One of them was a traveling computer programmer specialized in dino video games. The other was a geologist who thinks he’s unlucky. They’re Action Scientists and just started jobs at Tesladyne. They faced off against genetically engineered miniature dinosaurs and eventually Dr. Dinosaur himself.
The best thing about the Atomic Robo Role Playing Game is that it encourages storytelling and creativity from everybody at the table. When I ran a game with my two boys they got to go crazy with the details of their characters, the scenario, and even the ultimate solution to the little mystery. It was great fun and I’m really looking forward to playing again.
Many RPGs make a game out of combat. Others make a game out of conversations or exploration. This game makes a game out of the art of storytelling. This is what makes it fun for me.
For instance, the boys needed to do a little action science. Where did those miniature dinosaurs come from? Well, they each got to tell a little story about the science they were doing to try to figure it out. They made some rolls and the winner got to discover a fact of his choosing. After a couple more facts they got to roll to see who got to come up with a hypothesis that would encompass all of the facts. I didn’t know where the story would go. I hadn’t spent any time preparing an adventure. I left it up to them and they got to decide what would happen.
It worked. They tracked down Dr. Dinosaur in Paris and defeated him by capsizing the boat he was on.
For the record, Isaac did surprisingly well for a kid who frequently suffers crippling writer’s block. Gabe was a nonstop font of creativity. They both had fun. It was the perfect game for a camping trip because of the low overhead. All we needed was the book (which I have on my iPad) a few papers, and some dice.
The game is a blast and I’m looking forward to playing it again.