Halifax | Episode 36 | A Complex Encounter | Alien RPG
Table of Contents
Welcome to Alien RPG and Halifax | Episode 36 | A Complex Encounter. We are in the middle of a complex encounter with a Working Joe. This Working Joe is no joke. It does not want to die. In fact, it hardly flinches. Something is different about this Working Joe. What is it?
THE WORKING JOE
The manuals for Alien RPG have some information about Working Joe’s. We know that they are synthetics created by Seegson to compete with Weyland Yutani’s synthetics. However, the Working Joe is nowhere near as advanced as Weyland Yutani’s. They are basically designed for basic tasks and have minimal intelligence. Working Joe’s also appears in the video game titled Alien Isolation. There is more information that you can find in the manuals and by searching around the internet.
With the information that I read in the manual and through my own research, I attempted to stay as close to the material as possible. However, there are no stats on the Working Joe in the manuals so I found some in my research and modified them a bit. From there, I added more modifications to create the Working Joe specific to this complex encounter. It’s basically a stronger yet not any more intelligent Working Joe when compared to the others.
WHAT DOES MU/TH/UR THINK?
This episode is completely unedited. This is a complex encounter and the purpose of this episode is to show how complex of an encounter this really is. There are mistakes and we have to pause to look up information. I have to come up with difficult decisions on the fly. All in all, it is a bit messy but I feel like there is a lesson to be learned here.
Alien RPG is different than any other tabletop RPG that I and our group have played. This can be somewhat problematic because we are so used to D&D and games like it that we are used to having everything at our disposal.
My approach to this complex encounter is cinematic. What would a crew with limited resources do if they are having trouble with an enemy that is too powerful? Would they keep throwing punches at it? No. They would run, hide, or look for resources while the enemy is distracted. This can be a difficult shift from what we know and even harder to project your intentions as the game mother.
Watch or listen to the episode to find out more about this complex encounter.
ABOUT HALIFAX: PRECIOUS CARGO BETWIXT DRAGONS AND GHOSTS
This is the story of Halifax, an M-Class Commercial Starfreighter under the ownership of Weyland-Yutani, a large multinational conglomerate. The Wey-Yu employed crew aboard Halifax takes on cargo delivery jobs that dispatch them across the Stars of the Middle Heavens. However, space is a dangerous place, and the unimaginable is bound to happen.
The story of Halifax is set within the Alien universe. We are a team of five and we work together to tell the story. Our adventure begins in the year 2179, the same year that Ellen Ripley is recovered from the Nostromo, survives LV-426, and then is lost on Florina 161.
Alien RPG is a tabletop role-playing game that serves as the framework that guides us through our journey. Halifax: Precious Cargo betwixt Dragons and Ghosts is based on a homebrew campaign written by Joseph Stader. Every episode features actual play with minimal editing.
Expect story elements regarding space horror, sci-fi action, survival, and a sense of wonder. Gameplay consists of chance mixed with strategic planning. Every choice has a consequence. The right choice leads to another day where the wrong choice leads to panic, injury, or death.
Parental warning: The following presentation contains mature content and is intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion is advised.
Welcome to Halifax. Buckle up. We are in for some chop.