Planning a Robotech/Rifts game, need some suggestions a

[Lt Gargoyle]

why not just play robotech or rifts? Most pcs will not have replacement equipment unless you constantly rift it in. and if a single fleet arrived of masters or zentraedi they could do some serious damage to the rifts world.

[jaymz]

Actually the equipment side of things isn't as much of an issue as power supply. Armour and weapons can be repaired and/or replaced on an as needed basis. But unless they can get a supply of Protoculture any veritech mecha are essentially screwed within a few weeks.

[ShadowLogan]

Actually the equipment side of things isn't as much of an issue as power supply. Armour and weapons can be repaired and/or replaced on an as needed basis. But unless they can get a supply of Protoculture any veritech mecha are essentially screwed within a few weeks.

To say nothing of SLMH for TMS/TRM (at least by RAW).

Might not be so bad if it's treated like "fade towns" where they pop back and forth between dimensions (RT-E to Rifts: E), though I have to wonder why all the Fold activity is involved since they take place in space almost exclusively (SDF-1/MI, and Invid might be exceptions).

[jaymz]

Actually the equipment side of things isn't as much of an issue as power supply. Armour and weapons can be repaired and/or replaced on an as needed basis. But unless they can get a supply of Protoculture any veritech mecha are essentially screwed within a few weeks.

To say nothing of SLMH for TMS/TRM (at least by RAW).

Might not be so bad if it's treated like "fade towns" where they pop back and forth between dimensions (RT-E to Rifts: E), though I have to wonder why all the Fold activity is involved since they take place in space almost exclusively (SDF-1/MI, and Invid might be exceptions).

They are getting transported from space but to the michigan area on Rifts earth? At least thats how I interpretted it.

[Alpha 11]

Sounds like it will be cool.

[ShadowLogan]

and Robotech games begin to suffer from the one major enemy per era syndrome

While the show gives that impression it is not the case with the RPG:
-Zentreadi (show suggest mutant micronized Zents might be out there, not to mention the NG SB does mention regular Zents being around in the time period)
-Robotech Masters (no reason they can't still be operating in NG period)
-Invid (really limited to one period)
--Invid Experiments ("Dusty Ares" types, Genisis Pit Experiments)
-Human militants/rogues (allow cross generation hardware battles)
-non-aligned human states
-IMU builds (kit-bash units), and the farther in you go the more broad the parts list can become
-one could toss out early encounters with Masters
-- "Robotech" Forces are said to be fleeing Earth in the last episode of TMS, could have been an advanced scout party from the Masters or maybe even...
-Space Pirates (will have to wing it or adapt something from Rifts/HU), we know they are a problem from the show

Alternatively you could adapt some of the Rifts blocks to add variety as independent states (or worlds). Now the SN/magic stuff is out (or could still be used, but put forward as a tech), but the general tech and species could be adapted for RT. Some of them might even work for other independent human powers (though you might need to tone down some of the MDC to better fit, and change over to SLMH/PC fuel).

[Alpha 11]

I made some changes for more freedom. It will be set in Chaos Earth during the start of the Rifts. The sargasso effect will become a dimensional whirlpool instead, randomly opening up Rifts to various parts of time and space throughout the Robotech wars, as well as the traditional imports from across the Megaverse. Characters will be 75% Robotech, with the remaining 25% being from either NEMA or other dimensions/Rift times. An Invid Hive with a surrounding Flower of Life farm/plantation gets transported into Detroit, and the Invid start fighting demons, as well as entities attracted to the suffering and rich PPE signature given off by the Flowers of Life. The ley lines seem to be even more potent when exposed to the plantation... In other locations, random groups of combatants from the various periods pop in, and NEMA suddenly finds themselves with even more threats then they thought was possible. Can the Robotech defenders and NEMA join forces to create a foothold that will live on, or die under the weight of the apocalypse?

Sounds cool. Maybe "alternate" Robotech time lines also, like some 1st edition mecha from Return of the Masters, or Third Invid War to make things even more interesting.

[Devjannz]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

[Alpha 11]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

Wow, hope there's more you can write to this. Would love to read more.

[Devjannz]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

Wow, hope there's more you can write to this. Would love to read more.

Unfortunately I was not able to get very far into the game, as my players were mostly military guys who all got deployed so it died. I have some of the notes and encounters that I wrote up for it but that is it.

[Alpha 11]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

Wow, hope there's more you can write to this. Would love to read more.

Unfortunately I was not able to get very far into the game, as my players were mostly military guys who all got deployed so it died. I have some of the notes and encounters that I wrote up for it but that is it.

Bummer.

[Devjannz]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

Wow, hope there's more you can write to this. Would love to read more.

Unfortunately I was not able to get very far into the game, as my players were mostly military guys who all got deployed so it died. I have some of the notes and encounters that I wrote up for it but that is it.

Bummer.

Yeah, I felt that way too. I have notes written up about the motives of the Mechanoids and what their plans were as far as taking over the base, Invid patrols that the team might run into on the planet where the base is and the layout of the base itself. I would love to get a group together to try and run it again someday.

[Alpha 11]

I had an adventure I came up with a while back (before the Shadow Chronicles came out) where I brought in a old Palladium Books bad guy to put the Robotech team up against: The Mechanoids. Here is the little overview I wrote for it:

"Years ago the Tirolian Empire became locked in a deadly conflict with a small group of invaders from another galaxy. The invaders came without warning and seemingly without reason. They were known as the Mechanoids, a race of cybernetic life forms who along with advanced technologies, had vast psychic abilities at their disposal and were dedicated to the complete and total eradication of all human and humanoid life in the universe. In the early stages of the conflict, the Mechanoids seemed to overwhelm the Tirolians with their powerful psychic abilities, ferocity and insane hatred of humanoid life forms. The Mechanoids would often win a battle by using their psychic powers to take control of the Tirolian battle craft and making them turn on and attack their own forces.

The turning point in the conflict came through the creation of the science of Robotechnology by the Tirolian scientist Zor, made possible by his discovery of a unique energy source which he called Protoculture. It seemed that when a Robotech device was powered by Protoculture Energy, the energy created a psychic bond between it and the mind of pilot and acted as a shield to the psychic abilities of the Mechanoids. This allowed the Tirolians to not only create advanced military battlesuits called Bioroids, but when they combined it with the knowledge of genetic engineering that they had gained from studying captured Mechanoids, it allowed them to create the Zentraedi Military Force. The Zentraedi were a genetically-engineered race of 50ft humanoid giants, armed with advanced Robotech weapons. They would serve as guardians for the Tirolians (who now called themselves the Robotech Masters). The combination of the advances made through Robotechnology and the almost zealot-like devotion to victory that the Zentraedi were programmed with allowed them to defeat the Mechanoids and seemingly eradicate this fearsome foe from the galaxy.

Soon after the war with the Mechanoids had ended a new conflict began. The race called the Invid (from whom the secrets of Protoculture were stolen) attacked the Robotech Masters in retaliation for the destruction of their homeworld, Optera. The conflict with the Mechanoids was quickly forgotten as the Masters focused their attention on their new enemy. When a research facility that housed some of the captured Mechanoids was attacked by the Invid, the Tirolian personnel were forced to flee. One scientist stayed behind to make sure that the captured Mechanoids did not escape. To insure that none of the Mechanoids escaped, they were kept unconscious and placed in stasis in the deepest levels of the facility. All records of their existence were wiped out for fear that someone would attempt to use them and their technology against the Masters. The upper levels of the facility were to be set for self-destruction, but the scientist was killed by an Invid Scout before he could set of the explosives. The facility has remained abandoned all this time waiting for the return of the Robotech Masters. That is until a team of REF Scientists came and took the specimans back to their own base. Little did they know what they ahd brought back with them or what the concequences of those actions might be.

Now a group of REF Military Personnel have come in response to a distress call from the base. What the team sent in to investigate will find when they get there is yet to be seen"

Wow, hope there's more you can write to this. Would love to read more.

Unfortunately I was not able to get very far into the game, as my players were mostly military guys who all got deployed so it died. I have some of the notes and encounters that I wrote up for it but that is it.

Bummer.

Yeah, I felt that way too. I have notes written up about the motives of the Mechanoids and what their plans were as far as taking over the base, Invid patrols that the team might run into on the planet where the base is and the layout of the base itself. I would love to get a group together to try and run it again someday.

If you come to the OH, maybe you can do some of it there.

[Devjannz]

If you come to the OH, maybe you can do some of it there.

I would love to go to the Open House sometime but I am broke right now so not an option.

[Alpha 11]

If you come to the OH, maybe you can do some of it there.

I would love to go to the Open House sometime but I am broke right now so not an option.

Well, some good news there, you got just over a year to save up. So it might be still possible.