatory. If you all perish, the aliens win. (Boo!)

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If you trigger an alarm, more aliens appear. This always seems to happen on my turn.
2. Some gear has limited uses. Manage carefully, or you’ll be stuck with a rubber chicken against a laser-wielding alien.
3. If you split up, be prepared for the consequences. Spoiler: they’re usually bad.
4. Watch for hidden traps and secret doors. Sometimes paranoia is your best friend.

There you have it. With these rules, you’ll know How To Play Aliens and survive (or at least have a blast trying)!

Best Aliens Strategies

Talk, Trust, Triumph: Mastering Team Play in Aliens

Pick Your Role Early

1. Choose: Settle on a job before you grab your snacks. Do you heal, fight, or keep an eye on the map?

2. Stick: Once you pick your role, don’t swap every turn. Consistency helps the team win.

Always Share What You Know

1. Yell: If you see something wild, shout it out. Even if it’s just “the alien smells.”

2. Ask: Don’t guess others’ plans. Ask for updates each turn to keep everyone in sync.

Plan Ahead Together

1. Brainstorm: Spend 30 seconds talking strategy every round. Quick talks avoid chaos.

2. Backup: Assign one friend to call out backup plans. If things go wrong, no one panics.

In my last game, our medic wandered off and our gunner tried to do everything alone. That went as well as a cat herding contest. We lost. So, trust me, follow these steps on ‘How To Play aliens’ with better teamwork and roles, and you’ll actually have a shot at victory.

Master Your Resources: Outsmart the Aliens

Count Every Card and Token

Nothing stings more than running out of ammo mid-alien attack. Watch your gear like a hawk! Monitor every resource, because those little bits mean life or death. Here are ways I avoid disaster:

1. Track every token after each turn.
2. Double-check your inventory before chasing objectives.
3. Swap with teammates if you notice shortages.

Make Every Action Count

Aliens don’t wait for you to make up your mind. Think ahead! Even though it’s tempting to go wild, plan every move. My friends learned this the hard way—Tim wasted all our medkits in one round. We never let him forget! Try this instead:

1. Plan out movement routes to save resources.
2. Time your attacks so you don’t overuse weapons.
3. Take turns using items, so one person never runs dry.

Prioritize Objectives

You can’t do it all. Focus on what wins the game, not just surviving another turn. Here’s how we stopped turning into alien food:

1. Assign someone to track mission goals.
2. Only use resources on threats that block victory.
3. Communicate which objectives need urgent supplies.

Outsmarting Those Pesky Aliens

Read Their Patterns

Aliens act in weird but sneaky ways. After you see them run in circles twice, you start to notice trends. Use your noggin and watch them closely.

1. Notice repeated paths
2. Remember which doors they check
3. Track their favorite hiding spots

Predict Their Next Moves

Aliens often chase after the weakest player. However, sometimes they pull a surprise! Guess what they’ll do next for a leg up.

1. Think like the alien
2. Watch for sudden changes
3. Communicate your guesses with teammates

Use Distractions

If you toss a token, sometimes the alien will chase it. Therefore, take advantage of their curiosity.

1. Throw objects to mislead
2. Bait aliens away from goals

Understanding Alien Behavior is a key part if you want to master How To Play aliens! Once I started copying their habits, I got way better at the game. Keep one eye on the board—and the other on those tricky extraterrestrials.

Ready to Save the Day?

After playing “Aliens” more times than I care to admit (my friends still joke about when I tried to negotiate with a cardboard alien), I can say the biggest winners always talk, plan, and manage their stuff like pros. Trust your crew and keep snacks handy—aliens hate crumbs. If you remember the basics on How To Play aliens, you’ll be halfway to hero status. Now grab the dice and show those monsters who’s boss!

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