These are all the events relevant from the media referenced in the Bibliography.
Events from previous LARP games may also be included in this section.
1904
The members of a whaling station in the Antarctic disappear seemingly overnight, there are signs of a struggle with an unknown force of some kind, but no trace of the crew is ever found.
1987
A Special Forces Search-and-Rescue team goes into the South American jungle to perform an extraction of downed American Nationals. Whilst leaving the theatre of operation, they are attacked by an apparent Extra-Terrestrial Biological Entity (EBE). Only one member of team survives, creature apparently commits suicide when heavily injured, resulting explosion is apparently nuclear in nature, but resultant Radiation is negligible. No trace of creature or spacecraft found. The then fledgling 73rd Space Group (still under the auspices of US Space Command) handles the Debriefing of Major ‘Dutch’ Schaefer.
1990
The first draft of the Goodman Protocol dealing with Unknown Life Forms is drawn up under the auspices of the first Bush presidency.
1996
A new military program is launched that takes orphaned infants and raises and conditions them to function as dedicated soldiers without compassion or empathy, it is rumoured similar programs exist in both the USA and Russia.
1997
During a heatwave, the Los Angeles drug wars erupt on the streets in an orgy of violence unparalleled in a major metropolis. The police find themselves outgunned in almost every battle. In the middle of this several-feared gang members are killed with almost surgical precision. It is believed that a similar creature to the one encountered in 1987 is responsible. To this end a covert task force led by Captain Peter Keys (US Space Command, Medical Wing) is sent to try and capture it. They fail, and LAPD cop Mike Harrigan kills the creature.
1998
A Rogue comet smashes its way through the Asteroid Belt and sends an asteroid hurtling towards Earth. The space shuttle Atlantis is destroyed followed by the devastation of large parts of New York. An executive team at NASA devise the only solution to destroy the asteroid is from within. A team of Oil drillers is drafted in and sent into space on prototype shuttles ‘Freedom’ and ‘Independence’. Despite losing one shuttle and almost half the team, the asteroid is destroyed when the civilian team leader, Harry Stamper, stays on the Asteroid to manually detonate the nuclear device. With disaster averted the so-called ‘Stamper’ bill is passed through congress tripling the annual budget of NASA. NASA’s budget will continue to increase year-after-year which enables exploration of the solar system like never before.
A potential alien spacecraft is detected on the floor of the Pacific Ocean leading to what is believed (but not confirmed) to be the first use of the “Goodman Protocol”. A team is despatched to investigate via an underwater habitat but upon their return they have no memory of any events and all evidence has been destroyed by the explosive devices that had been part of the team’s standard equipment. The surviving members of the team deny all knowledge of planting explosives and maintain the explosion was a result of a technical failure.
2004
The Weyland Corporation detects a thermal emission in Antarctica (underneath an old Whaling Station) which indicates a potential structure beneath the ice. CEO Charles Weyland leads a team comprising of scientists, explorers and Private Military Contractors (PMC’s) and successfully arrives at the station but they are nearly wiped out and the structure is destroyed in a mini thermal-nuclear explosion akin to ones previously seen. The sole survivor, Alexa Woods indicates in her debrief that the structure served as a kind of rite-of-passage for alleged extra-terrestrials.
Ten hours after the destruction of the structure, US Space Command tracks what it believes to be a meteor landing just outside of Gunnison, Colorado. Approximately 24 hours later, the town is destroyed in a mini-nuclear explosion; the media tries to lay the blame on a terrorist attack, but this is played down by the Government who attempt to place the blame on the nearby Nuclear Power Plant. Rumours of survivors are debunked, and the Yutani Corporation is awarded the lucrative contract for the clean-up operation.
2010
The Tyrell Corporation advances genetic engineering to a whole new level with the creation of the Nexus-6 Replicant. This causes a public outcry that makes the GM Food riots of 2002 seem tame by comparison. Never the less, the Replicant’s begin their duty servicing space stations and performing low-level hazardous duties on Earth. A significant number of them are employed by the nuclear industry.
On the eve of his execution, convicted multiple murderer, Walter Stans, mysteriously disappears from his prison cell. His escape baffles prison officials. On the same day, select government, intelligence and both military and ex-military operators also disappear in mysterious circumstances, it is noted that this has happened at the same time of year previously.
2013
After a bloody insurrection attempt by a team of Replicants, the United Nations forces Tyrell to enforce a 4-year lifespan on all Replicants. Replicants are also banned from Earth on pain of death, special police units (nicknamed Blade Runners) are tasked with the tracking down and execution of any trespassing Replicants on Earth.
2015
After one failed attempt, the first permanent Moonbase is established and then expanded to include several external outposts for various secret and hazardous work. It is decided that the controller of Moonbase will rotate on a four-yearly basis and will be picked from the countries with a controlling interest in the base. The base will continue to expand as the years go by and will become the first true stepping stone into outer space as many missions will be launched from its orbiting space docks.
2019
The founder of the Tyrell Corporation, Dr Eldon Tyrell is murdered in his apartment at the Corporation HQ in Los Angeles. Another victim is identified as a JF Sebastian, a Tyrell employee; it is believed that a Nexus-6 Replicant is responsible for both killings.
2020
After the death of its founder the Tyrell Corporation rushes a new line of Nexus 8 Replicants onto the market for use Off-world. Unlike previous Nexus models, built with 4-year lifespans, the Nexus 8s have open-ended lifespans, as well as ocular implants for easier identification. Their production is halted temporarily when the primary Tyrell HQ Building is destroyed, seemingly by some kind of self-destruct charge, planted at the behest of Eldon Tyrell.
2022
A nuclear warhead explodes over the city of Los Angeles, the resulting Electro Magnetic Pulse destroys all electronics in the area, data is also irretrievably lost. It is believed that a Replicant launched the weapon with the intention of destroying all Replicant records still held by the Tyrell Corporation. Coupled with the destruction of the primary Tyrell Installation two years earlier, fragments of information remain but the greater majority is lost forever.
2023
Peter Weyland (younger brother of Charles) delivers a famous TED talk regarding where he believes Replicants went wrong and how he believes the way forward is with a Synthetic version. Soon after authorities order an indefinite hold on Replicant production, the date coincides with the last projected date of the last Nexus-6 decommission date. All Nexus-8 models currently operational are sanctioned to be retired, those that can, go into hiding. It is rumoured that new BladeRunner units are repurposed Nexus-8’s.
2025
A blow-out in an airlock on-board the space station Coral Sea (maintained by the Allied Pacific Consortium) causes the death of 21 of her crew.
Idealistic scientist Niander Wallace pioneers’ advancements in genetically modified food and shares his patents for free, marking an end to a global crisis. His company, Wallace Corporation, E&C, expands across the globe — and into the Off-world colonies.
2028
In the biggest NASA scandal ever, members of the International Space Police Force (ISPF or ‘Star Cops’) uncover that the commander and members of the crew of the US Space Station ‘Ronald Reagan’ sealed up one of their orbital laboratories and detached it. The scandal also uncovers that the pod they detached was being used for developing new germ warfare bacteria. A Senate inquiry finds that although Commander Griffin acted in the best interests of the station and its personnel, the subsequent action and cover up that ensued was illegal. After a string of PR failures with NASA, the ‘Truman’ Act is drawn up and approved by the US Congress. One of the ramifications of this is that NASA will have more direct oversight than ever before with the newly formed National Council on Astronautics (NCA) who will have free reign to scrutinise any detail of the organisation. The Executive of the NCA will answer directly to the President of the United States.
Hanimed, of the world’s leading pharmaceutical firms, is indicted over the deaths of the crew of the Pluto-5 (an exploration vessel). The ISPF discovers that that an experimental drug was being tested on the crew without their knowledge in strict contravention to the Brussels Accord on Human Testing. Richard Ho (chairman of Hanimed) is prosecuted and convicted. Head researcher and Nobel Prize winner, Christina Janssen, kills herself in her orbital laboratory over the same issue. Hanimed is fined heavily and is then banned from taking part in any kind of pharmaceutical space trial for 25 years.
Niander Wallace acquires the remains of the bankrupt Tyrell Corporation and immediately begins work to research and improve upon the original Tyrell Replicant designs.
Daniel Larwood of Atlas News breaks the story of the faking of the first apparent signs of past intelligent life on Mars whilst on Moonbase.
2035
The Lunar Corporation are indicted as their supposedly automated Helium 3 refinery (located on the dark side of the moon) actually uses a clone of the original engineer to run and manage the installation.
The prohibition on Replicant production is lifted and the Wallace Corporation introduces the Nexus-9, a line of supposed “perfected” Replicants.
The “Soldier” Program is retired when an exercise apparently goes wrong, and all units are lost, including the new wave that were allegedly combat ready Nexus-9’s.
2038
What is generally acknowledged as the first corporate war takes place in the Asteroid Belt between Galactic Mining and newly formed Pyrite. With the UN reluctant to intervene it is left to the Corporations to fight it out. Despite the intervention of a member of the newly formed Interstellar Commerce Commission, the uncovering of a traitor within the ranks of Galactic Mining and the return of their robotic mining shuttles, too much damage had been done to the infrastructure of the company. Galactic Mining folds only to be bought out by a newly formed and rapidly expanding Anglo-Japanese consortium named Weyland-Yutani.
2040
Prototype exploration vessel ‘Event Horizon’ disappears in the vicinity of Neptune whilst on a shakedown cruise. No trace of the vessel or her crew is ever found.
2047
Transponder signal received by USAC (United States Aerospace Command) from the orbit of Neptune is decoded as being the Transponder code from the Event Horizon. Rescue vessel ‘Lewis & Clark’ sent on a search-&-rescue mission, also accompanying the crew is Dr William Weir, one of the original designers of the vessel. What is known is that the Lewis & Clark did rendezvous with the Event Horizon and then suffered a critical systems failure approximately 2.5 hours after docking. All telemetry from the Lewis & Clark ceased 18 hours later when it is assumed the ship was destroyed. A second vessel, the Poindexter was sent out to investigate, they encounter the Forward Bridge section of the Event Horizon only, in transit to Earth with three members of the Lewis & Clark aboard in stasis. All telemetry from the Poindexter ceases 12.4 hours later. All ships involved are listed as missing and all crew as missing presumed dead. No further rescue attempts are made.
For the next 150 years there are repeated (but never confirmed) sightings of either the Engine or the Bridge section of the Event Horizon, a sensor blip here, a visual glance there. The ship quickly passes into folklore and it soon becomes legend that if both halves of the ship are ever re-united then it will spell doom for whoever encounters it.
2089
Archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway discover a cave painting in Scotland that appears to be a map to a distant world and confirms their theory that the Earth was visited by alien beings. They attempt to seek funding for an expedition to the world (named LV-223). After an extended petitioning period, aging entrepreneur Peter Weyland agrees to fund the expedition.
2093
The Weyland funded “Prometheus” arrives at LV-223 on December 24th and all status updates cease approximately 7 days later, it is believed that the mission has been lost with all hands.
2101
A trio of colonisation missions (sponsored by Weyland Yutani) depart the Earth for distant stars where habitable worlds have been discovered. The three ships are the Testament, Covenant and Epiphany, of the three only the Epiphany would arrive at its destination without incident.
2104
Status update from the Covenant indicates a serious incident has occurred with several deaths but the vessel is able to carry on to its primary destination.
2122
Commercial Towing Vehicle, USCSS Nostromo (under contract to Weyland Yutani) vanishes on its journey from the Solomon’s Mining Cluster to Earth. No trace of the vehicle or payload is ever found. Crew and ship filed under ‘Missing, presumed lost’. Weyland Yutani maintains an open file on the ship and her crew.
2137
Sevastopol Station (recently purchased from Seegson by Weyland Yutani) suffers from some kind of accident (it had been in the process of being decommissioned before it’s sale) and falls from orbit into the atmosphere of KG-348 (the gas giant it was orbiting). Telemetry received indicates that the freighter Anesidora had recently docked but no further information is available. Located in the Zeta Reticuli sector, it fell out of use when the Sol-Thedus flight path was rerouted.
2159
Weyland Yutani finish construction of the Terraforming Network on the planet of LV-426. The colony of Hadley’s Hope is established on LV-426 with purpose of monitoring and maintaining the atmospheric terraformers as well as the exploration of the planet. LV-426 is officially renamed as ‘Acheron’.
2175
The science vessel, Monchino, embarks on a research mission to study Black Holes and their effects, the mission is co-sponsored by Weyland-Yutani. The mission is declared lost in December of that year (10 months after launch).
The ICC debate scrapping the use of the “Goodman Protocol” after it has been used over 100 times without a positive indication of extra-terrestrial life. This motion is defeated after lobbying of committee members on behalf of several organisations.
2172
People step out onto the surface of LV-426 for the first time without environment suits, the air (although thin) is breathable.
2178
NASA launch what is claimed to be the fastest and most advanced Starship ever constructed, the USS Discovery is designed to explore and roam further than any ship before it. Despite the project being 5 years late with a huge cost overrun there is still more protest made over NASA’s choice of captain, former Space Command Colonel, John Sinclair.
2179
The escape pod of the Nostromo is found adrift in deep space. Lieutenant Ellen Ripley is found aboard in stasis, but alive. At a board of inquiry her story of landing on LV-426, finding an Alien ship and then murder of her crew by an Alien species does not convince the board. The flight recorder of the life pod corroborates some elements of her story but not others. She is suspended pending a psychiatric review. Contact from Acheron (the renamed LV-426) ceases approximately 6 weeks later. A Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is sent to investigate. Lieutenant Ripley and Carter Burke (a representative from Weyland Yutani) accompany them. Their ship, the Sulaco, did arrive at LV-426 and a surface landing was made. Other information has been classified by Space Command, but rumours abound that the marines were wiped out by a new Alien species. The current location of the Sulaco is unknown.
The freighter Nostromo II is forced to make orbit around the world of Lament-262 after some kind of on-board system fault. Most of the crew and the few passengers that were on board, land on the planet near one the mining settlements (maintained by Con-Amalgamated). Information on what happened next is sketchy, but an alleged First Contact was achieved with a Sentient Space Faring species. Based on what was observed of their technology and rituals it is believed that they have previously visited Earth. It is also believed that another species was also present on the world. What happened next is unclear but the Nostromo II did leave orbit without waiting for the rest of her crew to return on the orders of her Captain. Upon return the Nostromo II is impounded and her captain arrested. Rumours of any supposed First Contact are vehemently denied.
The multi-national corporation, Con-Amalgamated, is currently conducting an internal investigation allegedly concerning widespread drug abuse on Con-Am 27 (a mining station on Io, a moon of Jupiter). The local Federal Marshall, William O’Niel has since brought charges to this effect before the ICC and an ICC field team has started to investigate all Con-Amalgamated mining operations within the moons of Jupiter.
On the oil rich American Colony world of Eeton 2, an independence movement has been bloodily put down by US Colonial Marines. The colonists had requested help from the Government of the South Pacific Consortium in their struggle for freedom and the two countries funded operations that tore the world apart but with the US ultimately successful. Similar secret wars are currently being fought on other worlds such as Ceti-Epsilon 4 and Viet 9.
Weyland Yutani, in an alleged cost cutting move, has shut down operations on one of its older metal smelting and foundry plants on the world of Fiorina ‘Fury’ 161.
After a board on inquiry, Alex Sangster (Captain of the Nostromo II) takes part in a team to return to Lament-262 in late 2179 with orders to recover any survivors and to investigate any alien species that may be on the planet. Survivors are recovered and there is alleged contact once-again with both types of alien species.
A US Colonial Marine Officer, Colonel Thomas Kincaid, allegedly mutinies and takes his battalion with him. They are currently involved in a bloody but unspecified action on the rim of known space. Loyal USCM forces are in pursuit but Kincaid appears to have been reinforced by a renegade unit from the Colonial Royal Marines (the British Space forces) led by a Major Kramer.
December 30th, 2179, Colonial Administration and Weyland Yutani issue an official statement that the colony on LV-426/Acheron was destroyed when the fusion reactor in the nearby terraforming plant went critical. There were no survivors and the Marine Unit that was sent out has returned and the Sulaco is currently in orbit over Phobos harbour awaiting its next mission. Any rumour of supposed Alien encounters is strongly denied.
2180
The Goodman Protocol is used after “Planetary Construction Incorporated (PCI)” find something during colony construction. A team of marines and scientists is despatched to investigate the find. This find is (like all the others) proven to be false as the mysterious item was proved to have been exported from Earth.
Terrorist organisation, Galactic Dawn, makes a strike against Seegson Synthetics and hijacks and subsequently destroys the cargo ship UCS Arrow of Gold that was transporting supplies to the outer colonies. Atlas News reporter, Jeff Bradman, promises a more in-depth investigation of this organisation.
Now
Why 2180?
When the computers first boot up in the film Alien, a date is shown on one of the screens indicating that the year is 2122 and we know Aliens is set 57 years later which gives us 2179. As a lot has happened in that year is makes sense from a creative viewpoint to set the campaign world in the following year. We have tried to use the same years as listed in the media we have based this on have made one or two exceptions in order to make the timeline flow better or have derived a date when none was specified.