STARTING GEAR
In a Cinematic scenario, the scenario determines what gear you start the game with. In Campaign play, your career determines what gear you can choose from at the start of the game. If you get a weapon, you always get two full reloads to go with it. In addition to the items you choose, you are assumed to have a uniform or civilian clothing. You also get some cash—the career indicates how much.
SIGNATURE ITEM
In addition to your normal gear, you also have a signature item—a small item that’s not of much practical use, but that has sentimental value to you and that says something about your character. Signature items are usually tiny (see below) and thus don’t encumber you at all. Common examples include a patch, a cap, or a photo of a loved one.
VEHICLES & SPACESHIPS
In some Cinematic scenarios, your PCs have a vehicle or even a spacecraft. Usually, vehicles and starships don’t belong to one individual character—instead, they are crewed by the entire group of PCs together.
In Campaign play, it’s also possible for your group to begin the campaign with a vehicle or a ship.
ENCUMBRANCE
You can carry a number of regular-sized items equal to double your STRENGTH rating without problems. A regular item is generally the size of a small bag and weighs no more than a few kilos.
HEAVY & LIGHT ITEMS
An item designated as heavy counts as two regular items, and typically takes up two rows on your character sheet. Some heavy items count as three or even four normal items—the gear lists in Chapter 6 of the book indicate this.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there are items that are designated as light—they count as half of a regular item, and so you can list two light items on one row on your sheet. Some light items count as a quarter of a normal item in terms of encumbrance—the weight of such items is written as ¼ in the gear lists.
TINY ITEMS
Items that are even smaller than light items are called tiny. They are so small they don’t affect your encumbrance at all. The rule of thumb is: if the item can be hidden in a closed fist, it’s tiny. Tiny items also need to be listed on your character sheet.
OVER-ENCUMBERED
You can temporarily carry up to twice your normal encumbrance limit, i.e. STRENGTH x 4 items. If over-encumbered, you must make a MOBILITY roll when you want to run or crawl in a Round of combat (see Movement). If you fail, you must either drop what you are carrying, or stay put.
CONSUMABLES
In the world of ALIEN, you need to overcome a lot more than Xenomorph life forms to survive. Lack of air, food, water, and electric power can be just as deadly. These four resources are called consumables.
You don’t need to track consumables at all times. In the confines of a functional spaceship, orbital station or planetside colony, you likely have the consumables you need. The GM lets you know when resources are scarce and it’s time to start tracking them.
SUPPLY
You track each of the four consumables on your character sheet using a Supply rating. A higher rating is better.
At regular intervals (see the table to the right), you need to make a Supply roll. This means rolling a number of Stress Dice equal to the current Supply rating, up to a maximum of six dice. For every rolled, the Supply rating is decreased by one. When the Supply rating reaches zero, you’re out of the consumable, and you’re entering a world of hurt. The effects of lacking air, food and water are explained in Chapter 5.
Group Consumables: Usually, consumables are tracked individually, but they can also be tracked for the group as a whole, depending on the situation. The GM has final say.
ENCUMBRANCE
For encumbrance, your supplies of food and water count as one item each, as long as your current Supply rating is 4 or lower. See the table below. When your Supply rating hits zero for food or water, this consumable no longer encumbers you.
Air and power don’t usually count toward your encumbrance, as they are generally included in your pressure suit or other gear. External air tanks or batteries can count as encumbering items however.
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