RoboRally FAQ

These questions and answers are intended to clarify the rules of RoboRally. They are not meant to supersede or substitute the game rules. If any answer below actually modifies or corrects the original published rules, we will makethat clear to you.

Q: When you retrieve an archive copy, is that copy real unless a condition makes it virtual, or is it always virtual?
A: Robots are always real when you retrieve an archive copy unless a robot is forced to appear on a square occupied by another robot or forced to appear on a space where another robot is also appearing. In those cases, the robot begins the turn virtual.

Q: How do you decide where the checkpoints should go?
A: You can place checkpoints anywhere you want. Since all players have to go to the same checkpoints, there is no way for one player to gain an advantage by checkpoint placement. The only rule about placing check points is you may not place one in a corner with two adjoining walls. We suggest that you not place checkpoints on conveyor belts. Keep in mind when placing
checkpoints that the more difficult you make a checkpoint to reach, the longer the game will be.

Q: When does a robot on a turning conveyor belt turn?
A: When a conveyor belt moves a robot onto a turning conveyor belt, the rotation of the robot (90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise) is simultaneous with the conveyor belt's movement of the robot. Remember, turning conveyor belts only rotate robots that are moved onto them by other conveyor belts, not when robots move onto them on their own (during the "Robots Move" phase).

Q: Do "T" intersection conveyor belts always rotate a robot?
A: No, they only rotate a robot when a robot is moved onto it from the base of the "T" (the base of the intersection that turns). Treat it as a straight conveyor belt when moving on the belt from the base of the straight section.

Q: Can a powered down robot gain optional equipment if it is sitting on a double wrench at the end of a turn?
A: No, a powered down robot does not have the option of taking optional equipment. The robot remains powered down until the entire turn is over, after end-of-turn board effects.

Q: If your robot is destroyed, can you bring back an archive copy on any checkpoint you have touched, or only the last one?
A: Only the last one.

Q: The checkpoint flag has a wrench on it. Does it remove a point of damage if you are on it at the end of a turn?
A: Yes, the checkpoint marker repairs a point of damage in the same manner as a single wrench space.

Q: What happens if an express conveyor belt moves your robot onto a normal conveyor belt? What happens if a normal conveyor belt moves you onto an express conveyor belt?
A: Check the Timing Summary on the Factory Floor Guide under "Board Elements Move." Express conveyor belts move robots one square first. After that, all normal conveyor belts AND express conveyor belts move one square simultaneously. This means an express conveyor belt moves a robot onto a normal conveyor, and the normal conveyor will also move the robot. If a normal conveyor moves a robot onto an express conveyor belt, the express conveyor belt has already gone through both its moves and will not move the robot further.

Q: When a robot locks a register with Fire Control, how do you unlock that register? Do you have to power down to unlock the register or can you repair it like a point of damage on a repair site?
A: Treat the Fire Control damage as regular damage; you can choose to unlock one register for each point of damage you remove at a wrench site. If you power down, it of course will unlock all registers.

Q: What can a robot do when it is powered down?
A: Nothing. A powered down robot cannot fire weapons, receive optioncards, tag checkpoints (if pushed onto them), update archive locations (ditto),or use turn programmed cards (for example, Shield). It cannot use anyoptions unless the options specifically say they can be used while a robot ispowered down. The robot basically becomes a lump that can be pushedaround and suffer damage.

Q: Can locked registers be altered by either an Abort Switch or a Scrambler? If so, do they return to the original cards on subsequent turns or do the new cards replace the old ones in the locked registers?
A: Yes. The new cards replace the old ones in the locked registers.

Q: If you have the Extra Memory card, do you stay alive until you take 11 points of damage?
A: Your robot is destroyed when it receives 10 points of damage.

Q: If you are under the effects of the Radio Control card, can you use your Abort Switch? Conditional?
A: Yes, whichever option was activated most recently takes precedence.

Q: If you have triggered your Abort Switch, can you use your Conditional?
A: Yes. After Conditional is used, the Abort Switch is still active until the end of the turn.

Armed & Dangerous

Q: Do bridges work over drains like they do over pits? How does a bridge work over water?
A: Since drains are functionally identical to pits, they should be treated as pits for all purposes; therefore you may place bridges over drains. Bridges may only be placed over troubled water, so you may not place bridges over other water squares.

Q: Goo versus water: Do you count the penalty or not?
A: Goo cannot be dropped in water (A&D p. 14).

Q: Can Retro-Rockets, Big Jet, and others break goo?
A: Any additional movement counts toward destroying the goo, but nothing more.

Q: Goo versus Robo-Copter: Can you fly out of it?
A: Robo-Copter's ability to generate extra movement can help destroy the goo, but nothing more.

Q: Scrambler Bomb: Does its effect end when you move out of range?
A: Any players with robots in range of the Srambler Bomb when it goes off should discard their hands and program randomly for the entire turn. (Note: Scrambler Bomb only goes off at the beginning of the turn, so it doesn't matter whether a robot moves out of the original
blast range as part of its subsequent movement. The damage was done when the blast occured.)

Q: If you fire and move in front of a missle, can you hit yourself?
A: Theoretically, yes. It's fairly tough to get hit by your own missile, though, unless you are both unlucky and careless.

Q: Can you discard a card with spent tokens to prevent damage?
A: Yes (A&D p. 7).

Q: If you shoot the Big Gun in water, do you get pushed back a square?
A: Yes. Water only affects movement cards, not movement effects.

Q: Do effects like Tractor/Presser Beam work in water?
A: Yes. Water only affects movement cards, not movement effects.

Q: Can you drop/fire more than one phase-programmed option per turn? How about the same option more than once in a single turn?
A: You may only use one Phase Programmed--Movement per register phase and one Phase Programmed--Gadget per register phase, but there are no other limitations. You could, for example, drop a mine on the first register phase, drop a goo counter on the second register phase, drop another goo counter the third register phase, then drop another mine the fifth register phase. On any of those phases you could also use a Phase Programmed--Movement option (like Crab Legs) but not a second Phase Programmed--Gadget option.

Q: Can you have more than one Buzz Bomb flying at the same time?
A. No, only one Buzz Bomb can be in play at any time (A&D page 12). If you try to fire Buzz Bomb and you have another one in play, the Buzz Bomb will not fire.

Q: Teleporters with Crab Legs . . . how does that work?
A: Crab Legs do not work on teleporters (A&D p. 17). Treat the teleporters as if the Crab Legs are "de-activated," execute the movement card, and allow the teleporter to behave according to the movement card alone.

Q: If an archive copy is deposited on a mine, does it set the mine off?
A: Yes. It really doesn't matter why the robot is there, it just is, and that's enough for the mine. *BOOM*

Q: Does Proximity Mine go off if I drop one and then turn?
A: Yes, drop then do anything but run away during the phase of dropping since it will cause it to go off. If you like, treat it as if it read "be within 1 square" rather than "pass within 1 square."

Q: How can you tell Armed and Dangerous option cards from those that come with the basic RoboRally set?
A: Armed and Dangerous option cards have the following catalog number: Cat. XXX-020XXX. Option cards from the original set have this number: Cat. XXX-010XXX.

©1999 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved.