It is the late 22nd century. Humanity has traveled some 50 light years from Earth, but has not yet encountered any intelligent alien civilizations. Colonies—usually financed by the massive Chen Zua Corporation—litter known space, mining, terraforming, and researching, as humanity slowly pushes its frontiers forward. Back on Earth, much of the wasted space—Antarctica, the great deserts—has been terraformed and the planet is crowded; resources are running low, a situation which is driving the push out into the galaxy.

Xenomorphs is a gritty, dark sci-fi horror setting. Known space is largely dominated by a self-serving corporation, and the setting primarily features blue-collar workers or marines. The game should feel claustrophobic; colonies are dark and cold, and hammered with rain. Death is around every corner, whether by an engineering accident or by something else…

Characters in this setting do not tend to be combat experts. More frequently, they are blue-collar workers, miners, traders, scientists, pilots, and so on. The genre of Xenomorphs is survival horror, and along with that character deaths should be expected. Even a lone xenomorph has the ability to wipe out an unprepared group of characters.

Known Space

Humanity has explored only a tiny portion of the galaxy—only up to 50 or so light years from Earth. The areas explored include the Core Systems, up to about 8-10 parsecs from Earth, and the Outer Rim systems. The Core Systems include some 25 star systems, such as Sol, Alpha Centauri, Epsilon Indi, Tau Ceti, Epsilon Eridani, Procyon, and others, which have established, usually thriving, colonies.

The Outer Rim is a region which surrounds the Core Systems, and is explored and intermittently colonized (Somerset Landing is in this region); beyond the Outer Rim is unexplored—and presumed unpopulated—space.

There are a handful of major worlds, a couple of dozen colonies, and thirty or so worlds devoted to mining or terraforming. The Sol system itself is well-colonized. There are multiple colonies on the moon, Mars, Io, Titan, Callisto, and other moons, plus a listening station on Pluto. Most colonies belong to either a major corporation or to an Earth government (China claims Callisto, for example).

The Fall of Somerset Landing

Xenomorphs—The Fall of Somerset Landing was the blockbuster sequel to WOIN Studio’s award winning 1979 film Xenomorph. The film sees a return to Lethe, one of three moons orbiting Melinos, an enormous gas giant, some 40 light years from Earth, which also featured in the first movie. Lethe’s main role in the first film was the site of the alien ship that the crew of the Viola discover when responding to a distress signal. As we all remember well, deep within the bowels of this alien craft death and madness awaited the Viola crew.

Decades on, Lethe now boasts a small colony that is terraforming the planet to make it more habitable for mankind. The planet is still a harsh environment, wracked by freezing rain and relentless winds, but the air is at least now breathable and temperatures are slowly rising—now reaching just above zero Celsius around the equator and the main outpost of Somerset Landing.

The Fall of Somerset Landing charts the events just prior to the colony’s loss of contact with the Chen Zua Corporation, the company behind the terraforming technology that oversees the United Planets Terraforming Contracts, and the events that take place during this black-out.

So welcome to Somerset Landing and hold on tight… as all hell is about to break loose!

United Marine Corps

The United Marine Corps (UMC) is responsible for security, suppression, and defense across explored space. Squads can be found stationed on most colonies, and can be deployed to trouble hotspots. They are trained to operate independently in hostile environments for extended periods of time.

The UMC is a branch of the NATO Allied Defense Command (NADC), and occasionally comes into conflict with the forces of China and Russia.