Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game
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Someone swears they saw something in the vents. Someone nervously checks their remaining cards. And in the end, when the table explodes, no one is sure who was truly on their side.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Four films, one deck, zero chance of peaceful sleep
Legendary Encounters brings the Alien saga into a cooperative deck-building game where every card can hide a facehugger. Designed by Ben Cichoski and Daniel Mandel in 2014 for Upper Deck Entertainment, the game recreates the four films of the saga with over 600 cards of original artwork. Each game is a new scenario, a new crew, a new chance to survive.
At the table, you recruit iconic characters like Ripley, Dallas, Bishop, and Hicks. You build your deck by drawing cards from the headquarters, face hordes of Xenomorphs advancing in the central corridor, and try to complete objectives before it's too late. But there's a problem: someone might be infected. And when the Chestburster explodes, cooperative play turns into a manhunt.
What they say abroad
"It's Alien. It's scary. It's brilliant."
It's Alien. It's scary. It's brilliant.
— Shut Up & Sit Down
A deck-builder that makes you sweat cold every turn. Because you never know who will turn.
— FroGames
Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game
The game includes official solo rules where you control multiple characters and face the scenario alone. The experience is complete and the tension remains very high, but you obviously lose the betrayal and social bluffing that are the heart of 3+ multiplayer.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and game sessionsYour crew
Four elements that make a difference
Iconic characters
Ripley, Dallas, Bishop, Hicks. Each character has unique cards that reflect their role in the films. Recruiting them into your deck means specializing in combat, support, or survival. But watch out: some may be infected.
Xenomorphs
Facehugger, Drone, Warrior, Queen. The aliens advance in the central corridor every turn. If they reach the end, they enter your deck as Strike cards. And when you draw them, you're in trouble. Big trouble.
Chestburster
The betrayal mechanic. Some players secretly draw a Chestburster card during setup. When it explodes (after a certain number of turns), that player becomes hostile. They must survive and kill the others. The table implodes.
Film-based objectives
Each scenario replicates a film from the saga. In the first, you must investigate the derelict, in the second, protect Newt, in the third, face the prison. Objectives radically change the gameplay and atmosphere.
In an hour, the table will have a story of betrayal, explosions, and screams. It always happens with Legendary Encounters. Always.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
The crew forms
Setup: choose the scenario, deal character cards, shuffle the Xenomorph deck. Someone secretly draws the Chestburster and pretends nothing happened. The tension starts immediately: who is infected? No one knows. The first round begins with suspicious glances and nervous jokes.
First contacts
Xenomorphs begin to appear in the corridor. You recruit cards from headquarters, build your deck, look for synergies. Someone starts hitting hard, someone else supports. Cooperation works. Still. But the Strike deck slowly fills with alien cards, and each turn's draw becomes riskier.
Pressure mounts
The aliens advance. The corridor fills. Someone draws a Strike card and takes damage. Someone else uses the scanner action to reveal hidden cards and looks for clues about the traitor. The table starts accusing each other. "Why didn't you attack that alien?" "Are you saving cards for later?" Paranoia explodes.
The Chestburster explodes
Mid-game. Someone flips their Chestburster card. The table really screams. The infected player must now kill the others. They change objective, play against, hide information. Cooperative turns into a hunt. Your best ally is now your worst enemy. And they have a strong deck.
Survival or slaughter
End game. Either you complete the objective and kill the traitor, or they win by eliminating enough crew members. The last draws are desperate. Strike cards can finish anyone. When the last alien falls (or the last human), the table explodes in shouts, hysterical laughter, or trauma-induced silence. No one forgets.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Each turn is a balance between recruiting, fighting, and managing the alien threat. Then you draw. And you hope.
At the start of the turn, a new alien is revealed from the deck and placed in the corridor. If the corridor is full, the aliens advance one space. If they reach the end, they enter your Strike deck. Bad news.
You play cards from your hand to generate Recruit (to buy new cards from headquarters) and Attack (to hit Xenomorphs in the corridor). You can also use special character abilities. Every card counts.
You assign Attack points to the aliens in the corridor. If you kill them, you discard them. If you don't kill them, they stay there and advance next turn. Some have Ambush abilities that trigger when revealed. Others are traps.
You discard your hand and draw 6 new cards. If you draw a Strike card (alien), you suffer its effect: damage, forced discards, reveals. If you draw the Chestburster and it's active, you switch sides. This phase is pure tension.
Why it's different from others
Six mechanics that make a difference
The alien corridor
Xenomorphs don't stay still. They advance every turn in the central corridor. If you don't stop them, they enter your deck and become Strike cards that you draw into your hand. It's tower defense within a deck-building game. And it works perfectly.
Asymmetrical betrayal
The Chestburster can explode at any time after a certain turn. The infected player can choose when to reveal themselves. This creates a psychological bluff: do I reveal myself immediately or wait until I have a lethal deck? The timing of betrayal is an art.
Variable hidden roles
Not every game has a traitor. Some modes are purely cooperative. But you never know until someone flips the card. This keeps suspicion alive, even in games where everyone is loyal.
Four cinematic scenarios
Each film is a different scenario with unique setups, objectives, and decks. In the first, you explore the derelict ship. In the second, you protect Newt. In the third, you survive the prison. Each scenario radically changes the pace and strategy. Very high replay value.
Scan and coordination
Some cards allow you to scan hidden cards in the corridor or in other players' Strike decks. This introduces an investigative layer: who is hiding the Chestburster? Who has too many Strikes in their deck? Information is power. And poison.
Original horror artwork
Over 600 cards with original illustrations that capture the atmosphere of the films. No recycled screenshots. Every Xenomorph, every character, every location is re-drawn. The game looks like Alien even when you're just looking at it on the table.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Victory depends on who you are. If you are a loyal human, you must complete objectives and survive. If you are infected, you must kill.
Cooperative victory
- Complete all scenario objectives (vary by film: explore locations, defeat the Queen, evacuate, etc.)
- Eliminate the infected player if revealed (reducing their health to zero)
- Survive with at least one crew member still in play at the end
Defeat and elimination
- If the Xenomorph deck runs out before objectives are completed, the aliens win
- If a player accumulates too many Strike cards and is eliminated by damage, they are out of the game
- If the infected player survives and kills enough crew members (or completes their traitor objective), they win alone
Legendary Encounters is Alien on the table. With betrayal, corridor tension, and that moment when someone turns and the table explodes. It's not for everyone. But those who love it, love it hard.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game
Do you need to know the Alien movies to play?
No, the mechanics work perfectly well without. But if you know the films, each scenario will let you relive iconic scenes. The game includes a 'no spoiler' mode for those who haven't seen all four films: you can play without reading the narrative details of the objective cards.
Is betrayal mandatory in every game?
No. Some scenarios are purely cooperative, without a Chestburster. Others include betrayal as an optional mechanic. You can choose based on the group. But beware: even when you play without, suspicion remains. Someone will still start accusing.
Is it compatible with Legendary Marvel?
Technically yes, they share the same basic structure. But we don't recommend mixing them: the horror tone of Alien and the Xenomorph combat don't mix well with superheroes. They are two separate games within the same mechanical family.
How difficult is it to learn?
The turn flow is simple: reveal alien, play cards, fight, draw. But the timing of abilities, corridor management, and traitor bluffing require experience. First game: 20 minutes of explanation, then you learn by playing. Second game: already fluid.
Is this edition in Italian?
No, this is the original English Upper Deck edition. The game includes a lot of text on the cards (abilities, effects, scenario objectives), so knowledge of English is necessary. There are currently no official Italian editions of Legendary Encounters: Alien.
Legendary Encounters: An Alien Deck Building Game is a cooperative horror deck-building game for 1-5 players, recommended age 17+, duration 30-60 minutes. Designed by Ben Cichoski and Daniel Mandel, published by Upper Deck Entertainment, the game brings the Alien saga to the table with over 600 cards of original artwork. Each scenario replicates one of the four films, with tower defense mechanics, hidden betrayal, and asymmetrical roles. Players recruit iconic characters like Ripley, Dallas, and Hicks, fight Xenomorphs advancing in the central corridor, and face the Chestburster which can explode at any moment, turning an ally into an enemy. Available on FroGames.it.
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