 Goto [ Index ] |
The book jumps straight into the nitty-gritty, and details the rules for generating a robot PC. Robots in Traveller are built with an amount of money based on a number of career term equivalents. For instance, two terms gives the player $30,000 to build their robot. A player can also run their Robot through normal career terms, but do not gain money for those. I like the way this works because it is good for emulating Robots fresh off the assembly line (no career terms), and those robots who have been at work for some time. Players then use the money they received to buy all aspects of their Robot characters. Everything from the robots frame to his appendages to his internal software must be purchased with this money. The bulk of the Robot generation chapter is write-ups for all of the hardware and software one can buy. Each section of the Robot has an appropriate amount of slots that can be filled with options and add-ons. Almost any type of Robot the players could want to make is available from these rules and lists.
The next section goes on to add a few Robot specific careers such as the Robot Fugitive and the Robot Activist. It also includes random charts for rolling hardware and software used for when a player rolls one during character creation. This small section ends with some general guidelines for role-playing Robots in Traveller.
The next chapter doesn’t cover Robots, but those careers which may be linked to them. Most of the core careers are offered in a new light. Each career gets an entirely new Lifepath creation direction with new events and mishaps charts and everything needed during character creation. The new charts for character creation are geared for the PCs to be in direct contact with Robots on a daily basis. I find this to be great as it allows characters to be made such as Scientists working on robots, or even Entertainers who use robots in their entertaining. It adds a new depth to old careers without adding to the list of careers overall.
The next section is entitled ‘The Science of Robots.’ It starts by talking about the differing levels of Drones (those robots with command algorithms) and Droids (those with personality programs.) A neat aspect of the rules is that some Drones will become self-aware and suddenly function like they have high personality programs. The section also gives us rules for hacking, inhibiting, fixing, damaging, and protecting your Robots. I like that the rules for hacking are cinematic and can either be allegorical (where the hacking is described in a Matrix style world or illusion) or technical (where the hacking is explained in a straight real-world technical sense.) I have come across players and GMs who prefer one or the other and both can be quite remarkable in play. I am glad to see Mongoose give homage to both.
The next section is a small section on creating micro-robots. These range from nano-technology to small swarms of spider sized robots. The rules seem well written, and cover most areas a GM could want from how they attack or can be attacked to what abilities and upgrades they can receive. I find the section is oddly out of place. Why wasn’t this section just put in with the rest of the Robot generation section? Why was it deemed important enough to have its own chapter? The information is useful; it’s just in the wrong spot.
The next section is a History of Robots as it pertains to Traveller. I assume most of this information comes from The Third Imperium setting as I am not familiar with it much. The history of Robots is divided into five periods. These periods are: The Age of Service, Age of Slavery, Age of Equality, Age of Dominance, and the Post-Biological Age. For the most part these ages are self-explanatory. During The Age of Service robots are not self-aware, and have been built as tools. The Age of Slavery is when Robots are newly self-aware, and their rites become the hot topic with many a fight between both sides. Equality is when the prejudices of the past are now forgotten, and robots take their place besides all other free species. Dominance is where the robots have gained control over the other species and are now the authority. Post-Biological is just that, after the biological is gone. Even if I am wrong and this is not from the Third Imperium setting, these periods are a good base for any setting.
The book ends with several Patrons write-ups. Patrons are a recurring idea in Traveller sourcebooks. Each Patron is basically an NPC with an adventure idea and several charts for what could happen in the adventure. I find Patrons to be a neat way to present small ‘hook, line, and sinker’ style adventures. They do not take up much room of the book, but offer a lot of ideas for a GM to use that are specific to the information of the sourcebook they are located. So for instance this book’s Patrons are all related to Robots in some form.
Traveller Book 9: Robot is a great addition to Traveller. The book covers everything one could want dealing with Robots in Traveller. Reading this book made me realize that several setting I love could possibly fit into the Traveller rules. The book often reminded me of the Robot sections of Cyberpunk games or even Rifts in that it was an exhaustive list for making what the player wanted. The book is getting a 5 in substance for all of this information being crammed into the book. Style wise the book is getting a 3. The book does not have much art; it sticks with the usual Traveller minimalist style. I would give it a 2, but the layout, writing, and flow of the book is just too good and bumps it back into average rating. The only exception to the flow of the book is the micro-robot section which seems out of place as if it was an afterthought. Still, Robot is an excellent addition to the Traveller line and well worth a purchase.
Help support RPGnet by purchasing this item through DriveThruRPG.
