The Great Energon Robbery
From Transformers Wiki
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| "The Great Energon Robbery" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | Renegade Game Studios | ||||||||||||
| Published in | Decepticon Directive | ||||||||||||
| First published | September 12, 2023 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | Bryan C.P. Steele | ||||||||||||
"The Great Energon Robbery" is an adventure scenario released with the Decepticon Directive sourcebook, meant to introduce a party of 3-5 1st level characters and a new Game Master to the mechanics of the Transformers Roleplaying Game. In keeping with the book's Decepticon focus, this adventure follows a group of ambitious Decepticon rookies as they attempt to hijack a freight train carrying energon cubes.
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Contents
Part 1: We're Not on the Nemesis Anymore
On the Nemesis, Thundercracker and Acid Storm approach a group of Decepticon rookies with a mission: use an abandoned Autobot space bridge to meet up with Astrotrain in a place called "Kansas". Armed with a broadwave signal jammer and a one-use spacebridge transit code, the group use the Nemesis's space bridge and are transported to an underground spacebridge terminus, inside an abandoned energon mine. However, the energy from their arrival has destabilized the mineshaft; the party can either search the room for some extra equipment, or make their escape before the ceiling collapses. After evading or surviving the cave-in, the Decepticons receive a transmission from Astrotrain, who encourages them to get a move on before the Autobots catch wind of their arrival. Unbeknownst to the Decepticons, however, local seismic equipment has picked up the geological disturbance created by their arrival, and local emergency services are already on their way.
As the Decepticons head out, an unmanned aerial vehicle picks up the Decepticons. If the player characters detect the drone overhed, they may attempt to blend in with the local machines to try and throw the drone off their tail, remotely hack the drone, or simply shoot it down. The players may also encounter a group of Kansas state troopers; similarly, they may choose to either evade the humans, outrun their blockade, or meet them head-on in a direct confrontation.
Whether they choose to confront the police or not, the party eventually meets up with Astrotrain in an abandoned quarry. The Triple Changer informs them that the local Earthlings will be using a Union Pacific locomotive to send a shipment of energon cubes by rail to an Autobot facility on the East Coast. Astrotrain is certain that the Autobots picked him up on their defense grid, and will have to lie low while the rookies spring their trap and hijack the train.
Part 2: Finding the Right Place for Their Wrong Time
Astrotrain instructs the group to scout out a location for their ambush. While they do so, however, they spy Whirl, who's been on high alert for Decepticon activity ever since Astrotrain touched down in the area. The players may try to evade or outrun Whirl; otherwise, they must face the reckless Autobot flier in combat. Whether they win or lose, Whirl leaves the scene and the group continues with their mission.
Eventually, the group finds a suitable spot near the Kansas-Colorado border. With hours to go before the train arrives, the group has the opportunity to set up a thorough ambush. Eventually, the sun rises, and the train draws near...
Part 3: Stick 'Em Up!
The Decepticons have multiple options when it comes to attacking the train. However, when the time comes to fight, the villains discover that the Autobots Mirage and Rollbar have been driving alongside the train, hiding behind Mirage's holograms so as to launch a counter-ambush. It soon becomes clear that the entire train was a decoy—the Autobots have already moved their energon somewhere else, and the train is empty, a deliberate ploy to draw the attention of any would-be Decepticon raiders. If the Autobots defeat the Decepticons, Astrotrain intervenes to rescue them; otherwise, the Decepticons take the two Autobots prisoner and learn—either through coercion, investigating the stopped train's controls, or through Astrotrain—that the train was bound for an abandoned railyard in Colorado.
Part 4: Last Stop... Calamity and Chaos
In the yard, the group encounter Ramhorn, who's been sent on patrol while Blaster and the other cassettes guard the primary energon stockpile. The group may try to sneak past the Mini-Con, intimidate him into backing down, or simply defeat him in combat.
In the final fight, the players may choose to create a smokescreen by igniting a nearby tank car, distract Blaster by detonating a jury-rigged Cybertronian generator nearby, or attempt to call in Astrotrain early for some extra support. If Astrotrain did not initially join the battle, he arrives midway through to claim the spoils. Regardless of whether or not the player characters defeat Blaster, the adventure ends with Astrotrain taking control of the Energon, and the players returning to the Nemesis with their ill-gotten loot.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
Transformers references
- At the beginning of this adventure, the party receives a broadwave signal jammer from Thundercracker, who informs them that it's "a gift from Blackout". Although many Decepticons have gone by this name, the device's electromagnetic properties suggest that this is a creation of the Generation 1 incarnation of the helicopter Decepticon of the live-action films, who notably jammed the communications of a US Military base in the 2007 movie's opening scene.
Real-world references
- The title of this adventure probably takes its name from the famous silent film The Great Train Robbery.
- Based on the fact that most of this adventure takes place in rural Kansas, the name of the first chapter is, of course, a reference to The Wizard of Oz.
- Some of the subheadings in the adventure—"Night Moves", "On the Road Again", and "This Must Be the Place"—take their names from various real-world songs.
Errors
- The art on page 202 purports to show Blaster and his various cassettes. However, it seems the artist must've used the wrong Steeljaw as reference material, as the Autobots are shown hanging out with a blue wolf-bot based on the Robots in Disguise Decepticon.
- The maps given for the ambush and the fight at the railyard have been switched and incorrectly labeled.
Other trivia
- Although this adventure doesn’t feature any pregenerated character sheets, an illustration on page 189 depicting the party in action shows a four-man group of Decepticons who transform into a tank, a jeep, a motorbike, and an ice cream truck.
- The cover for this adventure shows Mirage and Rollbar facing off against a group of high-ranking Decepticons that includes Shockwave, Megatron, Starscream, and Zarak, but they don't appear in the adventure.
