Cooperative Play Mode: Robotech RPG Tactics

This is something that I have been working on in the back ground for the past month. The idea is to turn your Robotech Tactics into a quick paced Co-op Style Game where it is the players vs the Zentraedi. This system uses the RPG System which can be found starting on page 92 in the main rule book.

The concept is very easy and straight forward. You design your character using the AP point system out line on pages 93-94. As you accumulate kills you will be rewarded experience based on the AP value of that item. As you gain more experience, you accumulate more AP that can be used towards better Mech's and or Skills.

This Advanced Point System (AP) was to be used to cross over existing Robotech RPG Characters into the Robotech Tactics Tabletop game. However you can still use this system to get your own personal character started.

How To Start:
Each Player will get 10AP to start with to design their own character. They can pick a choose the Mech they want to use and any possible other skills they can afford
If the player wants to be in charge of a group of 3 units, including him self. They will gain an additional 5AP and 10AP to be spent on each of the two other pilots.
All Pilots that are done with this character creation are considered level: 0 Pilots.

Experience Level Break Down
Level 01: 50
Level 02: 100
Level 03: 150
Level 04: 200
Level 05: 250
Level 06: 300
Level 07: 350
Level 08: 400
Level 09: 450
Level 10: 500
Level 11: 550
Level 12: 600
Level 13: 650
Level 14: 700
Level 15  750

The AP Values of the Zentraedi on page 93 are the experience point values for that Mech when it is destroyed. Example: Regult has 5 AP for its value. Destroying one will give you 5 experience points to the character that finished it off. So if you destroy 10 Regults in one game you will receive 50 experience points which will bring you to level 1.

By achieving level 1 you now have 15 AP points to spend on your character. If you some how got to level 2 during a game you would have 30 AP points to spend on your character.

Levels 01-05: Pilots gain 15AP as they advance to their next level.
Levels 06-10: Pilots gain 10AP as they advance to their next level.
Levels 10-15: Pilots gain 5AP as they advance to their next level.

Up-grading your Characters:
The rules covers this fairly well in the book with the exception to changing what you want to pilot. To make this as simple as possible. Just add the value of the Mech you where piloting back into your AP pool. So If you where flying a VF-1A 5AP and you now want to fly a VF-1S 15AP. (5AP-15AP = 10AP) It will cost you 10 AP to make this up-grade happen with the trade in.

Zentraedi
Since this about immersing the players in a pitched battle against the Zentraedi War Machine.
All of the current rules for the Zentraedi are completely ignored. One more time, All of the Rules for the Zentraedi are ignored! This means we will not be using command points, we will not be taking count on missiles used, no faction ability to bring in more mechs. Which I know makes the Recovery Pod worth less but it is all about speeding up the game.

So with all of these changes how do the Zentraedi work?
They function with a very simplistic rule set.
Rule 1: They always advance towards their nearest target. If two targets are similarly in distance roll to see who they go after or the players may agree to who they should heading to.
Rule 2: They always attack the nearest target.
Rule 3: They always use the most damaging weapon system to hit their target with.
Rule 4: If the closest target is behind destructible cover. The Zentraedi will target the cover in an attempt to destroy it, unless the Mission Specifies the Zentraedi can not do this.
Rule 5: Recovery Pods: Any unit with the Life is Cheap ability if destroyed with in 8 inches of the Recovery Pod will come back into the game as possible Reinforcements on the next Zentraedi Spawn on a 4+ on a D6 roll. Place these units in a designated Reinforcement area for the Zentraedi Spawning.
Rule 6: Recon Pods: Follow a Special Rule set that will be describe in the Zentraedi Spawning section. If they are Jamming on a game turn, any Zentraedi with in 12 inches of a Recon Pod now has a -1 to be hit. Note: If in hand to hand combat there is no negative to hit.
Rule 7: Zentraedi Mechs avoid hand to hand combat unless they are Power Armor and or Infantry
Rule 8: Firing Missiles: All Volley X ability now only fires 1 single missile. All other Volley's are worked out as normal. Missiles are not used as apart of Anti-Missile defense. As a reminder Missiles are not tracked any more.
Rule 9: Squadrons are based upon what was rolled for the Zentraedi Spawn dice. If you only get 2 Battle Pod's then those 2 Pods are considered 1 squadron.
Rule 10: Zentraedi always use Anti Missile Defense, unless this ability is tied to Missile Weapon system.

Zentraedi Spawning

After you have your Mission picked out and your table set up it is time to place where the Zentraedi's are going to be spawning in on the game. These can be Mission Specific for a certain scenarios but the general rule is 1 Spawning in Point Per Player.

At the Start of the Game Turn a player rolls 6 Zentraedi Spawning Dice to determine what Zentraedi's show up at this location.

As you can see these dice use icons to determine what spawns in. Each dice has 3 blank sides and 3 Zentraedi Icons them. There is also a Zentraedi Symbols which will have to change to something else because of Trade Marks. These Symbols represent special Tactics the Zentraedi are going to use this turn. If you run out of Zentraedi's to place at the spawn points, use any that maybe in the Reinforcement area. Once you run out, you run out.

Zentraedi Tactics
1 Zentraedi Symbol:  Reinforcements!
Any units saved by the Recovery Pod comes in with this newly spawned group.
2 Zentraedi Symbols: Jamming!
All Recon Pod's are Jamming: All Zentraedi with in 12 inches of the Recon Pod now has a -1 to be hit. Note: If in hand to hand combat there is no negative to hit.
3 Zentraedi Symbols:  Flanked!
This group of Zentraedi has cut threw your defenses and is deployed on your table edge closest to your deployment zone.

If at one spawn point a player rolls and gets 2 Zentraedi Symbols this means all Recon Pods on the table get this ability for this turn. If at the second spawn point , you again roll 2 Zentraedi symbols this does not mean this event happens again so this does not mean it is now -2 to hit. Once an Zentraedi tactic has been rolled it can not be used again even if you roll it again on the same game turn. You can not also opt to take a tactic lower than the one rolled either. What you roll is the tactics you get for  this game turn.
Note: If you do not get the Reinforcements! Tactic on a game turn those units that are awaiting to be brought in as Reinforcements are now considered lost and not available for the next Zentraedi Spawning Phase.  If you want to make the game HARDER, ignore this rule and have fun with it!

Player Death: Very Optional!
In the Robotech Universe even Main Characters die. You don't have to follow this train of thought and opt for another way to handle Character Deaths. You always have the option to make a break for it and leave the table if a combat zone is getting to hot. But maybe you didn't want to leave a friend behind or just maybe you got hit with an incredibly lucky shot!

If your Characters Mech gets destroyed in-game Roll 1D6 for the result with these modifiers. Remember if you roll an 1 it is always an automatic fail, meaning death of your character.

+1 If One Friendly unit was within 6 inches of you.
+1 If you where behind cover, even partial cover.
+1 If you are Level 1-5
+2 If you are level 6 or Higher.


6: Alive!
5: Alive but Hurt! Next game suffer -1 to PIL
4: Severally Hurt! Next game suffer -1 to GUN
3: Hospitalized! Loose half of your earned AP for that game.
2: Dead
1: Dead

Later on I will work with developing Mission Scenarios to be used with this system or you can use the ones found in the book and adjust them accordingly.