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Old 10-27-2015, 11:09 AM   #21
evileeyore
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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An important question is, if you were a patient alien empire with powerful yet limited forces, how would you gain control of the earth?
Use my extremely advanced tech to secretly siphon strategic fuel reserves, influence powerful individuals using mind-rays to push for military solutions to the now impending fuel crisis, create a company dedicated to building long term shelters which (once full of survivors of the coming global war) will be used for social experimentation, then trigger the global inferno by launching their own devastating weapons against 'their enemies' for them.
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Old 10-27-2015, 01:50 PM   #22
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

This is delightful. One of my campaign goals is intrigue and civil war, and manipulative alien invaders are a good way to do it.

However, I do want to give PCs a good reason to fight some stupider alien goons- have to figure that out. Perhaps they're adding psychological warfare attacks where they send disposable troops on missions to attack power plants or something. Or they try to take out coordinated resistance efforts... like the PC organization.
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Old 10-27-2015, 02:37 PM   #23
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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However, I do want to give PCs a good reason to fight some stupider alien goons- have to figure that out.
Multiple invaders.

It doesn't have to be different species, just different "general's" with entirely different and opposing strategies. It's eve possible the PCs could stumble into 2+-way firefight from the differing factions.


Have one faction prefer mechanoids/cyborgs/robots, one prefer Big Dumb Brutes and big guns, one prefers the insidious infiltrating Reptiloid/Snakemen, one prefers spreading genetic contagions/retroviruses and using troops like Chryssalids/Genestealers, etc.

That they will both work together and fight over seemingly incomprehensible reasons can add to the 'alien' vibe.
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Old 10-27-2015, 04:55 PM   #24
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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Use my extremely advanced tech to secretly siphon strategic fuel reserves, influence powerful individuals using mind-rays to push for military solutions to the now impending fuel crisis, create a company dedicated to building long term shelters which (once full of survivors of the coming global war) will be used for social experimentation, then trigger the global inferno by launching their own devastating weapons against 'their enemies' for them.
Wait?!?! Are the aliens responsible for everything wrong in the Fallout universe?
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Old 10-27-2015, 05:38 PM   #25
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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Wait?!?! Are the aliens responsible for everything wrong in the Fallout universe?
Have you never wondered about the crashed flying saucer you can get the Alien Blaster (a holdout disintegrator in GURPS terms) from? :)
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Old 10-27-2015, 06:53 PM   #26
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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Wait?!?! Are the aliens responsible for everything wrong in the Fallout universe?
SHHHH! [FNORD] hear you and then [FNORD] will be [FNORD] to [FNORD] and the [FNORD] [FNORD] [FNORD] with a helping of [REDACTED].
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Old 10-29-2015, 05:10 PM   #27
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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Multiple invaders.

It doesn't have to be different species, just different "general's" with entirely different and opposing strategies. It's eve possible the PCs could stumble into 2+-way firefight from the differing factions.


Have one faction prefer mechanoids/cyborgs/robots, one prefer Big Dumb Brutes and big guns, one prefers the insidious infiltrating Reptiloid/Snakemen, one prefers spreading genetic contagions/retroviruses and using troops like Chryssalids/Genestealers, etc.

That they will both work together and fight over seemingly incomprehensible reasons can add to the 'alien' vibe.
Or, go with another option. The alien empire has an active rebellion, and one reason the empire wants to conquer earth is because they want its resources to fight their own civil war.

The rebels, on the other hand, want to render Earth useless to their overlords, and have initiated a campaign of widespread destruction of any asset the overlords may need.

Neither side considers humans to be anything other than pawns (at most), or slaves, or even tools. The overlords want to use the human tools and plans to bend them to the yoke, and the rebels want to break them so badly as to render them unusable.

Basically, all of Earth is on its way to looking like Africa: The government is bad, the rebels are worse, and the best you can do is find a way out -- or, in this case, just freakin' kill anything that isn't native to this planet or who qualifies as a quisling.
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Old 10-29-2015, 08:01 PM   #28
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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Have you never wondered about the crashed flying saucer you can get the Alien Blaster (a holdout disintegrator in GURPS terms) from? :)
I did play mothership zeta, but was unaware there involvement was anything more then a rather large easter egg.
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Old 10-29-2015, 08:36 PM   #29
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I was trying to work out a justification for a reverse-X-com game with the appropriate buildup trajectory. My idea was this...

The attackers are not an expeditionary force from an alien empire. They're a local low-level administrator tasked with building a frontier refueling station, invading Earth as a totally unsanctioned private grab for wealth and power. Since the administrator isn't supposed to be doing anything remotely like this, they don't have access to any equipment or organisms intended for planetary invasion. Their initial forces are re-purposed space station technicians with improvised and re-purposed equipment.

If their incursions pay off, they'll be able to start bringing in some more suitable troops and equipment, but any ad-hoc units they can come up with out of Earth resources are also welcome.


So there are alien 'troops' that are neither physically nor mentally well-suited to combat but readily available, and potential for producing dumb heavies by weaponizing Earth wildlife or fabbing some dubiously-programmed but sturdy assault droids (as seen in Xenonauts). EDIT: Or whatever exotic alien predator is cheap on the black market.
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Old 10-29-2015, 11:55 PM   #30
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Default Re: Building the X-Com inspired campaign

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I did play mothership zeta, but was unaware there involvement was anything more then a rather large easter egg.
Canonically the Aliens are only inferred to have instigated the initial launch of the nukes, either through subverting various countries launch codes or via their 'nuke laser gun' making it look like nukes had struck.


Bit I like the idea that they were secretly behind it all for whatever twisted reasons.
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