Legacy Review #22: ROBOTECH: New World Order

Written by: Kevin Hassall

Release Date: 1995

Catalogue Number: 562

GENERAL

This is one of those Robotech products that completely fell under the radar for me. Given the release date, it was likely because my RPG life was completely consumed with Rifts, with a smattering of AD&D and other games thrown in for flavor; more than 75% was Rifts though. So I started flipping through this book and was more than a little amazed to find something akin to a World Book, but for Robotech. Given the range of books for the Robotech RPG thus far, a quick skim of the contents really piqued my interest, as this was not your standard book laden with technical entries for various Robotech mecha. This was an Adventure Design book, and something that was squarely written with the GM in mind, but with enough in there to whet the Players appetite as well. Color me intrigued!

SECTIONS

Overview. I bring this up because this was an example of something that would not pass muster today. This is a two-column page section that gives some general information of the African setting and what’s going on. The first column is on one side of the page, the second on the flip side. The second column on that flip-page immediately jumps into Game Master Only information with bold headings that have some pretty spicy spoilers.

Campaign Overview. The GM section that provides a solid basis for how to develop the campaign plan that a GM could really sink their teeth into! And there is a lot here, most of which should have been pushed much further back into the book. But it certainly provides the major muscle movements a GM could easily manipulate to get things started.

New Equipment. Not really a tech book, this is a series of civilian and/or military style naval vessels that range from the Light Patrol Boat up to the more substantive freighters and RDF patrol craft. Like most vehicles found in the Robotech universe, if not a Mecha, don’t expect much in the way of MDC, or anything more than a lot of SDC.

Additional Classes. Something that I’ve always found strange is the worldbuilding of regions, or in some cases RPG systems, through the introduction of additional Classes. The following are presented:

• Urban Specialist. Similar to the Military Specialist of the RDF or ASC, this is primarily aimed at GM use for NPCs from other para-/military organizations (e.g. Bureau Six, organized terrorist groups, rival barony armies).

• Civilian (Non-Military Personnel). Not everyone is a trained soldier. Well, here’s how you present someone of interest but not of critical import to the campaign.

United World Government (UWG). We get a better idea of the overall, global political dynamic of the post-Zentraedi Armageddon. There is a significant element to the politics of Africa and the UWG with respect to the RDF, the ASC, and how they are sustained. Those advanced armies of highly powerful mecha and machinery of war don’t come cheap, nor do the army of personnel needed to upkeep and administer after them. This comes into play when local city-states are grappling with taxes going to feed and house their community, or paying to help outsiders fend off uncertain attack. Several key elements to the global affairs are covered:

• Bureau Six. A form of “secretive FBI” for the UWG, they are regionally governed, which accounts for some variance in how one director may oversee things to better, smoother conclusions than others. Where the world’s globally integrated economy has been obliterated, and bartering and bribery may be rampant, a GM can really have free hand with the Bureau Six element.Note: This organization is stated as the forebearer of the Global Military Police under the Armies of the Southern Cross (ASC).

• Major Baronies. Basically, any independent state, nation or political unit able to effectively ignore the UWG. Not as simple as it sounds, the UWG sends in the RDF or ASC to quell any rebellion. An interesting tax-to-Return on Investment is presented as a basis for the UWG’s decision to send in the troops.

o   Etheopian Free Holding. An industrialist took advantage of the wasteland of former Somalia.

o   Islamic African Peoples’ Republic. A collective of shariah city-states and local bureaucracies based around tribal groupings. One of the few with RDF mecha.

o   New Empire of Greater Zimbabwe. Local businessmen took control and power of the region, declaring independence. They’ve developed a stark, corrupt capitalist society.

• Tribes & Enclaves

o   GM Notes. A series of points that allow the GM to fold these groups into adventure design.

o   The Ashanti. Scattered across Western Africa, the network of villages and roaming caravans have little influence over the powers that be, but present great opportunities for more clandestine operations.

o   Community of Saint Paul the Apostle. A doomsday cult based on Catholic principles, they believe the Zentraedi are the bringers of End Times. Localized near Lake Victoria, not much influence outside communities nearby.

o   The Last. A fatalist group of mercenaries/ex-military roaming northern Africa to right wrongs, steal from the rich and give to the poor. With little to no political sway, they can be a wild card for any adventure. Are they good, bad, in between?

o   E.B.S.I.S. Aswan Base. It wouldn’t be a post-apocalyptic setting without something involving the E.B.S.I.S. now, would it?

The Robotech Defense Forces. There are a number of paragraphs that discuss a variety of backgrounder points the GM should have Players understand before playing this setting. Nothing Earth-shattering (pun intended); locations, overall politics and laydown of regional forces, military ranks, the RDF and ASC, and a few other points. Each location provides an Encounters Table and Random Encounters in the Field to really gets things going.

• Fort Victoria. Set 10 miles northwest of Lake Victoria, it’s a dilapidated ruin. Most effective structures are located outside.

• Red Sea Fort. A cramped and damp base, it lies under the Red Sea. Special air locks allows mecha to exit and patrol the Red Sea and protect the surrounding vital critical infrastructure and resources, without being detected.

• Fort Hope. A significant fort with a large-scale ASC military presence. Easily one of the most heavily fortified locales on the continent.

Fort Niamey – RDF HQ. Lots to say here, and loads for the GM to parse through for Adventure Design. Includes the now-standard Encounters Table and Random Encounters in the Field.

• Important NPCs

o   General Zhu Lwen. RDF Supreme Commander of Africa Sector

o   BGen Lester McMillan. Aide to General Lwen

o   Colonel Henrique Da Sliva. Niamey Operations Officer

o   Captain Neka Emeka. General Zhu’s personal ambassador

o   Lt-Gen Laurent Barreau. Senior Commander under Zhu, they share a mutual hatred.

City of Lagos. You get the same overview and precis on government policies and military as all the other major entries. This one goes a little further by providing some great intrigue and Adventure Design ideas through some fantastically detailed Encounters Table and Random Encounters in the Field the introduction of a series of NPCs:

• Important NPC

o   President Samuel Ogheu. There is a lot in this character’s background the introduce; most of it gives away some pretty important spoilers.

o   City Government. Nakedly self-serving politicians, a few are given some details, others left to the GM to flesh out.

o   UWG Governor Francesca Vargas. Her position places her ‘in charge’ of Lagos, but like any city with a criminal underworld and intrigue, how much does the legitimate government really control?

o   Lagos Underworld. Now that’s a segue; smooth! A number of shady characters are given some varying levels of detail for the GM.

The Campaign

Build-up. Really meant for the GM to develop the background and initial phases of the campaign. It’s about how to realistically get the characters to the African continent, and delivering them the action items and relevance to the missions they embark upon. This is really where that initial Campaign Overview should have gone, and with the information this section delivers, most any GM will be well set to start designing adventures and run an entire campaign entirely based on the African Sector.

Adventure 1: Priorities. An introductory adventure that forces the Players to start getting used to the multiple choices and conflicting priorities that may hint at future dilemmas. A solid introductory adventure that could be done in a single session.

Adventure 2: While on Patrol… A chemical freighter being loaded in a refinery port 230 miles west of Lagos, is hijacked at sea and sent back to the refinery to be off-loaded; its contents will be sold on the black market. This adventure introduces some of the new ships from earlier in the book, but also allows some of the NPCs to be woven into the overall campaign.

Adventure 3: Beseiged. Taking place in Lagos, the Player Characters are providing security for high-level political discussions and negotiations. Riots occur, and suddenly the personal security of Governor Vargas is the PC’s responsibility. This is a much more engaged mission, with a few scenes and combat opportunities that really allow the PCs the chance to shine in terms of planning, role-playing, and working through combat situations.

Adventure 4: Strange Escort. Another lengthy and complex adventure. A trouble-shooter for RDF Military Intelligence is coming to Africa Sector from Asia Sector, and he has information on plots that need investigating. Several NPCs are scrambling, and the PCs are going to be in the thick of things as they battle competing agendas. They are to meet and escort the MI Major at the RDF Red Sea Fort and assist/protect him. This was an adventure that has some rather easy pieces to set-up, but also allows the GM some great flexibility in terms of background and subterfuge.

Adventure 5: Changing of the Guard. The culmination of the plots and twists that were initially presented to the GM. There are things that are likely a given in terms of outcome, but the GM certainly has a hand in changin things as they see fit. If set some time before the ASC becomes the dominant military force across the globe and arrival of the Robotech Masters, this feeds nicely into the ascension story of Commander Leonard.

What Next? Not something that you normally see in adventure modules of that era, this was a really neat thing to see added. It demonstrates a series of possibilities for the major NPCs, as well as significant political/military groups (e.g. E.B.S.I.S, Southern Cross). It also gives some advice on how to reward and deal with Player Characters in the aftermath.

Robotech Africa (Map). A classic for the era, this was a jewel of a single page image of the continent, laying out where each of the major regions get deleniated, major cities, RDF and ASC bases, and the Major Baronies/Enclaves that have broken from the UWG. I just really wished they had referred to this earlier in the book.

IMPRESSIONS

Initial Review (8/10). When I first started reading this, I scratched my head for a second with some confusion. My initial thoughts were, “Okay, so a Robotech version of Rifts Africa,” insofar as the author was presenting a post-apocalyptic setting based around that storied continent. It wasn’t until about five pages in that it clicked, and I recalled one of the more seminal scenes from the Jack McKinney novel, Zentraedi Rebellion. So while one could technically look at this like ROBOTECH’s World Book Africa, it does present more context than just information on what’s going on within those geographical confines. Does it justify the title of New World Order? I think this is a huge stretch, and a major critique to take on board. I understand the marketing aspect of why they chose the name, but still….

In terms of the content, there is a lot of things for the GM to grapple with; and this is meant to be taken in a good way. The location information for the major political factions and larger cities, bases and baronies, are fleshed out enough to get going. Thereafter, most are provided with a pair of Random Encounter tables to really deliver for any GM. I’m not exaggerating by saying that this book does what many of the previous Robotech books failed to do; gives adventure ideas galore for a campaign that could run for months in a post-Macross Reconstruction era. The artwork is bog-standard for Palladium Books at the time, black and white pieces interspersed with some classic works from Kevin Long. There are some particularly evocative action pieces by Earl Geier.

Personally, I’d likely steer to having the metaplot activated and accomplished. The Players would find themselves posted into the Africa Sector, deal with shenanigans across the vastness of this continent, and then I’d start feeding them rumors and news about North America and/or elsewhere before and send them off for the next campaign. It’s a hugely supportive book for a GM looking for ideas to implement in their campaign, whether in Africa or not. The Random Tables are a great resource for any locale (easily adaptable) and the template for the Adventures can go really far in terms of leading a GM to Adventure Design and how to start building adventures that build upon one another to form a more cohesive narrative and develop into a campaign. Whether or not the idea of running adventures in Africa is your cup of tea, this is a solid entry!

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