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About Not Alone
Not Alone is a one-versus-many card game. One player is the Creature that lives on the planet Artemia, and everyone else plays the Hunted, a crew of stranded survivors waiting for rescue. Each round the Hunted secretly choose a place to visit and the Creature tries to guess where they went. It is a quick, tense game of reading people and second-guessing, and the Hunted get to argue about plans in front of the very player they are trying to fool.
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Is Not Alone Right for You?
Best for
Not Alone is for groups who like a one-versus-many game: one player who enjoys reading people, and a team who like to plan together. It is at its best with four to six players, when the Hunted have enough options to spread out and the Creature has real choices. It is quick, so swapping who plays the Creature across an evening is easy.
Maybe skip it if…
At two players it becomes a guessing duel and loses the group discussion. At seven, some groups find the Hunted side hard to coordinate and slow.
How to Play Not Alone
Setup
One player takes the Creature cards and tokens. Each Hunted takes Place cards 1 to 5 and three Will counters. Lay out the ten Place cards and set the Rescue and Assimilation counters for the player count.
On Your Turn
- Each Hunted secretly plays a Place card face down. Before that, they may spend Will to take back Place cards they have already used.
- The Creature plays Hunt cards and places its Creature token, and sometimes other Hunt tokens, on places.
- Everyone reveals. A Hunted caught by the Creature loses Will and moves the Assimilation counter; the others use the power of the place they visited.
- At the end of the round the Rescue counter moves forward one space.
How to Win
The Hunted win if the Rescue counter reaches the end of its track first. The Creature wins if the Assimilation counter gets there first.
💡 Strategy Tips
As the Hunted, talk openly but plan in ways the Creature cannot easily read. Bluffing your own team is allowed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- The Hunted all going to the same place. One good guess by the Creature then catches everyone.
- Ignoring Will. Running out of Will costs the Hunted a lot, so resist and give up at the right time.
- The Creature always guessing the most obvious place. Players adapt quickly; mix up your choices.
- Forgetting place powers. Each place does something, and using them well is how the Hunted keep the Rescue counter moving.
Advanced Strategy
- As the Hunted, say plans out loud but leave room to change them. The Creature hears everything.
- As the Creature, watch which cards people have already played. Once a Place card is used, it is gone from their hand until they take it back.
- Survival cards are best saved for the moment the Creature has a strong round lined up.
- As the Creature, use the Artemia token when you can. It punishes the Hunted even when your main guess misses.
Variants & House Rules
Exploration
An expansion with new places plus new Hunt and Survival cards, which changes the map and gives both sides fresh options.
Sanctuary
A second expansion that adds further cards and options for two to seven players.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Not Alone is a tight, fast one-versus-many game that does a lot with a small deck of cards. The mind games between the Creature and the Hunted are genuinely tense, and rounds are short enough to stay lively. We recommend it for groups of four to six who want an asymmetric game without a big box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it co-operative?
Partly. The Hunted work together as a team against the Creature, who plays alone.
What is the best number of players?
Four to six. Two works but feels like a duel, and at seven the Hunted can take longer to agree.
Who should play the Creature?
Someone who knows the rules and enjoys bluffing. It is the harder role for a first game.