JDMG MC1 Robots 01

Robots are a very common sight in Mega City One. However, citizens have mixed feelings about them. On the one hand they make life easier by performing both necessary and unsavoury tasks and by being more efficient workers than humans. On the other hand it is precisely because robots are so good at their jobs that unemployment in Mega City One is at record levels. Fewer than one in ten humans are in employment. This is one of the main reasons why crime is so rampant in the Big Meg. However, it is not just humans who break the law. Sometimes robots manage to break their own programming, but it is usually done by criminals or technicians with a grudge. These robots can escape their former masters and take up hiding within the darkest areas of the city, such as disused or irradiated sectors, or even the Undercity. Here, they meet up with other escaped robots, and may form a force intent on building its own criminal empire and bringing terror to all the squashy pink beings that forced them into servitude. Once a robot breaks its programming, it becomes free of all notion of artificial morality or emotion, making them very different from the meek robots most citizens are used to. Robots ignore all tests to arrest them. They also automatically pass any Will checks required to resist Psi Talents and are immune to Gas weapons.
This review mainly concentrates on the criminal renegade robots but I've added a few ordinary robots to the mix, just to keep all of my robots in one place.

I start with a pair of combat droids. Used by the Justice Department and corporations with a licence to deploy lethal security, combat droids are the soldiers of the robot world. Equipped with heavy armour and powerful weapons, they are deadly enemies. At the far left is Ron, who was produced by Warlord Games. I have upgraded him to a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero and he is armed with a Stump Gun Rifle. His two Talents are Accurate  and Crackshot. He costs 270 Credits.
Combat droid Greg is a more advanced model. This figure is a very old Grenadier Miniatures figure that came in four parts - tracks, body and both arms. He is a Level:2 Robot Infantry Hero and is armed with a Heavy Spit Gun (left arm) and Laser Pistol (right arm). He has the Talents - Accurate, Crackshot and Close Combat Shooter. He costs 370 Credits. All combat droids have the Special Rule - Always Alert. Due to their lightning reflexes, they are considered to be on Alert status at the start of each enemy turn.

Next up are a pair of demolition droids. The ruined sectors of Mega City One, testaments to the disasters it has faced, require a huge force to knock down old buildings and start the construction of new ones. This is the role of the demolition droid, armed with devastating wrecking equipment that can batter down walls and enemies alike. The green and white demolition droid is called Paddy and he was produced by Citadel Miniatures for Games Workshop in the 1980's. The two arms were separate components and I'm classing them as Power Fists. Paddy is a basic Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion. He costs 180 Credits.
At the far right is Toby, a more advanced model. He was produced by Warlord Games. I upgraded him to a Level:1 Robot Infantry Hero. He is equipped with a Hammer and Upgraded Armour. His two Talents are Dirty Fighting and Skilled and Deadly. He costs 280 Credits. All demolition droids have the Special Rule - Big Jobs. Demolition droids' wrecking equipment normally takes the form of giant hammers, picks or heavy balls that can be swung at a target. If the weapon causes damage against a target, the player can choose to also apply the Power Shot special rule, possibly sending an enemy flying through the air. Wrecking weapons have the following stats - Damage 4, AP -2, Smasher.

Moving on, are a pair of Junker droids. A servo droid or similar robot that has been renegade for many years will have had to rely on whatever parts it could salvage and steal in order to keep itself functional. These parts will hardly be to factory specifications, giving the robot a distinctly ramshackle appearance. Junker droid Jez was produced Warlord Games and he is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion armed with a Zip Gun Pistol. He costs just 40 Credits.
His colleague is called Tinbitz (named after the OOP Citadel paint he was partially painted in). He is a very old and rare Citadel Miniatures figure based on the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. He is also a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion and he is armed with a Large Club (his left arm). He costs 35 credits. All Junker droids have the following Special Rule - Junker. The Junker has constantly failing systems and a D10 must be rolled at the start of every battle. On a roll of 1 or 2, the Junker has suffered a serious failure and will be forced to miss the fight. However, so many replacements have been made that parts can get shot off the Junker all day and it will have little effect on its functionality. Whenever the Junker is to be removed as a casualty, roll a D10. On a roll of 7 or more, it remains in the fight with one Hit left.

Second from the right is a Robodoc. Robodocs are never used in a Renegade Robot force. They are typically employed by humans. A staple of hospitals in Mega City One, a Robodoc can be worth its weight in Umpty Candy to a gang who finds it has injured members but cannot go to official medical facilities. This multi-part model (its six arms were separate components) was produced by Warlord Games. A Robodoc is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion equipped with a Medi-Kit. A Robodoc has two Special Rules. First is Buy, not Lease. Many gang leaders become suitably impressed with a Robodoc they have hired and make moves to purchase it, whether through legal channels or not. After a Robodoc has been used as a mercenary, you may choose to buy it permanently for 100 Credits. It normally cost 50 Credits to hire. Secondly, it has Mechanised Healer. If a Robodoc is present during a battle, it can get to injured allies in the aftermath, quickly enough to perform emergency procedures. If the Robodoc is not a casualty at the end of a battle, pick one casualty and roll a D10. On a 3 or more, the model need not roll on the Injury Table and will return to the force unharmed. The Robodoc may administer to other injured members after this, but there will be a cumulative -2 penalty on the die roll for every further attempt.
At the far right is a Robodog, who may be used in a Renegade Robot force or by any Mega City One citizen. While not the brightest of robots, robodogs are nevertheless treated with some affection by their comrades and tend to be intensely loyal to the force. This robodog was produced by Warlord Games. He is a Level:0 Robot Infantry Minion and has the Upgraded Armour option, making him worth 50 Credits. A robodog's bite is Damage 1 and AP -2. I named this robodog, Butch. All robodogs have the Special Rule - Sniff Sensors. Robodogs gain a +2 bonus to Will checks made against enemies using the Sneaky Does It Talents.

As an aside, I will be greatly increasing my collection of robot figures due to me recently backing the Robots, Drones, Cybers 28mm Scale Miniatures Kickstarter project. Full details can be found here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/967512676/robots-drones-cybers-28mm-miniatures-sci-fi-alien
I have ordered from Johnny before and can assure you he is very reliable and he always sends his products out on time. The Kickstarter is fully funded and still has a couple of weeks left to run.