RoboRally is a great game. However, we have found that to make it fully enjoyable, the original rules has to be tweaked on some points. Furthermore, there are a great number of situations not covered by the rules.
This is an attempt to document the set of rules we have agreed upon, fully and non-ambiguously.
Any additions or clarifications to the original rules, as documented in the operating manuals and official FAQ:s, are labeled "Clarification". Any modifications that are in direct conflict with the original rules are labeled "Modification".
If you find any errors, omissions, ambiguities or points you wish to discuss, please drop me an e-mail at nixon@lysator.liu.se.
This chapter introduces modifications and clarifications to the game sequence in RoboRally.
The original rules don't go into any detail about option card programming. Since a robot about to program mine deployment is very interested in whether another robot is planning to drop Goo in front of her, this has been a point of some discussion.
Clarification:
If any player requests it, option card programming should be made in secret and revealed simultaneously.
The original rules are unclear about exactly when mines and other phase programmed gadgets are placed on the board.
Clarification:
All phase programmed gadgets (Mines, Proximity Mines, Goo, Scrambler Bomb, and The Big One) are placed on the board at the priority of the movement card programmed in that phase, i.e. they are placed immediately before the robot moves.
Without this clarification, it is unclear what happens when, for example, a robot pushes another robot that is programmed to deploy a gadget in that phase.
The original rules disallow placement of Goo on conveyor belts, water, currents and teleporters. This lowers the level of chaos, and thus makes the game less fun. This calls out for patching.
Modification:
Goo may be placed on any square.
The original rules actually don't say anything about how Buzz Bombs are brought into play.
Clarification:
When a Buzz Bomb is activated during the Program Option Cards segment, the bomb is placed in the same square as the robot, headed in the same direction. The bomb isn't active until both the robot and the bomb have started executing their first program card.
This has for example the following implications:
The original rules are ambiguous about when Missiles first move, since the Operating Manual says one thing and the card another.
Clarification:
Missiles, as well as Drones, are placed in the same square as the robot when a target is acquired during the Resolve Fire segment. During each subsequent phase, the Missile or Drone is moved during the Robots Move segment.
The original rules say that Missiles and Drones are inactive with respect to the launching robot until the Resolve Fire segment. This makes it harder to shoot oneself in the back, which is a very humorous thing to do, at least in the view of other players. Since RoboRally is all about gloating in the misfortune of others, this rule is Bad.
Modification:
When a Missile or Drone has been placed on the board, it is inactive until both the Missile or Drone and the launching robot have begun executing their next movement.
The original rules are unclear on a number of points related to fire resolving.
Clarification:
If several robots have a choice of using optional weapons, the choices should be made in secret and revealed simultaneously, if any player requests this.
All robots fire exactly simultaneously. All kinds of beams and missiles move at practically infinite speed.
This has a number of implications. Two examples:
We use the Scavenger Hunt II and Deluxe Option Package variants from the Armed & Dangerous Operating Manual, page 2--3, but the players get to keep two of the dealt options, not one. This makes the game play more interesting, i.e. violent.
This chapter introduces modifications and clarifications to the board elements in RoboRally.
Playing by the original rules suffers from the infamous leader break-away syndrome; one player gets ahead and can proceed around the track in sole splendour, while the other players are hopelessly entangled with each other.
Modification:
Each Checkpoint is covered by a six-sided die. The die blocks robots from tagging the Checkpoint, even using a Mechanical Arm. Dice are governed by the same rules as walls, except that they can be shot to pieces; each time a die is hit by a robot's main laser, it is turned to decrement it one step. When the die reaches zero, it is removed.
Dice can only be fired upon using the robot's main laser. No optional or additional weapons can be used. Main laser modifications are treated in the following ways: If a robot with a Double Barrel Laser fires on a die, it is still decremented just one step. A High Power Laser can be used to shoot through a die and hitting a robot on the other side of it, while decrementing the die one step. However, a High Power Laser can not be used to fire through a robot and hitting a die on the other side of the robot. The Fire Control option is not applicable to dice.
A robot can not shoot at a die covering a Checkpoint before she has tagged the previous Checkpoint.
If a robot lands on top of a die, either by running over the edge of a higher level of the board, or by using a Big Jet, the same rules apply as when a robot lands on another robot.
Note that it is only optional and additional weapons that can't be used for shooting at dice; you can still use a Turret to aim the robot's main laser at a die.
Exactly what do teleporters teleport?
Modification:
Teleporters are activated by movement cards. This means they teleport robots and Buzz Bombs, but not for example Missiles.
Chop Shops, in our opinion, make it all to easy to swap options for new options, resulting in a proliferation of robomonsters.
Modification:
If a robots chooses to exchange an old option for a new on a Chop Shop, it receives one point of damage.
The large number of options cards leads to an enormous number of possible interactions between different options, many of which are not covered by the original rules. Moreover, we feel that some options are too powerful for balanced play, and need to be modified.
This chapter attempts to remedy these problems.
The original rules can be interpreted as if any explosive options on a Bio Option will explode when the robot powers down. This seems even to us blood-thirsty types to be a bit cruel.
Clarification:
When the option placed on a Bio Option is discarded because the robot has powered down or died, it is dismounted in a controlled way, which doesn't cause any explosive options to explode.
It is not totally clear from the original rules whether Extra Memory has any impact on damage effects.
Clarification:
A robot with Extra Memory still gets her first locked program register when the fifth damage point is received, and dies when the tenth damage point is received.
The original rules are a bit unclear about exactly how registers locked by a Fire Control should be treated. Also, with the advent of explosive options, the Fire Control becomes too powerful.
Modification:
The Fire Control can only be used to lock program registers, it can't be used to destroy specific options.
Clarification:
Registers locked by a Fire Control are marked by placing a damage chit face-down on the program card. This damage chit doesn't count as a normal damage point; it doesn't decrease the number of dealt program cards, and it doesn't count towards destruction. A robot with a Fire Control locked register can still receive nine ordinary points of damage without being destroyed.
Fire Control locked registers are unlocked in the same way as damage is repaired; by using Wrenches or powering down. On single Wrench squares, either one damage point or one Fire Control locked register can be repaired. On double Wrench squares, either two damage points or two Fire Control locked registers are repaired, or one of each. When powering down, all damage points and all Fire Control locked registers are repaired.
Note that registers don't need to be unlocked before damage can be repaired; Fire Control locked registers and damage can be repaired in any order.
The original rules could be a bit more explicit on the workings of a Mechanical Arm.
Clarification:
Anytime a robot with a Mechanical Arm ends a phase one square away from a Checkpoint, she may use the arm to tag the Checkpoint. This only applies to Checkpoints, not Repair Sites or Chop Shops. The arm can not be used to update the robot's archive location.
The interaction between an Option Damping Field and various other options is not clear from the original rules.
Clarification:
A robot that flies using a Robocopter while entering an activated Option Damping Field completes the current phase as normal. If the robot is still within the field at the end of the phase, the robot lands and the Robocopter is deactivated for the rest of the turn.
The Option Damping Field is not active turing the programming part of the game sequence, which means it has no influence on programming of turn programmed options, doesn't interfere with the use of Extra Memory and Flywheel, and so on.
This means, for example, that a robot with a Shield can program it to face a certain direction, even if it is within range of a robot with an Option Damping Field. If the field is activated, the Shield will be deactivated, but if the robot turing the turn gets out of the field's range, the Shield will be activated again and will face the programmed direction.
The question whether a Ramming Gear works in any direction keeps popping up.
Clarification:
If a robot with a Ramming Gear pushes another robot, while executing a forward, backward or sideways (using Crab Legs) movement card, that robot receives a point of damage.
There are some unclear points about the Superior Archive Copy option. These can be neatly side-stepped by changing the rules for the option.
Modification:
If a robot updates her archive position while in possession of a Superior Archive Copy, the first time the position is used to withdraw an archive copy the robot will not receive the normal two points of damage, whether or not the robot was in possession of the Superior Archive Copy option when it died.
If the robot still is in possession of the Superior Archive Copy option when the archive copy is withdrawn, the effect is repeated; the next archive copy withdrawn will neither suffer the two points of damage.
You can keep track of the status of archive position by e.g. turning the archive position token face-down if the position was updated using the Superior Archive Copy option.
This document was generated on 21 July 1998 using the texi2html translator version 1.52.