''Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game'' is a three-player

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

(CCG) that was published in 1997. It was considered one of the more successful CCGs during the late 1990s and was

Harper Prism Harper Prism (1993–1999) was launched by John Silbersack, Publishing Director, in 1993 as the first science fiction and fantasy imprint of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States. Prism's early authors included Stephen Baxter, Terry Pr ...

's first foray into the CCG market.

Publication history

Based on the Alien vs. Predator franchise created in the 1990s, ''Aliens Predator Customizable Card Game'' was published by

Precedence Entertainment Precedence Entertainment was a publisher of collectible card games and role-playing games. Games produced include the '' Tomb Raider Collectible Card Game'' which was nominated for an Origins Award in 1999, the '' Babylon 5 Collectible Card Game'' ...

and

. Card art featured photographic stills from the film franchise. The 363-card set was sold in three 60-card starter decks (focused on one of Alien, Predator, and Marine players) having 50 fixed cards and 10 random rare and uncommon cards, and in 15-card

booster pack In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a b ...

s. The

expansion set An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or a ...

''Alien Resurrection'' based on '' the film of the same name'' was planned for early 1998, focusing on the Marines. It was delayed as the company was acquiring rights for the use of actor's likenesses for the photograph still images from the film, which they had cleared by October 1998. The set was produced using "a full library of film stills", instead of the grainier publicity photographs used in the original set. By August 1998, there were plans for three expansion sets. Development of the second set, named ''Atmosphere'', was completed in March 1999 and focused on the film '' Predator''. The third set, ''Cityscape'', was based on the subsequent film '' Predator 2''.

Gameplay

This is a three-player game. Each player, equipped with a game deck, takes on the role of either the Alien, the Predator or a Colonial Marine. Each role has slightly different rules which lead to different strategies. Each player plays location cards, then moves from card to card, using decoy tokens to hide real movement. When each location is searched, character and equipment cards can be played to give in-game advantages. When two players meet in the same location, combat is resolved with a six-sided die.

Reception

In the March 1998 edition of ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' (Issue #245), Allen Varney found the game to be "exciting... easy to learn, flexible in its variety of scenarios, and fast playing." Varney concluded that it was an "endlessly replayable, adrenaline-pumping game. Bravo!" Christopher Wilkie, in a review in the May 1998 issue of '' The Duelist'', stated that the rules were unclear at times, that differentiating between the numbers for power and speed on the cards was difficult, and that the card art is "sub par" and at times blurry. He also stated that the game is easy to learn.

Reviews

*''Backstab'' #8

References

External links

* {{Alien vs. Predator (franchise) Alien vs. Predator (franchise) games Card games introduced in 1997 Collectible card games based on comics