Rifts

I became a fan of Rifts back when the original books were published in 1990. In it's 15 year history it has become one of the most diverse and richest RPG settings ever published, with over 25 World Books, 7 Dimension Books, 5 Sourcebooks, a quarterly magazine (The Rifter), etc. As such the original 15 year old rule book had become fairly dated, which I discovered when I became re-acquainted with this game early in 2004. While reading the early rulebook I found page after page of rules that had been totally re-written in the various supplements. Ranged Combat, for example, had gone through 4 or 5 different re-writes from the time of the publication of the first book. Many crucial OCC abilities (like the Zen Combat skills of the Cyber Knights) were added years after the original publication. Sorting out the current, official rules was difficult; generally I had to check the publication date of a book to validate the rules that it contained, as often rules in a newer book superseded an older book. All of that has changed. In this 376 page volume the Palladium staff has managed to collect all of the important rules needed to play the game, from all of the supplements published to date. Additionally, this book is organized in a much more novice friendly way. Fans of the original book will recall that it opened with a one and a half page into by Kevin Siembieda and then went straight to the character generation section. This new volume starts with another into by Kev, but then goes straight into a complete history of the coming of the Rifts and the Dark Ages. After the history section we are given an overview of life in the current time, included here is info from a number of books (including a lot of info from the recent, post Tolkeen, Aftermath book.) The book then proceeds to detail character classes, magic, equipment, vehicles etc. Finally at page 274, we get to the "Game Rules"; a design choice that I feel is brilliant. Siembieda truly immerses the reader in the world of Rifts before ever requiring them to work at actually learning the rules of the game itself. This seems to be a much more effective writing style than the previous convention of "rules first". Included in this section are the current (and hopefully final) Ranged Combat rules, including another reworking of the Dodge rules, that is quite cool. Lastly, the layout of this book is much improved over any previous Palladium effort, it's a hard cover, for starters, and contains page after page of illustrations, including a ton of smaller color plates from the Rifts CCG that are just amazing. Palladium books can almost always beat those of the competition with quality and quantity of content; this is the first Palladium book that I've seen that can kill the competition on looks alone. If you're a fan BUY IT NOW!!!!

The RIFTS rulebook is a complete set of role playing rules for $24.95. While there are literally dozens of optional, supplemental rulebooks available, this main book is more than adequate to allow years of playing by itself. Like most role playing games written in the 1980's, it requires at least one set of polyhedral dice (also known as a "d20 dice set", a set contains dice with four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and twenty sides,) to play. It is preferred that each player has their own set of dice, but it is not required as people can share them. If you wish to give a role playing game as a gift, then the RIFTS main rulebook and a set of dice (if they don't already have a set,) would be a fine choice that would allow them to play almost immediately.RIFTS has been in print continuously since 1983, and has been a perennial steady seller in comic book stores since that time. Strangely, RIFTS has not received the respect it deserves from mainstream bookstores, which tend to only carry Dungeons and Dragons and White Wolf's role playing games. Hopefully this will soon be remedied, as at this time, spring 2004, a motion picture is being filmed set in the world of RIFTS.RIFTS uses Palladium book's house game mechanics, which are the same as those of their other games, including Heroes Unlimited, Palladium Fantasy, and the now defunct Robo-tech and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games. The mechanics are similar to, but simpler and easier to use than the current "d20" rules, which they pre-date by about twenty years.The setting of RIFTS is a unique, post-apocalyptic North America, with both technology and the supernatural. At some time in the distant future, man developed bionics, cybernetics, genetic engineering, and other advanced technologies. Then a nuclear holocaust decimated the population and opened a number of inter-dimensional portals, called rifts. Various people and creatures wondered thought the rifts from alternate realities, including fantastic beings like vampires, elves, dragons, and wizards. Some factions, most notably a totalitarian state based in Chi-Town (the remains of Chicago), still have access to high technology, such as Mecha (giant fighting robots as in Robo-tech or Battle Tech) and suits of power armor. Since inter-dimensional travel is available, players can encounter anything conceivable. Using the main rulebook alone, players can pick from thirty character types, including: scientists, rouges, Mecha pilots, high tech soldiers, mutants, medically enhanced humans, cyborgs, genetically enhanced dogs, psychics, wizards, and dragons. This means that if one player wants to play a more-science fiction type character, and another wants to play fantasy type character, both can easily be accommodated.

Rifts uses a very simple system for guiding gameplay which is common to all Palladium games. I like it a lot better than the rather baroque AD & D (2nd and to my knowledge, 3rd) rules. With a little personalized tweaking by the GM, this system can be fast, believable, and a lot of fun.One caution: it is very easy to go overboard on weapons. PCs can get a lot of flexibility on what weapons and vehicles theey want, so if you want a relatively low-key group of 1st-level adventurers and vagabonds, set ground rules ASAP. Otherwise you'll have an armored company of robots with MIRV nuclear weapons. You may think I'm exaggerating, but stuff like this has happened to me before. While it can be abused, the powerful, fascinating combination of magic, psi, and technology turns Rifts into very fertile ground. This system is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

Rifts is one of the BEST RPGs in print today. With a solid character creation engine, to the beautifully designed skill based classes, and extensive histories of all the continents of Rifts Earth. Rifts is truly the greatest of all the Palladium game scenarios (with Palladium Fantasy close behind). If you're an RPG fan, and want something different, or you're new to RPG's and want a solid system to learn on, Rifts is the way to go.`

This complete introduction of Rifts is excellent, from the creation of the charectors to a quite simple Game Master guide. The idea itself of a post-apocalyptic world is creative. Easy and simple to play, this role-playing intro will leave you wanting for more, and won't devour your money. When you buy this book, you won't think much about the company. Nor will you realize that Palladium Books is a family and friend run business, run by people like you. And they do accept freelance writers, if you have an idea stuck in your head. In fact, they prefere freelance writers.