Glancing Over the GM Screen

I've been feeling braver than usual in the past few years. That surge of bravery has lead me to all sorts of interesting places and hobbies that now fill my life with color, friendship and stories.

I'm a huge fan of the Alien franchise. People who know me well have heard me ramble on about some obscure fact about the Alien universe or Weyland-Yutani.

One night, as I often do, I was looking for books on the subject when I came across Free League's ALIEN RPG core rule book.

A few minutes later, I was scowering the internet for resources, purchasing more books and modules, dice and wondering who should I invite to my first table. My attention then turned to Reddit. Surely there were other people who had probably created cool maps and props to play the game. I got a 3D-printed GM screen from a creator in Ireland through Etsy and then I was good to go.

The books started arriving, some nights went into watching Let's Plays and How-to videos. I made several trips to the closest Office Depot to print out maps and other handouts. Now my rulebook is filled with colored tabs and I have a dedicated Obsidian Vault to prep and track the adventure.

My players are some of the loveliest people I know, and I felt a huge responsibility when I started preparing this adventure for them. I think that's when I knew I was starting something important in my life. They're slowly becoming formidable players an I feel a sense of joy and pride that reminds me of my teaching years.

This game has helped me push through a lot of the fears and limitations I had impossed upon myself and I've discovered I'm actually pretty good at this. I've pulled solid improv out of me, ideas and cool things to create around the experience. I even made a short-form podcast to recap our adventure when the gaps between sessions got too long. (Check out my Instagram or TikTok for those.

As I've wrapped up my first table, I'm already thinking about what the next project will be. Maybe another storyline with different characters and different players. Maybe a table where all players are strangers to each other. Will definitely have to discuss that with the Weyland-Yutani office...