Robots have been a staple of science fiction for a hundred years, fulfilling every role from near mindless worker, to faithful sidekick, to comic relief, to sinister villain trying to take over the world. They range from remote-controlled drones to super intelligent beings who have far exceeded the limits of their biological creators. Robots may be stationary objects equipped with a single arm or nothing more than a radio to control other machines. They may move across the ground, sea or sky, equipped with limbs, tools and weapons of all kinds.

The Robot Handbook is designed to be both quick and easy to use, and configurable to customize all aspects of a robot's functions, capabilities and skills; a standard robot can be built in just a few minutes. The Robot Handbook also includes rules for making nanorobots and microrobots, androids, clones, biological robots and brains for both vehicles and spacecraft. And what is a cybernetic limb but a robot part? The Robot Handbook covers everything from a cybernetic arm to a whole mechanical body with a live brain inside. The Robot Handbook comes complete with an immense catalogue filled with robots built using these rules, acting as a springboard for your own designs and allowing you to begin using robots right away to be tools, companions or opponents for your Travellers to encounter.