Atomic Robo RPG
Core RulebookBest For
Groups who want to play Action Scientists in pulp adventures against super-science conspiracies, jumping between eras of a century-long secret history. Its Brainstorms suit tables that like solving mysteries together during play.
Core Mechanic
Roll four Fate dice and add a skill rating, then compare the total against a fixed difficulty or an opponent's roll on the adjective ladder. Matching the opposition is a tie, beating it by one or two shifts is a success, and beating it by three or more is a success with style. Spend a fate point to invoke an aspect for +2 or a reroll. Accepting a compel earns a fate point in exchange for a complication.
The core is quick to learn: roll four Fate dice, add a skill, and spend fate points on aspects. The depth lives in the Brainstorm and invention procedures and in weird characters built from point-bought modes and mega-stunts. Most of that study load falls on the GM because new players can start from the basics chapter and their character sheet.
- Free to tryNothing freeNo free rules or starter
- Get it nowSold newIn print or as a legal PDF
- ✓IndexFind any rule by page number
- ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
- ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
- ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
- ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page
5 of 5 book tools found in the core book
Highlights
Brainstorms turn a mystery into a group procedure: each winning roll adds a fact as an aspect, and the final hypothesis must build on every fact. Invention rules build a gadget from a function aspect, a flaw aspect, and stunt benefits, then charge for it in narrative catches like rare materials rather than money. E-Z No-Math creation starts a character from a concept and three rated modes, so players can make characters on the fly and fill in aspects and stunts during play.
Considerations
Custom weird characters take longer to build, because modes and skill improvements are bought from a 30-point budget instead of picked from the E-Z options. The campaign rules assume the PCs belong to a faction, so a group playing freelancers has to build its own organization or run without the faction support and advancement rules. A Brainstorm's winning hypothesis becomes the truth of the situation, so a GM cannot count on a planned explanation for a mystery surviving play.
Third-Party Publishing
Rules license CC BY 3.0 or OGL 1.0a (SRD); core book All Rights Reserved
Atomic Robo RPG SRD rules text, including modes, custom skills, stunts, mega-stunts, invention, and brainstorms; the core rulebook's setting, characters, art, and Atomic Robo trademarks are excluded.
Evil Hat publishes the SRD in parallel CC BY 3.0 and OGL versions; attribution is required, and Evil Hat endorsement may not be implied.
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