Aliens: This Time It’s War

About this board game

Aliens: This Time It’s War is a two-player card game with a playing time of approximately 45 minutes, set within the world of the influential 1986 science-fiction film Aliens. One player commands the Colonial Marines, while the other controls the deadly xenomorphs threatening the colony of Hadley’s Hope on LV-426.

The game includes two balanced 60-card decks, but its design is strongly asymmetrical: the Marine and Alien decks contain different cards and abilities. Play unfolds across a five-column system representing consecutive melees, creating a quick and bloodthirsty struggle in which Marines can be butchered and aliens destroyed through carefully timed card play.

Both sides must manage their decks and weigh the power and cost of every card. The Colonial Marines bring a roster of high-tech weaponry, while the Alien player commands an expanding threat that can include the Alien Queen. Tricky decisions can define a battle: deploying the Powerloader during the Reactor Chamber conflict may be rewarding, but the resources required make it risky.

• Two-player conflict: Colonial Marines versus hordes of xenomorphs.
• Five consecutive melees: battles progress through a distinctive five-column system.
• Meaningful choices: card power and cost encourage careful resource management.
• Multiple victory routes: the Marines can reach the Sulaco Loading Bay or “Nuke the entire site from orbit,” while the Aliens win by killing or cocooning Ripley and every Marine.

Ripley joins the Marines as an Advisor as they investigate the lost colony, while the Alien player seeks to stop their escape. With no icons used on its cards and combat at its core, Aliens: This Time It’s War delivers a tense, tactical contest inspired by San Juan, Magic: The Gathering, Battle Line, BattleTech TCG, and Iliad.