Robotech the Role-Playing Game [Paperback]

Kevin Siembieda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1987

ROBOTECH-THE ROLE PLAYING GAME THIS BOOK IS IN GOOD CONDITION SEE DETAILS

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Palladium Books (November 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916211215
• ISBN-13: 978-0916211219
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars From an old hand, August 28, 2004

By 

Randall Scott Case "Scott" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robotech the Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

I purchased my first copy of the Robotech RPG waaaaayyy back in the '80s when it first came out. I saw it in an advertisement in a Dragon magazine and just had to have it. I couldn't talk my parents into getting it for me, and I didn't live anywhere near a game store so I had to talk a friend of mine into getting it for me. Jeez... was that almost 20 years ago???

Anyway I have always had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand I really enjoyed playing it, but on the other hand I don't think I EVER learned how to play it 'correctly'.

It isn't an easy game to learn- the rules are scattered all across the book, and the combat system is hard to understand at first. I chalk that up to poor editing and organization. However once you figure things out (and patch things up with a few house rules or with the anti-kevs found on-line) then you'll find that the game is rather easy to play and can be a lot of fun. It is very confusing though and needs a serious rewrite- which will probably never happen now that Palladium gave up its license.

It is worth getting if you are a Robotech fan, if for no other reason than because it has some very nice art work inside and is a functional (if flawed) sourcebook for the Macross portion of Robotech. However if you're really wanting to play a Robotech based RPG I would suggest that you go elsewhere. Mekton, for example, is a far superior (and much more playable) RPG/Wargaming system. With only a little looking on the web you can easily find Mekton stats for all Robotech mecha, and honestly there are excellent websites that have far better (and more accurate) background materials than this book. Plus they have the added bonus of being free! Gotta love that.

In the book's defense though it is rather dated- I think I got my first copy back in '87 and at that time there was almost nothing about Macross and its background in English. Kevin had to use what he could find. Now well over a decade later, and with more than a little bit of help from the internet, Macross information is far easier to find. Too bad Kevin didn't have these resourses at his fingertips back in the '80s.

Anyway if you've just gotta play this game (because you're a Rifts fan or something) then go grab a copy of the Anti-Kevs. This is a set of erratta made especially for Palladium's RPG and they fix many of the problems that blemish this otherwise functional game.

Grab it if you want, but use with some caution!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any GM or player, May 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Robotech the Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

If you can only buy one Robotech RPG book then this is it. It is not the best in the series, but it provides information on playing that can only be found in a select few books. It tells you how to make a character, what the terms mean, how to play that character, how to GM (gamemaster), and is the basis for all of the scourcebooks that come afterwards. Even if you don't play the game it provides excelent information on the show, albeit some of the info is so far off that you wonder what Seimbeida was doing during the 200 hours spent going over the animation. Never-the-less this is one of the best books and gives information on weapons and items not found in any other book, believe me i've looked. The artwork is awesome, some of kevin Long's best. This is not a book to go without.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Game for those who like Rifts, April 17, 2002

By 

Anaximander - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robotech the Role-Playing Game (Paperback)

The only reason why I'm writing this is because of a particularly biased review that I happened to come across, one that disturbed me greatly. (It may or may not be there, but you might notice it.) Well anyway, this book is actually quite good for any GM or player who's interested in a futuristic campangne setting, more-so if you happen to like Robotech (Macross). Also, this was the first RPG that I actually really got to play and I found the rules to be easy to understand yet in-depth enougth to keep me playing it with my friends several years later. Also, most of the information in the book is pretty much accurate there are a few mistakes but there all small, insignificant ones. It's a shame that Palladium Books didn't renew the licence this past year.