What in fact happened was Stuart ran a Space: 1999 adventure using the Alien system, and it was good fun. I've always enjoyed the late-period Gerry Anderson series -- although I think UFO is better -- so it was fun to play around in that setting, just before the Moonbase Alpha accident that kicks the series off. The Alien ruleset -- derived from one of my favourites, Mutant Year Zero -- is quite good too, and worked well for the relatively low-tech world of 70s UK science fiction TV. It does tend towards horror and stress -- as you'd expect -- so it created a bit of a different tone for Space: 1999, perhaps the sort of thing you'd get if the series had been made in 1985 rather than 1975.
I'm not sure I have any interest in Alien itself as a game setting, but the system seems flexible and applicable for all sorts of things. I wonder how it would handle the Cthulhu Mythos?
Here's another untested and probably insanely unbalanced Stargrave scenario.
DANGER ZONE!
Sector Periculosum is a terrible place. Some say it's full of toxins from the Last War. Some say it's been reclaimed by a hostile biosphere. Some even say it's haunted by vengeful ghosts. Almost no one comes back from their alive. But those that do come back, come back rich.
SET-UP
Divide the table into 16 equal parts, making sure that the boundaries between each section are clear to all players. Each section should be numbered, although not necessarily on the table itself; a diagram is fine, as long as all players can see it.
Place terrain and select board edges as normal. There is no central loot token in this scenario, but each player should place three loot tokens, generating the third token's type as normal. You should try to avoid putting loot tokens on section boundaries.
There is no Target Point for this scenario.
SPECIAL RULES
Danger! Each turn after the first, before rolling for initiative, roll 1d20; the number rolled is the table section that will become a Danger Zone at the end of this turn, after the Creature Phase. Rolls of 17-20, or that correspond to a section that is already a Danger Zone, have no effect.
At the end of the current turn, that section becomes inaccessible for the rest of the game and all figures within it are treated as being killed. Loot tokens in that section are destroyed.
If a figure is on the boundary between a Danger Zone and a safe section use common sense; if over half of the model is in a safe area then they are safe. If in any doubt, roll a dice to decide.
Danger Zones ignore terrain; being inside a building is no safer than being in the open!
Figures can be pushed, teleported, or otherwise manipulated into Danger Zones.
Abilities or effects that protect a figure from being killed work against Danger Zones. In these cases, move the figure to the nearest safe edge, rolling for a random edge if there is any doubt.
Danger Zones do not block line of sight and can be travelled through by means of teleportation or similar abilities, but cannot be flown or jumped over (usually; see Option 1, below).
Option 1 - Role-playing? For the sake of simplicity the Danger Zones are just big killer squares of generic sci-fi death, but you may decide that they are flooded with water, in which case they are treated like normal areas of water, after the initial fatal flooding. Or they are filled with thick gas, in which case they cannot be seen through. Or they are clouds of murderous nanotech, blocking line of sight and flight. Whatever you decide, make sure all players agree to any exceptions before you start.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member starts a turn in an imminent Danger Zone and escapes (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member extracts a loot token from an imminent Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is killed by a Danger Zone (up to 30xp).
Experience awards stack, for example if a crew member escapes a Danger Zone with a loot token.
Here's another Stargrave scenario, completely untested, as per usual.
THE HERMIT
Pagurus Titanicus is known for grabbing bits of debris to build itself a tough outer shell, and there's plenty of debris among the dead stars. There's loot too, and rumour has it this monster is carrying treasure on its back.
SET-UP
Place terrain as normal. Multi-level terrain is handy for jumping down on the Hermit in dramatic action movie style.
Each player places one loot token according to the normal rules, rolling for type as usual.
Place a large crab-like monster in the dead centre of the table. This is the Hermit, and it has the third loot token on its back. Determine whether this is data or physical loot as normal.
SPECIAL RULES
The Hermit: The Hermit starts in the centre of the table and makes a single random move in the Creature Phase. It is so large and strong that it can never be pinned in combat.
If an attack beats the Hermit's Armour, or if it is the target of a successful psychic power, it panics, and immediately -- yes, out of sequence -- makes two moves in random directions.
If the Hermit's move would take it off the table edge, it moves along the edge instead.
The Hermit never attacks but if it panics and moves through a figure then that figure suffers a normal Fight attack as the Hermit tramples over it. If that figure wins the "combat" they take no damage but also do no damage in return.
If the Hermit is killed leave the model where it is; crew must still climb its corpse to get at the loot.
Climbing the Hermit: To access the loot token a figure must climb up -- half movement -- or jump to it as per the normal movement rules.
When the Hermit moves any figure "riding" the beast should roll 1d20; if the result is higher than the inches moved by the Hermit then the figure has held on. Otherwise they fall -- at the end of the move -- and take damage as per the normal falling rules.
The loot token is embedded in the Hermit's shell and never falls.
(If may be safer to mark which figures are on the Hermit's back rather than try to balance figures, especially when it starts moving. Perhaps you can use counters, or even have a little off-table "map" of the creature's back on which you place the figures. I leave it up to you.)
Option 1 - Interested Parties: Each crew should -- secretly -- roll a dice to determine if they have been employed by:
Odd: Friends of the Planets: 100Cr if the Hermit survives the scenario.
Even: Galactic Hunting Club: 100Cr if the Hermit is killed.
Option 2 - Seeing Double: Place two Hermits! It is impossible to know which of the beasts has the loot token until a crew member is on top. Roll a dice: if even the loot token is on this Hermit, on an odd result it's on the other.
LOOT AND EXPERIENCE
Loot and experience are scored as normal, with the following additions:
+10xp whenever a crew member falls off the Hermit (up to 30xp).
+10xp whenever a crew member is trampled by a panicked Hermit (up to 30xp).
+30xp for killing the Hermit (unless Option 1 is in play).
The Hermit loot token is worth two rolls on the relevant table.
THE HERMIT
MV
FT
SH
AR
WL
HL
Notes
6
+4
+0
14
+1
16
Amphibious, Animal, Immune to Control Animal (sorry!), Large, Strong
Growing up, board games were my refuge from a baffling, often hostile world.
and:
Games gave me quiet, structured time with family and friends. If I didn’t know what to say, the game filled the silence.
I've written about this before. I don't think I'm on the autism spectrum; I've done a number of tests -- which I know aren't definitive -- and have never scored enough to be classified as autistic. I am a bit odd, no doubt, but that's more social awkwardness and crippling anxiety, and games provide a sort of social focus that help me ignore and overcome those issues, for the most part.
Anyway, it's an interesting piece, and if you have any interest in games or neurodivergence, it's well worth a read.
