# Robotech: The Macross Saga RPG Review



## lyle.spade (Nov 12, 2019)

Could you share some details avoid how the mechanics work? You provided your conclusions and reflections, but little in the way of the details that led you to them. I would appreciate those. Also, how long is the book? How much is set aside for rules, for fluff? How well is it organized? Those details make reviews especially useful.


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## stargazera5 (Nov 12, 2019)

Also, it would have been useful to include the publisher.  When Strange Machine Games had gone silent on this product and Battlefield Press came out with a Robotech - Macross Saga book, I'd assumed this product had died.  Nice to know it still lives and has gone to market, but that point was quite confusing for a few minutes and almost caused me to skip this article thinking it was for teh Battlefield Press book as I already own it.


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## Sunsword (Nov 12, 2019)

Right now the piece feels more like an op-ed instead of a review.


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## lyle.spade (Nov 12, 2019)

I think the verdict is in: the readers want details and evidence, not just subjective conclusions.

Bring it! We'd happily read it (I would, at least).


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## Ed_Laprade (Nov 12, 2019)

34 years? Ever heard of a little game company called Palladium? And yes, more details please!


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## The Crimson Binome (Nov 12, 2019)

Winghorn said:


> By choosing to instead embrace all the weird drama and retro camp of the original show the designers have produced something unique, and that makes it memorable.



That just makes it Mekton Zeta, with a fancy brand name on it. Hardly unique.


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## Jaeger (Nov 12, 2019)

Without a rundown of how the system mechanics work, this review is more of an "infoview' than an actual review.

Who buys RPG's without knowing roughly how the system would work?

Anyone?


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## Sacrosanct (Nov 12, 2019)

Ed_Laprade said:


> 34 years? Ever heard of a little game company called Palladium? And yes, more details please!




That was my first thought as well.  Um...a Robotech RPG has already been out for decades.  And it wasn't obscure or anything.


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## SMG_Jeff (Nov 12, 2019)

Thanks for the review.

FYI, I don't recall going dark. We have always put the Robotech RPG beta games on our FB page and Discord for testing. We are extremely accessible and I even tell people to email me or send me a message on FB with any questions.

We also exhibit at all the major game shows: Gen Con, PAX U, and Origins.

To provide some context for the game mechanics, the GM sets up conflicts, they are like Forged in the Dark clocks, but much simpler to setup and track. The GM then presents the conflicts to the players. This allows them to provide social conflicts over lapping combat ones, or allows them to insert conflicts made specifically for character types - like entertainers.

This means that Minmei has something to do in a fight. Remember, one plot even can have a dozen conflicts. It is also suggested that the players have more than they can handle, so it becomes a triage situation.

This plays into fictional positioning, as the conflicts are engaged, the environment changes - thus new elements arise that both the players and GM can use.

Each turn you choose two actions to take and play skills in one of the three conflict phases: Support, Operations, and Cinematic. Within each phase are 2-3 options, but they are really opposing options like: Attack and Defend, or Observe and Obscure. You can also use the environment or a piece of equipment as a skill to enhance one of your actions.

It appears the reviewer had some difficulty with the phases. I am not sure why. We had multiple groups at Gen Con up and running in minutes, and a couple GM's who barely knew the system. The games were a success with little prep or trouble.

If you want to know more there are plenty of active member on the Discord and I am usually there too. Stop by and get some feedback.

Thanks!
Jeff Mechlinski
Jeff@strangemachinegames.com
facebook.com/strangemachinegames.com
discord: Join the Strange Machine Games Party House Discord Server!


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## lyle.spade (Nov 12, 2019)

SMG_Jeff said:


> Thanks for the review.
> 
> FYI, I don't recall going dark. We have always put the Robotech RPG beta games on our FB page and Discord for testing. We are extremely accessible and I even tell people to email me or send me a message on FB with any questions.
> 
> ...





Thank you. Do you have any YT videos you'd recommend of actual play? I have always been a fan of Robotech, and played the Palladium version years ago before I realized that the rules were no good. This new version interests me, but I've no experience with Forged in the Dark, and there are so many new, narrative systems out there that it's best to see it in order to understand it.


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## Gradine (Nov 12, 2019)

But can you min/max as Minmei?


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## lyle.spade (Nov 13, 2019)

Gradine said:


> But can you min/max as Minmei?




Better yet, can you annoy everyone at the table by playing Minmei? I remember wishing an awful fate on her whenever she opened her mouth...


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## Cergorach (Nov 13, 2019)

lyle.spade said:


> Better yet, can you annoy everyone at the table by playing Minmei?



Sure you can! You will be killed by the GM, horribly and often... ;-)

While I liked Robotech, it was also one of the introductions to Mecha (but certainly not the only one, think Macron1/GoShogun, Star Fleet/X-Bomber, etc.). After finding out the shenanigans of Harmony Gold, I prefer the Japanese versions (Macross, Southercross and Mospeda). After the shenanigans with Paladium I'll avoid sending any money into the pockets of those two companies either directly or indirectly (through licensing).


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## SMG_Jeff (Nov 13, 2019)

lyle.spade said:


> Thank you. Do you have any YT videos you'd recommend of actual play? I have always been a fan of Robotech, and played the Palladium version years ago before I realized that the rules were no good. This new version interests me, but I've no experience with Forged in the Dark, and there are so many new, narrative systems out there that it's best to see it in order to understand it.




Some of the active members of our Discord are going to run a streaming campaign in the coming weeks - Twitch I think. I'll be sure to get you guys the info on it.


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## God (Nov 13, 2019)

I would love to read a knowledgeable reviewer's comparison of the old Palladium Robotech system VS this Strange Machines version VS  the Savage Worlds Robotech conversion from Battlefield Press. Tell me how the lore presentation and rules systems stack up.


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## DemoMonkey (Nov 14, 2019)

This review told me precisely what I needed to know and I appreciate that. Thank you.


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## DWChancellor (Nov 14, 2019)

I grew up reading the novelizations.  I dream that my sister and her husband who grew watching the actual show (guess who owned the novels) will one day run a Robotech game.  And I will definitely not be playing Minmei, go away, this isn't your big day...


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## Lord Rasputin (Nov 15, 2019)

Cergorach said:


> I prefer the Japanese versions (Macross, Southercross and Mospeda).



Plus, Minmei isn't annoying in the Japanese version.


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## SMG_Jeff (Nov 15, 2019)

ohh, FYI people, we have a mechanical rulebook that's redacted up on our website. It should give you an idea of how the system plays. Also there's a comprehensive review up on DTRPG.

Thanks!
Jeff
SMG


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## lyle.spade (Nov 15, 2019)

SMG_Jeff said:


> ohh, FYI people, we have a mechanical rulebook that's redacted up on our website. It should give you an idea of how the system plays. Also there's a comprehensive review up on DTRPG.
> 
> Thanks!
> Jeff
> SMG




I downloaded and am reading it - they've done a good job of making sense of the rules. At least, so far in what I've read.


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## aramis erak (Nov 16, 2019)

I participated in the playtests early on. 
It was pick two actions, pick a suitable skill for each, assemble the pools, and check for successes on both. Gear adds to a skill pool, but only one gear bonus applies per turn, tho technically you can be using two for story purposes (EG: if you dodge and shoot in your veritech, either you're using the engines or the GU-11 for your bonus dice, but are using both for purposes of the actions taken). There was a convoluted dice modification system that modified which faces are successes, and difficulties in number of successes needed.

Looking at the redacted:
Pick two actions
One skill for each. One gets bonus dice from an [equipment] "kit". 

You'll thus need mechanically two colors or sizes of d6's and you'll want at least 7 or 8 of one and 4 of the second. If you (or your GM) wants to know whether the equipment was important, a third color, but each at 4 dice should be fine. 

The Advantage/Edge/Hindrance/Disadvantage system appears much streamlined... but it's unclear if the Advantage bonus level includes the edge level's modifier or not, and if not, whether you can apply both if they don't include the lesser. 

I see several changes since playtest... and like the ones I've seen, noting the still lacking in clarity on dice modifer.


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## Doctor Futurity (Nov 18, 2019)

If I wanted to buy this product (I do) where would I find it?


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## Weiley31 (Apr 14, 2021)

I have the book (yet to play an actual game of it though) but honestly I feel like its probably the best representation of the visual aspects of the anime and the mechanics reflect the _fiction_ with the skills visually bringing up the tropes that you would normally see in Macross/Robotech/Anime Mecha series.


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## Aldarc (Apr 14, 2021)

Winghorn said:


> It told a choppy story of alien invasion and human heroism set against a background of over-the-top drama that focused on the support staff just as much as the fighters on the front-line, a combination that proved popular enough to warrant an RPG adaptation 34 years down the line.​



Wrong. (Robotech) SDF-1 Macross told a choppy story of a love triangle set amidst an alien invasion, human heroism, and transforming mecha. After years of re-watching, I'm convinced that the melodrama is the actual forefront piece that drives the story and the mecha battles are the actual background pieces.


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## MGibster (Apr 14, 2021)

Ed_Laprade said:


> 34 years? Ever heard of a little game company called Palladium? And yes, more details please!



I know I'm replying to an old post.  But Palladium hadn't published a book for their _Robotech_ game since 1994. I would not be surprised if in 2019 a lot of people were unaware of Palladium's Robotech game.


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## MGibster (Apr 14, 2021)

Aldarc said:


> Wrong. (Robotech) SDF-1 Macross told a choppy story of a love a triangle set amidst an alien invasion, human heroism, and transforming mecha. After years of re-watching, I'm convinced that the melodrama is the actual forefront piece that drives the story and the mecha battles are the actual background pieces.



I watched a few episodes of Robotech when it was on Netflix a few years back.  It aged a lot better than many of the other shows I watched from that time period.


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## darjr (Apr 14, 2021)

Didn’t the long standing legal dispute just get resolved?


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## Weiley31 (Apr 14, 2021)

darjr said:


> Didn’t the long standing legal dispute just get resolved?



Yes. Yes it did. Surprisingly. And as somebody who preferred Macross over Robotech, despite liking both, I am estatic.


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## aramis erak (Apr 15, 2021)

Jaeger said:


> Without a rundown of how the system mechanics work, this review is more of an "infoview' than an actual review.
> 
> Who buys RPG's without knowing roughly how the system would work?
> 
> Anyone?



based upon the playtest and the preview... low sized d6 dice pools, with numbers that correlate to success varying by certain other elements, but generally, 4=1/2 success, 5=1 success, 6=2 successes. Combat is crunchy. Writing is good, layout is good. If you want to do a  combat focused Robotech, you're better off if you pick up the now OOP palladium versions, or use a different mecha game, or the Savage Worlds flavor someone else mentioned.

One of a few RPGs I've participated in playtest and not felt compelled to buy the result.


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## SMG_Jeff (Apr 15, 2021)

I know Aramis was one of our first testers when the game was still in development. However, I want to insist that any type of game experience that PB offered the SMG system offers as well. I think the SMG version is far more tactical as your efforts are related to the 9 action types. That means if you roll well, you get what you want.

For example: In a tactical situation you may determine that the best course of action is to flank. So you use your skills, environment, and equipment to justify your flank and make it so. You can combo any of the 9 skills to provide the exact approach you want to use. The result of your actions is based on the situation and how you use your skills - this is very different from PB.

In standard simulation systems - like PB, your outcome is based on a number of simulation factors that may or may not be arbitrated by GM fiat and the limitations of vertical design. Many of these systems offer little horizontal design, and rely any and all horizontal play experience on GM fiat. The PB example would be that based on the speed you go in your mecha you might be able to make your flank, but all those enemy mecha might see you and each gets to roll to see you on the sensors, and then like 1 sees you and they talk, so all see you and your flank gets blown - so in essence, no flank maneuver happens in a meaningful or fulfilling way for the player.

All the SMG systems does is bypass the rabble. It already assumes all that stuff and assumes that you CAN accomplish what you want.

The big difference, in simulation systems to accomplish your goal, you must use a vertical design that forces you to step through a process that only provides a portion of the intent. With SMG, you get massive horizontal play that does not rely on GM fiat, but you also get to employ the whole intent of your action - not just a pseudo-simulacrum issued via skills like "Pistol".


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## JAAD (Apr 16, 2021)

aramis erak said:


> I participated in the playtests early on.
> It was pick two actions, pick a suitable skill for each, assemble the pools, and check for successes on both. Gear adds to a skill pool, but only one gear bonus applies per turn, tho technically you can be using two for story purposes (EG: if you dodge and shoot in your veritech, either you're using the engines or the GU-11 for your bonus dice, but are using both for purposes of the actions taken). There was a convoluted dice modification system that modified which faces are successes, and difficulties in number of successes needed.
> 
> Looking at the redacted:
> ...



so been GMing this for a year now since its full release. you don't need differently colour coded dice. The GM interprets the entire result having regard to to the skills and equipment used to create the action. You will never need to treat it separately. as for the dice modifier, there is a chart in the book which clarifies and the Advantage, edge etc is clarified in that the different modifiers can stack.


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## JAAD (Apr 16, 2021)

darjr said:


> Didn’t the long standing legal dispute just get resolved?



Yes. and this game is only a year old.


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## JAAD (Apr 16, 2021)

Doctor Futurity said:


> If I wanted to buy this product (I do) where would I find it?



you can order it directly through Strange Machine Games webpage store or buy a digital version through drivethruRPG. the physical version comes with a free PDF download as well.


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## JAAD (Apr 16, 2021)

Gradine said:


> But can you min/max as Minmei?



as someone who has played this game non-stop for a year. YES! YES YOU CAN AND IT IS SUPER POWERFUL!


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## JAAD (Apr 16, 2021)

God said:


> I would love to read a knowledgeable reviewer's comparison of the old Palladium Robotech system VS this Strange Machines version VS  the Savage Worlds Robotech conversion from Battlefield Press. Tell me how the lore presentation and rules systems stack up.



okay. i own all 3 versions and have GM'd the SMG as my preferred version since it came out. The old Palladium game is a mess, with copy paste rules thats a nightmare to learn. barring that its very restrictive and tries to lean highly into pure simulation, a highly specific skills for everything and super amounts of details with exact numbers everywhere but horribly unbalanced. you can kill a giant mecha with a handgun that deals more damage then a mecha sized particle cannon. The character creation limits your adventure space and has you commit to a single role. however you can end up with stats that allow you to run faster then some mecha and lift some. its Lore is contradictory, outdated and a mess. 

SMG is well layed out. The Lore is updated and had dedicated sections to world and the story itself. The game is less simulation based with a higher emphasis on player freedom. despite being more narrative in nature, the combat system is deceptive. because you use umbrella skills to justify your actions and what you are doing its less restrictive letting your imagination take flight so long as you can justify how you are achieving your goal. that said, the combat and system has a lot of crunch depth and mechanical interactions to help you further create more cinematic and fast flowing battles. the system has been tailor made for Mecha combat and has a number of different mechanical toolbox options to let GM's run their games with their preferences with high lethal options, hardcore options, more hard simulation rules.

The Savage worlds is a typical re-skin of their system. it works some of the time and is more simulation then SMG. that said, it shares much of the SMG copies good art and lore with minor differences between the two based on the Savage worlds slightly different interpretation of the story. the Savage worlds has some interesting design options and features for generating advantures and doing stuff but the depth of combat is a little lacking but its easier to play then the old Palladium Books.

i hope this helps.


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## God (Apr 16, 2021)

JAAD said:


> The old Palladium game is a mess, with copy paste rules thats a nightmare to learn. barring that its very restrictive and tries to lean highly into pure simulation, a highly specific skills for everything and super amounts of details with exact numbers everywhere but horribly unbalanced.




That is an accurate two-sentence definition of the Palladium system. 

Appreciate the comparison.


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## Eubani (Apr 16, 2021)

I have  been GMing with this system ever since the playtest and love it for its freedom and versatility. The rules enable a great flow and do not get in the way of story telling or combat. One thing that has yet to really be touched upon much in this thread is how hackable and convertible the system is to use with other properties and genre. I have converted this system to use with Battletech, Transformers and my own fantasy world. This is a well crafted system that makes the characters, world and story center stage and does not favour one character type over another.


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