Corona QPL Aliens Game Book June 2025 by thegiantroom

C o - d e s i g n e d b y G I A N T

f a m i l i e s a t t h e C o r o n a B r a n c h o f t h e Q u e e n s P u b l i c L i b r a r y

ALIEN ENCOUNTERS

Co-designed by GIANT families at the Corona Branch of the Queens Public Library

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Something super weird (and oh, so wonderful!) is happening in this game book! Our aliens are getting mixed and remixed into a deck of collectible trading cards that you can play all sorts of games with!

We are extremely honored to partner with the Queens Public Library and bring GIANT creative STEM experiences to the Queens community at the Corona Branch. We implemented a Remix Station with Corona’s Community Library Manager, Rosemary Kiladitis.

More than 35 participants joined, dreamed, created, and shared. Here, we have “remixed” their creations into a oneof-a-kind game set inviting all kids (and adults) to collect the alien trading cards and get slapping, improvising, drawing, storytelling, fishing, and searching!

I want to thank the librarians and staff from the Corona Branch of the Queens Public Library for their partnership.

Let’s play!

Azi Jamalian Founder of The GIANT Room

MEET

O U R

Author’s signature

G A M E S T H E

TELL EPIC ORIGIN STORIES ABOUT YOUR ALIENS

1+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Divide and shuffle your deck: Separate your aliens into 2 different piles. Shuffle each one.

Draw two cards: Pick one card from each pile. Keep them secret for now – it's a surprise!

Dream up an origin story: Imagine the origin story for both of the two aliens you chose. How did they get their special powers? What challenges will they face? Will they solve problems together? Or fight against each other in a battle?

Share your story: Share your story with friends and family. Explain your aliens, the exciting journey, and how you came up with your story. You can even draw it as a comic book!

RULES

Your imagination is the boss! Make your story as funny, weird, crazy, or serious as you want.

Use both aliens in your story. Incorporate their unique powers and personalities!

Everyone's a winner in this game. It's all about telling an incredible story.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Time Challenge: Set a timer and see if you can finish your story in a certain amount of time. Quick thinking, quick storytelling!

Swap Stories: Trade your finished comic with a friend. Can they continue your story or add a surprising twist?

Random Element: Add a random item or location to your story. Or draw a third card, and find a way to include it in your adventure.

WHO'S THAT LIEN?

HOW TO PLAY MATERIALS

2 PLAYERS

Pick your alien card: Each player secretly selects a alien without showing the other. This is your secret alien.

Set up your game board: Draw a simple table on a sheet of paper to keep track of your guesses. Use pages 6 to 21 to search for aliens that it might be.

Ask yes or no questions: Take turns asking each other yes/no questions about the alien. For example, "Does your alien have wings?" “Is your alien pink?”

Eliminate aliens: Based on the from your list until you can mak

RULES

Be honest with your answers – no tricky business!

Only ask questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no."

Keep track of your guesses on the game board. It's your roadmap to victory!

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Speed Round: Quick thinking

Limited Questio questions each extra challenge

Silent Round: T use only facial communicate y

STORYTELLING TELEPHONE

3+ PLAYERS HOW TO PLAY MATERIALS

Randomly choose a card: Choose a card. Each player writes a line of a story on their paper about their alien. The stories can all be different.

Draw a picture of that sentence: Pass the paper with the written story line to the next player. They have to draw a picture of that sentence. Fold the sentence and only expose the picture.

Write an explanation of that drawing: Pass it to the next player. They must write a sentence to explain what the picture is showing. Fold the drawing and only expose the sentence.

Check if the last sentence is the same as the drawing: Keep going until each paper is full. Unfold your paper and see where your drawing and stories went! Is the last sentence super different than the original?

Each player writes a story line about the alien.

Each player draws a picture to represent the sentence.

Each player passes their folded paper to the player next to them.

Each player folds the paper so that only the sentence is visible.

Each player passes their paper to the player next to them.

Each player folds the paper so that only the drawing is visible.

Each player writes a sentence to represent the picture.

Repeat this process until the entire page is filled!

RULES

Your story line has to include the alien, but remember, the more complicated you make your sentence, the harder it will be to draw! (This is a good thing! It will make the game of telephone more challenging and wacky.)

No peeking! Keep the drawings and sentences hidden until the end for maximum surprise.

Don't worry about perfection – the sillier, the better! In fact, the worse the drawing is, the more difficult it is to match the original story line…

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Time Pressure: Set a timer for each turn to add an element of excitement.

Word Limit: Restrict the number of words or lines each player can use, challenging them to convey their ideas concisely.

Theme Variation: Choose a specific theme or genre for the story to follow, such as fantasy, sci-fi, or comedy.

Multiple aliens: Have each player choose their own alien. Once the round is over, try to match the last story line or drawing of each paper to the alien.

Draw a card for the game.

EXAMPLE GAME

Once upon a time, Star and Little Baby were looking for craters on the moon.

Write a descriptive story line.

A funny Star named Toby and his best friend Baby Esther woke up on the moon.

One day a baby was traveling through space and went so close to a star, he had to put on sunglasses!

Fold the paper after completing your writing or drawing. 31

SEARCH & FIND I FLOWER GARDEN

1+ PLAYERS HOW TO PLAY

Our aliens have gone on an adventure to a flower garden, but they got a little lost. We need YOUR help finding them! Can you help us search for these aliens?

HIDDEN ALIENS

iens!

SSLAP LAP JJACK ACK

2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Review the jacks: Before you start, study the four alien trading cards on the next page. These will be the special "jacks" in the game that you'll be slapping for!

Deal the deck: Shuffle the cards and deal them evenly among the players. Keep your cards face-down – no peeking!

Start slapping: The first player flips over the top card from their deck, placing it face-up in the center. Everyone keeps an eye out for the special alien "jacks."

Slap it: When one of the four special "jack" alien cards is played, be the first to slap it! The quickest slapper gets to collect all the cards in the center.

Continue playing: Take turns flipping over cards and slapping when a "jack" appears. The player who collects all the cards in the deck wins!

RULES

Only slap for the special alien "jacks" – don't get too trigger-happy!

Watch out for false slaps! If you slap a non-"jack" card, you have to add an additional card to the center pile.

Keep the game friendly and fun – no overly aggressive slapping!

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Change Up the Jacks: Decide on a different group of four aliens to be the “jacks.”

WOULD YOU WOULD YOU RATHER…?RATHER…?

2+ PLAYERS

MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY PLAY

Pick a card: Draw a random alien from the deck. This alien will be the inspiration for your dilemma.

Create your question: Think of a funny, gross, serious, rhyming or thoughtful "Would you rather…" question inspired by the traits or abilities of the chosen alien. Write it down or draw it on your paper.

Share your question: Each player takes turns presenting their alien dilemma to the group. Get ready for some laughs and thoughtful pondering!

Make your choice: After hearing the dilemma, each player must make a choice – which option would they rather pick? There are no right or wrong answers, just lots of fun discussions!

Ask questions that make you think and feel, rhyme, spark a debate, make you go YUCK, or make you laugh!

Respect everyone's choices – there's no winning or losing in this game, just great conversation.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Speed Round: Set a timer for each player to come up with their dilemma. Quick thinking makes for some hilarious scenarios!

Roleplay Edition: Act out your chosen "Would You Rather" scenarios for an added layer of entertainment.

Theme Variation: Choose a specific theme or category for the dilemmas, such as superpowers, travel, or food preferences.

SEARCH & FIND II

INTERGALACTIC LIBRARY

1+ PLAYERS HOW TO PLAY

Our aliens have gone on an adventure to an intergalactic library, but they got a little lost. We need YOUR help finding them! Can you help us search for these aliens?

HIDDEN ALIENS

DOODLE DOODLE CHALLENG CHALLENG

2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO

Pick your alien: Draw a random alien trading card from the deck. Keep it a secret – this is the alien you'll be sketching.

Start drawing with a twist: You must draw your alien, BUT you have to do it with your eyes closed!

Guess the alien: Show your sketch to the other players. They must guess which alien you picked based on your drawing.

Reveal the mystery card: Once the guess is made, reveal the actual alien card to see how close (or hilariously off) the guess was. Prepare for laughs and surprises!

RULES

No peekin entire sketc g p

Embrace imperfections – your drawing should look very weird and funny! The more creative and unexpected, the better.

Have a good laugh, and don't take the game too seriously. It's all about the joy of creating and guessing.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Time Challenge: Set a timer for the sketching round, making it a quick and exciting challenge.

Guessing Points: Award points for accurate guesses. The more challenging the sketch, the higher the points!

Team Edition: Play in pairs. One player sketches with their closed eyes, and the other guesses.

AALIEN LIEN SSEARCH EARCH QQUEST UEST

You'll embark on a scavenger hunt to uncover the hidden location of a prized alien. The catch? The location is concealed behind a coded message written by the other player that you and your fellow treasure hunters must decipher. Channel your inner cryptographer, and let the quest begin!

2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Select the hidden card: Each player chooses one alien trading card and hides it in a secret location without the other players seeing.

Create the coded message: Each player must create one or more coded messages leading their opponent closer and closer to the card’s hidden location. Use symbols, ciphers, or any cryptic method to create your clues.

Start the hunt: Players exchange their coded messages, and the quest begins! Each player must decode the messages to unveil the location of the hidden card.

Claim your prize: The first player to decode all the messages, reach the hidden location, and discover the hidden card, claims the coveted alien as their reward!

RULES

Keep your coded messages challenging but decipherable – the quest should be an adventure, not an impossible puzzle!

No sharing of decoded messages. Each player must try to decode the message themselves, but can be given hints upon request.

Stay within the agreed-upon area for the scavenger hunt to keep it fair.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Time Pressure: Set a time limit for each decoding session to add an extra layer of excitement.

Team Alien-Hunt Quest: Form teams and collaborate on the codebreaking adventure. Combine your skills to decipher the messages.

Hidden Challenges: Incorporate a series of coded messages that bring your opponent on an entire scavenger hunt! Include small challenges or puzzles at each location, making the journey even more engaging.

CCHARADES HARADES

3+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Shuffle and draw: Shuffle your deck and draw a alien without revealing it to others. This will be the alien you'll be acting out.

Set the timer: Decide on a time limit for each charades round. For example, 1-2 minutes works well, depending on your group's preferences.

Act it out: With the card in hand, start acting out the alien's traits, abilities, or any distinct features without speaking. Use gestures, movements, and expressions to convey the essence of the alien.

Guess the alien: Your friends have the challenge of guessing which alien you're portraying. The first person to correctly guess becomes the next charades star!

RULES

No verbal clues – strictly acting!

If no one guesses correctly in the allotted time, you have to sit out of the next round.

When a person guesses the alien correctly, they become the next charades star.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Speed Rounds: Reduce the time limit for each charades round, adding an extra level of excitement.

Action Challenges: Act out a specific action that the alien is doing. Players then must guess both the alien and the action.

Team Charades: Divide players into teams. Each team takes turns acting and guessing, tallying their points as they go.

ALIEN

STORY IMPROV

3+ PLAYERS

MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Pick a card: Pick a random alien from the deck and dream of its story. Is it from a magical land, an underwater cave, another planet, a volcano, or something else? Share an intro to its story in one sentence.

Continue the story: The next player draws another alien from the deck. This player also dreams up this alien’s story, but it must connect to the previous one.

Memorize it: The following player draws another alien from the deck, dreams of its story and must include all previous stories. After a few rounds, the game will become more challenging since you’ll have to memorize all of the stories that came before you!

RULES

The first player to forget or mess up a previous alien’s story loses and is out of the game. The last player left standing wins.

Improvise and build upon the stories that other players have shared about their aliens.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Limited Time: Set a time limit for each player to create and share their story.

Trait Challenges: Add a rule that each new card's origin must include a specific element from the trading cards, such as their favorite things or special powers.

EXAMPLE GAME

Player 1: Clock �� is from Planet Itft, where everyone wakes up at exactly the same time.

Player 2: Sir Fluffs the I, who carries two giant scrubbers, lives in a pink cave on Planet Iftf filled with the most delicious tacos.

Player 3: Madnes is from Ice Mountain on Planet Iftf, where she protects Clock �� from hungry taco attackers who love to read taco treasure maps.

Player 4: Red Rabbit, who lives in a burrow at the base of Ice Mountain on Planet Iftf, reads about aliens and gets hungry when he smells the delicious scent of freshly baked tacos.

EGYPTIAN EGYPTIAN AT SCREW AT SCREW

2+ PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

Review the slap triggers: In a standard game of Egyptian Rat Screw, there are many rules about which cards can be slapped and when. In this alien edition of the game, we ’ ve created new slapping triggers based on the cards in the deck. Before you start, study the triggers on page 50.

Deal the deck: Shuffle the alien trading cards and deal them evenly among the players. Keep your cards face-down – no peeking!

Play your cards: Players take turns playing one card at a time in the center. Once a trigger card is played, the first player to slap the pile gets to collect all the cards in the center. Be quick, but watch out for false slaps! The first player to collect all the cards in the deck wins.

RULES

Only slap on designated trigger cards.

If you slap a non-trigger card, you hav add an additional card to the center pi

If you run out of cards, you are still in t game! You can continue to slap and w the cards in the center pile.

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

Change Up the Triggers: Invent your own rules on which cards can be slapped and when!

SLAP TRIGGERS

FOR EGYPTIAN RAT SCREW

1-STAR POWER RATING

Slap when...an alien has a power rating of 1 star.

RUN OF 3

Slap when...three cards in a row have their power ratings in ascending or descending numerical order. This includes: 0 1 2 1 2 3 2 3 4 3 4 5

5 4 3 4 3 2

3 2 1 2 1 0

Power rating

DOUBLES

Slap when...two aliens of the same “species” are thrown in a row. This can include: two cats, two dogs, two robots, two dinosaurs, etc.

Bird alien doubles

SANDWICH

Angel alien doubles

Slap when...two aliens of the same “species” are thrown with one card separating them. For example, a cat, an egg, and then another cat. These aliens create a sandwich, and you have to slap!

Glowing Orb

Bear Alien

Glowing Orb

DESIGN YOUR OWN GAMES

AND ADD THEM TO THIS BOOK!

What games would YOU like to invent with your alien trading cards? Write down the rules of your game and playtest with friends and family.

GAME #1

# OF PLAYERS MATERIALS

HOW TO PLAY

RULES

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

# OF PLAYERS MATERIALS GAME

HOW TO PLAY

RULES

WAYS TO TAKE IT FURTHER

A G I A N T THANK YOU TO THE KIDS , FAMILIES , AND G I A N T TEAM MEMBERS WHO MADE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE .

Game Concept & Planning

Azadeh Jamalian, PhD (The GIANT Room)

Rosemary Kiladitis (Corona Library)

Grace Mann (Queens Public Library)

Rebecca Schifilliti (The GIANT Room)

Maria Eugenia Segovia (The GIANT Room)

Design & Development

Paulina Quezada M. (The GIANT Room)

Camila Soto (The GIANT Room)

Michelle Rembert (The GIANT Room)

Bridget Wainaina (The GIANT Room)

Aaron Toplin (The GIANT Room)

Rama Deshpande (The GIANT Room)

Rebecca Schifilliti (The GIANT Room)

Yinjie Shi (The GIANT Room)

A B O U T The GIANT Room

The GIANT Room is a creative co-design lab that provides opportunities for children, families, and educators to collaborate with designers, policymakers, scientists, artists, and engineers.

In addition, on our GIANT Remix platform, we provide opportunities for children to co-design and co-publish books and games they can read and play with their friends and family