A new Robotech Rule Book

[DocTom]

Kevin asked what new Robotech books we would like to see:
I would like to buy a new Robotech rule book. I have been working on a Macross Saga game for a convention, and it is hard to build Macross Characters because it takes the Shadow Chronicles Rule Book and the Macross Saga book (Too juch flipping back and forth). I suggest that since Macross is what most people think of when they think of Robotech they would prefer to buy a Macross Core Rule book which contains all you need to start playing the game. Like the very successful first edition rule book from the 80s.
This could just be a cut and paste book, but could be even better with a bit more background material on timeline events like the Global Civil War, the Rain of Death, Reconstruction and the Malcontent Uprisings.
I think this book could earn some money and increase the fan base for the Robotech RPG.

[drewkitty ~..~]

The one thing I agree with him is that the char creation in the SC book is a bit wonky. Being as disjointed as it is. However, revamping the char creation (putting it all together in one place) is The Only Thing I would change.

[Chronicler]

Well, for starters PB and HG need to do a really hard look at the past stuff they put out. A lot of us got really burnt on the last sourcebook and others called for their heads. There also needs to be more open dialog between us and them about things we would like to see or do with the property. There needs to be new ideas, new backdrops, and maybe an overall streamlined rules. Then maybe do a core book for Macross as a starter and framework for future revisions and the like.

[DocTom]

What was it that people did not like about the last sourcebook?

[drewkitty ~..~]

What was it that people did not like about the last sourcebook?

That I don't have RTM yet.

[Chronicler]

What was it that people did not like about the last sourcebook?

Timeline was not good/didn't fit with the rest of the rpg. Rehashed stuff from the main book. One of the O.C.C's was apparently not good/not needed. Some of the mech designs were wonky (though cyclones are still good, but that's my two cents).

All and all could have used a little more planning and editing.

(Also some of the IMAI stuff they could have just left as is design wise like the MK.1 Daniel.)

[Tiree]

If you are going to do a 'Revised Rule Book'. I would recommend having a centralized character creation for all era's. Have one or two mecha from each era in the revised rule book. Then make all the era books with the additional material.

[DocTom]

I hand thought of that, but it is a good idea. Keeps the idea of Robotech being more than just the sum of its parts.

[taichara]

Kevin asked what new Robotech books we would like to see:
I would like to buy a new Robotech rule book. I have been working on a Macross Saga game for a convention, and it is hard to build Macross Characters because it takes the Shadow Chronicles Rule Book and the Macross Saga book (Too juch flipping back and forth). I suggest that since Macross is what most people think of when they think of Robotech they would prefer to buy a Macross Core Rule book which contains all you need to start playing the game. Like the very successful first edition rule book from the 80s.
This could just be a cut and paste book, but could be even better with a bit more background material on timeline events like the Global Civil War, the Rain of Death, Reconstruction and the Malcontent Uprisings.
I think this book could earn some money and increase the fan base for the Robotech RPG.

Hell no.

There's already enough pandering to the Macross end of the scale in Robotech; the current book layout was a breath of fresh air. And maybe, just maybe, if there hadn't been so much Macross pandering the franchise wouldn't be stuck in the morass of people thinking Robotech = Macross pretty much only.

[Treefrog]

I know that I would love to see for new RT sourcebooks:

UEDF Starships,
Haydon Sourcebook,
A book of what happened to the REF (with the relevant mecha) once they left for Tirol (Heck, I would even love a Revised Sentinels book),
A book about the Edwards v REF Civil War,
World Books that detail each individual World that was allied with the UEDF (such as: Tirol, Karbarra, Peryton, etc),
Zor's Civil War against the Robotech Masters (This could be a prequel sourcebook that goes into detail on what Zor was doing).

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

If you are going to do a 'Revised Rule Book'. I would recommend having a centralized character creation for all era's. Have one or two mecha from each era in the revised rule book. Then make all the era books with the additional material.

Exactly Tiree. That's what SHOULD have happened when Palladium got the license back. Its high time Robotech was treated as one property and not 3-5 disjointed series competing with one another.

Personally, I'd like to see the books transition to color and nice pages......

[Seto Kaiba]

Just on a lark, I'd like to see the inclusion of some setting info and conversion stats for using the books to play games based on the original three shows. A fair number of people use 'em that way (esp. for Macross) so why not go whole hog?

[Jefffar]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

[Seto Kaiba]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

There shouldn't be, as long as they stay away from material that belongs to Macross's sequels.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

There shouldn't be, as long as they stay away from material that belongs to Macross's sequels.

There are two things HG added to the macross series...Protoculture as a fuel source and the name Robotech.

[Seto Kaiba]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

There shouldn't be, as long as they stay away from material that belongs to Macross's sequels.

There are two things HG added to the macross series...Protoculture as a fuel source and the name Robotech.

They changed a LOT more than that, man...

[Tiree]

Just on a lark, I'd like to see the inclusion of some setting info and conversion stats for using the books to play games based on the original three shows. A fair number of people use 'em that way (esp. for Macross) so why not go whole hog?

What kind of conversion stats are you looking for?

[Seto Kaiba]

Just on a lark, I'd like to see the inclusion of some setting info and conversion stats for using the books to play games based on the original three shows. A fair number of people use 'em that way (esp. for Macross) so why not go whole hog?

What kind of conversion stats are you looking for?

Well, the settings of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA are all at radically different tech levels... so obviously it'd be a reasonably nice thing to have mecha and equipment stats scaled accordingly. Robotech puts them all on relatively even ground, but in their original context the capability of weapons and technology differs by literally orders of magnitude.[sup]1[/sup]

I think the real treat wouldn't so much be the mecha stats as the setting information and new story angles that it could open up. Robotech is very much a story on rails with a very narrow narrative focus. The originals had broader settings with more detailed backstory to them... and it would particularly open new avenues for Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, since an RPG adaptation could build on the narrative outlines left unused thanks to the show's cancellation, like the Zor really being temporally displaced humans.


1. The weapons in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA are effectively on par with weapons technology of modern day, real world Earth... just replacing bullets with lasers. Southern Cross is on a pretty similar level, though their weapons are a little more powerful. Compare that to Macross, where overtechnology boosted weapons tech to the point that fighter-mounted weapons of the First Space War are 10-25 times as powerful as modern equivalents based on official numbers.

[Jefffar]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

There shouldn't be, as long as they stay away from material that belongs to Macross's sequels.

Palladium doesn't have a licence to make a Macross RPG, a Super dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross RPG or a Genisis Climber: Mospeda RPG. So no, they legally can't

[Tiree]

Just on a lark, I'd like to see the inclusion of some setting info and conversion stats for using the books to play games based on the original three shows. A fair number of people use 'em that way (esp. for Macross) so why not go whole hog?

What kind of conversion stats are you looking for?

Well, the settings of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA are all at radically different tech levels... so obviously it'd be a reasonably nice thing to have mecha and equipment stats scaled accordingly. Robotech puts them all on relatively even ground, but in their original context the capability of weapons and technology differs by literally orders of magnitude.[sup]1[/sup]

I think the real treat wouldn't so much be the mecha stats as the setting information and new story angles that it could open up. Robotech is very much a story on rails with a very narrow narrative focus. The originals had broader settings with more detailed backstory to them... and it would particularly open new avenues for Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, since an RPG adaptation could build on the narrative outlines left unused thanks to the show's cancellation, like the Zor really being temporally displaced humans.


1. The weapons in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA are effectively on par with weapons technology of modern day, real world Earth... just replacing bullets with lasers. Southern Cross is on a pretty similar level, though their weapons are a little more powerful. Compare that to Macross, where overtechnology boosted weapons tech to the point that fighter-mounted weapons of the First Space War are 10-25 times as powerful as modern equivalents based on official numbers.

Thank you for your answer Seto.

Game mechanically, as long as the game is internally consistent with each era, what does it matter what the stats are. As long as 1 shot from a Valkyrie can destroy a battlepod, and vice versa. Does it matter if it takes 15 dice vs. 1?

You can have each era be more technologically advanced, as each era comes around (with New Gen being on top), as long as each Era is internally consistent. Just don't port the other era's into each other, and you shouldn't have a problem. The only issue is if you port that game into Rifts, which is it's own thing altogether.

I can understand setting material, but to me, statistical information isn't needed, as long as they stayed true to the animation.

[Seto Kaiba]

I think that there are legal reasons preventing that Seto.

There shouldn't be, as long as they stay away from material that belongs to Macross's sequels.

Palladium doesn't have a licence to make a Macross RPG, a Super dimensional Cavalry Southern Cross RPG or a Genisis Climber: Mospeda RPG. So no, they legally can't

Palladium already has a license to use the material from those shows to make RPGs and put the word "Robotech" on the cover, the permission to use the original titles for a sourcebook shouldn't be any obstacle at all.

Game mechanically, as long as the game is internally consistent with each era, what does it matter what the stats are. As long as 1 shot from a Valkyrie can destroy a battlepod, and vice versa. Does it matter if it takes 15 dice vs. 1?

Speaking in terms of game mechanics, the latter two shows would be SDC, rather than MDC, settings... so that would make rather a significant difference to game mechanics. Particularly if RIFTS compatibility is any kind of object.

(Of course, that doesn't cover things the differences in stats between the settings (and Palladium's stats frankly still have quite a few inaccuracies for RT) and the existence/presentation of technologies that either did not exist in Robotech or were presented in a totally different context. Some statistical adjustment would be pretty much inevitable.)

[Tiree]

Seto - that is a decision you would like to make. But not necessarily needed within the realm of Palladium.

As I stated, if the game is internally consistent in each era, and internally consistent within all three era's. I could have Body Armor that has 10,000 MDC, and a weapon that can destroy said armor in one shot if the show stated that.

It's a matter of perspective. As long as each era is internally consistent to itself. It doesn't matter if it's SDC, MDC, and/or Values.

Now Rifts compatibility is a different beast all together, but even that can be dealt with.

[ShadowLogan]

Speaking in terms of game mechanics, the latter two shows would be SDC, rather than MDC, settings... so that would make rather a significant difference to game mechanics. Particularly if RIFTS compatibility is any kind of object.

Actually weather a setting is SDC or MDC is completely arbitrary as determined by the author/publisher and MDC really has nothing to do with technology level, in Heroes Unlimited (2E) there is a material (Kisentite) and other pure technology items that are SDC there (and other SDC settings), but automatically becomes MDC in Rifts (or other MDC settings) per the 2E Main book description of said items, yet cyborgs and bots don't automatically switch (per Conversion Book 1r). So there is nothing about technological level that is required to make something MDC, it is arbitrary (Phaseworld or its first SB even discusses brining stuff in from the SDC setting to an MDC setting).

And I'm not even looking at the paranormal stuff like magic, psychic, and super powers here that change potency due to the levels of magical energy.

[Jefffar]

If I wrote an RPG setting featuring modern military hardware and the Palladium ruleset, it would use MDC.

[glitterboy2098]

If I wrote an RPG setting featuring modern military hardware and the Palladium ruleset, it would use MDC.

agreed. Tanks, Ships, Aircraft.. the modern vehicles are basically MDC already.

and its worth noting that in the 2nd Ed RPG, all the global war period hardware we have stats for so far has been MDC.. without any fluff to suggest these are modifications or the like done at a later time. which suggests that these conventional fighters and such were MDC from the start.

[gmellos]

Kevin asked what new Robotech books we would like to see:
I would like to buy a new Robotech rule book. I have been working on a Macross Saga game for a convention, and it is hard to build Macross Characters because it takes the Shadow Chronicles Rule Book and the Macross Saga book (Too juch flipping back and forth). I suggest that since Macross is what most people think of when they think of Robotech they would prefer to buy a Macross Core Rule book which contains all you need to start playing the game. Like the very successful first edition rule book from the 80s.
This could just be a cut and paste book, but could be even better with a bit more background material on timeline events like the Global Civil War, the Rain of Death, Reconstruction and the Malcontent Uprisings.
I think this book could earn some money and increase the fan base for the Robotech RPG.

I personally would like to see a Sourcebook where a detailed SDF-3 specs is included in it. I also would like expanded backgrounds on the all the members races of the Sentinels along with the Invid and Children of the Shadow. Maybe adventure sourcebooks for all the sub-games.

Robotech is a lot like Middle Earth in that it's expanded background opens up huge possibilities for Adventure Modules or sourcebooks to last years before a 2nd edition is needed.

[Colonel Wolfe]

If you are going to do a 'Revised Rule Book'. I would recommend having a centralized character creation for all era's. Have one or two mecha from each era in the revised rule book. Then make all the era books with the additional material.

I remember suggesting this to Palladium about 8 years ago.... posted the Idea here... I remember some trolling going on about the "500 page" rule books not being possible...

[Treefrog]

Is there anything new in the works for the Robotech RPG.....and I don't mean Robotech Tactics?

[Tiree]

Is there anything new in the works for the Robotech RPG.....and I don't mean Robotech Tactics?

Yes, there are... it's an unnamed book yet, but they are working hard on it. I expect it to get printed sometime next quarter*...

*yes this is a farce, and a play on Palladium's ability to nail down dates. As far as I can tell, they have said there are books in the works, but have not named them yet.

[Arnie100]

Is there anything new in the works for the Robotech RPG.....and I don't mean Robotech Tactics?

Yes, there are... it's an unnamed book yet, but they are working hard on it. I expect it to get printed sometime next quarter*...

*yes this is a farce, and a play on Palladium's ability to nail down dates. As far as I can tell, they have said there are books in the works, but have not named them yet.

In other words...sometime 2030.

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

If you are going to do a 'Revised Rule Book'. I would recommend having a centralized character creation for all era's. Have one or two mecha from each era in the revised rule book. Then make all the era books with the additional material.

I remember suggesting this to Palladium about 8 years ago.... posted the Idea here... I remember some trolling going on about the "500 page" rule books not being possible...

Ayep, I remember that too well. Funny how the mere suggestion of treating Robotech as one whole property is seen as anathema.....

[Tiree]

If you are going to do a 'Revised Rule Book'. I would recommend having a centralized character creation for all era's. Have one or two mecha from each era in the revised rule book. Then make all the era books with the additional material.

I remember suggesting this to Palladium about 8 years ago.... posted the Idea here... I remember some trolling going on about the "500 page" rule books not being possible...

Ayep, I remember that too well. Funny how the mere suggestion of treating Robotech as one whole property is seen as anathema.....

Isn't it ludicrous?!?!

[Seto Kaiba]

Isn't it ludicrous?!?!

I know, right?

The way the writers at Palladium Books handle the Robotech property, you could almost come away with this crazy idea that the Robotech animated series depicted three different wars that were fought in three different decades by three completely different militaries using three completely different sets of equipment against three completely different invading alien species with only the most tenuous and superficial connection between them.

It's be nice if they streamlined character creation, though... there's a lot of redundancy and unnnecessary material bloating up character creation in each era and between eras.

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

Isn't it ludicrous?!?!

Yes it is, indeed. Much like fans of one series claiming they're fans of another just to troll on their forums.....

[Tiree]

Isn't it ludicrous?!?!

I know, right?

The way the writers at Palladium Books handle the Robotech property, you could almost come away with this crazy idea that the Robotech animated series depicted three different wars that were fought in three different decades by three completely different militaries using three completely different sets of equipment against three completely different invading alien species with only the most tenuous and superficial connection between them.

It's be nice if they streamlined character creation, though... there's a lot of redundancy and unnnecessary material bloating up character creation in each era and between eras.

It's okay that we disagree on various aspects of the game. Such as Valkyries should be game mechanically inferior to Alpha's or at least Alpha's and Beta's together

I maintain that there should be clear evolution in technology (within all aspects). And that the writing should make the game internally consistent with itself. It doesn't need to be consistent with Rifts or any other game line, just within "Robotech"

[Rabid Southern Cross Fan]

Well, this is an interesting take on the AS-C03 Condor....

[DocTom]

Sure, why shouldn't it transform!

[ShadowLogan]

Well, this is an interesting take on the AS-C03 Condor....

I'm not sure why, the approach was used by the uRRG with how they saw the Condor transform, which wasn't much different than Robotech Research. There are some slight differences with the uRRG (I think in terms of proportions on some parts), all 3 use the Alpha as the basis for transformation.

Personally I think the Condor if/when it transforms likely combines aspects of the Logan (exposed nose/cockpit that is fixed between modes), the Beta/Logan (arm/shoulder joint cover would suggest this IMHO), the Beta (legs & feet), and the Alpha (back mounted wings, probably the closest in how they operate) when it comes to the actual transformation, the rear thruster pack is also reminiscent of the Beta & Logan.