Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
++++Incoming Transmission++++ ++++ Received: 24/09/2195+++ +++Source: Antares binary system 876/ 978+++ ''ID: Industrial Salvage and Mining Vessel Valley Forge Crew: 12 Human Androids: 1 Andromech 580-A “Demigod” class Engines: Hagfish Twin FTL J-3000 Tachyon Shunters Navigation: SIS-TER 6000 Mainframe Cargo: 2,000,000 tons of Mineral Ore; 3 tons of Trimonite Logged Flight Plan: Thedus to Earth Message begins: +++ Mayday, Mayday! This is the ISMV Valley Forge – comms systems failing, scanners malfunctioning… one of us is missing.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Point-to-Point Movement
Move along explicit connections between named locations or nodes.
Team-Based Game
Players compete in fixed teams and coordinate toward a shared team result.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Secret Unit Deployment
Place or assign units secretly before their positions are revealed.
Read the full game description
++++Incoming Transmission++++ ++++ Received: 24/09/2195+++ +++Source: Antares binary system 876/ 978+++ ''ID: Industrial Salvage and Mining Vessel Valley Forge Crew: 12 Human Androids: 1 Andromech 580-A “Demigod” class Engines: Hagfish Twin FTL J-3000 Tachyon Shunters Navigation: SIS-TER 6000 Mainframe Cargo: 2,000,000 tons of Mineral Ore; 3 tons of Trimonite Logged Flight Plan: Thedus to Earth Message begins: +++ Mayday, Mayday! This is the ISMV Valley Forge – comms systems failing, scanners malfunctioning… one of us is missing. Several of the crew are also claiming to have seen an alien lifeform. Ore-payload canister M-CXC-3790 ruptured when taken for processing. Doctor Chandra claimed it cracked like an egg before she vanished (possible space psychosis). Request advice, and rescue boat. Comms out. +++++ Message Appended- Received 24/09/2195 +++++ Oh god! Two of us are dead, and two are still missing. We’ve got to get out of here! The captain has ordered Palmer to prime the auto-destruct. It mustn’t get back! Save our souls. Lifeform is a game of survival horror for two to four players in which one player takes on the role of an almost invincible, utterly hostile alien, while all other players take on the roles of the crew of commercial mining starship, Valley Forge. During each game, the crew, outfitted with glitchy handheld sensors disrupted by a proximate nebula, search their labyrinthine vessel for equipment, weaponry, and supplies to load onboard escape shuttlecraft Remora. Along the way, the alien lifeform will ruthlessly attempt to stop the crew from carrying out this plan. The crew and alien lifeform both have a unique deck of cards, and each card has symbols on it to indicate possible actions. The alien can move around the starship, attack, cocoon, activate a malfunctioning android, sabotage equipment and the vessel's wiring, scurry into vents, and more; while the starship crew can fire flamethrowers, search, move or run, protect themselves with shock-prods, hide, shut security doors, and other actions. Lifeform is a standalone, dice-less game that tells of twelve commercial astronauts working on a battered mining starship, far away in space and time, who encounter an awesome galactic horror. Featuring an innovative self-destruct game mechanism, and alternate playable endings, depending on crew success, Lifeform presents a tense, suspenseful adventure with each and every game.