Third Deck Games

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======FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS======

=====These were the original FAQ's from Third Invid War by Dave Deitrich, at the end I have appended a couple new ones to talk about this project further. =====

====How does TIW relate to the book 'End of the Circle' by Jack McKinney? Weren't Lancer and Sera killed after the Invid left? How about the comic series 'Invid War Aftermath'? ====

TIW doesn't relate in any way to the Jack McKinney Robotech novels or any of the Robotech comic series published by Academy Comics. First and foremost TIW is a sequel to the Robotech Role Playing Game, and is primarily based on that continuity of the Robotech universe. Therefore events in the novels or comics (such as the deaths of Lancer and Sera, or the entire Belmont saga from the comics) have no relation to events in TIW or sequels to TIW. 

====Doesn't having the Invid return to Earth after the TV series ends sorta contradict the show? Have you read Peter Walker's essay on the subject? ====

 Yes, I have read Peter's essay on the unlikelihood of the Invid returning, and while I agree with most of it in a sense the damage has already been done. Like I said above, TIW is a sequel to the Robotech RPG, therefore I try to stay fairly consistent with events described in the RPG, including the questionable second invasion by the Invid of Earth. In fact, the primary purpose of TIW is to try and continue what Palladium started, for better or worse.

Some people insist that any sequel to Robotech must be 100% consistent with the TV show above all else, or it really isn't a sequel to Robotech at all. Personally I think these people need to chill out a little. ^_^ I freely admit that TIW is not and never will be completely consistent with the Robotech TV series. However, I'm not going to loose much sleep over that. I hope that people will judge TIW based on how creative and entertaining it is, and not on trivialities and canonical nit-picking. 
**NOTE**They may be talking about this website [[http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/Essay/essay.html]]

====Could you post the complete rules to the Robotech RPG to your web site? ====

Sorry, but the Robotech RPG is property of Palladium Books and is protected by international copyright law, which makes it a crime to publicly post material from the actual RPG books. You can probably get copies of the books from your local RPG store (look in the phone book under "hobbies") or you can write Palladium books directly for a catalog at:

(Not sharing their address)

International fans can try to order the books overseas from:

(Address is now invalid)


You can also order the books online from the Palladium Books website (not any more!)

The only real book you need to play TIW is Robotech II: The Sentinels ($14.95, ISBN 0-916211-33-9), though Invid Invasion ($11.95, ISBN 0-916211-28-2) and the REF Field Guide ($14.95, ISBN 0-916211-36-3) would be helpful as supplements. Unfortunately two other RPG books referenced by TIW, Return of the Masters ($9.95, ISBN 0-916211-29-8) and Lancer's Rockers ($7.95, 0-916211-42-8), are no longer published by Palladium Books and are very difficult to locate. (Fun fact, none of the books are published by Palladium books anymore)

====Are you officially related to Palladium Books in any way?====

Other than the fact that I buy their products, no. ^_^ TIW is an entirely not-for-profit by-fans-for-fans production.

If you really want to get in touch with Palladium, there is a comment submission form on Palladium's web page at (not linking to them). You might also want to get on the Palladium internet mailing list, where reportedly some official Palladium representatives hang out from time to time. To subscribe to the mailing list, send email to (dead email address) with the word "subscribe" (no quotes) as your subject. 

====Do you ever plan to publish TIW as an official RPG supplement?====

Probably not. I'd prefer to keep TIW as a web-based RPG resource free for anyone who is interested in it for the time being. Also, I believe Palladium Books has a standing policy to not pursue manuscripts that have been previously published on the web. 

====The Robotech RPG has a lot of flaws in it. Many of the mecha designs don't accurately represent the show, the MDC system sucks, weapon damages are totally out of scale, etc., etc. Why don't you try and correct some of these flaws?====

Correcting the Robotech RPG is not the point of TIW. It makes more sense NOT to try and improve on the gaming mechanics, because TIW is so dependent on earlier supplements and adventures produced by Palladium. Any changes I made to the rules for my supplement would in turn require dramatic changes to the already published stuff to make sure everything works together. It makes more sense to make my stuff 100% compatible with what's already been published, including all flaws therein.

Here's why: making TIW fully compatible with the RPG also helps Palladium-haters who have adapted Robotech to other systems. How? Well, anyone who really hates the Robotech RPG but still plays it probably already has a whole list of house rules to modify the system into something they like better. Any house rules you are already using should work just fine with TIW mecha since they're Palladium-compatible, so you can continue to use your own rules systems without having to work out new ways to translate mecha to your tastes. 

====Why don't you use a better mecha gaming system like Mekton Zeta?====

Since TIW is so closely linked to events in the Robotech TV series, it doesn't make sense to move to a different RPG system at this time. All the older mecha, characters, and locations that may pop up in a TIW adventure have already been covered by Palladium; why repeat that work? If I started using Mekton Zeta or a similar system for TIW I'd have to translate everything from Robotech into the new system, and even I'm not that ambitious right this moment. ^_^ 

====Aren't these mecha a little overpowered?====

That's part of the story. The technological power and superior numbers of the Invid give them a definite edge during the early years of the war. This gives players a better perspective of desperation and helplessness when they realize that they are no longer hot stuff just because they own some Shadow Alphas and Vindicators. They will have to learn to be tactically smarter and more cautious early on in order to survive. As the war continues, the arrival of more advanced mecha from the REF helps to close the power gap, but the days of players knocking out entire hives via brute force with one Alpha and some cyclones are pretty much over. 

====Do you plan to create any Destroids for TIW? Or Hovertanks?====

 Originally, no. Most destroids, even the smaller scale ones, don't seem to fit into the geurilla combat scenarios of the Third Invid War very well. Without the speed and flight capabilities of Veritechs, or the small size and agility of Cyclones, Destroids are at a disadvantage most of the time against the Invid, since without the speed or ability to hide they can be cut to pieces by flying patrols of Invid mecha. Plus there's the problem of getting the Destroids to Earth in the first place, since most transports that attempted to get to the surface were atomized by the Invid Space Hives. Due to all the reasons above, I originally decided to not worry too much about Destroids for TIW.

However, due to overwhelming demand I have decided to include a few Destroid designs in the supplement. They are currently in the planning stages and won't be available for a while yet. There is also a tentative Hovertank Mk. II design in the works for you Hovertank fanatics out there. 

====How about a Shadow Cyclone?====

Urk. Cyclones equipped with shadow cloaking devices seem a little overpowered, even to me. Most cyclones already have a cloaking system of sorts in the fact that they can use alternate sources of power instead of Protoculture when necessary. Plus there's the fact that the RPG makes enough concessions to Cyclone pilots already (heavy armaments and heavier armor) and the mecha doesn't need any more power-boosting. The shadow cyclone published in Protoculture Addicts years ago seems especially unbalancing to game play. For these reasons we have decided that Shadow Cyclones will never be an official part of TIW or Guardians. The shadow cloaking device can simply not be produced in a small enough size to be used in anything smaller than a medium fighter. 

====You mention something called "Robotech: Guardians" several times in the web pages. What the heck is "Guardians", anyway?====

Basically, **Guardians** is the sequel to TIW. It will consist of three separate RPG supplements and will focus mainly on the Sentinels worlds after the Robotech wars have ended. Beyond that I really don't want to say much about **Guardians** right now; most of the stuff in it is still in the planning stages and I don't want to say something and then have to change it later. Please be patient. 

====Why the heck is TIW taking so long?? You should have had this supplement done long ago!====

TIW is a hobby, not a job. I'm not getting paid for this, so therefore other more important matters have to come first. I won't bore you with sob stories about how hard work is. Basically it comes down to the fact that after working 9-10 hours per day I usually don't feel very creative when I get home. I'm really sorry about the delays and lack of progress sometimes, but that's life. 

====Can you make TIW available via anonymous FTP (file-transfer protocol) instead of the web?====

I'm working on it... 

====Is TIW available as one file so I don't have to download all these HTML files?====

Yep! At (dead link) there is a file called thirdinvidwar.txt. This file contains all of TIW that is currently available in the form of a single text file for easy downloading. This file will constantly be updated as more stuff is added to TIW, so you will always be able to download the latest version of the supplement by downloading this file. Be warned, though; the file is over 100 pages long and growing rapidly. ^_^; 

====I have some mecha designs here that I made up myself. Would you be interested in making them part of TIW or Guardians?====

 Sure, I'm always interesting in seeing other people's designs and stuff! If you have some of your own mecha you've created for Robotech, by all means please send me copies. I'll even try to find space on my web pages to put them up, so that everyone can enjoy your creativity.

//HOWEVER//, please don't think that just because I'd like to see your work I have a moral obligation to include it as part of TIW. If I don't include your mecha in TIW it's probably not because I don't like it, but more likely because it conflicts with something I have planned for TIW or Guardians. There is a story I'm trying to tell in TIW, and unfortunately some mecha designs just don't fit in with my plans very well. 

====Where can I find books, toys, etc. from Robotech?====

Other than the RPG books (look at second hand retailer) I don't know. Just because I write stuff based on Robotech doesn't mean I'm the ultimate authority on all Robotech merchandise. Try posting a request in the newsgroups alt.tv.robotech or alt.fan.robotech. You may get lucky and find a lead on the item you're looking for. 

====Is there any place I can see Robotech on TV or Video anymore?====

**NOTE** You can stream all episodes and movies on Funimation streaming service and it is available on Amazon.

If you have cable and get the Cartoon Network then you're in luck! As of Monday, January 12, 1998 Cartoon Network has begun showing Robotech as part of their Toonami weekday lineup. In the U.S. the series airs Monday thru Friday at 4:45 PM eastern time (3:45 PM central). I have no idea if Cartoon Network is showing Robotech on its international stations, and if so at what times.

If you don't get Cartoon Network (or don't get cable) you can still get Robotech on video. Family Home Entertainment (FHE) is currently releasing Robotech on VHS video, with 2 episodes per tape at $14.95 each. You can probably find some of these tapes in your local video store (Suncoast Video is a good store to try) or you can order them online from mail-order stores such as Video Express. 

Well, those are the most frequently asked questions (and answers) about the Third Invid War. I hope this helps you understand what we are trying to do, but if you have further questions or comments by all means don't hesitate to ask! I'm always happy to talk about TIW at any time. Click on the box to the right if you want to reach me by email. Take care! 

====New FAQ Notes====

A lot of this is really dated information from the 90's, TIW was never completed and Guardians was never started. I have modified this to remove Palladium's information as they no longer have the license to Robotech and can no longer sell the books.  You will have to find them second hand.

====Updates and Gaps====

I will be making sure things are spelled correctly and updating some items that are shared with the books using the Shadow Chronicles updates (few as they were as that book was a lot of copy and paste of old material).  I will also try to fill in some of the gap data that was never completed such as REF/Resistance equipment and New Commerce Rules.

====Why not just upload the original HTML?====

Because for best results the page was built for Netscape Navigator v3.04. As much as that was great for my old G3 Macintosh running OS 8.5, it really does not play nice with modern browsers and bigger displays.