Nemesis: Retaliation · Board game rules
How does a damaged Robot affect player actions?
Quick answer
A Robot with a Malfunction marker cannot be used for any Actions or Room effects, though its Tactical Gear tokens can still be used.
Details
When a Malfunction marker is placed on the Robot card, the Robot is treated as having no text and no icons — this means neither its unique Robot Action nor any Room effects that interact with the Robot can be used [p.37 — ROBOT]. This mirrors the general rule for Malfunction markers placed on Heavy Items, where the item's effect and icons are ignored while broken [p.23 — MAP MARKERS AND TOKENS].
Despite being disabled, the Robot's Tactical Gear slots remain functional — Characters in the same Room as the Robot can still use or move its Ammo and Oxygen tokens via the "Use any Tactical Gear" Action [p.37 — ROBOT]. Additionally, effects that only require the Robot's presence (not its Action), such as certain Secure Action cards, can still be used even while it is malfunctioning [p.23 — MAP MARKERS AND TOKENS].
If a Character is in the same Room as the malfunctioning Robot, they may use an appropriate Action to discard the Malfunction marker from it, restoring its function [p.23 — MAP MARKERS AND TOKENS]. If a Malfunction marker would be placed on the Robot when one is already there, the new marker is simply ignored — it cannot stack [p.23 — MAP MARKERS AND TOKENS].
Watch out: Unlike Weapons (which are destroyed if a second Malfunction marker would be placed on them), the Robot simply ignores a duplicate Malfunction marker rather than being destroyed [p.23 — MAP MARKERS AND TOKENS].