Has anyone ever tackled custom races or customized rules for Robotech?

The factions as I see them would be something like this:

REF (Earth and Aligned forces)

The Robotech Masters (the remnants of them, at least)

The Zentraedi (Those independent of the Master and REF)

Regiss Invid

Regent Invid

The Local Group Alliance (Karbarra, Peryton, Praxis, Haydon V, Spheris and Garuda, seperate from the REF)

One could break the local group up into 10 races instead of 5 together, I suppose.

I'd love to hear how fighters and ground forces (including mecha maybe?) get figured into the equation. Some sort of shock troop that could be purchased perhaps?

How would protoculture play into the game?

Interesting - I was a Robotech fan for quite awhile and my first RPG was Palladium's Robotech RPG.

But I'm not sure how it would work for TI. Robotech was always driven by the characters and the cool mecha - I can't really see a non-contrived way to work that into TI's scale.

Are you just thinking in terms of the racial special abilities?

And protoculture... yeah not sure about that either. As far as I remember the main thing about protoculture was it being an energy source that enabled the production of transforming mecha.

Largely I'm thinking in terms of what the special abilities would be, but I'd like to think about it in a holistic way.

Inititally I thought the political side would run the risk of seeming contrived. The Invid were not known for their diplomacy as I recall. But as I think about it more, there were traitors a plenty that shaped the story and random events that threw the story into a whole different direction. If you think of the political element more as the story driver for the purposes of Robotech (ie - Representing events and the machinations of the backstabbers).

As I think about the Barony's special abilities it reminds me of the impact of protoculture on everyone - For the barony you need trade goods or yor no better than the rest. The same would apply to protoculture. There'd need to be a strategy card specifically geared to protoculture.

You'd have certain planets that could support protoculture, some that could not (mechanically could be driven like distant suns). This changes the strategic dynamic. My first thought is that you find the counter, turn it over, and it becomes a refresh ability for that planet. Also makes me want to have X-89 bacterial weapon work as a "defoliant" for the planet, destroying the ability to refresh it's Protoculture supply.

I'm just kind of brainstorming right now. I'm sure there's more to be considered.

Sweet, that would be cool.

I wanted to do something similiar for a long time with Star Wars races for TI3, tho then I realized I should update the planets and stuff too, like change mecatol rex into coruscant, etc, and change the other stuff to match the theme, and by then I'd be remaking the whole game, which was too much work and take away time I could just be playing TI3 instead lol.

Good luck if you get it to work out though.

4lterego said:

It had more uses than that. For the Invid, it was a food source. And through consuming it, they were able to manipulate their bodies and so search for the "ultimate lifeform". The Robotech Masters/Tirolians understood that if you applied energy to a protoculture seed you gained more energy, and so used this substance to fuel their empire.

Wilfred Owen said:

True. And in in the novels it was even bigger. There are multiple references to the "Shapings" of the protoculture, as if the protoculture is actually a force like fate, guiding the progression of the story.

With that in mind, would it make sense to consider the influence of the planet the protoculture level? Their influence then becomes over the fate of the galaxy? That preserves the political mechanics by shifting the way we think about it. Instead of the thought of the Galactic Senate it becomes the representation of the collective will of those who control most of the protoculture.

If true, what about a special ability where one can exhaust influence to gain special abilities, like

+1 to space combat

+1 Invasion Combat

Maybe that last part is better left as part of one of the racial abilities (the Regent or the Zentraedi come to mind immediately)

Just adding as I go - thinking out loud(ish)

For REF - Tech or Racial Ability - Veritechs - Your fighters may land on planets and take control of them without the support of ground forces. Prior to space comabt, fighters may be assigned in either space combat or Invasion combat, but not both.

Robotech Masters - You may not gain points for Stage 2 objectives. After you claim and successfully qualify for a Stage 2 objective no other player can gain points for that objective.

Local Group - You begin the game with and additional Secret Objective

Invid Regent - Your invading Ground Forces and attacking Space ships gain +1 to all combat rolls. You may not choose to retreat when you are the attacker. Would need to start with a LOT of ground forces

Invid Regis - Enlightened Evolution - Once per Turn when an another players's action card impacts you, immediately discard a command counter from strategy and an action card to place the card that was played against you into your hand.

This thread will continue at

http://www.ti3wiki.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1234633565/0

Wilfred Owen said:

I forget if protoculture was a concept in any of the 3 original series or if it was totally introduced by Macek..

4lterego said:

Actually, protoculture was in the original (Japanese) version. It referred to the first culture in the universe. Carl Macek took the name, and applied it, oddly, to the Flower of Life.

hehe yeah that guy sure took some liberties

but hey he brought it over to america.

4lterego said:

Had he not, I would never got into Robotech and then bought Palladium's Robotech the Roleplaying Game (horrible system, by the way).