Intruder, Task Force Game #6
Task Force Games (1980, $3.95)
Designed by B. Dennis Sustare
Players 1, 2 or more
Playing Time 30-60 minutes
Period Science Fiction
Scale Tactical
Turn 4 months
Map areas (space station rooms and corridors)
Unit individuals

Components
Container 6x9 ziplock
1 16" x 20" unmounted mapsheet
54 die-cut counters
1 14 page rulebook
Counters 28 white, 12 black, 14 red

Task Force says:

“The Intruder is an alien being of unknown power. During the course of the game the Intruder will move through the space station as both the hunter and the hunted. One or more players must cope with a monster that moves rapidly and changes continuously as it undergoes metamorphosis into a more powerful being, and possibly divides into two or more clones.”

The reviewers say:

“Unlike many solitaire games, the system does not seem forced. The Intruder remains a formidable foe, and the player must make meaningful and often tense decisions in order to achieve victory. It is the player’s task to hunt down the alien and either cage it (while it is still small and presumably still of some research value) or destroy it before unacceptable losses have been taken among the crew

... The effects of the various weapons differ, and each has a separate column on the CRT, with results ranging from no effect to sleep (darts only!) to Intruder retreat or killed ... The game, as a game, is a lot of fun. The situation is tense and games are often close. The Intruder is truly a mean monster and the player will have to use some brains to defeat it.” Tony Watson in The Dragon 39.

“Intruder is a solitaire game (with scenarios allowing more than one player) of hide-and-seek on the research station Prometheus. Sound familiar? It is. This game simulates the action in the movie Alien, and does a good job of it ... I was somewhat disappointed. This one is for solitaire gamers, or others who are really hard-up for new sci-fi games.” Jerry Epperson in Space Gamer 28.

Comments

A straightforward and suspenseful solitaire game. Don’t let the cover art scare you off -- it really is better than it looks! Fans of Intruder should take a look at Last Frontier: The Vesuvius Incident, a 1993 solitaire game from Fat Messiah Games. LF:TVI is another great “aliens loose on a spaceship” game which echoes concepts from Intruder and the movie Aliens.

Collector’s Notes

There were 22 different titles in the Task Force Pocket Games series. During the past several years it was not unusual to see new, unplayed stashes of some of these games (including Intruder) turn up for sale online. Although those sources seemed to have dried up, you should keep the recent availability in mind before paying too much of a premium for unpunched copies of Intruder. Boone lists low/high/average prices of 1/4/2.60 at auction and 5/6/5.50 for sale.

Other games by this designer

Heroes of Olympus (TFG); Kung Fu 2100 (SJG), Star Smuggler (Heritage/ Dwarfstar).

Capsule Profiles:

ICBM
Ice War
Iliad
Intruder
Imperium
Insurgency