Edge Lost Treasures:

Teenagers From Outer Space

by Matt Staroscik


Imagine, if you will, that Earth has made contact with a sophisticated and wise galaxy-spanning society. A new Golden Age is upon Humanity as Earth finally reaps the rewards of membership is the interstellar elite. Now, imagine that you are still stuck in high school and all that nonsense about the "interstellar elite" is a lot less meaningful to you than your impending Xenobiology midterm or who you're going to ask to the Homecoming dance.

And, now that Our Friends the Aliens have settled down in your home town you'll have to worry about not only the gender, but the species of whoever's caught your eye. In TFOS there are four kinds of sentients - Humans, Near Humans, Not-Very-Near Humans, and Real Weirdies. All beings have eight stats: Smarts, Bod, Driving, Looks, Cool, Luck, Bonk, and R. W. P. (Relationship with Parents). "Bonk" is kind of like hit points, but no one dies in TFOS; when you get "bonked out" by zap guns or witty put-downs you just pass out for a while. Soon enough you'll be on your feet again.

Teenagers From Outer Space is an odd combination of comic book stunts, sci-fi cheese, and high school angst. Light on rules, it is a game where players are encouraged to run amok building Weird Science gadgets, zapping each other with ray guns, hotwiring flying saucers, and generally having a hell of a time while trying to avoid homework and hall monitors. It's an awful lot like the old (and greatly missed) Galaxy High cartoon.

While TFOS is out of print, R. Talsorian Games will soon be releasing the Ninja High School RPG, based off the comic books of the same name. That will certainly help to fill in the void left by TFOS's passing.

Other Lost Treasures


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© Copyright 1996 by Alderac Entertainment Group

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