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 make that clear to you.
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.
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 checkpoints 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.
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).
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.
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.
Only the last one.
Yes, the checkpoint marker repairs a point of damage in the same manner as a single wrench space.
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.
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.
Nothing. A powered down robot cannot fire weapons, receive option cards, tag checkpoints (if pushed onto them), update archive locations (ditto), or use turn programmed cards (for example, Shield). It cannot use any options unless the options specifically say they can be used while a robot is powered down. The robot basically becomes a lump that can be pushed around and suffer damage.
Yes. The new cards replace the old ones in the locked registers.
Your robot is destroyed when it receives 10 points of damage.
Yes, whichever option was activated most recently takes precedence.
Yes. After Conditional is used, the Abort Switch is still active until the end of the turn.