Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps
Aliens: Another Glorious Day in the Corps Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Components
- Game Setup
- Mission Cards
- Game Boards
- Character Cards
- Abilities
- Newt
- Gear Up Characters
- Building the Endurance Deck
- Aim Dials
- Motion Tracker Deck
- Spawn Points and Blip Tokens
- Alien Models and Tokens
- Character Models' Starting Locations
- Turn Dial
- Exit Tokens
- Activation Token
- The Endurance Deck
- Drawing and Playing Cards
- The Reshuffle Card
- Revealing Cards
- Exhaust Pile
- Discard Pile
- Game Board Elements
- Game Turns
- The Marine Phase
- Hero Activations
- Line of Sight
- Activate Remaining Grunts
- The Alien Phase
- The Finish Phase
- Mission Rules
- Extra Missions
- Mission Tokens
- Sentry Guns
- Facehuggers
- Other Rules
- Keyword Glossary
- Credits
- Quick Reference
Components
- Gameboards x4
- Endurance Cards x60
- Motion Tracker Cards x42
- Card Organizer
- Turn Dial
- Reshuffle Card
- Marine Dice x2 — These ten sided dice (D10) are referred to in this book as Marine dice. The number 1 face is represented by a skull symbol.
- Alien Die — This six sided die (D6) is referred to in this book as the Alien die.
- Mission Cards x9
- Spawn Point Tokens x4
- Blip Tokens x21
- Mission Blip Tokens x4
- Tunnel Tokens x4
- Crate Tokens x8
- Computer Tokens x2
- Barricade Tokens x12
- Sentry Gun Tokens x2
- Sentry Gun Dial
- Facehugger Tokens x2
- Alien Tokens x21
- Exit Tokens x2
- Character Cards x7 (one per Character, with a Hero side and a Grunt side)
- Quick Reference Cards x6
- Activation Token
- Aim Dials x6
- Character Models x7 (Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, Pvt. William L. Hudson, Lt. Scott Gorman, Pvt. Jenette Vasquez, Pvt. Ricco "Frosty" Frost, Ellen Ripley, Newt)
- Alien Models x16
Character cards, Endurance cards, and Motion Tracker cards each carry an On Activation and/or Passive ability, printed directly on the card.
Game Setup
- Choose a mission to play from the Mission cards. If you are playing the campaign, this will be Mission 1: Newt.
- Set up the game boards as indicated by the chosen Mission card and put the Card Organizer nearby.
- Each player chooses a Character to play as a Hero and places their Hero's Character card in front of them with its Hero side up.
- Place the remaining Character cards nearby with their Grunt side up.
- Players gear up their Heroes and Grunts with Equipment and Weapons from the stack of Endurance cards.
- Create the Endurance Deck by shuffling all remaining Equipment and Weapon cards with the rest of the Endurance cards and set it in the Card Organizer. Place the Reshuffle card underneath the Endurance Deck.
- Give each Character an Aim Dial and set them to match the Aim number on the Character card.
- Follow the Mission card's instructions to create the Motion Tracker Deck and then set it in the Card Organizer.
- Follow the Mission card's instructions to place Spawn Point, Blip, and other mission tokens on the board. Set all remaining Blip tokens aside in a token pool, with the numbers face down and shuffled.
- Place all of the Alien models and Alien tokens next to the Blip token pool.
- Place Characters in their starting locations.
- If the mission calls for a Turn Dial, set it to one and place it near the board.
- Follow the Mission card's instructions to place the Exit token.
- Place the Activation token next to the Hero Character with the highest Rank.
Table Setup
Set up the table so the game boards are within reach of all players, with Grunts, Player 1, Player 2, Player 3, and Player 4 seated around them as space allows.
Mission Cards
Mission cards are used to set up the Game Boards, prepare the table, and tell you the victory conditions in the Game Over Man! section. These cards have everything you need to play the mission, including any special rules you might need for it.
IMPORTANT! Missions tell you what you need to do to win the game, so pay close attention to the victory conditions!
Game Boards
The game has four double-sided Game Boards that make up the game space. On one side, they recreate parts of Hadley's Hope and on the other side they make up an alien-infested fusion-powered atmosphere processing station.
Each Mission card has instructions that will tell you how to set up the Game Boards.
Character Cards
Each player takes on the role of a Hero in the game. The remaining characters are Grunts.
All of the information you need to play a character is on its Character card. Each Character card has two sides: the Hero side and the Grunt side. Use the Hero side for each player's Hero Character. All remaining Characters use the Grunt side.
A Character can be a Marine or a Civilian, as shown by the symbol on the top right of their card.
Heroes
A Hero Character is a character controlled by a player. Heroes have better stats than their Grunt version. They also have access to special abilities and rules to help them with their mission. In addition, Marine Heroes have a rank, which determines play order and allows that player to control a certain number of Grunt Characters during their turn.
Grunts
Grunts are Characters that are not assigned to any one player but instead are activated by the group. Grunts can be activated by Hero Characters (pg. 22). If a player's Hero dies or is Captured, they may choose a Grunt to replace their Hero (pg. 24).
NOTE: Grunts never have cards in hand. If any game effect would put a card into a Grunt's hand they instead put that card on the bottom of the Exhaust Pile.
Abilities
Every Hero Character and many Grunt Characters have abilities that they can use to help them and the other characters survive. These take effect at different points in the game.
PASSIVE: This ability is always in effect. You can use it at any time, even in the Alien Phase.
ON ACTIVATION: This ability is resolved as soon as this Character is activated (pg. 17).
DURING ACTIVATION: This ability is resolved once each time that Character is activated, at any time during their activation.
END OF ACTIVATION: This ability is resolved at the end of this Character's activation (pg. 22).
START OF FINISH PHASE: This ability is resolved at the end of each game turn (pg. 28).
For example, when on the Hero side, Hudson has two abilities. The first happens when he is activated, allowing him to Recycle cards from his hand. The second happens when he has finished his activation, making him Reveal a card to determine what happens.
Newt
Newt is not available until you have completed the first mission.
If a player's Hero is Ripley, then that player also plays Newt as a Hero. If Ripley is a Grunt, then Newt is a Grunt as well.
The Ripley player uses the same hand of cards for both Ripley and Newt, but both Characters have their own, separate, activations.
Newt cannot equip Weapons cards.
Gear Up Characters
At the start of a Campaign Mission the players may equip, for free, any Weapon or Equipment cards to the Hero and Grunt Characters being used in a mission, from the stack of Endurance cards.
A Character may equip up to two Weapon cards. The first Weapon is placed to the left of the Character card. The second Weapon must have the keyword Backup (pg. 31) and is placed on the right. In addition a Character may equip up to two Equipment cards.
NOTE: In a Bug Hunt Mission players do not get any starting equipment or weapons other than an HK VP70 Pistol.
Building the Endurance Deck
The Endurance Deck is the critical resource that players will use throughout the game to track ammo, resources, and the endurance of the group. During the game, cards will move out of the Endurance Deck into the Exhaust Pile and vice versa as you play.
At the start of the game, shuffle all of the unused Endurance cards together to form the Endurance Deck and place it in the Card Organizer on the far left, with spaces to the right for the Exhaust Pile and Discard Pile. Finally, place the Reshuffle card beneath the Endurance Deck.
IMPORTANT! If at any time there are no cards in the Endurance Deck and the Exhaust Pile, all players immediately lose the game, so managing the Endurance Deck is essential to your survival!
Aim Dials
Each Character uses an Aim Dial to indicate how accurately they can shoot this turn. Dials typically start the turn at the number equal to the Character's Aim. To hit your target when shooting, you must roll the number showing on the Aim Dial or lower. After you roll the die, rotate the Aim Dial down to the next number.
NOTE: A character's Aim Dial cannot fall below one or be raised above ten.
Motion Tracker Deck
The Motion Tracker Deck spawns new Aliens and gives them special abilities.
Each card shows a Type and a Location. The number of Blips is how many Blip tokens this card will spawn into play. The Location is the Spawn Point where you will place the Blip tokens.
After placing the Blip tokens, read the game text and complete its instructions.
You can get a sense of the danger coming by looking at the back of the Motion Tracker cards. There are three different threat levels displayed on the back of the cards — Threat Level 1, Threat Level 2, and Threat Level 3. These levels indicate how difficult the card is likely to be.
Motion Tracker Card Types
- Tunnel Card: These cards place Tunnel tokens on the game board.
- Hidden Threat Card: This card gains a bonus if its Blips are not placed in Line of Sight of a Character.
- Active Threat Card: This card gains a bonus if its Blips are placed in Line of Sight of a Character.
- Drone Card: These cards have varied effects.
Spawn Points and Blip Tokens
Spawn Point markers are placed on the game board according to the instructions on the Mission card. These are the locations where Aliens will enter play.
Blip tokens represent unconfirmed contacts. They have two sides, the Blip side and the number side. At the start of the game, place all of the Blips with the Blip side up, concealing the number below, to form a Blip token pool to draw from during the game.
Alien Models and Tokens
When a Blip is spotted, they become Alien models with the singular goal of destroying the players' Characters.
Some Blips will spawn in multiple Aliens to form swarms. These are represented with a single Alien model standing on a stack of Alien tokens. These tokens are extra hit points for the Alien model on top of the stack.
Character Models' Starting Locations
Players may set up their Characters anywhere in the area indicated on the Mission card.
Turn Dial
Some Missions have events that happen during certain turns. The Turn Dial is used to keep track of turns so you don't miss important events.
Exit Tokens
Exit tokens are placed at the edges of the game board according to the instructions on the Mission card. Characters will move onto these Exit tokens to exit game board and complete the mission.
Some missions will have two exit points, where you use the Exit-A and Exit-B sides.
Activation Token
The Activation token indicates who is the current player. At the start of the Marine Phase, the player with the highest Rank chooses any player and gives them the Activation token. That player takes the first activation for that phase. Once that player has finished their activation, they pass the Activation token to the player on their left, until everyone has activated their Characters.
The Endurance Deck
The Endurance Deck is the critical resource that players will use throughout the game to track ammo, resources, and the endurance of the group. During the game, cards will move out of the Endurance Deck into the Exhaust Pile or Discard Pile, and vice versa.
This is the deck that you use if you need to Draw, Exhaust, or Reveal a card. You cannot Draw a card when the Endurance Deck is empty.
The Endurance Deck is made up of four different card types: Weapon, Equipment, Event, and Hazard.
IMPORTANT! If at any time there are no cards in the Endurance Deck and the Exhaust Pile, all players immediately lose the game, so managing the Endurance Deck is essential to your survival!
Endurance Card Types
Weapon Cards: Weapon cards give Characters the ability to defend themselves against Alien attacks. Some Weapons are easy to use, while others can be a bit harder.
Equipment Cards: Equipment cards give Characters abilities to help them with tasks or give them protection against Aliens.
Event Cards: Event cards can be played at any time (even during another player's or the Aliens' turn). Follow the instructions on the card, then, place it face down on top of the Exhaust Pile.
Hazard Cards: Hazard cards must be played when drawn or revealed by a player. You do not play these cards if a Motion Tracker card reveals it. You must follow the instructions on the card.
Weapon, Equipment, Event, and Hazard cards are each marked with their own icon on the card.
PAYING THE COST: Some Weapons, Equipment, and Event cards have a cost in Endurance cards that must be Exhausted to play them (pg. 12).
Drawing and Playing Cards
Some event cards and character abilities allow or require you to draw cards. When you draw a card, take the top card from the Endurance Deck and add it to your hand.
You can play Event cards from your hand at any time by paying the cost of Exhausting Endurance cards (pg. 14). Once their effect is resolved, Exhaust the card.
You can equip a Character with a Weapon or Equipment card during their activation (pg. 17). You do not need to play these cards immediately. If you prefer, you can keep them in your hand until you need them. However, if you do so, they have no effect until you equip a Character with them.
There is no limit to how many cards you can have in your hand, although having too many cards in your hand may deplete the Endurance Deck, increasing the risk of losing the game by running out of cards (pg. 14).
Free Actions
Cards that grant a Character a Free Action can only be used during that Character's activation. This is an additional Action to the two Actions that they can normally take (pg. 16). A Character can only take each Free Action once each time they are activated.
Optional or Compulsory
If a card says that you may do something, it is optional. If it does not say 'may', then you must do what the rule says.
The Reshuffle Card
The Reshuffle card starts the game underneath the Endurance Deck. As you Recycle and Reveal cards, they will be placed under the Reshuffle card.
When the Reshuffle card reaches the top of the Endurance Deck take all of the cards under the Reshuffle card, shuffle them, and place them on top of the Reshuffle card to create a new Endurance Deck.
Revealing Cards
Some cards will ask you to Reveal a card in order to trigger effects if the right type of card is Revealed.
To Reveal a card, flip the top card of the Endurance Deck and check its card type:
MATCHING: If the Revealed card type is one you are looking for, resolve any game effects matching the Revealed card's type.
NOT MATCHING: If the Revealed card type is not one of the card types needed, then nothing happens.
HAZARD: If the Revealed card type is a Hazard, after resolving the Reveal, immediately resolve the Hazard.
After the game effect is resolved, place the Revealed card on the bottom of the Endurance Deck under the Reshuffle card.
NOTE: If there are no cards left in the Endurance Deck, use the Exhaust Pile to Reveal cards instead, returning the Revealed card to the bottom of the Exhaust Pile.
For example, Vasquez has an ability that she must use when she activates. Her ability requires you to Reveal a card. You look at the top card of the deck and it's a Weapon card, so Vasquez's ability lets her take a free Aim Action. You then place the Revealed card face down underneath the Endurance Deck.
Exhaust Pile
Cards in the game will require you to Exhaust cards from the Endurance Deck, either to pay for the card's cost or as a part of the card's ability. When you Exhaust cards, they are placed face down on the Exhaust Pile, which is located between the Endurance Deck and the Discard Pile. At the start of the game, there are no cards in this pile.
Exhausting Cards
To Exhaust a card, move the top card from the Endurance Deck, face down, to the top of the Exhaust Pile. Do not reveal which card it is.
For example, to shoot a Smart Gun you need to exhaust three cards. To do this, move the top three cards from the Endurance Deck and set them face down on top of the Exhaust Pile.
Paying the Cost
When you play a card you must pay that card's cost by Exhausting the indicated number of cards.
The cost to play or equip the card can be found to the right of the card type.
Recycle Cards
Whenever a card or Action lets you Recycle a card, move the top card from the Exhaust Pile to the bottom of the Endurance Deck.
Some game effects let you Recycle cards from your hand. To do this, place the cards from your hand face down under the Endurance Deck.
For example, you take a Rest Action and choose to Recycle three cards. You may Recycle cards from your hand or the Exhaust Pile. In this case you choose to take the top two cards of the Exhaust Pile and one card from your hand to Recycle by placing them face down under the Endurance Deck.
No Endurance Left
If a game effect requires you to Exhaust cards, you must first Exhaust as many cards as possible from the Endurance Deck. If, at any point, there are no cards left in the Endurance Deck, then you must discard the remaining number of cards from the Exhaust Pile into the Discard Pile instead.
Running Out of Cards
If at any time there are no cards in both the Endurance Deck and the Exhaust Pile, all of the players lose that Mission and the game ends.
Discard Pile
The Discard Pile sits to the right of the Exhaust Pile. When you Discard cards, they are placed face up on the Discard Pile. You may look at the cards in this pile at any time during the game. At the start of the game, there are no cards in this pile.
For example, if a card tells you to Discard a card, take the top card of the Endurance Deck and put it face up on the Discard Pile.
Discarding Cards
Some game effects will require you to Discard cards from play. To do this, take the required amount of cards from either your Hand or the Endurance Deck and place them face up on the Discard Pile. If a Hazard card is Discarded in this way, immediately resolve it.
Some effects tell you to Discard cards from your hand. In this case, you must Discard cards only from your hand.
If a card effect tells you to Discard a card and there are no cards left in the Endurance Deck or your hand, then you must discard a card from the top of the Exhaust Pile instead.
Game Board Elements
Spaces
The spaces where models can walk on the game boards are squares outlined with fine white lines. Some spaces will have irregular edges, but these are still considered spaces, so models can still use them.
Areas that are marked with a thick white line do not block Line of Sight, but are impassable and cannot be moved through.
Walls
Walls, indicated by a thick black line or other shape such as a door post, block Line of Sight. Only the black area matters, any thick white line around a wall is impassable, but can be seen through. Characters and Aliens cannot interact with things on the other side of a wall.
Doors
Doors are located between two spaces. These are indicated on the Game Boards.
Doors act like walls while they are closed. They do not block Line of Sight or movement when open.
Doors will automatically open when any model or Blip is in a space touching the door. Likewise, doors will close again if no model or Blip is next to it.
Barricaded Doors
Barricaded Doors are permanently closed doors that act like walls. Models cannot move or see through them (but they can attempt to break through). Barricaded doors are marked with the Barricaded token.
Game Turns
Each Game Turn is broken up into three main phases: the Marine Phase, the Alien Phase, and the Finish Phase.
During the Marine Phase, players take turns activating Characters until all of the Characters have activated. In the Alien Phase, all of the Aliens move and attack, then new Blips are Spawned into play. In the Finish Phase, players check for victory or loss conditions. After all of the phases are complete, a new Game Turn begins.
The Game Turn Sequence is: Marine Phase (Reset Aim Dials, Activation Order, Hero Activations, Activate Remaining Grunts), Alien Phase, Finish Phase.
The Marine Phase
During the Marine Phase players take turns activating their Hero Characters. Each Character is activated once per Marine Phase. Once all Characters have been activated, you move on to the Alien Phase.
Reset Aim Dials
At the start of the Marine Phase, rotate every Character's Aim Dial to match the Aim number on that Character's card.
For example, Hicks' Aim Dial is on 4 from the previous turn. His Character card shows that he has an Aim number of 7, so at the start of Hicks' activation, the player rotates the Aim Dial to 7 to match Hicks' Aim number.
Activation Order
The Player controlling the Marine Hero Character with the highest rank chooses a player to start the phase, by giving them the Activation token. If there are no Marine Hero Characters, then choose a player to receive the Activation Token.
That player then activates their Hero Character (or if in a case like Ripley and Newt, each of their Characters in whichever order they choose). Once that player has activated their Character, they pass the Activation token to the player on their left.
Hero Activations
When a player receives the Activation token they activate their Hero Character.
There are six Activation Steps for each Character to follow:
- Resolve all On Activation abilities
- Equip Endurance cards
- Perform up to two Actions
- Resolve all End of Activation abilities
- Use Rank to activate Grunts
- Pass the Activation token
Step 1: Resolve All On Activation Abilities
Some cards have abilities that happen 'On Activation' as soon as the Character is activated. Immediately resolve that ability before moving on to the next step.
If there is more than one On Activation ability the Active Player can decide what order these happen.
Step 2: Equip
During this step you may do any or all of the following things in any order:
EQUIP CARDS: You may equip any Weapon or Equipment cards from your hand onto an empty slot on your Character card by paying the card's cost (pg. 14).
If you do not have an empty slot, or you already have a primary or Backup Weapon equipped, you must either unequip a card to make a slot available, or keep the card in your hand until you are ready to equip it.
UNEQUIP CARDS: You may return any equipped Weapon or Equipment cards on your Character card to your hand.
EQUIPPING OTHER CHARACTERS: You may equip other Characters that are within two spaces of your Character with Weapon or Equipment cards in your hand, paying their cost as normal.
NOTE: A Character may equip up to two Weapon cards. The second Weapon must have the keyword Backup (pg. 8).
For example, Hicks has equipped an M41A Pulse Rifle as his Weapon and an Ithaca 37 Shotgun as his Backup Weapon. For his Equipment he has an M4 Helmet and Body Armor.
Step 3: Perform Up to Two Actions
Each Character can perform two Actions each turn. These can be the same Action twice or two different Actions.
The Actions you can take with your Character are:
- MOVE — Move up to the Character's Speed
- ATTACK — Attack Alien models with your Weapons
- BARRICADE — Attempt to Barricade or Unbarricade a door, spawn point, or tunnel
- AIM — Increase your Aim Dial by +1
- INTERACT — Interact with something on the game board
- CARD ACTION — Perform a special Action from a card
- REST — Draw cards and/or Recycle Exhausted cards
NOTE: Some card effects give a Character a Free Action. These cards do not count towards the two Actions that Character can take each activation.
Action: Move
Characters taking a Move Action may move up to their Speed number in spaces on the game board. Characters may move in any direction, including diagonally.
For example, Gorman makes a Move Action and moves forward four spaces.
A Character may not move through Barricaded doors, impassable terrain (shown as a thick white line), or Alien models, nor end their movement in the same space as another Character or any token.
A Character must immediately stop its Move Action if it enters a space next to an Alien model or Blip token. If it starts a Move Action next to an Alien model, a Character can still move, but must stop if they enter a space next to an Alien model (even the same one) or Blip token as usual.
For example, Gorman then takes another Move Action. He moves one space through the door (the door post prevents him moving diagonally through the door) and then another to the diagonally-connected space beside the control console. Like the door post, the thick white line around the control console blocks any connection between his space and the one he wants to move to, so Gorman has to move up one more space before he can move around the top of the console.
Tech Tests
Some Actions require you to pass a Tech Test to perform them. To do this, check your Character's Tech number and roll a Marine Die. If the result matches or is under your Character's Tech number, you pass the test. Otherwise, you fail and you can try again during another Action.
Action: Attack
A Character taking an Attack Action can attack any Alien model or token in Line of Sight with one of their equipped Weapon cards. You may shoot through Aliens but you cannot shoot through Characters.
To make an attack with a Weapon, roll a Marine die and compare it with the number on your Character's Aim Dial. If the result matches or is under that number, you kill the target Alien. Remove the targeted Alien model from play, or if the Alien model has any Alien tokens under it, remove one of those instead.
If you roll a number that is higher than your Aim Dial's number, then your attack misses.
Every time you make an Attack roll, whether you hit or not, decrease the number on your Aim Dial by one to a minimum of 1.
EXHAUST TO ATTACK: Some weapons (such as the M41A Pulse Rifle and the M56 Smart Gun) have a special rule that requires you to Exhaust cards to take an Attack Action with them.
Do not confuse this with the Cost to equip the Weapon. You only pay that cost if you equip the Weapon from your hand during the game (pg. 17).
For example, Hudson Exhausts a card to shoot a Pulse Rifle at an Alien model. Hudson's Aim Dial is set at 6. He rolls the Marine die and scores a 4. The Alien is killed and removed from the game board. Hudson then changes his Aim Dial from 6 to 5.
FULL AUTO: Some weapons have the keyword Full Auto. After making a successful hit with a Full Auto Weapon, you may Exhaust one card to go Full Auto (regardless of how many cards you needed to Exhaust to take the Attack Action in the first place). This allows you to make another attack against an Alien, decreasing the Aim Dial by one for the extra attack.
You can repeat this, continuing to Exhaust cards, making an attack and decreasing the Aim Dial each time, until you miss, or you decide to stop.
For example, Hudson's Pulse Rifle has the Full Auto ability, so he may continue to fire until he misses a shot. He Exhausts a card, then picks another Alien in Line of Sight and rolls again. This time he needs to roll a 5 or less. He scores a 2 to hit the second Alien, taking his Aim from 5 to 4. He fires at a third Alien, Exhausting another card, he scores an 8 and misses, moving his Aim from 4 to 3. Because he missed, his Attack Action ends here.
FREE ACTIONS: Some weapons (such as the M40 Grenades) can be used a Free Action after attacking with another Weapon. In this case, once the attack (including any Full Auto fire) is resolved for the first Weapon, resolve a normal Attack Action with the second Weapon. As a Free Action, this does not use your Character's second Action.
For example, Hudson has M40 Grenades as his Backup Weapon. He decides to use his grenades after firing his Pulse Rifle, discarding the card and taking a Free Action to do so. Then, since he has only used one of his two Actions, Hudson takes another Attack Action with his Pulse Rifle, even though his Aim Dial is now down to 2.
AREA ATTACKS: Some weapons (such as the M240 Flamethrower) have a special rule that requires the player to pick a space (whether empty or occupied) to attack, and then roll to hit each model (Character or Alien) or Swarm or Blip token in that space and any adjacent space. If a Blip token is killed, it is removed regardless of how many Aliens are shown on it.
This is a single Action, so any costs only need to be paid and your Aim Dial decreased once, regardless of how many targets you roll for.
For example, a space within four spaces of Hudson has a six Alien swarms in and around it, but is right beside Ripley, so Hudson elects to avoid the possibility of killing her and picks a different space. That space is empty, but only two of the neighboring spaces have Aliens in them, and one has an Alien swarm.
Hudson rolls a die for each of the Alien models, scoring 7 and 8, killing one Alien. The swarm has three tokens, so he rolls four dice (one for the model and three for the tokens), scoring 3, 4, 6, and 9, killing all three tokens.
ALWAYS HITS ON: Some weapons (such as the HK VP70 Pistol) have a special rule that they always hit on a specific number. These Weapons require you to roll equal or less than your Aim Dial as usual. However, if the roll is greater than your Aim Dial, but equal or less than the number in the special rule, it still counts as a hit, killing the Alien.
For example, Gorman's Aim Dial is at 4 when he takes an Attack Action with his HK VP70 Pistol. He rolls a 4, killing an Alien and reducing his Aim to 3. As per the card's special rule, he Exhausts a card to take a second Attack Action (as a Free Action). Rolling a 7, he misses, further reducing his Aim to 2.
Gorman then takes another Attack Action as his second Action rolling a 3. This would normally miss, but since the Pistol always hits on a roll of 3 or less, he stills kill an Alien, reducing his Aim Dial to 1. With no more Aliens in sight, he ends his Action without trying for a second shot.
Line of Sight
A model has Line of Sight to another model, token, or an object on the game board if it can draw a straight line from any part of their space to any part of the target's space without passing through another Character's space (except one that has been Knocked Down, pg. 24), a wall (shown by the thick black line), or a closed or barricaded door.
Line of Sight can pass through the diagonal corner between a Character and a wall or another Character, provided that the model drawing the Line of Sight is adjacent to that corner.
For example, Vasquez can draw Line of Sight to all of the spaces shaded red. The dotted lines show the extremes of her Line of Sight, from corners of her space to the spaces in the opposite room. She can't see the spaces obscured by the walls.
She can fire at the Alien in the same room as her and at the Alien in the next room because the Alien is standing adjacent to the door to that room therefore opening it.
She cannot fire at the Alien in the far room because there are no models adjacent to the door to that room, so it is closed.
Vasquez cannot fire through Hicks or Hudson, but as her space touches the intersection between their spaces, she can shoot between them.
Action: Barricade
Characters use Barricade Actions to build or remove Barricades on doors, Tunnels, and Spawn Points. To do this, the Character must be in a space next to the thing they are trying to Barricade or Unbarricade and pass a Tech test. If you pass, place a Barricade marker on the door, Tunnel token, or Spawn Point, or remove a Barricade marker if it already has one.
For example, Hicks wants to Barricade a door to stop an Alien from coming through, so he rolls a Tech test, getting a 4. His Tech number is 5, so he has successfully Barricaded the Door.
BREAKING BARRICADED DOORS: Alien models and Blip tokens that must go through a Barricaded Door in order to reach a Character will stop in a space next to the Barricade and will try and tear it down. Roll the Alien die. On a result of 5 or higher, remove the Barricade marker and the Alien or Blip continues its movement if it has any remaining. On any other roll, the Alien or Blip fails to break through and immediately ends its turn.
BREAKING BARRICADED TUNNEL TOKENS AND SPAWN POINTS: If a Blip would enter play at a Tunnel token or Spawn Point that is Barricaded, roll the Alien die. On a result of 5 or higher, remove the Barricade marker and place the Blip. On any other roll, the Blip token is discarded. If more than one Blip enters play at the same point, roll for each in turn until they remove the Barricade marker or all Blip tokens are discarded.
Action: Aim
A Character taking the Aim Action increases the number on their Aim Dial by one. This can result in the Aim Dial's number being higher than the Aim number on its Character card.
For example, Hudson takes an Aim Action. His Aim Dial is currently set to 6, so is rotated from 6 to 7.
NOTE: A Character's Aim Dial cannot fall below one or be raised above ten.
Action: Interact
Some missions will have objects or spaces on the game board that you can interact with. To do this, a Character that is in a space next to the object takes an Interact Action. What happens when you do this is detailed in the Mission itself, along with any other game effects.
Action: Rest
A Hero Character taking a Rest Action may draw up to two cards from the Endurance Deck and then may Recycle up to three cards from the Exhaust Pile or their hand (pg. 14).
A Grunt Character taking a Rest Action Recycles three cards from the Exhaust Pile, but does not draw cards.
Step 4: Resolve All End of Activation Abilities
Some cards have abilities that happen at the End of Activation. Immediately resolve that ability before moving on to the next step.
You can decide what order these happen if there are more than one End of Activation abilities.
Step 5: Use Rank to Activate Grunts
After a Marine Hero Character activates, they can activate Grunt Characters that haven't yet been activated in this Marine Phase. The number of Grunts they can activate is based on their Rank, shown at the top of their Character card. A Hero Character cannot activate a Grunt Character with a higher rank than them in this step.
Civilian Hero Characters cannot activate Grunt characters in this step.
- RANK 1: Hero Character can activate one Grunt.
- RANK 2: Hero Character can activate up to two Grunts.
- RANK 3: Hero Character can activate up to three Grunts.
Step 6: Pass the Activation Token
If the player to your left has not activated this turn, pass them the Activation Token. If there are no more Hero Characters to activate, the Hero Activation part of the Marine Phase ends.
Activate Remaining Grunts
The player with the highest Rank, now activates any remaining Grunt Characters that haven't yet been activated in this Marine Phase, then the Marine Phase ends. If there are no Marine Hero Characters, then choose a player to activate the remaining Grunts.
The Alien Phase
Once all Characters have taken a turn, the Aliens have their turn. Aliens and Blip tokens move and attack and then the players draw Motion Tracker cards, before ending the phase.
The Alien Phase is broken up into three steps:
- Activate Aliens
- Activate Blips
- Draw Motion Tracker cards
Step 1: Activate Aliens
All Alien models activate one at a time, starting with the Alien that is closest to the Marines and working outwards. If two or more are the same distance from a Character, the player with the highest Rank chooses which Alien activates first.
When activated, an Alien will always move and then attack if it is able to do so. Complete an Alien's full activation before going on to the next.
Alien Movement
If an Alien model is not in a space next to a Character, it will move. Otherwise, it will skip movement and go straight to attack.
All Aliens have a speed of 6.
Aliens must move towards the closest Character, (including one that has been Knocked Down, pg. 24) taking the shortest route possible while avoiding obstacles (other than Barricaded doors) and dead ends. An Alien will stop moving when:
- It runs out of Speed.
- It moves into or starts its move in a space next to a Character.
- It fails to pass through a Barricaded door.
Alien models cannot move into a space containing an Alien model or a Blip token.
For example, the Character closest to the three Aliens is Hudson, so they all move towards him using the shortest route. One Alien is already next to Hudson and does not move. A second Alien moves 2 spaces, stopping once it is next to Hudson. The third Alien uses all 6 of its Speed to reach Hudson.
Defensive Fire
When an Alien model moves into or starts its move in a space next to a Character, before the Alien attacks, all Characters that are up to four spaces away and within Line of Sight of the Alien may shoot Defensive Fire.
Starting with the Character closest to the Alien, players take turns taking a normal Attack Action (pg. 19) against the Alien. Remember to Exhaust any required cards and reduce the Character's Aim Dial number as usual. Once that Alien is Killed, the Characters cease fire, ready for the next Alien.
For example, Hudson fires defensive fire and kills the first two Aliens to move next to him. He fails to shoot the third Alien when it moves next to him, so it attacks.
Attacking
If the Alien model survives the Defensive Fire, the target Character must then immediately defend itself from the Alien attack.
DEFENSE ROLL: The player rolls the Marine die and compares the result to the Character's Defense number. If the result is equal to or less than the Defense number, they dodge out of the way and survive the attack. Add +1 to the roll for each Alien token that the Alien has.
COUNTERATTACK: If that roll's result is also equal or less then the Character's Melee number, they Kill the attacking Alien. If the Alien model has any Alien tokens under it, remove one of those instead.
FAILED DEFENSE: If the Character fails its defense roll, they get Knocked Down. If you roll a 10 or more when defending, the Character is instead Killed and is removed from the game.
For example, Hudson makes a defense roll and scores 2 which succeeds with his Defense number of 6. Hudson's Melee number is 2, so he also successfully counter-attacks, killing the Alien.
Knocked Down
When a Character is Knocked Down, place their model on its side. A Knocked-Down Character must skip all Actions (including Free Actions like Defensive Fire), but can still make Defense Rolls. A Character will Stand Up automatically at the start of an Alien Turn if there are no Alien models in the spaces next to them.
Captured
A Knocked Down Character that starts an Alien Turn with at least one Alien model in a space next to them is Captured and removed from play, along with one of the Alien models next to them and any Alien tokens it has. Captured Characters may be rescued by playing the Rescue Mission.
Losing a Hero
When a Hero Character is Killed or Captured, that player discards all cards they have in their hand and all cards Equipped on the lost Character. They then may choose a Grunt Character to flip over and play as a Hero Character. If there are no more Grunt Characters left, that player is eliminated.
The Character's Aim Dial stays on the number it is on when the card is flipped. Reset the Aim Dial at the start of the Character's activation as normal.
Step 2: Activate Blips
After all Alien models have been activated, choose a game board and activate all of the Blip tokens on it before choosing the next game board and so on. Activate the Blips one at a time, starting with the Blip that is closest to the Characters and working outwards. If two or more are the same distance from a Character, the player with the highest Rank chooses which Blip activates first.
When activated, a Blip will always move, and then any Aliens placed from the Blip will finish their move and attack if able to do so. Complete a Blip's full activation before moving on to the next one. A Blip can only activate once, even if it moves onto a different board.
Blip Movement
After choosing a game board, roll the Alien Die. All of the Blips on that board have Speed equal to that result for this turn.
Like Alien models, Blip tokens must also move towards the closest Character, taking the shortest route possible while avoiding obstacles (but not Barricaded doors) and dead ends. A Blip will stop moving when:
- It runs out of Speed
- It moves into a space next to a Character
- It fails to pass through a Barricaded Door
A Blip token cannot move into a space containing an Alien model or a Blip token.
INTERRUPTING MOVEMENT: Spotting a Blip token might briefly interrupt another model's movement or its own movement. As soon as it is Spotted, the interrupted movement is suspended while the Spotting is resolved. Then the interrupted model completes its movement.
For example, a 6 is rolled for the Blips' movement on this board. Both Blips on the board move the shortest way towards Hicks. One Blip has its movement interrupted as a door has opened and the blip is now in Line of Sight of Hicks. That Blip has moved four spaces, so has two spaces of movement remaining.
Spotting Blips
A Blip token is Spotted as soon as it comes into Line of Sight of a Character.
When a Blip token is Spotted, flip it face up and reveal the number of Aliens to be created by the Blip. If the number revealed is one, replace the Blip token with an Alien model.
If the number revealed is greater than one, it becomes an Alien Swarm. Replace the Blip token with an Alien model and put Alien Tokens below it so that the total of the model and tokens in the stack is equal to the revealed number.
After placing the Alien model and any Alien tokens, shuffle the Blip token back into the Blip token pool.
For example, the Blip that moved into Line of Sight is flipped and shows a 3. Replace the Blip with one Alien model and two Alien tokens beneath to make an Alien Swarm of three. Movement can now continue. The Alien Swarm moves into the space next to Hicks.
Attacking
After a Blip has been Spotted and resolved, the Alien model will complete its movement and attack if possible just like those during the Alien Step (pg. 24).
Alien Swarms
When a Blip token generates more than one Alien it becomes an Alien Swarm.
MOVING: Alien Swarms move just like an Alien model.
ATTACKING: When attacking, an Alien Swarm adds +1 to the target Character's Defense roll for each Alien Token in its stack.
DEFENDING: When an Alien Swarm is hit by a Weapon or in Melee, remove an Alien Token instead of removing the model. If a Swarm loses all its Alien tokens then it becomes a normal Alien model.
For example, an Alien Swarm with two Alien tokens attacks Hicks. He scores a 5, adding +2 for the Alien tokens, which brings his roll to 7. His Defense number is 6, therefore he fails his Defense Roll.
Step 3: Draw Motion Tracker Cards
After all Aliens and Blips have been activated and resolved, the players draw a number of Motion Tracker cards depending on the number of players.
| Players | Motion Tracker Cards |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 to 4 | 3 |
| 5 or more | 4 |
Starting with the highest ranking player, each player in turn draws and resolves a Motion Tracker card. If there are more or fewer cards than there are players, the highest ranking player (and the one to their left if necessary) draw one or more Motion Tracker cards than the other players.
If you run out of Motion Tracker cards, reshuffle the discards to make a new Motion Tracker deck.
Each Motion Tracker card has information on Spawning new Blip tokens, where they will Spawn, and sometimes have a special effect. Motion Tracker cards are discarded after they are used.
Spawning Blips
Each Motion Tracker card has a Blip Number and a Location. The Blip Number is the number of Blip tokens that the card Spawns into play. The Location tells you which Spawn Point the Blips will be placed on.
SPAWNING BLIPS: Randomly draw the number of Blip tokens indicated from the Blip token pool and place them face down on the Spawn Point, or as close to the Spawn Point as possible, with one Blip in each space. If there are not enough empty spaces, place the Blip token in the closest empty space, even if it is on the other side of one or more Characters from the Spawn Point.
Blip tokens can never be stacked on top of each other. If there is a choice as to where a Blip is placed, the player with the highest Rank chooses.
NO MORE BLIPS: If you run out of Blip tokens, move every Blip in the game three spaces (using the normal Blip movement rules) for each additional Blip token that you require. This may result in Blip tokens being Spotted and returned to the pool, and so becoming available to be placed again.
GAME TEXT: When resolving Motion Tracker cards, make sure to read and follow the cards' game text as well. Unless otherwise stated, Aliens do not attack when moved by a Motion Tracker card.
Some Motion Tracker cards require you to place Tunnel markers next to the Hero Character of the player that drew the card. This must be placed in a space that does not already have a Tunnel marker or Spawn Point. If a player draws more than one card requiring them to place a Tunnel marker in the same turn, only place a single marker, but follow the rest of the instructions.
Spotting Spawning Blips
A Blip token can sometimes be Spotted immediately it is placed. In this case, immediately resolve the Spotting by placing the revealed Aliens. These Aliens do not move or attack until the Activate Aliens step in the next Alien Phase.
More Aliens
If you want more Aliens for your game, Gale Force 9 sells the Alien Warriors expansion with an additional twelve Alien models. Adding one or more of these expansions allows you to replace Alien Swarm tokens with additional Alien models using the following optional rules.
Optional Aliens Rule
If you have enough Alien models, instead of creating Alien Swarms when a Blip token generates more than one Alien, you can place multiple Alien models.
Place one Alien model for each Alien shown on the Blip token. The first Alien model is placed in the space where the Blip token was. Additional Alien models are placed in empty spaces next to that model that were not in Line of Sight of any Character when the Blip was Spotted.
If there are not enough empty spaces next to the Blip token, place Alien models in the empty space with the shortest movement distance to the Blip token, again placing the models out of Line of Sight. Keep doing this until the correct number of Alien models have been placed.
If there multiple spaces where you could place an Alien model, the player with the highest rank chooses which space the Alien model is placed.
For example, Hicks moves up to a door, opening it and spotting a Blip, revealing four Aliens. The game is using the optional rule, replacing swarms with extra Alien models, so one model is placed on the Blip and two adjacent to it. Despite there being two more empty spaces adjacent to the Blip, the last Alien can't be placed there, since any Alien there would have opened a door and been in Line of Sight of either Hicks or Hudson. Instead, it has to be placed in one of the spaces across the room from the door or in the chamber behind the right-most Alien.
The Finish Phase
After all players have drawn and resolved their Motion Tracker cards, the game moves into the Finish Phase.
The Finish Phase has three steps that are to be completed in order:
- Resolve any Finish Phase effects
- Check for Victory or Defeat
- Clean up
Step 1: Resolve Any Finish Phase Effects
Some cards have abilities that happen during this step. Immediately resolve those abilities before moving on to the next step. You can decide what order these happen in if there are more than one of these abilities.
Step 2: Check for Victory or Defeat
Have you met all of the mission requirements? If so the Marines win!
Have all of the Characters been Killed, Knocked Down, or Captured? If so then the Aliens immediately win. Game over, man! Game over!
If the answer to both of these questions is no, then the mission isn't complete yet!
Step 3: Clean Up
If the mission uses a Turn Dial, turn it to the next number and then start the next Turn with the Marine Phase.
Mission Rules
Campaign Play
While missions can be played individually, playing them in sequence as a campaign is even more fun. You and your teammates will need to work together to make sure you can complete all of the missions and live to tell about it!
During a campaign, players play through each mission in order, keeping track of Character losses and discarded Endurance cards from game to game.
After a campaign, players determine a final score based on how well they did.
Generally, you will play the Missions in order. You can also play the Rescue Mission and Supply Mission between normal Campaign Missions to try and get back Characters that have been captured or retrieve much needed supplies to replenish your Endurance Deck.
Playing Missions
In a campaign, you setup and play each Mission as normal, including equipping each Character from the Endurance Deck. However, after each game you will have less resources to work with. You will lose cards out of your Endurance Deck and Characters might have been Killed or Captured. Keep these things in mind as you play your games!
Losing a Mission
If you fail to win a mission, that's game over! There's no one left to carry on with the campaign so you'll have to organize another expedition and try again.
Extra Missions
Rescue Missions
During a Campaign, some of your Characters might get Knocked Down and Captured. They have been dragged away to become hosts for Alien Facehuggers.
You may attempt the Rescue Mission between Campaign Missions to save them. If successful, the rescued Characters return to the game.
You can attempt this Mission as many times as you want as long as you have Characters that have been Captured. However, just remember that you'll be spending resources in each attempt that you can't get back!
Resupply Mission
During a Campaign, you might lose equipment and resources that you might need down the line. If this is the case, you may want to play a Resupply Mission to try and get those Endurance cards back.
You may only attempt a Resupply Mission once in each campaign.
Bug Hunt Missions
Bug Hunt Missions are standalone games that pit your Marines against the Aliens in a fight to the death. Your Marines must survive until all of the cards in the Motion Tracker Deck are gone (do not reshuffle the Motion Tracker deck) and all Alien models and Blip tokens have been killed. If at least one Character survives, all of the players win. If all of the Characters are killed or you run out of Endurance cards, all of the players lose.
In Bug Hunt Missions, Characters do not get any starting Equipment or Weapons other than an HK VP70 Pistol each. Do not use Newt in these missions.
Losing Endurance Cards
After completing a Mission follow these steps:
- Each player searches the Discard Pile and selects one card to return to the Endurance Deck.
- Return all Hazard cards in the Discard Pile to the Endurance Deck.
- Shuffle the Discard Pile and remove half (rounded up) of these cards from the game. These cards are not used for the remainder of the campaign.
- Return the remaining cards in the Discard Pile, and all cards in the players' hands, to the Endurance Deck to be used in the next mission.
Killed Characters
Characters that are Killed in a Campaign Mission are removed from the game and cannot be used for the rest of the campaign.
Final Campaign Score
After the final mission of the campaign, it is time to see how well you did. Follow the instructions below to find out your final campaign score:
- Put the Exhaust Pile and all cards in the players' hands on top of the Endurance Deck.
- Discard 5 cards from the Endurance Deck for each Character (other than Newt) that was Killed (including any Facehugger victims) or is still Captured at the end of the Campaign.
- Discard 10 cards if Newt was Killed during the Campaign, or return 10 Discarded or removed cards to the top of the Endurance Deck if she survives.
- Remove the Discard Pile from play.
- Your final score is equal to the number of cards remaining in the Endurance Deck.
Mission Tokens
Computers and Crates
Some missions use the Computer and Crate tokens. Refer to the Mission card to find out how these tokens work.
Sentry Guns
Sentry Guns are used in Mission 3: Survive, and all of the Bug Hunt Missions.
During setup, players place the Sentry Gun tokens anywhere on the board, facing in any direction. Sentry Guns can only shoot at targets forward of their token. They have no Line of Sight to models directly to their sides or behind them.
Whenever an Alien or Character model or a Blip token moves while in Line of Sight of a Sentry Gun, it will shoot at them. If it misses and the target keeps moving, it will shoot again for each space the target moves until the target leaves its Line of Sight. Do not flip Blip tokens that are being shot at by a Sentry Gun; the exact number of Aliens in the Blip remains unknown.
Set the Sentry Gun Dials to 450 at the start of the game. Each time a Sentry Gun shoots, lower its corresponding dial down to the next number. Once it reaches zero it runs out of ammunition and can no longer shoot.
When a Sentry Gun shoots, the player with the highest Rank rolls two Marine Dice, discarding the higher result. If the score 7 or less, everything in the target space, whether a Character, a single Alien, a whole Alien Swarm, or a Blip token, is Killed.
Facehuggers
Facehuggers act exactly the same as Alien models in every way. However, when a Character fails its Defense Roll against a Facehugger attack, they are not Killed. Instead, place the Facehugger token on that Character's card.
If the Character survives this mission, it is nevertheless counted as Killed at the end of this campaign.
Other Rules
Players' Choice
Sometimes there are places in the game where the Aliens will have options, such as when it has to choose to attack one of two players that are equally close to it. In these cases, the player with the highest Rank determines what the Aliens will do. If there is a tie in Rank, then those players will need to resolve the question together.
Re-Rolls
There are some cards and abilities that allow players to re-roll a die result. This new result always replaces the original result and only counts as one roll (for example, a re-rolled shot only lowers a Character's Aim Dial by one, not two). The re-rolled result is final and cannot be re-rolled again.
Keyword Glossary
Character Keywords
ON ACTIVATION: This ability happens at the start of the Character's activation.
DURING ACTIVATION: This ability can be used at any time during the Character's activation.
END OF ACTIVATION: This ability happens at the end of the Character's activation.
PASSIVE: This ability is always active and can be used at anytime.
Event Keywords
ACTION: This card uses one of a Character's Actions to play.
FREE ACTION: This card can only be played during your Character's Activation, but does not use one of their Actions when played.
Weapons Keywords
BACKUP: This Weapon can be fired instead of your main Weapon. You may only have one Weapon with the keyword Backup equipped at any one time.
BULKY: While this Weapon is equipped you cannot equip a Backup Weapon.
CLOSE: Some weapons are handy for close encounters. The details for firing these Weapons will be on the Weapon card.
CUMBERSOME: This Weapon cannot be fired as Defensive Fire during the Alien Phase.
FULL AUTO: After making a successful hit with this Weapon, you may Exhaust a single Endurance card to make another attack. You may continue making attacks until you miss or you decide to stop.
GRENADE: This keyword is referenced by other cards, like the M41A Pulse Rifle.
Credits
Game Design: Andrew Haught
Assistant Game Design: Mike Haught, Phil Yates
Graphic Design: Victor Pesch
Producers: Peter Simunovich, John-Paul Brisigotti
Project Management: Chris Townley
Sculpting: Gino Cruz, Archon Studio
Board Illustration: Heath Foley, Victor Corbella
Proofreaders: David Adlam, Tom Culpepper, Alan Graham, Ryan Jeffares, Carsten Maclean, Michael McSwiney, Luke Parsonage, Wayne Turner
Playtesters: Sam Coggan, Karen Dransfield, Steve Eyles, Dave Gabriel, Sean Goodison, Ashleigh Heelam, Ashley Heelam, Maren Katelaan, Peter Katelaan, Leonard Landrey, Stuart Lapwood, Daniel Linder, Greg Lockton, Stuart Mitchell, Darren Morgan, Chris Palmer, Phil Petry, Gavin Van Rossum, Ashley Ryan, Rob Sadler, Declan Salmon, John Shackle, Chris Townley, Dean Webb, Joshua Wellington, Olivia Winn
Alien Franchise TM & © 20th Century Studios 2023. Game Design © Gale Force Nine 2023. All rights reserved. Gale Force Nine is a Battlefront Group Company.
Quick Reference
The Marine Phase
Reset Aim Dials. At the start of the Marine Phase, rotate all Characters' Aim Dials to match their Aim number.
Step 1: Resolve All On Activation Abilities. Immediately resolve any On Activation abilities.
Step 2: Equip Endurance Cards. Do any or all of the following things in any order: Equip Cards (equip Equipment and Weapon cards); Unequip Cards (remove unwanted Equipped cards); Equip Other Characters (you may equip Characters up to two spaces away).
Step 3: Perform Up to Two Actions. Each Character can perform two Actions each turn. The Actions you can take with your Character are: Move (move up to the Character's Speed), Attack (attack Alien models), Barricade (attempt to Barricade or Unbarricade an opening), Aim (increase your Aim Dial by +1), Interact (interact with something), Card Action (perform a card Special Action), Rest (draw and/or Recycle cards).
Step 4: Resolve All End of Activation Abilities. Immediately resolve any End of Activation abilities.
Step 5: Use Rank to Activate Grunts. Marine Hero Characters activate Marine Grunts. The number you can activate is your Hero's Rank. Rank 1: activate one Marine Grunt. Rank 2: activate up to two Marine Grunts. Rank 3: activate up to three Marine Grunts.
Step 6: Pass the Activation Token. Pass the Activation token to the player to your left. If every player has Activated this turn, give the Activation token to the player with the highest Rank.
Activate Remaining Grunts. The highest Ranking player now activates any Grunt Characters that haven't yet activated.
The Alien Phase
Step 1: Activate Aliens. During this step you do the following in order: Move Aliens (Aliens have a Speed of 6); Defensive Fire (Characters Attack Aliens within four spaces that are next to a Character); Aliens Attack (Characters roll against Defense). Defense: equal or less, Character survives. Melee: equal or less, Alien or Alien Swarm Killed. Fail: Character Knocked Down and will be Captured at start of next Alien Phase unless rescued.
Step 2: Activate Blips. During this step you do the following in order: Move Blips (choose a board and roll the Alien Die — the result is the speed of all Blips on that board); Spotting Blips (a Blip is Spotted when it is in Line of Sight of a Character; replace the Blip with an Alien, and tokens if needed; the Alien then finishes the Blip's movement and attacks); Defensive Fire (Characters Attack Aliens); Aliens Attack (Characters roll Defense).
Step 3: Draw Motion Tracker Cards. Draw a number of Motion Tracker cards depending on players: 1 player draws 2 cards; 2 to 4 players draw 3 cards; 5 or more players draw 4 cards.
The Finish Phase
Step 1: Resolve Any Finish Phase Effects. Immediately resolve abilities that happen in the Finish Phase.
Step 2: Check for Victory or Defeat. Have you met all of the mission requirements? If so the Marines win! Have all of the Characters been Killed, Knocked Down, or Captured? If so then the Aliens win. If the answer to both of these questions is no, then the mission isn't complete yet.
Step 3: Clean Up. During this step you do the following in order: turn the Turn Dial to the next Number; start the next turn with the Marine Phase.