Your Character

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*“Why do you think your people made me?”*

*“We made you ‘cuz we could.”*

*“Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same* *thing from your creator?”*

*—David 8 and Dr. Charlie Holloway*

Your player character (PC) is your most important asset in the ALIEN roleplaying game. They are your avatar on an ALIEN world. They are your eyes and ears out there in the deepest dark of space. You munch on popcorn with friends and roll dice while they take all the risks. There is an unwritten binding agreement between you two, and like any corporate contract, there is a catch.

You live vicariously through them, and they, in return, depend on you to keep them alive. Don’t screw it up. Take your PC seriously. As far as you are concerned, they are a real person—and their fate is in your hands. No matter what you do, keep in mind your character’s goals, hopes, and agenda. They may differ from your personal beliefs, but that’s ok—you’re playing a character and this is a game. When a Xenomorph looms over them, your character may be terrified even when you aren’t. At all times, ask yourself, “what would my PC do?” and have them act accordingly.

At the same time, don’t try to protect your character from every conceivable danger. The goal of any ALIEN game is twofold—go on a suspense-filled thrill ride and create a damn good story. For that to happen you need to roll the dice, both figuratively and literally. You need to take risks.

**CHARACTER SHEET:** To keep track of your character’s game stats, you need a character sheet. You can photocopy it from the back of the Alien Core Rulebook, or download it from the Free League website and print it.

Cinematic Play - In Cinematic scenarios, such as the Hope's Last Day included in the rulebook, the player characters are already provided for you and the other players. All you need to do is decide amongst yourselves who plays which character. There are usually more characters available than the number of players—the remaining characters become NPCs, run by the GM. If you can’t agree on who to play, roll dice for it.

Campaign Play - For Campaign play, you create your player character yourself. This chapter explains the process in detail. During the course of a campaign, your PC changes and develops. Your skills and talents can be developed through experience, but you can also discover how your PC’s personality changes and grows in a way that cannot be measured by numbers on a page. This is when your character truly comes alive.

**CAMPAIGN FRAMEWORKS:** Before creating characters, you should decide together as a group on a campaign framework, i.e. which type of people you will be playing. Three suggested campaign frameworks are described below, and GM tools for playing each of them are included in Chapter 12 of the Core Rulebook:

* Space Truckers
* Colonial Marines
* Frontier Colonists

Core Concepts

* How to Create Your Player Character

* Career
	+ Colonial Marine
		- Making Marines
	+ Colonial Marshal
	+ Company Agent
	+ Kid
	+ Medic
	+ Officer
	+ Pilot
	+ Roughneck
	+ Scientist

* Attributes
* Starting Attributes
	+ Playing an Android
* Skills
	+ Heavy Machinery (Strength)
	+ Stamina (Strength)
	+ Close Combat (Strength)
	+ Mobility (Agility)
	+ Piloting (Agility)
	+ Ranged Combat (Agility)
	+ Observation (Wits)
	+ Comtech (Wits)
	+ Survival (Wits)
	+ Medical Aid (Empathy)
	+ Command (Empathy)
	+ Manipulation (Empathy)
* Talents
* Stress
* Health

Personal Stuff

* Name
* Appearance
* Personal Agenda
* Buddies and Rivals

Player Vs Player

Your Gear

* Encumbrance
* Consumables
	+ Food and Water
	+ When to Make Supply Rolls

Developing Your Character

* Experience
* Spending XP
* Changing Buddy and Rival