Table Of ContentLEAD DEVELOPER & WRITER
Mike Olson
EDITING AND LAYOUT
Jeremy Keller and Adam Jury
M
ADDITIONAL ATERIAL
Brian Clevinger, Brian Engard, and Morgan Ellis
M M
ATO IC ROBO CO IC CREATION
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, and Lee Black
ART
Scott Wegener
PROOFREADER
John Adamus
M M
CREATIVE DIRECTOR ARKETING ANAGER
Fred Hicks Carrie Harris
M M
BUSINESS DEVELOP ENT PROJECT ANAGER
Chris Hanrahan Sean Nittner
M
BASED ON THE FATE CORE SYSTE BY
Leonard Balsera, Ryan Macklin, Brian Engard,
Mike Olson, Fred Hicks, and Rob Donoghue
SPECIAL THANKS AN EVIL HAT PRODUCTIONS
PUBLICATION
Special thanks to everyone who played and
playtested Atomic Robo at Dice House Games,
www.evilhat.com
Emerald City Comic Con, Gam3rcon, GenCon,
[email protected]
Hammercon, Hyphen-Con, Labyrinth Games &
@EvilHatOfficial on Twitter
Puzzles, NerdNYC, NerdSoCal, San Diego Comic-Con,
facebook.com/EvilHatProductions
Strategicon, Villainous Lair Gaming, and Wasaubicon.
M
THE ATO IC ROBO
Exponentially more-special thanks to my wife Jill, M
ROLEPLAYING GA E
for her tireless support, and our sons, Ben and Will,
for just being two great kids. Copyright © 2014
M Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener,
— IKE
and Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
All rights reserved.
PLAYTESTERS
This game is based on the Fate Core System
Evil Hat Productions would like to thank our
and some elements of the Fate System
Action Playtesters!
Toolkit, both copyrighted by Evil Hat Pro-
ductions. Fate Core and the Fate System
Convention Playtest GMing Team: Toolkit are available under the Open Gaming
Andy Blanchard, Chris Czerniak, Morgan Ellis, Erik License and a Creative Commons Attribu-
Frankhouse, Adam Rinehart, Judy Thomas. tion license. For more details about the terms
and requirements of these licenses, please
The Fandible.com Crew (Jesus Rodriguez, William Coff- visit www.evilhat.com or www.faterpg.com.
ing, Angela Craft, David Donnelly, Daniel Rodriguez);
First published in 2014 by
David Wright + the gamers @ DWARF; The Thursday
Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
Knights; John Powell and Zoe Powell; Jason Gondeck,
10125 Colesville Rd #318,
Mark Miller, Mason Miller, Robert Lundgren; Ben McK-
Silver Spring, MD 20901.
enzie, Damien Wise, Nathan Hinks, Patrick O’Duffy,
Scott Vandervalk; Joshua Kronengold (Agent Mneme), Atomic Robo is a trademark of Brian
Lisa Padol (Dr. Cthulhupunk), Alden Strock; Gina Ricker, Clevinger and Scott Wegener, used with per-
Jason “JiB” Tryon, Libby VanDerWerff, Matt Widmann, mission. All other product titles and logos
Mook Wilson, Patrick “Mouser” Rowley, Rob Sanderson, are trademarks of Evil Hat Productions, LLC.
Scott Renkes, Todd VanDerWerff; Broham the Cat, Chris- All rights reserved.
tina Campbell, Eric Cajiuat, James Tiberius Monte, Jason
Paley, Jen Peters, Joshua Campbell, Max Peters, Michael Softcover ISBN: 978-1-61317-056-4
Keating, Ray Mosco, Scott (Scooter) Crone; Brennan See, Printed in the USA.
Brian Clevinger, David Brotman, Fischer Mollard, Jordan
No part of this publication may be repro-
Neal, Rebecca Brotman, Scott Wegener, Travis Young;
duced, stored in a retrieval system, or
Brad Hockey, Michael Wright, Nathan Russell, Robert
transmitted in any form or by any means,
Lamborn, Rohan Stains; Brett Abbott, Ed Watts, James
electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
Wingate, Jeff Simpson, John Montrie, Todd Sudbrink;
recording, or otherwise, without the prior
G & G Racine, Ronald “The Tourist That Should Not Be” express permission of the publisher.
Ayliffe Jr., Sean M. “Fun Tyrant” Dunstan; Anna Karl, That said, if you’re doing it for personal
Emlyn Freeman, Jeremy Krieger, Mindy Freeman, Molly use, knock yourself out. That’s not only
McGuire, Sara Perez; George Barton, Joshua Lefneski, allowed, we encourage you to do it.
Nicholas McDaniel; Charles Roburn, Dave MacFarlane, For those working at a copy shop and not
Joe “Not Charles” Mason, Stirling Westrup, Susan Pat- at all sure if this means the person standing
rick; Ian Straughan, Mark Lewis, Randy Begel, Steven at your counter can make copies of this thing,
they can. This is “express permission.” Carry on.
K. Watkins, Steven Mains; Ian Straughan, Mark Lewis,
This is a game where people make up
Randy Begel, Steven K. Watkins, Steven Mains; Albert
stories about wonderful, terrible, impossi-
Puginau, Eudald Bonmatí, Mateu Pastoret, Pau Marti-
ble, glorious things. All the characters and
nell “Menecrates”, Quim Ball.llosera, Rafel Fiol; Dylan
events portrayed in this work are fictional.
Sonnet, Eric and Stephanie Franklin, John and Katy
Any resemblance to real-world scientists or
Boone; Jason M.A. Fuller, Jeffrey J.A. Fuller II, Laura Ely, other real people is totally freaking awesome,
Vanessa Markland; Joshua Versaevel, Melanie Huizingh, and you know it. Any resemblance to global
Mike de Jong, William Hart; Andy Wittmann, Chad conspiracies, immortal atomic-powered
Bucholz, Chris Turner, Nick Mork, Scott Wolski, Tim robots, pulp heroes and villains, super-spies,
Getschow; Glenn Crawford, Greg Peevers, Joe DaSilva, action scientists, or power-mad insane sen-
Mai Lee, Steve Baker tient dinosaurs, on the other hand, is purely
coincidental, but kinda hilarious.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE:
Reinforced Skills 25
ROBO’S WORLD Aspects 26
Stunts and Mega-stunts 27
1
Stress and Consequences 27
SCIENCE 2 THE STANDARD MODES
CONSPIRACIES 2 AND SKILLS 28
HISTORY 3 E-Z NO-MATH CHARACTER
MAGIC 4 CREATION: STEP BY STEP 30
FACTIONS 5 Concept 30
Tesladyne 5 Modes 30
Majestic 12 5 Reinforced Skills 30
Daedalus 6 Stress boxes 31
Department Details 31
Zero / DELPHI 6 WEIRD CHARACTER
Undead Edison 6 CREATION: STEP BY STEP 32
Helsingard 7 Concept 32
Big Science Inc. / Science Team Super Modes 32
Five 7 Reinforced Skills 33
Most Perfect Science Division 7 Stress Boxes 33
Dr. Dinosaur 7 Details 33
Automatic Learning Algorithm Network 8 IMPROVING SKILLS 34
WORKING AT TESLADYNE 9 E-Z No-Math Skill Improvement 34
CHAPTER TWO: 1-2-3 Skill Improvement 34
THE MIDDLE PATH:
THE BASICS
E-Z WEIRD CHARACTERS 35
11 Robot 35
CHAPTER FOUR:
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY 12
PLAYERS AND GAMEMASTERS 13 ASPECTS
THE CHARACTER SHEET 14
AND FATE POINTS
Breaking It Down 14
TAKING ACTION 16 37
Rolling the Dice 16
TYPES OF ASPECTS 38
The Ladder 16
Game Aspects 38
Interpreting Results 17
Character Aspects 38
FATE POINTS 18
Situation Aspects 38
Invoking an Aspect 18
Consequences 39
Declaring a Story Detail 19
Boosts 39
Compels 19
Experiences 39
START PLAYING! 21
THE PURPOSE OF ASPECTS 41
CHAPTER THREE:
Importance 41
MAKING CHARACTERS Deciding When To Use Mechanics 41
MAKING A GOOD ASPECT 42
23
Double-Edged 42
CHARACTER CREATION BASICS 24 Say More Than One Thing 43
Three Modes 24 Clear Phrasing 43
Trained, Focused, and Specialized Skills 24 If You Get Stuck 44
III
ASPECTS IN ACTION 45 Pilot 89
Invoking Aspects 45 Psychokinetic 89
Compelling Aspects 47 Reporter 90
Using Aspects for Roleplaying 51 Robot 90
Creating and Discovering New Aspects in Secret Agent 91
Play 51 Soldier 91
THE FATE POINT ECONOMY 53 Spirit 92
Starting Fate Points 53 Telepath 92
Spending Fate Points 53 Warbot 93
Earning Fate Points 53 CHAPTER SIX:
The GM and Fate Points 54
OUTCOMES AND
CHAPTER FIVE:
ACTIONS
MODES, SKILLS, AND
95
STUNTS
Opposition 96
57
THE FOUR OUTCOMES 96
MODES 58 TH E FOUR ACTIONS 98
What Modes Are 58 Overcome 99
What Modes Do 58 Create an Advantage 100
The Standard Modes 58 Attack 102
Weird Modes 59 Defend 103
SKILLS 60 CHAPTER SEVEN:
What Skills Are 60
CHALLENGES,
What Skills Do 60
Skill Actions and Applications 61 CONTESTS, AND
Standard Skill Descriptions 61
CONFLICTS
Science: It’s Special 69
GETTING WEIRD 70 105
Making Weird Skills 70
Making Weird Modes 71 CHALLENGES 106
STUNTS 73 Advantages in a Challenge 108
What Stunts Are 73 Attacks in a Challenge 109
What Stunts Do 73 CONTESTS 110
Building Stunts 73 Creating Advantages in a Contest 110
MEGA-STUNTS 76 Attacks in a Contest 110
What Mega-stunts Are 76 CONFLICTS 112
Weaknesses and Costs 77 Setting the Scene 113
What Mega-stunts Do 78 Establishing Sides 114
Paying for Mega-stunts 80 Turn Order 114
Hardware as Mega-stunts 80 The Exchange 116
STANDARD MODES 82 Resolving Attacks 117
Action! 82 Conceding the Conflict 123
Banter! 83 Getting Taken Out 123
Intrigue! 84 Weapon and Armor Ratings 124
Science! 85 Movement 125
READY-MADE WEIRD MODES 86 Advantages in a Conflict 126
Beast 87 Other Actions in a Conflict 126
Dinosaur 87 Ending a Conflict 128
Martial Artist 88 TEAMWORK 129
Mutant 88
IV
CHAPTER EIGHT: CHAPTER TEN:
LET’S DO SOME TELLING STORIES THE
SCIENCE ATOMIC ROBO WAY
131 179
BRAINSTORMS 132 SCENES 180
Running Brainstorms 132 Starting Scenes 180
You Got Your Action in My Science! 138 Competence, Proactivity, Drama 181
The GM’s Role 139 Hit Their Aspects 183
INVENTION 139 Ending Scenes 183
Scientific Drama 139 ISSUES 184
From Concept to Reality 140 To Be Continued 184
CHAPTER NINE: ATOMIC ROBO IN FOUR EASY
STEPS 185
RUNNING THE GAME
Discover the Conspiracy 185
147 Chase the Conspiracy 186
Defeated by the Conspiracy 187
WHAT YOU DO 148
Triumph over the Conspiracy 188
Start and End Scenes 148
Keep It Moving 189
Play the World and the NPCs 148
PROBLEMS 190
Judge the Use of the Rules 150
Aspects 190
Give Them Things To Do 150
History 191
WHAT TO DO DURING PLAY 151
Factions 192
The First Law of Gamemastering 151
Making New Factions 196
The Second Law of Gamemastering 152
Putting It Together 199
When to Roll Dice 152
STORY QUESTIONS 201
Making Failure Awesome 152
From Problem to Questions 201
Setting Difficulties 153
ESTABLISH THE OPPOSITION 203
Dealing with Extraordinary Success 154
PAGE ONE, PANEL ONE 204
Dealing with Time 155
THE VOLUME IN PLAY 204
Judging the Use of Skills and Stunts 160
TO BE CONCLUDED 205
Dealing with Conflicts and Other Weird
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Stuff 162
Dealing with Aspects 168 ACROSS THE FOURTH
CREATING THE OPPOSITION 171
DIMENSION
Take Only What You Need to Survive 171
The NPC Types 171
207
Nameless NPCs 171
PRINCIPALS
Supporting NPCs 173
AND FLASHBACKS 208
Main NPCs 175
WHY FLASH BACK? 208
Exceptional NPCs 175
PLAYING THE OPPOSITION 176 FLASHBACK BASICS 209
Right-sizing 176 Duration 209
Creating Advantages for NPCs 176 Constants 209
Change Venues of Conflict 177 Immediacy 210
ALTERING EXISTING CHARACTERS
211
Concept aspect 211
Modes 212
Skills 212
Everything Else 213
BRINGING IT BACK 213
Volume Aspect 213
Milestones 213
V
1926: The Shadow Returns 239
CHAPTER TWELVE:
1930: Deadly Art of Science 240
TESLADYNE 1931: The Wizards Duel 240
1932: Chadwick’s Discovery 240
INDUSTRIES
1936: The Turing Machine 240
215 1937: Science City 241
1938: The Vril to Power 241
THE RESOURCES MODE 216
1939: The Genius of Bletchley Park 241
Armory 216
1940: Secret Weapon 241
Intel 216
1941: Flying Tigers 242
R&D 217
1942: Citizen Robo 242
Transport 217
1942: The Dogs of War 242
TESLADYNE IN PLAY 218
1943: Death of a Giant 242
Resident Scientists 218
1945: Operation Paperclip 243
Borrowing Hardware 218
1945: The Collapse of Science City 243
TESLADYNE’S ASPECTS 220
1947: MXII 243
TESLADYNE AND FATE POINTS 221
1947: The Magic Spaceship 243
ADVANCING TESLADYNE 221
1949: The Fall of Forrestal 243
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
1953: Helsingard Takes Manhattan 244
THE MARCH OF 1954: Obninsk Online 244
1955: Project Aquatone 244
PROGRESS
1957: The Shadow Over Cloverdale 244
223 1961: Vostok 1 244
WHAT IS A CAMPAIGN? 224 1951: The Flying
ADVANCEMENT AND CHANGE 224 She-Devils of the Pacific 244
WHAT IS A MILESTONE? 225 1961: The Czar Bomb 245
MINOR MILESTONES: 225 1967: Zorth Revealed 245
SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES: 226 1968: The Spear of Destiny 245
MAJOR MILESTONES: 227 1969: Accolades and Honors 245
1969: A Giant Leap for Mankind 245
Fallout 228
ADVANCING TESLADYNE 229 1962: Centralia, Pop. 2,104. 245
1970s: Better, Faster, Stronger 246
Tesladyne and Significant Milestones 229
1970: Leaping Metal Dragon 246
Tesladyne and Collateral Consequences
1971: The Shadow Over Peru 246
229
1974: Hawking and the Royal Society 246
Improving Tesladyne’s Skills 230
1974: A Viking on Mars 246
Improving Tesladyne’s Resources 230
ADVANCING NPCS 232 1984: The Mirrorshade Overdrive 247
1985: Helsingard in France 247
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
1990: The Ultimate Map 247
TIMELINE 1993: Soldiers of Fortune 247
1996: The Survivor 247
235
1999: Other Strangeness 248
1800s: Century of Progress 236 2000: Sex and the Cosmos 248
1850: Helsingard Begins 236 2005: Helsingard Unearthed 248
1880s: The War of the Currents 236 2007: There’s a Pyramid in Egypt 248
1883: A Sky of Iron 236 2009: From Beyond 248
1893: The Triumvirate 237 2011: The Ghost of Station X 249
1895: Nemesis 237 2011: Robot of Interest 249
1905: The Miracle Year 238 June 2013:
1908: The Savage Sword of Dr. Dinosaur 249
The Shadow From Beyond Time 238 June 2013:
1916: Spacetime 239 Tesladyne Under Siege 249
1923: The Atomic Robot 239 March 2013:
1924: The Ghost of Rasputin 239 Centralia, Pop. All Gone! 249
VI
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE SHE-DEVILS
OF THE PACIFIC 280
CHARACTER
Captain Catherine
WRITEUPS Marie “May” Carter 280
Hazel Lee 281
251
Lauren Finch 282
KID ROBO 252
Valerya “Val” Akilinov 283
TEEN ROBO 253
HELSINGARD 284
SPECIAL AGENT ROBO 254
Helsingard Warbot 285
ROBO THE VETERAN 255
Helsingard Autosoldat 285
JENKINS 256
MAJESTIC 12 286
THE FIGHTIN’ SCIENTISTS OF
M12 Infantry 286
TESLADYNE 257
Special Assets Unit (SAU) 286
Bernard Fischer 257
Project SAINT Unit 5 Boxbot 287
Koa 258
OTHER ROBOTS 287
Vikram Abasi 258
Standard-Issue Warbot 287
Ada Birch 259
Edison’s Robot 288
Benjamin Smithfield 260
WORLD WAR II BAD GUYS 289
Bao Lang 260
SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skörzeny
Dean Louis 261
289
Robert Martin 262
Laufpanzer 290
Phil Broughton 263
Dr. Vanadis Valkyrie 291
Julie Walker 264
Valkyrie Brutes 291
Ira Stein 264
GENETIC EXPERIMENTS AND
Curtis “Mac” MacDonald 265
OTHER STRANGENESS 291
John “Slim” Simmons 266
Vampire 291
THE MCALLISTERS 266
Dr. Dinosaur 292
Donovan “Jack Tarot” McAllister 266
Dr. Shinka 294
Helen “Nightingale” McAllister 268
Biomega Drones 295
CELEBRATED SCIENTISTS OF THE
Biomega Kaiju Monster 295
20TH CENTURY 269
ALAN 297
Thomas Edison 269
CHOKAITEN 298
Undead Edison 270
Takeshi Hayoto 298
Nikola Tesla 270
Chokaiten Pilot 299
Carl Sagan 272
Chokaiten Heavy Marines 299
Stephen Hawking 273
Admiral Goro Shimada 300
THE SPARROW 274
DENIZENS OF HOLLOW EARTH 301
Sparrow I 274
Rock Person 301
Sparrow II 275
Rock Monster 301
Sparrow III 276
The Yonkers Devil 302
BIG SCIENCE INC. 277
TESLADYNE 303
Dr. Junji Yumeno 277
Tesla Heavy Industries 303
SCIENCE TEAM SUPER FIVE 278
Tesladyne Aerospace 303
Guardian mode trios 278
Tesladyne Industries Inc. 303
Aggressive Guardian 278
APPENDIX:
Charismatic Guardian 278
INSPIRATIONAL MEDIA 304
Tricky Guardian 279
INDEX 305
Guardian Aspect Pairs 279
CHARACTER SHEET 310
VII
