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Der Abenteuer Club
- 2–5 players
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Alien on Board
2021
Rules assistance for Alien on Board
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 20–30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for Alien on Board
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Alien on Board is a board game released in 2021 for 3–6 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Mathias Spaan and Henrik Havighorst and its main mechanics are Hidden Roles, Voting, and Roles with Asymmetric Information.
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About the game
Log entry 87c. from 03/18/2085: After a successful mission on the Janus ring of Saturn, we have initiated the return flight to Earth. Suddenly the alarm system of our board computer switches on: WARNING ... XF33! Alien on board! We quickly meet on the main deck, the entire crew has appeared. Everyone seems normal. And yet the measuring devices report "strange biomass activities"! So - One of us has to be the alien! Who can it be? And how are we supposed to expose it? With specific questions we will try to identify the intruder, otherwise this could be the la... Aim of the game... ...is to unmask the alien or to mislead the crew members by answering, listening and combining the questions. Gameplay: Decoding - Survey - Exposure 1. Decoding: The Commander shuffles the decoders face down and distributes one of them to each player (including the "Alien Decoder"). Then the commander draws the top question card. Nobody is allowed to see who has which decoder. 2. Survey: The commander pushes the question card into his decoder, silently reads the deciphered words and gives the entire group a short and loud answer. Then the commander passes the same card on, to the next player, who does the same. This continues until all players (incl. the secret alien) have given an answer. 3. Exposure: Now, based on the answers, the crew tries to unmask the alien. To do this, everyone votes on the player they believe is the alien in this round. The points are distributed and a new round starts. After 10 rounds, the player with the most points is the winner!
Designers
Publishers
- Piatnik
Questions and answers
Alien on Board supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Alien on Board is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Alien on Board for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Alien on Board has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Alien on Board belongs to these categories: Humor, Party Game, and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Hidden Roles, Voting, and Roles with Asymmetric Information. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Alien on Board are: Mathias Spaan and Henrik Havighorst. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Alien on Board as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.