Robotech Shadow Chronicles RPG

Occupation, Survival, and Pressure

I recently sat down and recorded the first two videos in a small series focused on Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles RPG. These were not scripted deep rule breakdowns. They were table-side conversations about what this era of Robotech actually feels like and why it plays so differently from earlier material. The first video was about setting the tone. Shadow Chronicles is not about defending Earth or turning the tide of a war. Earth is already lost. Its defenses are shattered. Humanity is scattered and surviving under occupation. That single change shifts the entire roleplaying experience. Instead of asking how to win battles, the game pushes players to ask how long they can stay hidden, whether a risk is worth taking, and what survival looks like when power draws attention instead of safety. The setting feels smaller, quieter, and heavier, and that pressure creates tension without needing constant combat.

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The second video focused on the Invid themselves and why they are such an effective occupying force. The Invid are not driven by hatred or revenge. They are driven by indifference and necessity. Protoculture is all that matters to them, and Earth becomes valuable the moment the Flower of Life spreads across the planet. Humans are treated as obstacles, tools, or resources, not enemies worthy of respect. Some people survive by staying invisible and avoiding technology. Others collaborate for protection. Resistance exists, but it is costly and often fatal. The Invid caste system, their hive behavior, and their lack of emotion reinforce the idea that this is not a war you can win through force alone. These two videos together lay the groundwork for understanding Shadow Chronicles as a survival focused setting built on pressure, restraint, and consequence. This is not heroic victory play. It is endurance play, and that is exactly why it works so well at the table.