Something terrible lurks among us!
An isolated polar station. A blizzard that alternates with relative calm. Limited resources and food. And among you is an extraterrestrial Being without a form that can take the form of any living organism, even if it is an animal or even a person. The board game invites you to test your resilience in an adventure based on John Carpenter`s 1982 film "The Thing": hold out for the helicopter`s arrival, escape from a station captured by an unknown earthworm, and manage not to take it with you to the big world!
"The Thing" is a game with a secret traitor, only no other monsters will scratch the walls of the station by the will of the ancient god, because the "Things" available in the game will not be in a hurry to reveal themselves, feeding on human flesh and hoping to get out to civilization.
Features of game
- Crisis survival game. Feed the characters, monitor the status of all station locations and collect supplies, because the risk of freezing to death is no less dangerous than the threatening Thing.
- An atmosphere of constant suspicion. Watch the actions of other explorers to understand which of them may turn out to be a potential Thing. However, keep in mind that there are not so many opportunities to check the infection in the game: the test is possible only by finding a blood sample or a flamethrower.
- Dynamic development of events. In addition to the actions of the players and the alien, each round in the game will also be affected by external factors: a change in weather, the movement of potentially infected dogs, the output of resources, etc. Together with the paranoid atmosphere in search of a hidden traitor, it creates a sense of hopeless horror.
Victory conditions
The game continues for several rounds until the players fulfill the victory conditions.
The Thing can win if:
- The last person was eaten.
- Two or more people are frozen at the base.
- The Thing in any way alone or undetected among people flees from the station.
People win if:
- They were all able to escape the station without the Things.
If people hesitate for a long time about who to take with them on board the helicopter, the rescuers will not stay at the base forever: the rotorcraft will be available as long as it has fuel, and therefore can leave the base even without passengers.
So don`t delay with the choice, and get rid of the Things in advance!
Gameplay
Each game round consists of several consecutive phases.
- Determining the weather. The leader of the current round rolls the weather die and notes the result on the weather board.
- Station maintenance and rotorcraft approach. The leader removes the fuel chips from the locations according to the instructions in the weather table, and if the approach requirements are met, the helicopter moves in the direction of the station.
- Actions of the alien. This phase lasts only if the Thing has been revealed.
- Selection of action cards and player actions. Characters move between station locations, fix systems and hunt aliens.
- Rest, exchange and suspicions. Characters gather in the recreation area to exchange items and weapons, and may raise their suspicions about one of them being infected.
- Test. You can perform the test only if you have the necessary equipment. Check that one of the heroes for infection by the Thing.
- Food expenses. The leader discards the required number of food tokens or distributes it among the heroes and in this way chooses who will receive a smaller ration.
- Moving dogs and changing the leader. Dogs move to other locations according to the revealed cards, and the next player in line becomes the leader. After that, a new round begins.
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