After reading the new comic, Dead Orbit, I felt inspired to delve into the world of Alien. The franchise has had its ups and downs, but I’ve always had a deep love the first two films (I count the original in my top 5). There have been dozens of comics and games over the years, which spawned the mother-of-all-crossovers, Aliens vs. Predator. In this guide I’ve tried to stick to what I thought were the strengths of the franchise – gritty dystopian science fiction, a grounding in reality, realistic (and outmatched) human characters, and terrifyingly ALIEN aliens.
Get the fully updated and peer-edited rulebook here:
Alien: Genesys Campaign Setting v2.0
After several requests, I have added a playable Yautja/Predator species to the rulebook as an appendix. I did not include them in the initial release because I thought it went against the spirit of the outmatched humans in space theme, but there are enough examples of temporary alliances and the like that I decided to write up a guide with advice on how to roleplay and incorporate such an alien character into your game in addition to the stats:
Predator/Yautja Player Characters
The ALIENS setting is somewhat more grounded in reality than most Space Operas, so most characters will be choosing one of the Human archetypes detailed on page 36 of the Genesys Core Rulebook. Unlike other space fiction, the Xenomorphs, Spacejockeys, and Predators are inscrutable and mysterious. They have little-to-nothing in common with humans, and in many cases prey on them.
That said, there are several examples of “team-ups” between Humans and the Yautja; the most prominent example is probably Machiko Noguchi and Dachande or “Broken Tusk” from the 1990 Aliens vs. Predator comic. There were several other examples in other comics as well as in the 2004 Alien vs. Predator and 2010 Predators films.
These short-term alliances can be a lot of fun, but in a genre defined by its mysterious alien life, it can be hard to find a reason for these alliances to last. Even the Aliens vs. Predator comics, where the main character lives amongst the Yautja for years, never really explains their origins or motives. In fact, it goes out of its way to show how the protagonist will never truly belong with or understand them. In addition to the mechanics of playing a Yautja, this section will detail some possible plot hooks and motivations for such an unlikely alliance as well as address some of the challenges of successfully playing an alien that feels like an alien.
Incorporating Yautja Characters
The first challenge of playing a Yautja is finding a plausible narrative for why they would team up with humans, a species that they have historically treated as prey for at least hundreds of years, in the first place.
Mutual Enemy
Though a prideful species by nature and culture, the Yautja are no fools. If incredibly out-matched and facing a situation where the success of their mission outweighs choosing an honorable death, they may be open to temporary allies. Examples would include an individual hunter confronted with an entire clan of Badbloods (rogue Yautja) on a hunt or on a human colony–destroying these outcasts must be carried out at all costs. Another might be preventing a Xenomorph outbreak or slaying a queen. In both situations, the mission is mutually beneficial, beyond either party’s individual ability, and a matter of extreme importance. Depending on the individual predator and the conduct of their allies, this relationship could move from allies of convenience to Earned Respect (see below].
Repaying a Debt of Honor
Being saved by another is considered a dishonor in Yautja culture and it is a debt that must be repaid in order to regain social standing. Examples include: Being rescued from an honorable death at the hands of dangerous prey, being spared by prey (humans) the predator was hunting, or being saved from an accident (ship crash, facility explosion, etc.) are all options. Human players may not understand that this scenario is not friendship or gratitude, it is the repayment of a debt. Some Yautja may conduct themselves with honor, others might resent their saviors for this dishonor and turn on them after their debt is repaid.
Earned Respect
The Yautja have been know to hold particularly resourceful prey in relatively high esteem, granting a certain level of respect and sometimes even gifts or status within their society. If the human characters have conducted themselves honorably they could gain a reputation among these aliens. This could even come from having killed one of the Yautja’s clan members in honorable circumstances.
However, unless they are specifically protected by some rite or ritual status (and often even if they are) they will always still be in some danger. Many Yautja will only see their reputation as evidence that they would make for an excellent challenge, and even friendlier hunters will constantly challenge and test human characters’ mettle in dangerous situations and combat. No one in Yautja culture can ever rest on their laurels for long.
Manipulation/Use
Predators are canny hunters and use any resources at their disposal during a hunt. Individual hunters might be more than willing to use a group of humans as bait in a trap or to flush out their true quarry. These relationships tend to be the most temporary and likely to end antagonistically. However, particularly adept humans could be “adopted” by a hunter–serving as sort of sentient hunting dogs or just another useful tool in their arsenal, from the Yautja’s perspective.
Exiled/Badblood Yautja
If the player chooses, they could be an exiled or “Badblood” member of their society. If this is the case, many of the normal social and cultural norms of the species could be overridden. Not all Badbloods are bloodthirsty monsters; in fact, many of the traits that humans consider admirable (mercy, for example) are anathema in Yautja culture. The very traits that make them an exile from their own kind could help them integrate with humans. This situation could easily overlap with a mutual enemy, as any Badblood will be pursued relentlessly by its own kind and humans tend to fare badly when caught in the middle of such conflicts.
Yautja PC Species
The Yautja, known colloquially as the Predators or Hunters, are an extraterrestrial species which possesses a level of technological advancement far in excess of anything available to humans. Their technology has advanced to the point that the species is free to occupy itself nearly full time with its rituals and hunting.
These hunts have become the foundation of their society and are nearly religious in their importance. To this end, the predators travel the galaxy looking for new worlds, seeking hostile environments and worthy prey to prove themselves. They also maintain numerous game worlds that are known to have extremely hostile environments and native life. They have also been known to harvest Xenomorph eggs to release in limited numbers on these worlds for their deadliest hunts.
Predators are bipedal humanoids, physically distinguishable from humans by their greater height, the long, hair-like appendages on their heads, their reptilian skin, and their arthropod-like mandibles. Yautja are highly resilient to physical damage, heal rapidly, and are incredibly strong, easily capable of ripping a conditioned adult human apart with their bare hands.
Brawn: 3, Agility: 2, Intellect: 2, Cunning: 3, Willpower: 2, Presence: 1
- Starting Wound Threshold: 12 + Brawn
Starting Strain Threshold: 8 + Willpower - Starting Experience: 70
- Starting Skills: A Yautja starts with one rank in Resilience during character creation. They obtain this rank before spending experience points, and may not increase Resilience above rank 2 during character creation.
- Target Weakness: Once per session, your character may spend a Story Point as an out-of-turn incidental after making an attack roll. If they do so, they may add damage to that attack equal to their Cunning.
Yautja Career Options
From the depictions we have seen, Predators are fairly focused in their skills and abilities. The Explorer and Soldier careers would both be appropriate for creating the average hunter, with strong combat capabilities alongside staple hunting skills like Perception, Survival, Stealth, and Vigilance.
For a slightly different take, the Leader career would be excellent for creating a clan leader or elder – replacing Charm with Brawl, as that is often how Yautja leaders establish their dominance. The Healer can also be used to create a clan elder or shaman of their strange rites and rituals.
Yautja Mimicry & Language
One of the major challenges of successfully playing a Yautja is the language barrier. Yautja do not speak any human languages. Judging from what we see in the films and other source material, it seems like they may have a limited understanding of it. We often hear the Predator repeating lines back to the protagonists with an uncanny sense of context.
Considering their species focus on hunting, it would make some sense from a biological standpoint that they might evolve/develop the capacity to be excellent mimics. Think of how often human hunters have developed tools to mimic the calls of deer or waterfowl to lure them into hunting range. Some humans can even make these calls without any tools!
This ability to mimic is one of the most iconic, alien, and unnerving parts of their nature and makes a great roleplaying tool. Players wanting to use this species should take notes of some phrases said during the course of play to be applied as a means of communication. Limiting yourself to these canned phrases can be a fun challenge and make for rewarding game-play while maintaining the atmosphere of alien-ness that the Predators need to feel like Predators.
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I think I just peed a little… Great stuff Phillip!
Thank you! Hoping to do a “beginner box” style one-shot adventure in time for Halloween.