Legacy Review #01: ROBOTECH: The RPG
- Francois DesRochers
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
Written by: Kevin Siembieda
Release Date: 1986
Catalogue Number: 550
GENERAL
Back in the 1980s, there were several visual media Intellectual Properties that stood out in terms of engagement for young boys: Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, TMNT, and ROBOTECH. Palladium Books was fortunate enough to get both the latter licensing deals for the RPG market. I’ve no doubt that tens- to hundreds-of-thousands of youths spent many an hour rolling their dice as they battled Zentraedi foes. But this also placed Palladium Books in a serious position within the RPG market.
The ROBOTECH anime were still in syndication during Saturday morning cartoons (remember those?), and influence of Japanimation was still being felt. Striking while the pan was still blazing hot, we now enter into the conflict that started it all.
SECTIONS
General. Something that will be a running theme throughout, the layout for the books in this Legacy Review series all predate any kind of electronic layout of disc-to-printer kind of functionality. There is a very old school vibe about them because, aherm, they are really old books. My current copy is a 7th print edition from 1990. That’s over 30 years ago, and the game was released nearly five years prior to that.
Character Generation. The first 14 pages are devoted to the standard Palladium Books character generation process we have grown to know and love. The familiar Attribute Generation and Attribute Bonus Table is there, along with the vaunted Alignment system (so much more impactful than the D&D/d20 system). Pages 15-22 provide the character classes (O.C.C.s), followed by the skills block from pages 23-30. One of the things I noted was just how many skills these classes could select! The Destroid Pilot comes in with the fewest, at 12 skill selections! The O.C.C.s:
Destroid Pilot. Big stompy robots, yes please! Except for the Daedalus maneuver, they always seem to be getting shot to shreds.
Veritech Fighter Pilot. The very elite of the RDF, and the only class that can select piloting Veritech Fighters. So you wanna be a hero? Join Rick, Max and the gang.
Communications Engineer. High-tech wizard linking the world. Hello, Lisa Hunter.
Electrical Engineer. One of the few classes learned in the secrets of Robotechnology. Paging Dr. Emil Lang.
Field Scientist. A 'jack-of-all-trades' sort of academic. Apparently.
Mechanical Engineer. The unsung hero that keeps fixing what you heroes seem to keep breaking! Zentraedi really don't get these guys.
Military Specialist. A skill monkey class (18 skills to choose) but restricted from learning Veritech piloting. Can opt for Destroids though.
Notes:
Something a bit comical is looking back at these older books and odd rules. Case in point, the Minimum I.Q. for a Destroid Pilot is I.Q. of 6 (look up Rifts Ultimate Edition for what that means), while Electrical and Mechanical Engineers are a lowly Minimum I.Q. 7! Not sure I want that guy doing the electrical for my house.
Some of the Engineer Classes also have this odd option of becoming officers if they gain an I.Q. bonus (I.Q. 17 or higher), or reach 12th level. Clearly, they have a dated view about military officers, LOL.
wink-wink, nudge-nudge (for those that know)
Mecha Combat Rules. A very concise framework for dealing with combat, it covers everything a GM needs to know to get Player Characters into the thick of things. There is a lot of room left for the GM to interpret corner-case issues on their own, which was a common theme of the RPG industry at the time. There is an interestingly miniscule variation of the Mecha Combat Tables for the Destroids (e.g. Excaliber vs Gladiator vs Spartan) versus the Veritech Table.
Earth Mecha (Veritech Fighters). The meat of the book is devoted to the mecha; should not be a grand surprise to anyone.
Veritechs. A nice bit on the history of the VFs and their development. Common weapon systems are provided, along with other standard equipment that develops a great deal of immersion and options for the GM. The only effective difference between the models are the head-mounted lasers.
Super Veritech. More heavily armored, the dorsal-mounted jetpacks provide greater range and speed. The extra armor includes several additional weapon systems (more missiles).
Armored Veritech. Additional ammunition-laden armor bolted onto a Veritech in Battloid mode. This turns the VF into a potent force.
Disposable Rocket Sled. A simple add-on pod that allows the VF to gain escape velocity.
Earth Mecha (Destroids). The non-transformable ground mecha used for armored assault and site defense. Most are armed with a battery of missiles, autocannons and direct energy weapons. Something of note, eagle-eyed readers may notice that some of the mecha names do not match anime designations (e.g. the RPG Spartan was the name for what the RPG calls its Excaliber).
Excaliber Mk VI. A combination heavy frontline combat unit and artillery support. An all-rounder mecha with the notable lack of hands.
Gladiator. A frontline combat bruiser with a wide array of missile batteries and a few secondary direct fire weapons. Its two fully functional arms and hands provide for a hand-to-hand capability.
The M.A.C. II. The largest of the destroids, it is a mobile fortress sporting some very heavy weapon systems. Its lack of articulating hands are not really a factor; this thing is shooting from range and dishing out some heavy punishment. There is an odd limitation to the four main cannons.
Raidar X. This light-weight models is primarily an anti-aircraft package. It packs an advanced radar suite that provides a small bonus to hitting aerial targets. And whoo-boy did I miss out on the number of attacks this dog can fire per turn.
The Spartan. Perhaps the least versatile of the Destroids, this walking missile launcher used for long-range offensives or defensive operations. You'll kill a lot of Battle Pods, but with only 22 missiles per pod, relatively defenceless thereafter.
Earth Vehicles
Armor/A.R.M.D. Series Space Platforms. Aside from the SDF-1, this is the core of the Earth space fleet. In the initial contact with the Zentraedi, these ships were rendered to pieces. In terms of comparison, these craft were simply no match for the Zentraedi cruisers and destroyers, let alone Breetai’s command ship.
Lancer I Space Fighter. A space fighter with limited armor and an anemic weapon package.
Lancer II Space Cannon. An unmanned attack vehicle with a decent dual cannon system.
Space Shuttle. A civilian vehicle with no armaments. Basically, a space taxi/freighter.
Searcher SFV. One-man space vehicle for inspection and repairs of spacecraft.
Cat’s Eye Recon. The Space and air-jet vehicle that plays an integral part of the series in a couple of scenes.
L.V.T Adventurer II. A light fighter very common outside of those forces leveraging the VF models. The light aircraft has limited weapons, no match for the more advanced VF vehicles.
Falcon Jet Fighter. A fast, highly mobile aircraft for interception and ground attack. Like most non-mecha platforms, a very limited weapon package available.
QF-3000 Ghost. A trans-atmospheric, unmanned fighter module akin to the Lancer II. Mostly limited to supporting A.R.M.D. ships.
Other Vehicles. A number of other conventional aerial vehicles are covered; helicopters and cargo jets. Additionally, there are a number of ground vehicles; armored combat vehicles to motorcycles.
Conventional Weapons and Equipment. In a game based on use of giant mecha in combat with alien forces, a number of pages develop human hand-held ranged weapons and hand-held combat. We also find a series of equipment entries that I doubt most players would spend much (any) time reading through.
Zentraedi. We finally get to the ‘bad guys’ of the anime. A bit of development reviews their history and the warrior culture. Not very in-dept5h at all, but it gives the GM and Players what they would reasonably be able to glean from the kinetic encounters with the alien forces.
Tactical Battle Pod. The hopping, wingless ostrich we all know and love.
Light Artillery Battle Pod. Basically, the battle ostrich has a couple of short-range missile pods bolted on.
Heavy Artillery Battle Pod. A pair of medium-ranged missile pods bolted on.
Recon Scout Pod. No weapons, but a comprehensive sensor suite is added.
Officer’s Battle Pod. A heavier, better armed version. The two arms are tipped with some impressive particle beam cannons.
Officer Pod Armored Vehicle. Basically, a rocket sled for the Zentraedi with a few weapons and an Energy Shield.
Power Armor (Male). Not primarily designed for combat, these are employed for exploration and reconnaissance. Basically, a humanoid suit the Zentraedi pilot wears.
Power Armor (Female). Without a doubt the most advanced mecha of the Zentraedi. The suits and their female pilots are the shock troopers of any Zentraedi force.
Fighter Pods. The tri-winged aircraft featured in most of the atmospheric battles with the SDF-1.
Theatre Scout Reconnaissance Pod. This odd vehicle allows the Zentraedi to scout and scan for long distances without committing Battle Pods.
Zentraedi Quick Roll Villain. An odd random table that allows the GM to generate an on-the-spot combat scenario.
Playing Zentraedi Characters. A couple of pages that allow the GM some guidelines if the Players wish to roleplay a Zentraedi character.
History of the Reconstruction. Based heavily on notes and discussions with Carl Macek, this section develops what a GM could do in the wake of the end to the First Generation storyline. Some barebones world building and ideas to let the GM continue the adventures across other regions of Earth.
Adventure Scenarios. A couple of pages develop some randomized encounter tables for the GM to use. Some great ideas hidden in there.
Glossary. Perhaps an unnecessary section, we see a lot of reference back to the original anime for which this game is based upon. For the fans of the anime, there is some heady nostalgia here.
Robotech Characters. It wouldn’t be an RPG without some of the main character provided as developed NPCs. Includes the following:
Rick Hunter – Veritech Pilot
Lisa Hayes – Communications Officer
Lynn Minmei – Professional Singer
Max Sterling – Veritech Pilot Ace
Miriya Sterling – Veritech Pilot Ace
Khyron – Zentraedi Officer
The Super Dimension Fortress 1 (SDF-1). The final two pages render the details needed to use the SDF-1 as part of the adventure. Supported with some great technical images by Kevin Long.
Artwork. Something that deserves special attention is the artwork. The stunning, often full-page illustrations that Kevin Long provided are a key element to the success of this book. The crisp lines and implied reflections with the simple black and white art is top-notch. It is an incredibly immersive element to the RPG that cannot be understated. I think Destroids really get a glow-up with his pieces, as they very much play second fiddle in the anime. This problem is persistently less so in the novels, but they still bear the brunt of it while the Veritechs succeed more times than not. Kevin Long's precise work is gainfully supported by the brilliant technical artwork of Aubrey Bradford, whose mechanical designs are truly gobsmackingly detailed; that Veritech cockpit at the Veritech O.C.C. (page 17) is a classic an example - simply stunning.
IMPRESSIONS
Initial Review (10/10). My first impression on this book was highly influenced by my youth, and the recurring Saturday morning cartoons in syndication. I had to get up super early to watch, but there I was at 6:00 A.M. eating my cereal, watching the RDF battling the Zentraedi hordes. As young gamers, we were more interested in hanging out, throwing dice, and fighting off Zentraedi hordes while the most recent rock/metal cassettes played in the background (the … And Justice For All and Hysteria albums were often on repeat). The game itself gave us what we were looking for, an easy diversion to fight imaginary foes and immerse ourselves in the story as best we could. Fun times were had, for sure.
Current Assessment (9/10). This book is old, but shows a surprising longevity. The production value is not going to hold up against modern production quality TTRPG books. What it does do in spectacular fashion is support the IP, presented in a way that hits deep into the nostalgia factor for gamers. I daresay newer gamers, despite no real insight into the IP but supported by a good GM, could find real enjoyment out of this book.
The one issue that permeates most TTRPG books of that day, is the lack of support to the GM for developing adventures and campaigns. This isn’t something quite as problematic nowadays, but the new GM might be interested in how to develop combat scenarios in a context that is greater than just the sum of how many Battle Pods the Players need to eliminate versus how much damage they soaked up. Nowadays there are copious resources to leverage for adventure design, not to mention the explosion of science fiction novels, movies and television series. Are the Players part of the SDF-1 crew, Earth-based, or perhaps assigned to escort an A.R.M.D. platform? Using WWII naval battles, aerial combat stories, or any of the copious army battles could give a GM some great ideas. This is before we even get into the political aspect simmering in the background of the series.
I would be criminally liable for not mentioning the absolutely stunning artwork. Let me just say that Kevin Long’s art is a key element of this book’s success. Front cover art, hyper-detailed schematic art of the SDF-1 on the back cover, or any of the internal images detailing the Earth or Zentraedi mecha, it gets you into it. The illustrations are epic. A surprising amount of this book is masterfully devoted to half-page to full-page images supporting the text. For its time, this book was a surefire hit. I would suggest that the layout demonstrates its age, but not in a way that a GM or Player would not still appreciate. Given the apparent upcoming revision of the ROBOTECH IP into a 4k medium, it would be quite the coup if Palladium Books could find themselves again publishing Robotech RPG books.
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