Celebrate 30 Years of Robo Rally!

2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Robo Rally! Robo Rally is a competitive racing game where players program their robots to reach checkpoints in a fun and frantic race around a factory. The core game contains double-sided gameboards which allow for over 80 factory racecourse possibilities, making the game different each time you play. Whoever can get their robot through all the checkpoints first is the winner of the race! 

 The game has seen many iterations since its first publishing in 1994. Robo Rally was one of the first games designed by the legendary Richard Garfield. In fact, it was the first game he pitched to Peter Atkinson, then CEO of Wizards of the Coast, who turned down the title and asked Richard for a more portable and affordable card game. This request would lead to the publishing of his genre-defining collectible card game Magic: the Gathering! Garfield has designed many successful games such as Netrunner, King of Tokyo, and more! 

Since Robo Rally’s conception and first publishing, the game has had some rule tweaks to improve overall gameplay. Within this past decade, Garfield took his years of design experience and set his sights on improving gameplay. Garfield spoke to Renegade about publishing a new edition of the game and making some changes, with some of the biggest changes being the addition of the Priority Token, updates to the upgrade cards, and the implementation of individual player decks. Renegade Games Studios got to work and published the new edition in August 2023! 

Alongside the release of the core game, Renegade also released two factory board expansions: Chaos & Carnage and Wet & Wild. These gameboards would be familiar to long-time Robo Rally fans, as they are reprints of boards that hadn’t been printed in over 20 years! The factory boards, originally released in the Armed & Dangerous Expansion, were published in 1995. This reprint has been long awaited. To ensure nobody misses out on the fun, these expansions are compatible with all previous versions of Robo Rally!

Each expansion comes with three double-sided gameboards, new upgrade cards, and new board elements. By February 2024 two more Robo Rally expansions were released. The newest factory board expansion, Robo Rally: Thrills and Spills, contains three new double-sided boards with new elements. This was released alongside the Robo Rally: Master Builder Expansion. This expansion is for those who want even more control over racecourse customization. It contains new 6x6 grid boards, new upgrade cards, and new Factory Floor Tokens. The 6x6 gameboards provide an all-new way to customize the game. Players can create courses with new crazy shapes, tunnels, and whatever else they can conceive. The Factory Floor Tokens are individual grid spaces with various elements on them, allowing players to make courses exactly the way they want. Within such a short period, Renegade has offered players a ton of content to help them expand their Robo Rally games like never before! And with no plans to stop making content in sight, fans should be on the lookout for more expansions to come. 

The newest addition to the line, Robo Rally: Transformers designed by Dan Blanchett, takes all the fun of Robo Rally and Transformers and puts them together in a new and unique way. In Robo Rally: Transformers players race along Velocitron’s racecourse as iconic robots such as Megatron and Optimus Prime. One unique feature in this version is your robot can convert between Bot (Robot) and Alt (Vehicle) mode. Your mode changes how you interact with elements on the board and other bots. New board elements in this version include High-Speed Roads, Buildings, Corridors, Bombs, and Jump Ramps.

Depending on your bot’s mode, you can interact with certain board elements. For example, if your bot is in Vehicle mode, you can use the Jump Ramps. If you’re in Bot mode, you can hide out in Corridors. Your weapon attack is also determined by your mode. In Vehicle mode, you can shoot your weapon in your facing direction, like in the regular game. However, if you’re in Bot mode, you can choose to shoot, forward, to the left, or to the right! Players are given the choice to convert between modes once at the beginning of each round, but paying energon or special upgrade cards may let you convert mid-round. The vehicle/bot mode feature in this game adds even more fun and strategy. In true Robo Rally spirit, this game comes with 4 double-sided gameboards to facilitate tons of racecourse possibilities and replayability. This new Robo Rally version is an innovative and fun addition to the well-loved line!

Available August 2024 is Robo Rally 30th Anniversary Edition! This edition celebrates the game's anniversary with the inclusion of deluxe components and components to play up to 8 people. Deluxe components include dual-layered player boards, wooden tokens, a metal priority token, and improved painted minis. Classic characters Twitch and Trundle Bot are also back in this edition. Also included are 4 new double-sided gameboards, adding even more racecourse possibilities for players. 

Renegade is excited to keep bringing new and fun additions to the Robo Rally line. This timeless game of chaos, racing, and programming has had a long life, and Renegade is excited to be a part of growing the game. Gentle-Robots…Start your microprocessors and get ready to race!

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Sophia Gambill is the Marketing & Sales Coordinator at Renegade Game Studios. A lover of all things tabletop games, her knowledge of the hobby aids her in spreading her passion for games to others.