Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game
2014
Dive into the world of Alien with the Legendary Encounters Deck Building Game. Join forces with iconic characters, build your deck, and outlast the Xenomorph threat!
60
minutes
1 - 5
player(s)
17+
Medium
About the game
Welcome to the thrilling world of Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game. This game offers a unique blend of terror, suspense, and strategy, wrapped within a rich and evocative science fiction setting.
The game takes inspiration from the iconic Alien film franchise. As players, you are thrust into the cold, unforgiving depths of space, aboard a high-tech starship. But your voyage of discovery quickly turns into a fight for survival against a relentless extraterrestrial threat. The game masterfully captures the tension, paranoia, and dread that define the Alien universe, immersing you in an experience that is as nail-biting as it is engaging.
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Setup and rules summary
Game flow Round and round we go
‘Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game’ is a thrilling cooperative game where players assemble a team of characters from the Alien franchise to face-off against terrifying alien threats. The game is played in several rounds with each round consisting of multiple phases. The phases are as follows:
1. Player Turn Phase
During this phase, the active player performs a series of actions in any order. These actions include:
- Playing Cards: The active player can play cards from their hand to gain attack and recruit points.
- Recruiting Characters: Using recruit points, the active player can add new characters to their deck from the HQ.
- Fighting Enemies: The active player can use attack points to defeat enemies in the combat zone.
- Scanning Rooms: The active player can use attack points to reveal hidden cards in the complex.
- Trading Card Draws: At the end of their turn, the active player discards their hand and any unplayed cards, then draws a new hand of six cards.
2. Strike Phase
If there are any enemies in the combat zone at the end of the player’s turn, the player receives a strike from each enemy. The strike can cause a player to receive damage, potentially leading to their character’s death.
3. Alien Turn Phase
During this phase, the following actions are performed:
- Adding Alien Cards: The top card from the hive deck is added to the complex.
- Moving Alien Cards: All cards in the complex are moved one space towards the combat zone.
The game continues in this manner, with players taking turns and then the aliens taking their turn. The objective of the game is to complete three objectives given at the start of the game, which typically involve defeating specific alien enemies. The game ends either when all objectives have been completed, leading to a player victory, or when all players have been eliminated, leading to an alien victory.
Players'turn One turn to rule them all
In ‘Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game’, each player’s turn represents a new round of strategic decisions and actions. The player’s turn consists of the following phases:
- Draw Phase:
- Main Phase:
- Playing Cards: Each card in a player’s hand can be played to gain its effects. These could include attack points, recruitment points, or special abilities.
- Recruiting Characters: Players can spend their recruitment points to add new characters to their deck, expanding their options in future rounds.
- Fighting Enemies: Players can use their attack points to fight enemies in the Complex or the Combat Zone. Defeating enemies can provide rewards or advance the objectives of the game.
- Scanning Rooms: Players can spend attack points to reveal face-down cards in the Complex, potentially unveiling new threats or opportunities.
- Strike Phase:
- Cleanup Phase:
In this phase, the player draws six cards from their personal deck. If the deck is empty, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new deck.
During the main phase, the player can perform several actions in any order. These include:
If there are enemies in the Combat Zone at the start of this phase, the player draws a Strike card and suffers the damage indicated.
Here, the player discards any remaining cards in their hand and draws a new hand of six cards. Any enemies in the Complex move into the Combat Zone, and new cards are drawn to refill the Complex.
The strategic choices during a player’s turn can significantly affect the game. For instance, scanning rooms can reveal dangerous enemies, but it can also uncover necessary objectives or beneficial events. Similarly, recruiting powerful characters can strengthen a player’s deck, but it can also deplete their resources and leave them vulnerable. Each decision should be made with consideration of the current game state and the player’s overall strategy.
Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?
Scoring in Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is based on the successful completion of objectives, defeating Alien enemies, and surviving until the end of the game. Here is a breakdown of how points are awarded:
- Completing Objectives: The main way to score points is by completing objectives. Each scenario in the game has a set of unique objectives, and each objective completed awards a certain number of points.
- Defeating Aliens: Each time a player defeats an Alien enemy, they earn points equal to the enemy’s strength.
- Surviving: If a player survives until the end of the game, they receive a survival bonus. The exact number of points can vary depending on the scenario, but it’s usually a significant amount.
At the end of the game, all players add up their total points from objectives, enemy kills, and survival. The player with the highest total is the winner.
If there is a tie, the game uses the following tie-breaking rules:
- The player who has defeated the most Alien enemies wins the tie.
- If there is still a tie, the player who completed the most objectives wins.
- If there is still a tie, the player who survived the longest wins.
If there is still a tie after applying all of these rules, then the game ends in a draw.
Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?
Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is an immersive game that requires strategic planning and cooperation. However, there are a few special rules and exceptions that everyone needs to understand to play the game optimally:
1. Multiple Strikes: If a player receives multiple strikes in a single turn, they may happen all at once or one at a time. In the case that a card instructs you to draw more than one strike, you may draw them all at once.
2. Duplicate Characters: If a player’s avatar is killed and the only characters left are duplicates of characters already in play, the player may choose a duplicate character. The player must still kill off their previous character.
3. Event Cards: When an event card is drawn from the hive deck, it is played immediately. If multiple event cards are drawn on the same turn, they are resolved in the order they were drawn.
4. Card Clarifications:
- Coordinate: This keyword allows a player to play a card from their hand during another player’s turn. The card is then replaced immediately.
- Scan: This action allows a player to reveal a face-down card in the complex. The cost to scan a room is equal to the printed scan cost on that room.
- Strike: This action forces a player to draw a strike card, which usually results in damage to their character.
- Objective: These are the goals that players must accomplish to win the game. Each game has three objectives that must be completed in order.
5. Advanced rules: For a more challenging game, players can choose to include advanced rules such as the traitor mechanic, where one player may secretly be working against the team.
6. Difficulty Adjustment: If the game is too easy or too hard, players can adjust the difficulty by adding or removing drone cards from the hive deck.
Note: It’s essential to read the rulebook thoroughly and refer back to it whenever you’re unsure about a rule. This will ensure everyone is on the same page and playing the game correctly.