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The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy game to me as a surprise when I was in the games store I frequent. I had read something about it on the Paladium web site and thought it was really a great idea. But I had also thought it was only being sold direct. So this was a pleasant surprise. I have always been a fan of Paladium's older games, before Rifts. I already had the original books plus the spin-off game, The Mechanoids, but I still bought this game and reveled in what my significant other labels "a mis-spent youth."

While there is little that could honestly be considered new, The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy puts a classic SF game into one neat package. Like watching a re-relpease of a beloved movie, The Mechanoids Invasion Trilogy does show its age, but not in a bad way. Sure the plot might be cheesy and a little hokey, but it is also fun. All three books (plus additional source material) makes for a really interesting story arc that a group could have a great deal of fun with. It's an end of the world story with the slight chance that it might not be the end of everything.

The system that was presented in The Mechanoids was much better than what is presented in The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy and it would be best substituted in. Also the cohesion of how characters get together and don't save the world could have been better. But this can be avoided with a creative group. Otherwise it has many of the strengths and weaknesses of every Paladium game, just this one is not the refined product that is Rifts or Paladium Fantasy 2nd Ed.

The layout of the book is very similar to the original three books, however most of the original typos were removed, making it a better read. I can understand why Siembieda basically threw all three books in and did not reorganize the game. It shows the history of the game and separates the themes of the three original books well. From a more modern approach to game design it might have been even better had the game been re-edited into one game instead of three bundled ones. However it would have likely been made to play like Rifts, which would be to its deficit. I liked the fact that it was kept just the way it was. Maybe I am just an old fogey!

If you are a fan of Paladium nooks this is a great game. If you are a fan of the older games this is a great game. But to the average gamer, it might be a bit too anacronistic for their tastes. Which is too bad. It might be a cornball science fiction game, but it also happens to be a good one.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy
Author: Kevin Siembieda Category: game Company/Publisher: Paladium Books Cost: $19.95 Page count: 208 ISBN: 1-57457-021-8 Capsule Review by Wes Johnson on 01/25/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Far_Future Space Post-apocalypse	The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy game to me as a surprise when I was in the games store I frequent. I had read something about it on the Paladium web site and thought it was really a great idea. But I had also thought it was only being sold direct. So this was a pleasant surprise. I have always been a fan of Paladium's older games, before Rifts. I already had the original books plus the spin-off game, The Mechanoids, but I still bought this game and reveled in what my significant other labels "a mis-spent youth." While there is little that could honestly be considered new, The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy puts a classic SF game into one neat package. Like watching a re-relpease of a beloved movie, The Mechanoids Invasion Trilogy does show its age, but not in a bad way. Sure the plot might be cheesy and a little hokey, but it is also fun. All three books (plus additional source material) makes for a really interesting story arc that a group could have a great deal of fun with. It's an end of the world story with the slight chance that it might not be the end of everything. The system that was presented in The Mechanoids was much better than what is presented in The Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy and it would be best substituted in. Also the cohesion of how characters get together and don't save the world could have been better. But this can be avoided with a creative group. Otherwise it has many of the strengths and weaknesses of every Paladium game, just this one is not the refined product that is Rifts or Paladium Fantasy 2nd Ed. The layout of the book is very similar to the original three books, however most of the original typos were removed, making it a better read. I can understand why Siembieda basically threw all three books in and did not reorganize the game. It shows the history of the game and separates the themes of the three original books well. From a more modern approach to game design it might have been even better had the game been re-edited into one game instead of three bundled ones. However it would have likely been made to play like Rifts, which would be to its deficit. I liked the fact that it was kept just the way it was. Maybe I am just an old fogey! If you are a fan of Paladium nooks this is a great game. If you are a fan of the older games this is a great game. But to the average gamer, it might be a bit too anacronistic for their tastes. Which is too bad. It might be a cornball science fiction game, but it also happens to be a good one. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)