Atomic Robo: Action Science Adventures

About the adventure

Atomic Robo is set in our world, except most of the conspiracy theories—particularly the mad science-y ones—are true. Objects can be manipulated with the Odic Field. There is an organization called Majestic 12 (it’s been protecting you since 1947), and Nikola Tesla really did build an artificially intelligent Robot in the twenties. But if you see Atomic Robo in the halls at Tesladyne don’t make a big deal out of it. He’s a little sensitive about his age and has, like, three birthdays (because time travel). Tesladyne is about expanding the frontiers of science, all science; because you never know when you’re going to need a cutting edge horticulturist to deal with a plant-based kaiju monster, and you never know when multi-dimensional accounting will be just the thing to fend off an invasion along the fifth cardinal direction, Zorth. These weird incursions are the bread and butter of Action Scientists, and you can be part of the team! This game focuses on exploration and mystery solving, though sometimes the way to solve a problem is to punch and/or shoot it until it stops. Not always, but sometimes. There is plenty of humor to be had, but ultimately you’ll be dealing with serious problems with serious consequences. Player safety is paramount at the table and tools will be in place for that, but communication is also important, because at the end of the day, we’re telling a story together.

Additional Details

How to prepare

Hardware wise, players will need a microphone & webcam to communicate, as well as accounts with Roll20 and Discord. Players who would like to know more about the world of Atomic Robo should check out www.atomic-robo.com (Comics before the latest issue are in the archives.) Players wanting to know more about Fate should check out www.evilhat.com, or go to Drivethrurpg.com where they can pick up Fate Core (or Fate Condensed) on a Pay What You Want basis.

What I provide

I'll set up the Roll20 VTT to be as immersive as possible: Easy to use character sheets, handouts, ambient sound & music, etc. Robo makes theater of the mind easy, but when it'll be useful there will be maps.

Gameplay details

Atomic Robo uses the Fate system, which has a focus on telling a fun, compelling story as a group. Players can & will have an influence over how the story unfolds. Scenarios usually revolve around preventing disasters, mitigating them, discovering the cause, and solving it. Exploring the far corners of the world, uncovering secret history, and picking apart multi-dimensional puzzles is part of the daily grind for Tesladyne employees. Combat happens, and it’s useful to be able to defend your team from reanimated Nazi automatons & horse-sized tardigrades. No previous experience is necessary to play. Fate is an easy game to pick up & I’m happy to teach.

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Aftercare
Breaks
Lines and Veils
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
Open Door
Session 0
X, N, and O Cards

How will character creation work

Atomic Robo characters are best built together, so there are built-in connections to the other characters in the game. To that end, we’ll have a Session Zero, to bring concepts to the table, fill out character sheets and go over some safety tools & ground rules. If a player has ideas for their character before Session Zero, that’s perfectly fine; be aware though that interacting with the group may tweak those ideas somewhat.

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.