One of the aspects of this game that makes it different is the close attention to courage. A person may die of fright and never meat a real threat. The following are a list of things that may be included in the game and the kind of courage check that will need to be done, as well as the response for failure.
When any of these things are encountered in the game the Administrator may call for your character to do a check. You roll two six sides dice, subtract any minuses, add any bonuses, and count the score. If that score is less than or equal two your present Courage score you have passed and may act normally. If your Courage score is below what you rolled, you are not up to the task and will need to roll on the Reactions Table. Certain occupations are immune to these.
Close Adult encounter
Reaction Range: 8
Immune occupations: Millitary
Description: When you suddenly find yourself face to face with an adult Alien your mind freezes.
[Lambert froze and just stood there for the whole time Parker was killed and then as it leisurley disembowelled her, Alien]
Immediate contact loss
Reaction Range: 1-6 (D6)
Immune occupations: Communication
Description: When the people you are talking to suddenly disappear, be it due to death, or equipment failure. The thing is you don’t know.
[Goreman began to freeze up when he could no longer talk with Apone and people started vanishing off his screens, Aliens]
Initial bodies sighting
Reaction Range: 3-8 (D6+2)
Immune occupations: Medical, Military, Convict
Description: Dead or mutilated bodies are not usually part of the everyday experience. People observing them may be thrown completely.
[Newt was told to go to the back of the APC so she wouldn’t see anything that would upset her, Aliens]
Loud noise or hissing
Reaction Range: 3-8 (D6+2)
Immune occupations: Engineer
Description: Humans are predisposed to fear loud noises. Hissing of steam can sound like an Alien close by.
[Ripley has nearly shot a half dozen loose steam hoses, Alien]
Mucus
Reaction Range: 0-3
Immune occupations: None
Description: The moment they step in that stuff and you KNOW they are about to get done.
[Spunkmeyer put his hand in some while climbing aboard the doomed UD4L Dropship, Aliens]
Observed movement
Reaction Range: 0-5 (D6-1)
Immune occupations: Military
Description: Something moved. You are not sure what it is. A shadow, a blip on the tracker, a piece of wiring moving in the breeze in the corner of your eye? Or was it an Alien?
[Hudson started to read tracks all around their position, Aliens]
Scream
Reaction Range: 3-8 (D6+2)
Immune occupations: Convict
Description: Someone nearby is being killed. This does nothing to reassure you.
[Elgan heard the soldier die and decided to move his crew out fast, Alien4]
Sudden loss of vision
Reaction Range: 0-3, 5-6,8
Immune occupations: Blind characters
Description: The lights go out, the hall floods with steam, a strobe is disrupting vision, you step into the sunlight. Suddenly you are not able to see if you are safe.
[Hicks forgot all about killing Burke when the lights failed, Aliens]
These events fray at the nerves making it harder to react in a calm fashion. This is reflected as scores added to your dice when making a check. Certain occupations are immune to some of these.
Alien Infestation
Penalty: +1
Immune occupations: None
Description: The walls are decorated in the strange H. R. Giger style. This does not bode well. Nothing nice lives here.
[Hicks was unnerved by the strange hive appearance, Aliens]
Bodies
Penalty: +2
Immune occupations: Military, Medical, Criminal
Description: Quite apart from the initial sighting, being amongst disfigured bodies is disturbing. Double the penalty if the bodies are familiar. Triple the penalty for family or friends.
[Purvis was nearly catatonic with fear when he was found in the room with the burst bodies, Alien4]
Closing movement
Penalty: +2
Immune occupations: None
Description: What ever it is it is getting closer. Be it a blip on a tracker or the sound of movement.
[Hicks and the rest in the room waiting for the Alien arrival, Alien]
Contact or support loss
Penalty: +1
Immune occupations: Communication
Description: If we haven’t got back up or a means of calling for help everything looks much bleaker.
[Hudson nearly cried when the UD4L Dropship crashed, Aliens]
Immediate Plan Failure
Penalty: +3
Immune occupations: Occupations with Organisation.
Description: This plan sounded like great idea but it isn’t working. What can you trust?
[Convict Morse wasn’t too impressed when his door didn’t close to seal the Alien out, Alien3]
Loss of vision
Penalty: +2
Immune occupations: Blind characters
Description: Moving in an area where you can’t rely on your major sense almost guarantees your judgements will be bad.
[Ripley struggled with the strobe light by the shuttle access, Alien]
Small restricted spaces
Penalty: +2
Immune occupations: Convict
Description: When you can’t move or run away you are less likely to be confident in your safety.
[Dallas began to loose his cool in the vents, Alien]
System malfunction
Penalty: +1
Immune occupations: Engineer
Description: The lights fail on deck B, the coolant starts flooding the lower decks, etc. Is it a simple malfunction or is it the Aliens?
[Hudson couldn’t credit "animals" disconnecting the power , Aliens]
Unknown Alien location
Penalty: +3
Immune occupations: None
Description: If you don’t know where it is you don’t know how safe you are. It could arrive at any moment.
[Parker going for fuel for the flamer, Alien]
Unusual noises or lights
Penalty: +1
Immune occupations: Those familiar with particular condition.
Description: Should that light be flashing? Did you hear that? Something here is just not right.
[Hicks when the Aliens began banging on the bulkhead door, Aliens]
Time to gird your loins and rally to the call. Some things will make the heart bolder and steel the nerve. They are reflected as minuses from your dice roll when making a check. Some are only relevant to certain occupations.
Rousing songs
Bonus: -1, -2
Disadvantages: Loud noise attracts attention.
Description: There is nothing like a rousing chorus or war cry to get the blood pumping and the courage swelling in the breast. The song can be anything , but must be sung heartily. Different characters will respond to different songs. The amount of bonus will be determined by the Administrator.
[Burke consoling Hudson, Aliens]
Immediate success
Bonus: -1 (per significantr success)
Disadvantages: Any failure cancels all bonuses.
Description: It is very easy to be brave when you are winning. Even minor victories will help a group's moral.
[Hudson when he Frenzied with his M41, Aliens]
Inspiring plan or leader
Bonus: -1
Disadvantages: Remove bonus and add penalty when plan fails.
Description: There is something about some people that makes others willing to follow them into hell. Some plans are so inspired that it is worth risking everything for them. The Administrator will determine if a character is inspired.
[Prisoners on Fiorina "Fury" 131 under Dylan’s lead, Alien3]
Weapon in hand
Bonus: -1
Disadvantages: Limits action. Tendency to trust weapon not brains.
Description: There is something comforting about holding a weapon even if there is no real posibilityof it doing any damage to the target.
[One of the Prisoners on Fiorina "Fury" 131 carried a pair of scissors, Alien3]
Rescue obtainable
Bonus: -3
Disadvantages: Remove bonus and add penalty when plan fails.
Description: If you could just get to the exit you’d be safe. It is the only chance.
[Ripley went to face the Alien, knowing she needed to get past it to the shuttle or die, Alien]
Military service
Bonus: -2
Disadvantages: High exposure to danger.
Description: The Military are trained to deal with fear and the possibility of death. It doesn’t make them immune, but does steel their nerve.
[Apone was not thrown, Aliens]
These events ellicit different reactions for different people. Some react badly some react well. It will be up to the Administrator to say if it affects your character.
Access points and vents
Negative reaction: Check required when moving past one.
Positive reaction: Less chance of surprise.
Other constraints: Apertures must be sizeable enough to accommodate a hidden opponent.
Description: There is something about vents. They could be safe, or they could house an Alien, watching and waiting to leap out and grab you. How close do you dare to get? Can you turn your back on it? Are you sure you know where all the Aliens are?
[Convict with the mop cleaning up after Andrews was grabbed, Alien3]
Criminal background
Negative reaction: Untrustworthy.
Positive reaction: Immune to certain checks and penalties depending on the characters experience and the DM’s discretion.
Other constraints: May know some breaking and entering, or other criminal abilities depending on why they were convicted.
Description: Dylan, as a murderer, was not shocked by the death and violence. Call however, could pick locks, but was horrified by the death.
[Christie was not concerned about the dead bodies or killing Purvis, Alien4]
Desensitisation
Negative reaction: Requires more to be convinced of safety and receive bonus to courage.
Positive reaction: Immune to certain checks and penalties depending on the characters experience and the DM’s discretion.
Other constraints: Tendency to callousness and sacrificing things others consider important.
Description: When you have lived the nightmare long enough you get to recognise some things. Bodies loose their horror after you have seen over two hundred of them.
[Ripley just got to the point where she was used to the death and other fears, Alien3]
Frayed Nerves
Negative reaction: All negative penalties at +1/2 even after penalty condition is resolved.
Positive reaction: None.
Other constraints: Frayed nerves may be stilled with any of the courage bonuses.
Description: When things are going bad, and just keep getting worse it is hard to raise a positive outlook. Reactions tend to be negative.
[Hudson did not deal with the mounting difficulties facing them, Aliens]
Observed action
Negative reaction: Bad choice of action.
Positive reaction: Chance to break free of frozen response.
Other constraints: Action must be copied from another observed individual.
Description: If an 8 is rolled on the Reactions Table but the character can observe another character react, they are allowed a second check to mimic that action. Thus Drake could open fire when he observed Vasquez, and Call could run when Christie pulled her.
["Lets Rock"- Vasquez, "Yeah!"-Drake, Aliens]
Observed safety
Negative reaction: Tend not to stick to plan if can achieve safety for themselves. May abandon others.
Positive reaction: Most Penalties are annulled in the hope of close salvation.
Other constraints: Safety must be observable and immediately attainable. The arrival of armed reinforcements counts, but knowledge that there is a bulkhead door around the next corner doesn’t until it is seen.
Description: When a character can see a haven or a way to remove themselves from danger it is easier to just go a bit further.
[The Marines managed to rally and pull back to the APC but where in disarray until it arrived, Aliens]
Timed constraints
Negative reaction: Desperate and badly judged decisions.
Positive reaction: Proportional courage bonus, depending on type of time constraints.
Other constraints: Relies on some accurate way of determining the passage of relevant time.
Description: You may have 14 days till you are rescued or 10 minutes to reach minimum safe distance, or just have to get through that sealing bulkhead. What ever it is time puts strain on judgement. However, characters are more likely to take risks since they have no other option. Courage bonus apply at the discretion of the Admin and may be anywhere up to -10 in immediate life threats in less than one minute.
[Ripley took bigger and bigger risks as time ran out for her and Newt, Aliens]
Trapped
Negative reaction: Some characters respond badly and make all checks at +1.
Positive reaction: Some characters decide there is nothing to loose and make all checks at -1.
Other constraints: Knowing and felling trapped are different things and the Administrator will determine if this effect applies to your character.
Description: Any condition that eliminates a means of escape, be it a sealed door or a malfunctioning lift, or even an exploding UD4L Dropship.
[Hudson really began to loose it when he realised there was no way off LV 426 , Aliens]
When you fail a test you have two choices. You may either spend a courage point or roll on the reaction chart below. You must decide to spend a point before your reaction roll, and may not spend one after. A single six sided dice is rolled, add or subtract bonuses detailed in the relevant check. The resulting number corresponds to a particular action detailed below. A score of less than zero counts as a zero score, while scores in excess of ten count as a ten score. Some checks will have only certain reaction available. In these cases any roll that is not included in the range allowed must be rolled again.
| Roll | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Startle. You jump out of your skin, but no real harm done. |
| 1 | Fright. The shock leaves you a little shaky but level headed. |
| 2 | Fazed. The shock is enough to jerk you into action. If holding a weapon it is fired, a button is pushed, you sprint a short way towards the exit, etc. |
| 3 | Shaken. The shock is enough to have negative effect on all your actions because of the slight shake of your hand, etc. |
| 4 | Freaked. The shock is enough to put you on edge. Your next check is at plus 1. |
| 5 | Fumble. The shock is enough to interrupt your motor neuron functions, causing you to drop what you are carrying. |
| 6 | Panic. The shock is enough to interrupt your higher function. You are no loner able to make rational decisions or intelligent judgements. |
| 7 | Flee. The shock has been to much for you. You turn and run blindly away from the danger. |
| 8 | Freeze. The shock has been to much for you system and you are unable to do anything but stare in fascinated horror. |
| 9 | Unconscious. The shock has been to much for your system and it has shut down till the danger passes. |
| 10 | Death. The shock has been to much for you system and it terminates. |