One of the relatively more popular one out of the Sci-fi batch of FF, Robot Commando's main distinctive feature is fighting robots (and dinosaurs too, I guess), and we play a PC who lives on some planet where huge robots are built for various forms of labour, including mining construction, military defense, and dinosaur herding. So yes, dinosaurs exist on this planet, and the PC is in fact a dinosaur rancher.,
Back cover blurb:
What the synopsis above doesn't mention is that the reason everything is up to us alone is because the rest of the planet's population has been put to sleep by some sleeping virus intentionally spread by the invading Karosseans, and part of the adventure involves finding an antidote/cure to wake everyone up."What would you do if you were a rancher on a distant planet, using robots to herd vicious dinosaurs? What would you do if your deadly enemies, the Karosseans, invaded? What would you do if you knew that the protection of your homeland against the invaders and marauding dinosaurs was up to you alone? Now is your chance to find out, for all this is exactly what happens in this thrilling futuristic adventure!"
Anyway, as usual, we start by getting the Standard FF Boilerplate Rules out of the way:
Skill, Stamina, & Luck
[spoiler]SKILL score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
STAMINA score: Roll two dice. Add 12 points to the result.
LUCK score: Roll one die. Add 6 to the result.
SKILL score reflects your expertise in combat, your ability with weapons, and your dexterity. STAMINA is your general constitution and "Life points". LUCK score shows how lucky you are. None of them may exceed their Initial score unless specifically stated.
Testing your Luck: When instructed by the book to Test your Luck, roll two dice. If the result is equal to or less than your current LUCK score, you are Lucky. If the result exceeds your current LUCK score, you are Unlucky. Whatever the outcome, you must deduct one point from your current LUCK score every time you Test your Luck. The more you use your LUCK, the less likely you are to be Lucky.[/spoiler]
Combat:
[spoiler]SKILL and STAMINA scores are given in the text for each adversary that you face.
The combat sequence is then:
1. Roll two dice for your opponent. Add the total rolled to its SKILL score. This is the Attack Strength of your enemy.
2. Roll two dice and add the total to your own current SKILL score. This is your Attack Strength.
3. If your Attack Strength is the higher, you have wounded your opponent: deduct 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA..
If your opponent's Attack Strength is higher, it has wounded you: deduct 2 points from your own STAMINA.
If both Attack Strengths are equal, you have avoided each other's blows.
4. Begin the next Combat Round, starting again at step 1. This procedure continues until either you or your opponent has a STAMINA score of zero. If your opponent's STAMINA score reaches zero, you have killed it and can continue with your adventure. If your own STAMINA score reaches zero, you are dead.
Using Luck in Combat
You can use your LUCK in combat to inflict a particularly serious wound, or to minimize a wound that has been inflicted on you.
Whenever you wound an opponent, you may Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you have inflicted a severe wound: deduct an extra 2 points from your opponent's STAMINA. If you are Unlucky, you have merely grazed it, and you deduct 1 point less than normal from its STAMINA.
If you have been wounded, you can Test your Luck in exactly the same way. If you are Lucky, the wound upon you was only a glancing blow and you can deduct 1 less point of STAMINA than usual. If you are Unlucky, the wound is serious: deduct 1 extra point from your STAMINA.[/spoiler]
We will be taking the dice as they fall for stats, since 2 of the 3 way to win don't require very high stats.
SKILL roll 3+6 = 9.
STAMINA roll = 8+12 = 20.
LUCK roll = 3+6 = 9.
Now, on to the Special Rules for this book:
Robots:
Robots are a big part of this book, of course. We will have the opportunity to get into a variety of different robots and use them for combat. Robot combats are typically conducted against enemy (meaning Karossean) robots, or possibly against dinosaurs or other creatures too large to be overcome by human prowess alone. All Robots will come with 2 stats: SPEED and ARMOUR.
Robot combats are conducted very similarly to human combats, except ARMOUR is substituted for STAMINA, and a robot is destroyed when ARMOUR is reduced to 0. Unlike individual combats, our PC can potentially survive and escape when he loses a robot combat. We still use our SKILL to roll for Attack Strengths in robot combats, but certain Robots will come with additional COMBAT BONUS that can be added to our SKILL if they are specifically designed for fighting.
SPEED determines whether we can Escape during combats. If we are Slower than our opponents, we can never Escape once engaged even if there's an option given in that section (Escaping from combats, like most other FF books that feature this, require us to take a free hit before disengaging. This applies to both human and robot combats). Faster robots also get a +1 COMBAT BONUS against Slower robots. The 4 SPEED classes are Slow, Medium, Fast and Very Fast. That last category only applies to robots that can fly (which also means fliers will always have the chance to Escape if the option is in the text). Certain robots may also have additional weaponry/functions during battles, but those will be revealed when we find such robots.
Using LUCK in battles works exactly the same for robot combats as for human combats.
Possessions:
Despite this bein Sci-fi, hand-to-hand combat is still mostly fought with a sword (although firearms definitely do exist), so we still start with one. No mention of armour though, and Provisions have been replaced by medikits. Unfortunately, each one only restores 1 STAMINA, and we only start with 5, so we need to be careful about STAMINA loss.
House Rule - Rewind Function:
I will be keeping this simple: every new robot we find but not take/use immediately, that section will function as a 1-shot save-point that can be used if we met a premature end. In fact, our very first option would involve us choosing between 2 robots, so that would be our first save-point, but we may not go back to that point more than once (and of course, whichever section we choose to rewind back to, we will have to take the robot we find there). Note that this only applies to robots that we found but never used - if we switch to the new robot and leave the old one behind, we cannot use that section as a rewind point if we die (although we can still go back for it if our new robot gets destroyed but the PC survives).
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Alright, that's the rules out of the way. For once, there are no additional stuff to vote for before we begin the adventure, so let's go straight to the
Background:
And, as I said, the first order of business for us was to pick a robot for our means of transport (and defense):You are a rancher in the land of Thalos. Your people (and your enemies, the savage Karosseans) have built huge robots for many purposes. With a skilled operator at the controls, a robot can replace a hundred men – to mine ore, erect buildings, – move cargo, or just about anything else.
The robots are also your best defence against the vicious dinosaurs of Thalos. Many years ago, the great lizards caused much destruction. But now mankind has learned to tame the beasts, and many of the folk of Thalos – like you – are dinosaur ranchers. The ranchers use Mark 5A utility robots, known as 'cowboys', to herd the dinosaurs! But wild dinosaurs are still dangerous, and all robots have guns to defend themselves.
Early one morning you are just finishing your breakfast when one of your assistants staggers into the kitchen. 'So sleepy,' he says. Then he sits down at the table, pillows his head on his arms and goes to sleep!
You shake him, but you cannot rouse him. Alarmed, you go for help. But everyone else you see is asleep.
You rush back inside and switch on a radio. But you can only get scraps of messages: 'Everybody asleep... Karossean attack... can't stay awake...' Soon there is nothing to be heard. You go outside again and pour cold water on several of your friends – but they just snore and mutter.
Then you hear a rumble overhead, like thunder out of the clear sky. You look up. Streaking overhead is the unmistakable shape of a Karossean robojet!
You realize what must have happened. Somehow, the Karosseans have managed to put everyone in Thalos to sleep... everyone but you. For some reason, you are immune.
Over the next few hours, you listen to the enemy communications and piece together the story. In the past, the Karosseans had steered clear of Thalos; with its brave warriors and its many robots, your land was too tough to attack. But Minos, their leader, hit on a clever plan. His spies spread capsules of a virulent sleeping sickness – and before long, all Thalos was asleep! Soon you hear a broadcast from Minos himself, talking to his invading troops. An elite force of a thousand warriors, with hundreds of robots, has invaded Thalos. But this is only the beginning. With the population helpless, Minos plans to loot your country. Its riches and its robots will be his; its people will be sold as slaves! And only you can stop it...
You know what you have to do. You walk back inside and buckle your father's old sword to your waist. Food will be no problem – you know supplies will be easy to find – but you pick up a supply of five medikits. Then you head for the robot parking-area. Alone, you must defeat the Karossean invaders and free your land!
NOW TURN THE PAGE
Pick your first robot (and as usual, feel free to vote on our PC's name).At the robot parking-area, you stop and look around. There are several robots there, but only two seem suitable for long-distance travel. You study them both. If you want to take a standard 'cowboy' walking robot, which is not fast, but sturdy and adaptable, turn to 24. If you would prefer a light flyer, which is very speedy and maneuverable, but not really intended for combat, turn to 47.
Adventure Sheet:
Name:
SKILL: 9
STAMINA: 20
LUCK: 9
POSSESSIONS:
Sword
Five Medikits (Each can restore 1 lost point of STAMINA)
ROBOT:
