Game: Robo Rally
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Price: USD 34.95
Rating: A
Robo Rally is a rally game, similar to a car rally, that uses robots instead of cars. The object is to navigate your robot through a factory and land on all of the rally points in sequential order. This is really an oversimplification of the process necessary to do this, though...
Every robot begins the game with no damage, and as damage is accumulated, the robot starts to lose the ability to operate properly; if 10 points of damage are accumulated, the robot is destroyed. Don't despair! You are allowed up to six robots, more or less, if agreed upon beforehand. To maneuver, you must "program" your robot for up to five moves, and everyone else will be doing the same with their robots. As you might have guessed, your robot may run into conflicts with other robots, and this is handled in the most humorous of ways.
Let's first address the mechanics of the game. Everyone is given nine register (movement) cards, and out of the nine you must use five to program your robot's next five moves. The rest of the cards are then discarded. The five that you'd chosen are now placed facedown in front of you in the order you wish them to be revealed. This is important, because once play starts for the turn, they cannot be switched around! The cards have numeric values, and this is used to decide which robots have their "programs" followed first, second, and so on. As robots move, other robots may be in the way; you simply push the other robot in the direction you're heading. This can result in literally changing the other robot's program! Another aspect of the game is that you can attack robots which are in your way after moving and cause damage; that may result in the robot shutting down or losing options (more about this later). Assume that you have planned (programmed) the next five moves for your robot, and you are moved only one square by being pushed; well, now your robot can end up someplace you didn't quite expect, like a pit! This is the fun part of the game, the great unknown, and it has been the source of a lot of laughter.
Here's a little about the environment your robot will be traversing: your robot is in a factory, and as in most factories, there are conveyor belts, turning cogs, repair areas, garbage chutes, machines that push objects, and crushing machines. As you program your robot (using the register cards), you must also consider these other kinds of involuntary motion to which your robot will be subject. You can work these to your advantage and calculate where you will end up, if you aren't pushed by another robot!
Let's examine the different mechanical hindrances you will most likely encounter. Conveyor belts come in two types: express or standard. The express will move your robot an additional two squares after its normal movement; the standard will only move you one additional square. Keep in mind that some conveyors turn, and this may change the facing of your robot! If you plan it right, the conveyor belts can speed your robot on the way to victory, or if pushed onto one by another robot, can speed your robot onto destruction! Another interesting motion in the game is the cogs; they will turn your robot in the direction which the cog turns, and this will also change your facing. Repair areas don't move you around, but if you finish your fifth register and are on one, you can fix one to two damage points, depending on the repair area. Repair areas are located all around the factory, and a one point repair area is always located on rally point flags. Another facet of the two point repair areas is that they can let you take an option card instead of repairing damage. These option cards give your robot additional features or weapons to attack or defend against other players' robots. There are also "pushers"; these push your robot involuntarily into the next square ahead. If you do not plan carefully, you may overlook these annoyances and really get into trouble. Walls also have a habit of being there when least expected, because you may not have looked closely enough when planning your moves. Lastly, there are the pits (garbage chutes?). If your robot enters these, by design or not, you are destroyed!
The first robot to physically land on and end its turn on each of the rally flags is declared the winner. In the playing of the game, some robots may be permanently eliminated by having all of their six lives expended. Robo Rally is definitely worth the USD 34.95 price, and is sure to create a tremendous amount of laughter and yelling.