The Robot Dance Party game that makes use of the most underappreciated dice – The d4!

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If you would like a version of this ruleset with more direct language, you can find a version designed to be more accessible for readers on the ASD spectrum here.

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25% OF THE TIME, THEY WORK EVERY TIME

Dr Corden’s Robot Extravaganza was a seminal moment in the fields of both robotics and marketing.
Dr Corden’s robots, however, were as poorly made as their incredibly well branded launch event was poorly planned. Even the now well-known and socially influencing slogan of “25% of the time, they work every time” wasn’t enough to help Dr Corden recover from the shame that the night in question brought them.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Dr Corden was so confident in their skills when they designed their patented ‘Totally Competent Robot Helpers’ that they put in no fail-safes in case of malfunction. Nor did they think to put in any precautions for the launch night, in case any of the Totally Competent Robot Helpers failed to attend to their duties properly. In fact, all of the staff at the event were robots of Dr Corden’s design.
The only issue was that Dr Corden’s Totally Competent Robot Helpers were far from totally competent. In fact, they were only totally competent 25% of the time.

THE RULES

You are all playing as the staff at Dr Corden’s Robot
Extravaganza. This, of course, means that you are none other
than the cutting edge in Totally Competent Robot Helpers.
Whenever you attempt an action, you determine its success by
rolling a 4-sided dice.
4 – Totally Successful
3 – Mostly Successful
2 – Partially Successful
1 – Total Failure
As the night goes on, you must try your best to ensure that the
event goes as smoothly as possible.

PICK YOUR ROLE

Each role has a special talent built into its programming. Roll a
4-sided dice to determine your role.

4 – Canapés – observant – can change 1s into 2s when trying to
read the room or notice events
3 – Drinks – flare – can change 1s into 2s when trying to be
acrobatic or dexterous
2 – Entertainment – dazzling – can change 1s into 2s when trying
to distract or charm humans
1 – Security – muscle – can change 1s into 2s when trying to use
strength or force

DR CORDEN’S LAWS OF ROBOTICS

Robots must also follow Corden’s three laws of robotics that are
programmed into them.
1 – A robot may not injure a guest or, through inaction, allow a
guest to feel they have received poor service.
2 – A robot must obey orders given to it by guests, except where
such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3 – A robot must protect its own existence as long as such
protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

MALFUNCTION

Every time you suffer a Total Failure, mark it down. If you get to
4, roll on the Malfunction table. The result takes immediate
effect. Once you have resolved the result, your systems cool
down and you can return to the game. You can reduce your
current total by 1 by having a Robot Dance Party (do The Robot!).
4 – 25% of the time, they work every time – No malfunction
3 – Electric Sheep – For a moment, you’re convinced that you’re
human
2 – I’ll be back – Walk away from whatever interaction you are
currently having
1 – Daisy, Daisy – Perform a short song to the nearest human

FOR GMs

This is the big launch event for Dr Corden’s Totally Competent
Robot Helpers and will be attended by members of the public,
members of the press and investors. These guests can be
recognised by their ID badges.
The event has already whipped up a media frenzy, however, and
outside there are plenty of people who want to try and get in to
grab a sneak peak of these mechanical wonders.
Roll an 8-sided dice to determine which of the following parties
have ended up inside the event.

8 – Evangelical Infiltrators
7 – Rival Robot Engineers
6 – Super Advanced Robots from the Future
5 – Isaac Asimov’s Legal Team
4 – The Labour Union
3 – Charming German Terrorists
2 – Robot Rights Activists
1 – Disgruntled former employees
Finally, roll a 4-sided dice to determine the way in which they will
disrupt the event.

4 – A Bomb in the Basement
3 – Poisoned Food
2 – Cutting the Power Supply
1 – Kidnapping Dr Corden

 

Now, DO THE ROBOT!

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