Note: While some might question reviewing such an old line as the Robotech RPG, I felt it was an unfilled gap in Rpg.net’s review database. Also I believe that now was a good time to pay tribute to the game that convinced me RPGs were more than the stereotype of Dungeons and Dragons fantasy and actually got me into gaming, seeing that after 14 years Palladium has decided to not renew the RT license.
Not too long ago the Cartoon Network (after big fan demand and a write in campaign) finally began to show Robotech, and once again Palladium Books saw sales of Robotech RPG books increase with this new interest. What better time to release new RT books, unfortunately Palladium had none ready to go. Instead they re-released the out of print 'Ghost Ship' and slapped 40 extra pages onto the popular out of print adventure Return of the Masters to create an expanded second edition to quiet those hungering for new things.
Centering on Indochina after the Invid’s return to Earth, the book provides background information on the jungle filled, war torn quadrant, providing an overview of the terrain (including how much damage characters take from walking through Elephant grass) and dangers. Notable locations of Invid and Robotech freedom fighters are detailed along with the main NPCs of both groups.
The book also features a section on Mecha Su-Dai, gladiator style battles with mecha and full size Zentraedi. The whole Mecha Su-Dai section seems to jar with the rest of the setting, interrupting the flow of the main adventures and unanswered questions. It also introduces cumbersome extra combat rules like the option to take up Mecha Su-Dai and trade ALL ranged combat mecha training for very mild by Palladium standards hand to hand bonuses. When the whole world can barely communicate with people more than 100km away, how do the backers of Mecha Su-Dai have an underground transmission network which allows them to transmit their bouts through much of the world? Also the question still remains of how the Mecha Su-Dai bouts escape the notice of the Invid, who pretty much fry any protoculture using mecha or Zentraedi on sight.
Next up is a short adventure set around the troubles caused by an Invid Genesis Pit in Thailand, facing off against the mutant animals created by the aliens. The main adventure centers around rumored sightings of the Robotech Masters, based off an idea listed in the Invid Invasion book. The Masters seethe at being trapped on Invid-controlled Earth but may have found a way to escape and restart their empire. The Invid want to ferret out any resistance to their rule of their Flower of Life farm planet. The human resistance (i.e. the players) of course is stuck in the middle and wants to free the planet from both groups, having to fly to the Moon and beyond to do it. Deck plans are included for the hidden Moon Base Copernicus and a Super Robotech Factory that is the goal of the Robotech Masters, quite useful if using the main adventure, but just things of mild interest to more ground based player groups.
The new 40-page section is titled 'More Heroics, Mystery & Adventure', written by Robotech: Strike Force author Wayne Breaux Jr consists of two new adventures. Both can serve as interlude adventures with the main campaign or as totally new events for groups in the Indochina quadrant. 'Buried' has crashed cargo plane inside an EBSIS base overrun by giant mutant ants and 'Cruel Legacy' lets the characters pay a visit to the Robotech Master's mecha factory. While both adventures are sound, they come off as treasure hunts for, you guessed it, new mecha! While the hunt for more and more powerful things is fine by Rifts standards, part of the reason why people play licensed games like Robotech is to play in that world, to fly in VF-1s. 'Buried' and 'Cruel Legacy' would have worked just as well if they used pre-existing designs instead of introducing new more powerful designs, though of course that would of cut the new section's total page count by more than half...
The section also makes use of things left over from Strike Force, along with trying to sell us on picking up that book too.
Visually the book is standard Palladium, soulless function over style 2-column bare text broken up with the occasional picture or stat block. The art is quite good with this book, from the original versions line art of Tom Miller and Kevin Long to the new section’s more modern styling of Wayne Breaux Jr and Drunken Style Studio.
For new players it’s the chance to get a hold of nice, solid RT book that’s been out of print for about a decade, with 40 extra pages to sweeten the deal. The new additions (just) make it worthwhile a purchase for those who own the original, but it is kind of sad when expanded second edition reprints take the place of totally new books, especially when Palladium trades easy to produce stats for actual content.
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