Eberron Campaign Setting Review

 

 

Ah, the Eberron Campaign Setting.  A long time ago, about twenty years ago, Wizards of the Coast did a setting search.  I sent my proposal in, and so did thousands of others.  All hoping for a chance at fame for producing the next Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting.  Keith's setting made the cut.  Called Eberron by Bill Slavicsek, Keith Baker's setting became a new setting for Dungeons and Dragons.  Although still for D&D, it's different than what came before. The Eberron Campaign Setting describes a world that is unlike anything before.

Inspirations

Eberron is inspired by the pulp era of the 1930's. The book suggests you watch several movies inspired by the same era.  Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of these. Casablanca was another (though I don't know how it was an inspiration -- but it's a classic movie).  The original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard certainly counts as inspiration. The Lensman series by Doc E.E. Smith also certainly counts. Certainly Buck Rodgers also counts, along with the classic Flash Gordon movies. However, thanks to the novel series and collaboration by others than just Keith Baker, the Eberron setting grew and evolved.

Innovations

Eberron, due to it's pulp era inspiration, brought a few innovations to the D&D game. These include Action Points, new races, dragonmarks, a new heroic class, and the philosophy that if it exists in D&D, there is certainly a place for it in Eberron.  This included psionics and other things as well.

Action points was one of the new innovations.  Eventually, Paizo would create hero points for Pathfinder (1e), which was based on the same idea.  Basically, you can spend a hero point to modify your d20 rolls.  This means, if a d20 roll wasn't the result you desired, you can spend an action point to modify your roll with a d6.  This is to reflect that in Eberron, your characters are larger than life heroes.  Which was already a thing in D&D.  Eberron characters just stand out.

 

The new races included certainly don't have dragonmarks.  But they represent something new about the setting.  These races include the changelings, the warforged, the kalashtar, and the shifters.  Changelings are beings that can shapeshift into other persons by using a supernatural ability that works like the alter self spell in D&D.  This shapeshifting is so complete that the changeling can replicate other beings exactly.  This makes them useful as spies and rogues.  They do not have dragonmarks.

Warforged are living constructs.  They were constructed by House Cannith to basically serve in the Last War.  Which, I promise, we will come back to. Anyhow, like the Changelings, the warforged do not have dragonmarks.  But they do have souls, which can be worked into adventures exploring that fact. Because of their constructed nature, warforged have bonuses to AC and living construct traits.

Kalashtar are the result of man bonding with Quori spirits in the past. Because these spirits are good and trying to be good, Kalashtar tend also to be good.  They are also beautiful persons, with an ethereal quality about them. And because the Quori are from the region of dreams, the Kalashtar also tend to be psionic.  Like the Changelings and the Warforged, the Kalashtar cannot have dragonmarks.

Shifters are the result of lycanthropes breeding with humans.  The result is a race that is capable of shifting with animal like features.  This brings into question that the Shifters represent the fusion of man with the natural world.  Like the warforged, kalashtar, and changelings, shifters can't have dragonmarks.

Dragonmarks are a new thing brought into being with the Eberron Campaign Setting.  The idea that the seven common races in the PHB (and incidentally, Pathfinder) can have dragonmarks.  They are purchased with a feat.  A dragonmark allows a person to have a certain spell-like ability depending on it's strength. indviduals with stronger dragonmarks have stronger spell-like abilities. While some races get only one dragonmark, and humans get five.  Also, the dragonmarks are tied to the Draconic Prophecy.  They are manifestations of the Draconic Prophecy and the dragons are trying to understand them. What the dragonmarks did was allow the formation of the Dragonmarked Houses -- financial, political, and social institutions that have at least a near monopoly on certain services.  Such as crafting and healing.

Artificers are another addition to D&D by Eberron. Artificers are a class that is made to represent the construction of magic items and constructs.  Artificers achieved this through the use of craft points and the various craft item feats.  In D&D 3e, however, the class was broken.  It wasn't balanced and so DMs would disallow the class in their games.  In fourth edition, they received an overhaul.  Which I didn't like anyhow.  When Paizo released the Advanced Player's Guide for Pathfinder, there was a contender for the Artificer called the alchemist.  Although the class was meant to represent something new to Eberron, it would take Advanced d20 Magic to provide an alternative to crafting magic items that would make this class viable.

If it Exists in D&D, then it fits in Eberron

This philosophy is the guiding light of Eberron campaigns.  Everything about D&D exists in Eberron somewhere.  This means that you can have exotic items from D&D in your Eberron campaign, like psionics.  Although each monster was given a certain flavor in order to exist in Eberron.  Mind flayers are aberrations from Xoriat, and orcs aren't seen as automatically evil. Alignments aren't concrete in Eberron either.  This means you can have good creatures do things that are thought of as evil, and evil creatures push for good things all around.

Eberron's History

The history of Eberron reflects its pulp nature.  There once was a continent spanning empire in Eberron, called the kingdom of Galifar.  This lasted for nearly a thousand years.  The empire of Galifar (lets just call it what it is) was a time of peace and prosperity.  It was divided into five geopolitical areas known as the five nations.  The scions of Galifar would rule each nation and the eldest of the scions would ascend to the throne.  However, there was a devastating war that split the kingdom of Galifar into thirteen separate kingdoms.  Called the Last War, it was almost every man for itself.  As each nation warred to have it's king or queen to ascend to the throne of Galifar. Due to a devastating attack on the nation of Cyre, which utterly destroyed the nation, the last war was brought to a halt and a treaty was signed.

Tensions run high, however.  It's almost like a cold war has replaced a hot one.  The nations spy on each other, and there are small conflicts on the borders of certain nations. While the dragons are obsessed with the Draconic Prophecy, they did little to halt the conflict once it began.

 

Eberron's Technology

Eberron is definitely set apart by it's high technology.  As reflected above, the most obvious example is the Lightning Rail, a train that runs on magnetic levitation.  Produced during when the Kingdom of Galifar was at it's height, the lightning rail represents what can be done with magic in Eberron. Magic is definitely seen as a tool by everyone that uses it.  Through magic, man and other races have created great wonders. But, like what happened to the Mournland (Cyre) and what happened to Mordain the Fleshweaver, magic itself is a tool that can be misused.  Although Eberron is described as medieval, it's technology certainly places Eberron in the late Renaissance era.  It's more like modern times, like the early 1920's of our history.  What else sets Eberron apart from other campaign settings is the lack of gunpowder.  There is no gunpowder on Eberron.

Looking forward to the Future

The Eberron Campaign Setting is certainly innovative. It describes a setting that is not like other settings. Unlike Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and others -- it certainly has potential moving forward.  I foresee that the Eberron Campaign Setting certainly has potential and this has been realized in the Dungeon Masters' Guild.  Where anyone can contribute to the setting.  This has certainly been good for the setting as a whole.  Certainly more novels will be produced in the future, and more pulp campaigns will be realized. The Eberron Campaign Setting certainly has a bright future ahead of it.  Although I could have discussed more about what was in this setting, mind you this is only a review and I could not talk about everything.

Why Shadowrun is better than D&D

 

Shadowrun is much better than D&D by all accounts.  Although Dungeons and Dragons from Wizards of the Coast is marketed as the best Roleplaying game, you have to remember that D&D, and Pathfinder, and most level based games have a knack of pidgeon-holing your character into a particular role.  If you choose to be a paladin, then you are stuck playing a paladin (because that's your character class).  Although 5th edition has been trying to tool with alignments, it still doesn't bring you the freedom that Shadowrun has.  Shadowrun is clearly superior to Dungeons and Dragons in a number of ways.

Character Creation

 

Take for instance, the differences in character creation.  Dungeons and Dragons has you rolling for attributes, or buying them with points.  Or you may start out with a particular array.  Shadowrun, and particularly 4th edition, has you buying your attributes with 200 build points.  Now, of course Pathfinder and Rolemaster has you buying attributes too.   Just that both of these games handle the next step differently.  By your race and role.

Both Shadowrun and Dungeons and Dragons have you choose your race.  In Dungeons and Dragons and other games like it (Pathfinder, for instance) you choose your race: whether elf, human, dwarf, halfling, gnome, half-elf, or half-orc.  In Dungeons and Dragons, your race confers you certain benefits.  Like for instance a human may get an extra feat, and an extra skill point.  And an elf may get other benefits.

In Shadowrun you pay for the privilege of playing a different race other than human.  This represents how rare each metatype other than human is.  Like it costs 20 build points to play an orc, and 30 build points to play an elf.  And each metatype, other than human, has certain advantages in Shadowrun (see SR4A, page 81).

In the next step you choose your role.  In Dungeons and Dragons role is defined by your class, in Shadowrun, you define your role through the taking of qualities (something like Advantages and Disadvantages in Steve Jackson Games' GURPS).  Dungeons and Dragons still has you picking a class.  In fact, many players would pick a class based on the party's needs and not their wants. 

Take for instance you wanted to play a paladin.  In D&D you'd pick a class called paladin, and this determines some basic factors about your class.  In both D&D and Pathfinder, this would be your base attack bonus, your saves, and your class abilities. In Shadowrun you make your own role.  You aren't pigeon-holed into a particular class and role (say, like tank or healer).  You make your role your own. You want to play a mage?  Then you spend 15 build points to take the magician quality and gain the powers of a magician.

You want to play a paladin in Shadowrun?  Then you take the code of conduct quality and choose Chivalry as your code of conduct. In Shadowrun you define your role.

Both games have skills.  In D&D, skills define what you know and feats define what you can do.  In fact, in third edition D&D, the fighter got all the feats and the rogue got all the skills.  In Shadowrun, there are active skills -- which are defined as what you can do; knowledge skills, which define what you know; and language skills, which define how well you communicate in your chosen languages (Shadowrun's world is a global village). 

These are chosen through build points (you get a lot of build points).  In D&D there isn't a lot of skills, but there are a lot of feats. In Shadowrun there are more skills -- however room is given for the Game Master (Dungeon Master in D&D) to define other skills if the need arises.

After you build your characters, you go on adventure in D&D, and in Shadowrun you go on shadowruns.  In D&D you are expected to be good, in Shadowrun, you're a criminal. Both games offer an escape, and both games handle these differently.  As a result, both have their flaws.

Game Concepts

The flaws in both games are in the mechanics (or game physics as I like to call them).  D&D has you rolling primarily the d20.  That's why the system as a whole was called the d20 system during the 2000s. 

Shadowrun uses the d6.  In fact, it uses dice pools, which are multiple d6s.  If you roll a 5 or a 6, it's called a success. If you rolled more 1s than you have 5s or 6s, you glitch.  And if you roll just a number of 1s and no 5s or 6s, you critically glitch.  Which is a spectacular failure in Shadowrun.  While in D&D you roll the d20 to resolve most rolls, in Shadowrun you roll d6s.  While the chances are just about the same, you find that you have a better chance of success in Shadowrun than in D&D or Pathfinder.

Conclusion

Both games have their flaws.  Both games have their strengths, and both games provide some fun.  While in D&D you primarily play a hero (depends on which world you play in, remember?),  in Shadowrun you play a criminal out to break the law and are considered a deniable asset to your patron.  In D&D you become the Man.  In Shadowrun you stick it to the Man.  Although Shadowrun is better than D&D, you play different roles in both, and in both you can be successful in having fun.

Rifts Lone Star Review

 

Today, I'm reviewing Rifts World Book 13: Lone Star by Kevin Siembieda.  Basically the north half of Texas, Lone Star is about the genetic engineering lab called the Lone Star complex.  It is here that "mutant" dogs are bred and genetically engineered.

The book begins by touching on the ten thousand year history man has with the dog.  While the dog was genetically engineered from the wolf ten thousand years ago, the dog has become man's best friend.  For instance, in the Fertile Crescent, dogs were buried with their masters when their master died. Flash forward to the time of Rifts, and the dog has been genetically engineered to become a two legged biped with human intelligence.

Then the book touches on how to create dog boys (what the Coalition calls the mutants) for your game.  The book goes into different breeds of dogs, and how they are used within the Coalition States.  The book also touches on the creation of other mutant animals -- like big cats and apes. And also other mutants.

My Game

I ran a short lived game of Rifts.  It was a playtest of Rifts Lone Star.  The players had to create characters that were all Canines.  And we had fun playing in southwest Kansas.  The dog boy rules seemed to work and, keeping balance, we managed to do combat well.  The game was balanced, for Rifts that was saying something.

Like Rifts World Book 14: New West this book has something to contribute to your Rifts game. Whether it be Savage Worlds Rifts or original Rifts.  The balance wasn't all over the place, and it stayed on one locale.  You should go on Drivethru and pick up a copy. I recommend it.

Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook Review

 Today, I'm reviewing the Shadowrun: 4th Ed. 20th Anniversary Core Rulebook by Catalyst Game Labs.  Alright, to me this is the best incarnation of Shadowrun since FASA first published Shadowrun in 1989.  In this game, you have a lot of options to make your character unique to others.  And strangely enough, 2019 marked the 30th Anniversary of this game, and so Catalyst Game Labs has since released Shadowrun: Sixth World.  Or sixth edition, to be fair.

 Shadowrun is a Roleplaying Game like Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, and Rolemaster.  Although its set in a dystopian world where magic has returned and there is high technology in the form of cybernetics, computers, and other things.  Shadowrun is a mixture of Dystopian Cyberpunk and Tolkien Fantasy.  The game is inspired by Bladerunner, Minority Report, Neuromancer, and the Tolkien novels.

Man Meets Magic and Machine

The premise of Shadowrun is simple.  You play a character called a Shadowrunner.  Someone who lives in the outskirts of society.  The world has changed in fifty years. Corporations weild the power of nations, the cities are sprawling metroplexes, and as I said before, magic has returned.  The USA lost it's western states to the native Americans in a great war of magic and machine called the Great Ghost Dance.  And humanity has changed since the awakening in 2011.

Elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls had thrown off their human disguises and joined the ranks of humanity.  And other things changed since the coming of Halley's Comet.  Humanity even further changed, introducing the Changelings into the mix (which have strange genetics, some even have reptilian appearances.)  As magic returned, so did the means of using magic.  Magicians -- from hermetic mages to shamans -- do magic in the streets.  And there is a world wide internet called the Matrix, which has become wireless.

As a Shadowrunner, you run the streets doing missions for the Corporations. These can include industrial espionage missions, bounty hunting, magical investigations, and other missions.  The GM should be inspired by James Bond, the adventures of Jack Ryan, and a host of other movies and television shows.  There is a cold war between corporations, and your character is in the thick of it.

Shadowrunners are originally thought of as terrorists, but they are operatives that are typically outside of the law.  They run the shadows, they are in the shadows, and they are equipped with magic, guns, computers, cyberware, and bioware.  Enhancements that allow them to do their job.

 

The System

Shadowrun uses simple six sided dice as it's core mechanic.  You roll six sided dice to resolve tests. The GM may set a target number, and usually you have to roll 5 or better to get a success.  The more successes you have, the better you are at that test.  Although sometimes lady luck can go against you, and if you roll more 1s than 5s or 6s, a glitch can happen.

Frequently asked questions: 

Are there classes?

No, there are no classes.  There are some sample characters which you can draw inspiration from.  From a Bounty Hunter to a covert ops specialist, to a combat mage, to a hacker, to a technomancer (someone who can interface the matrix without a Comlink), to a street samurai, and others.  They show what can be made with the system.  Unlike D&D, Shadowrun doesn't use classes.

Are there alignments?

No, and that's part of the game's charm.  D&D introduced the concept of aligmments, and games could be black and white.  In Shadowrun, there are only shades of gray.  Your character has no alignment, so you can play the character the way you want.  Want someone like James Bond? You can.  Only you aren't pigeon holed into playing a character in a way that Aligments can.  It's your character, you're free to play that character the way you want.  Of course, you have to deal with the consequences of your character's choices.

How does Magic Work?

Magic works differently in Shadowrun.  Every spell has a force rating that you can normally cast.  These ratings are typically from 1 to 6.  And sometimes can go beyond that. A magician can know many spells (typically about twice your Spellcasting skill at character creation).  And there are many spells to learn. Magic typically has a line of sight range.  You can cast an unlimited number of spells, but eventually that can take a toll on your character.

 

  How does the Matrix work?

The matrix works like a wireless network across the whole world.  Just like we have wireless phones, and wireless networks, so the Matrix is a vast wireless network.  It's been wireless since 2064 in Shadowrun.  Your character is a hacker or a technomancer.  The hacker still relies on a computer called a Commlink to access the matrix.  While the technomancer can do it instinctively without a Comlink or other computer.  The hacker uses programs to interact with the Matrix, while the Technomancer uses complex forms and sprites.  Programs (and their technomancer counterpart, complex forms) can have ratings up to 6.

 Conclusion 

Shadowrun is a good game, it has been for nearly 40 years.  It has been a cyberpunk RPG that has endured beyond other games like it.  Like Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red.  It's premise is simple, and you can create a whole number of characters using SR4A.  Thankfully it's on Drivethru, the game is cheep to get into.  The core rulebook only costs 15 dollars on Drivethru, and you can get the core sourcebooks for less than 60 dollars.  

The Rifts RPG Review

 Today, I'm reviewing the RIFTS® roleplaying game by Kevin Siembieda. Kevin is a great guy.  He gets ideas from everywhere and turns them into RPGs.  Rifts started a long time ago, probably after Kevin watched STAR WARS A New Hope. It is certainly one of the most imaginative settings for a Roleplaying game.  It literally includes everything, including the kitchen sink.

The book begins with the usual Palladium Books' disclaimer.  That the Rifts RPG is one that deals with the supernatural and occult themes.  This disclaimer may have been warranted in the early eighties when there was a scare on Roleplaying games and their themes.  Dungeons and Dragons was attacked for including elements of the occult.  Something the publishing company got away from during the Second Edition publication of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game.  However, when Wizards of the Coast took over Dungeons and Dragons, the occult themes returned.

As for Rifts®, it's part of the landscape that magic is included.  And like other roleplaying games, you won't be able to learn magic for real.  Still it's a strange RPG chosen by my wife as her first time playing roleplaying games.  I don't recommend Rifts® for the first time player.  I would suggest the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game (BECMI) for the first timer.  Rifts is just too strange for the first time gamer to grasp.

When did the Rifts come?  When did it all began?

Technically, they came after a nuclear war exchange.  The death of so many caused their energy to pump into the ley lines.  Which opened up rifts into different places and times.  This caused more people to die, which caused a surge, and the result was a chain reaction no one could stop. As a result the Earth had changed.  With a landscape that is both familiar and alien.  The landscape is crisscrossed by a web of ley lines, which can be seen from space.  The land is full of alien creatures called "D-Bees" which is short for dimensional beings.  It is into this world that the Rifts® character enters the picture, a larger than life character.  It's a savage, violent world, the world of the Rifts®.

Character Creation

Character creation is like that in AD&D.  You roll 3d6 worth of dice on seven different attributes.  After this is done, you calculate your hit points and your structural damage capacity (SDC). After that, Mega-damage and mega-damage capacity (MDC) is figured.  Then you determine if you are psionic or not. After that, you select your Occupational Character Class (O.C.C.) or a Racial Character Class (R.C.C.), figuring out your skills. After this is done, you figure your Potential Psychic Energy (P.P.E.).  Then you figure your money and equipment.  Then comes alignment.

The concept of Alignment works like how it works in Dungeons and Dragons.  It's a guide to help you roleplay your character to your likes.  You can select between two good alignments: Principled (Lawful Good), and Scrupulous (Neutral Good); between two selfish alignments: Unprincipled (Chaotic Good), and Anarchist (Chaotic Neutral); and between three evil alignments: Miscreant (Neutral Evil), Aberrant (Lawful Evil), and Diabolic (Chaotic Evil).  After that, your character is basically done -- with a few things that need to be explained.

Innovations from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (TSR, WotC) and Basic Roleplaying (Chaosium)

There are four major innovations from AD&D and Basic Roleplaying.  Basically, the Palladium System has these four innovations.  They are the way Character Classes are handled. The way Alignment is handled, the way experience is handled, and the way Skills are handled.  Alignment has already been touched on.  There are basically three categories of alignment, and at least two different alignments for each category.  Character class is also handled differently, in that you either select an occupational character class or a racial character class. However, within these classes there is little customization in the way of skills. So before you choose a character class, be thoughtful because it might very well be the only character class you will have.  Unlike other Palladium Roleplaying games (like Robotech or the Palladium Fantasy Game) multiclassing isn't mentioned.  It may not even be possible with some concepts.

Experience points are awarded differently than in Dungeons and Dragons. You are rewarded for performing a skill, coming up with ideas, endangering yourself to save others, avoiding unnecessary violence, and other actions.  You typically get less experience for defeating foes.

Skills are also handled differently.  Although it's the same in Basic Roleplaying, you have to roll under a certain number (in this case a percentage value) for the skill in order to successfully preform the skill in question. This percentage value has a maximum score of 98%, because there has to be a margin for error. Plus, there are a large number of skills to choose from.  This is different from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

All of these innovations allowed the Palladium System to be unique from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (by TSR and WotC) as well as the Basic Roleplaying Game by Chaosium..  "Basically one can consider the Palladium setting as a major reimagination of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

Rifts is not a good introductory roleplaying game

I would stay away from Rifts if you are a first time gamer.  I actually got started playing Dungeons and Dragons -- but Rifts is a whole different dimension. The game features darker things to play as your regular PC -- juicers, crazies, borgs, dragon hatchlings, mind melters, psi-stalkers, "mutant" dogs, men of magic, and many others.

Plus, the system is dated.  It was great in 1990 when Rifts came out.  But now it shows it's age.  The system shows signs of wear when compared to other roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition.  The lack of customization, the plethora of O.C.C.s and the way alignment is handled can be quite counter intuitive. Plus, you have adult themes in the game.  You are most likely locked into a game of survival, where the normal concept of heroics is usually not to be had.  A RIFTS game is usually about surviving in a world that is both alien and familiar more so than about being heroic.  Although heroic actions are rewarded, and there is at least one heroic O.C.C., the Cyber-knight.

So Why Buy the Game?

You should buy this if you are looking for a different game to run.  If you want to run a survival game, where saving someone from that demon is a good idea.  The visuals are stunning, and there are a number of world books you can buy to enhance your game.  In fact, I was stunned when my wife decided to play Rifts® for her first roleplaying game. Although she chose the Savage Worlds system for her first system, she read my entire library of Rifts Books and had fallen in love with the setting.  She has picked the New West setting for her first campaign and I'll be setting that up in time. (DAZ soon). 

Combining Barsoom with Lothlórien

After reading all of the posts on the Palladium boards and the Savage Worlds RIFTS boards I can world build a little.  The game is set in the New West setting for RIFTS, and my wife wants to play a nude elf cowgirl.  The game system we are using is Savage Worlds, the setting is RIFTS from Palladium.

by Mezzotint on Shutterstock.

I'm figuring a dude ranch in Southern Utah (like the one above is in Zion National Park).  She wants to be based in Moab, Utah, however, but we'll talk about it.  The changes everyone is suggesting is either cosmetic or mechanical, however.  The trick is creating a culture that combines Barsoom with Lothlórien.  Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote Barsoom to be an exotic Mars.  The Martians wore harnesses and very little clothing (their harnesses are their only clothing).  Something my wife approves of.  Remember, she's a nudist and wants her character to be nude in game.

Lothlórien is an elven forest found in the Lord of the Rings. The magical nature of the kingdom is protected by Galadriel's ring. I'll figure more out of the setting once I talked to my wonderful, nude wife. I'll be world building this for her.  And North America is a big place in RIFTS.  The most powerful nation, the Coalition States, only takes up a small part of the Heartland of America.  The rest is considered to be wilderness by the Coalition States.  There's room for an elven kingdom in Utah.  Even if they are nudists.

Barsoom and Lothlórien

My wife had the great idea of playing in a Rifts game (campaign) as her first introduction to roleplaying games.  She wants to play RIFTS mostly because she had read my entire Rifts library and wanted to play.  She wants to play an elf cowgirl in the New West (a setting where the Old West comes to life in RIFTS, see my Rifts: New West review below).  Not just any elf Cowgirl, but a nude one.  My wife is a nudist and yes, I'm very lucky.

This is the first time for her playing any sort of Roleplaying Game, especially Rifts.  I already reached out to the gaming community.  Both at the Palladium Forums and the Pinnacle Entertainment Group RIFTS forums for some ideas for creating an elf community that is based both on Lothlórien and Barsoom.  And both communities have responded with ideas of their own. I was surprised that she picked RIFTS as her first foray into Roleplaying Games, actually.  RIFTS is not an easy setting to grasp, but then again she read my entire library and picked both the New West setting and the Atlantis setting as places to start a campaign in.

Rifts Atlantis Review

Cover by Keith Parkinson

Ah, Atlantis.  Atlantis is my second favorite setting for Rifts®.  Kevin Seimbieda wrote Atlantis and a lot of good ideas flowed to him. Atlantis is the lost continent, the ancient enemy, the place of lost secrets. And in the Rifts Earth it has returned with all the magic and technology. Returning to KS' vision of Atlantis is not exactly coming home for me.  Although I know a lot about Atlantis (I studied Atlanteology). Rifts World Book Two: Atlantis is a book with good ideas.  Ley line storms, true Atlanteans, Bio-Wizardry (an advanced form of genetic manipulation), Rune Weapons and ultra technology, this book is an unique setting for your Rifts® campaign.  Since my wife wants to play in a campaign featuring Atlantis, I thought this is a good book to review.  It's one hundred sixty pages long.

What's in it?

Atlantis contains a lot of good ideas.  It begins with a diatribe from Erin Tarn about Atlantis, and how she will predict war with Atlantis and the Coalition states.  Although the CS is over extending itself in the Heartland of America, the war would not go well.  Atlantis returned after millennia and the Splugorth -- aliens with a Cthulhu Mythos inspiration -- had already conquered Atlantis.  They built their city of Splynn and it's become a haven of trade and commerce through out the Megaverse®. When the Atlanteans returned, they found that their continent had been conquered by these alien beings.  Also, Atlantis is adjacent to the Bermuda Triangle, a region of sea that has become very dangerous to sail.  Called the demon sea, the place is an unsettled region.  It typically can appear in different worlds at different times, and sea monsters roam the area.  And true to Palladium system fashion, there is a random table you can roll to see what happens while you are on the Demon Sea.

Next are the ley line storms, and they are storms of energy that happens along ley lines.  The random tables provide occurrences that can happen along a ley line.  Then Atlantis is talked about.  All of it is wild imagination, even the Splugorth that conquered Atlantis is just imagination.  Good imagination, I should say!  Then the Atlantean race is discussed, and are given an R.C.C. treatment (in Savage Rifts, they are an alternate race that you can apply an Iconic Framework to).   After this, the various nations of Atlantis are visited.  With a dragon city, a gargoyle kingdom, a refuge, and then the kingdom of Splynncrith are all detailed.

Splynncrinth is a Splugorth, a mighty being that looks like a shuggoth from the Cthulhu mythos. He enslaved everyone and has built a mighty financial empire that rivals that in power of the Coalition States.  He built a market where everything and anything imaginable is bought and sold.  He also enslaved the humans of Atlantis and sells slaves from all over the Megaverse.  Is Splynncrinth powerful enough to conquer Earth?  Most probably he is.  But his financial empire is enough to satisfy him, for now.

Atlantis Map by Will-Erwin.

 

Player Options

There are a lot of player options in this book.  New Racial Character Classes (R.C.C.) such as the true Atlantean, the Atlantean Nomad, the minions of the Splugorth, including: the Highlords, power lords, and others.  Oh the Splugorth slaver and the blind Warrior Women are detailed in this book.  Also included are the Kittani, and other options.  Including some slave stock (which more are detailed in Splynn Dimensional Market). After that comes the OCCs.  Including Tattooed men (of which there are four different types).  And so far humans, neanderthals, and elves may become tattooed with magic tattoos.  Stone magic is discussed, along with Bio-Wizardry.

Bio-wizardry itself is described as disgusting.  As it is used to manipulate the DNA of a person, animal, or whatever.  (Splynn is a big place).  It's a magical science that includes transmutation of a person.  Then there is a transmutation table.  After that, various bio-wizardry items are discussed.  Some of these are just strange, others are beneficial.

Then there is a section of bio-engineered parasites.  These include the brain feeder, the mystic leech, the mind slug, heart worms, zombitron, and others.  Then there is a section of symbiotes.  Including the chest amalgamate or chest thing, the elom, mind link, and pathic healer, talo mind worms and others.

By Gaius31duke.

Then comes the bio-wizard weapons.  And there are many.  From items that can be used to control slaves, to P.P.E. batteries that are powered by captured and enslaved fairy folk.  Then rune weapons are discussed.  After that, futuristic vehicles and power armor are introduced!

Conclusion

This book contains a lot of information on Atlantis as a setting for your Rifts campaign. Most of it is imaginative, wildly so. The city of Atlantis has been renamed the city of Splynn. And it's ruled by aliens and D-bees.  There is a lot here for the setting and should be a good starting place for GMs.  A good book for your Palladium Rifts game.  I give it seven stars out of ten.

Rifts® New West Review

 

Welcome to a world where there is no law amongst the West.  It's the Old West reborn, for your Rifts® campaign.  Rifts World Book 14: New West describes my favorite setting for Rifts.  The region of the old United States called the Old West.  Written by Christopher R. Kornmann and Kevin Seimbieda, the book doesn't disappoint bringing the Old West into the New.

What does the book have in it?

The first few pages introduces you to the New West.  After the coming of the Rifts, the region had returned to the ways of the Old West.  Mainly through pre-Rifts Western shows and books that romanced the time period.  The ways and style of the Old West return with a vengeance.  People riding horses, wearing the styles of the old west, and other trappings have made the Old West come back.  There is no law, but the Code.

The book starts out with an overview of the territory of the New West.  Beginning with a journal entry from William McKinnith -- a gunslinger.  The west is a vast wilderness beyond the Coalition States.  Considered to be a true wilderness, there are villages and towns beyond to the West.  Places like Ephraim, Tombstone, Arzno, Charity, and Boise.  These places were the towns of the New West.  The vast wilderness that in between places of settlement is a place of danger and excitement. 

By Sascha Burkard, available from Shutterstock.

 The culture of the New West is a romance of the Old West.  John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and other actors are viewed as heroes.  Western music dominates, and the fictional cowboys of Hollywood Westerns are viewed as cultural templates.  From this romanticism arose a culture of freedom and chaos.

Character Types

There are several character types that one could play, most based off the romance of the Old West.  From bandits and desperados, to bounty hunters and gunslingers (there are three types of gunslingers -- by the way), to mining borgs, to justice rangers and sherrifs.  Other character types include the cowboy, preacher, saloon bum, gambler, and barmaid.  Of course, there are new skills included in the book to support the various character types. Yep, there is everything you need for a campaign in the New West. Even the Code is remunerated.

By Sherwood, shutterstock

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Then comes a list of monsters for your campaigns.  Which include the dream snake, gwilacks, and others -- including a worm man. Others include various dinosaurs.  Including the hadrosaur, the triceratops, and tyrannosaurus rex.

After that, various items you can buy, even borg conversion packages are detailed. What was interesting, Bandito Arms have gotten access to the Area 51 site and found some SAMAS suits.  Pre-Rifts suits.  Bandito then copied the technology and made it available.  Then whats available from the Black Market and Wilks merchandise is made available.  Even robot horses, although it's possible to get an AI installed in the horses, so that cowboys could talk to their horses.  The book ends with Techno-wizard weapons and gear.  Including the iron horse -- a train powered and follows the ley lines.

Conclusion

This is one of Rifts better world books. I suggest it wholeheartedly.  Of course, you can do research and watch Westerns for your adventures.  You can base your adventures on actual Western movies -- like True Grit and the Searchers.  Even Clint Eastwood movies can be a source of inspiration.  Also, reading books can give you inspiration for your adventures.  The book provides a starting point for your adventures in the New West.

So, what's bad about it?  Well, the OCCs aren't balanced with other World books.  Other than that, it's a good book and I recommend it for your campaigns.

Savage Worlds Rifts: The Tomorrow Legion's Guide

 

Ah, original Rifts.  Good setting, very good setting, but the game mechanics was something of a fusion of AD&D and Chaosium Basic Roleplaying. While it worked when I was a teen and a little later, today it's dated and in need of a overall.  Fortunately, the Savage Worlds team approached Kevin Seimbedia one day and said they like to do Rifts for Savage Worlds.  Well, Kevin thought it would be a good idea and so we have Rifts: the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide. While most players would play Rifts with a different system, the Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide contains all the rules for playing Rifts in Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE).

Kevin is a gregarious and generous person.  And while I liked him when I met him, he will not open Rifts up to third party publishers.  I don't know if he will use the Open RPG Creative license, although it would be awesome if he did.  Rifts is very imaginative: Man just rose from a Dark Age, although illiteracy is common in the Coalition states.  The world is not how we see it.  The world is beset by the rifts: doorways into dimensions and far away worlds. The Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide contains all you need to get started with a Savage Worlds Rifts campaign.  Of course you'll need the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition core rulebook to play.

What is in it?

Savage Rifts still does not contain classes, but most of the classes in Rifts were converted into Iconic Frameworks for Savage Worlds.  These iconic frameworks work like the Occupational Character classes in Rifts. And as Savage Worlds does not use levels, there are no levels for these classes. But don't worry, you can improve your character using the Savage Worlds RPG.  The iconic frameworks include: Burster, a pyrokinetic; combat cyborg, a being built with cyber-bionics; crazy, a person with cybernetic brain enhancements; Cyber-knight, Rifts answer to the D&D paladin; dragon hatchling, yes you can play a dragon!  Glitterboy, a futuristic warrior in a power suit; Juicer, a person that uses drugs to enhance their performance; Ley-line walker, technically a wizard; MARS, catch all for iconic frameworks for the doctor, headhunter, and others. Mind melter, a super psionic person; Mystic, a man of magic that creates miracles like a priest; finally Techno-wizard; a man of magic that can create gizmos.

After all this, some of the Rifts dimensional beings and aliens are discussed. These include: the Altara blind warrior women; D'Nor, the devil men; dog boy, a genetically enhanced dog; Fennodi, or cactus men of the West; Grackle Tooth, a dee-bee found mostly in Canda; Lyn-Srial, an eagle like humanoid with bat wings.  They are found in the West too. Of course, you need a psi-stalker, a mutation among humans that feed on magical and psionic potential; Quick Flex, a dextrous human like alien.  And of course the simvan, which are found in the Lonestar state.  Finally, the Trimador is discussed.

  After that we get into traits.  These include new abilities, like Anti-personnel and nimble; and a few new attributes for a Savage Rifts game.  Including strain, and super strength.  And then there are new skills: like Cybernetics.  And there is discussion of how existing skills work in the Savage Rifts setting.  After this, languages are discussed.  Including American and Elvish/Dragonese. 

New hindrances and edges are discussed.  Although magical edges (such as the Weird Science edge) are discussed in the magic chapter; this section discusses how some edges are reconfigured for the World of Rifts. It also includes new edges.  Many new edges, including some that are iconic.

The next chapter deals with Gear. Player characters may start with a lot of gear already, depending on which iconic framework is chosen.  Then gear in the game is discussed.  There are a lot of items in Rifts listed.  Plus, you can use gear from Savage Worlds.  Then there is a section on Armor, after that power armor is discussed (this includes the Glitter-boy armor).  Then we have a section on weapons. Many different weapons. 😀

Gear also goes over vehicles.  There are several vehicles to choose from. Including robot vehicles. After vehicles are discussed, we get to the cybernetics section. And several cybernetics are discussed.  Like organ replacement and strength upgrade.  Everything you need for your character to have cybernetics.  Of course the Atlantis module talks about bio-wizardry.  That I will be reviewing at a later date.

By sakkmesterke, on Shutterstock.

Chapter three discusses the new setting rules in Rifts.  These include: Blaze of Glory, rules that state when the character using it goes to die.  Blood and Gore, like it says.  Death and defeat; when the player character decides not to use the Blaze of Glory rules. Siphoning PPE rules (from another individual to cast a spell), includes rules for blood sacrifice.  Rules for technical difficulties are put forth.  After that, vehicle fatigue rules are discussed.  And that rounds out chapter three.

After that, rules for magic and psionics is discussed in Chapter Four: Psionics and Magic.  First, some basic rules -- like how spells work with mega-damage rules (yes, mega damage is discussed in Savage Rifts), and basic rules for strain are discussed.  After that, the arcane backgrounds are also discussed how they work in Rifts. There are some changes rather than those discussed in Savage Worlds. Ley lines and how they work are discussed.  Then there is a section on rituals and items that can be used for rituals.  Including PPE batteries.  Then some rules regarding magic spells in powers in Rifts are discussed.

Finally, in Chapter five the hero's journey rounds out the chapters in Savage Rifts. This chapter goes over various hooks you can use for your character's background.  These include body armor, education, close combat weapons, and other tables.  After these are discussed, we get an index.

Innovations from Vanilla Rifts  

One thing you've got to remember is that the Savage Worlds system is completely classless. Well, what I mean is that they don't have classes.  While vanilla Rifts does have classes, occupational character classes -- or O.C.C.s; and (if you're going by the 1990's version of Rifts like I do) racial character classes or R.C.C.s. So, what did Pinnacle do with this sort of situation?  Come up with Iconic Frameworks!  That is one good innovation right there.

The iconic framework in Savage Worlds Rifts allows you to pick a "class" while allowing you some customization.  While vanilla Rifts allows for some customization through skills -- you are still playing that O.C.C. or R.C.C.  And while vanilla Rifts was a step up from the class system of AD&D and the skill system of Call of Cthulhu -- the probability that you will end up with two different Glitterboys in Savage Rifts is very high.  Customization is par excellence in Savage Rifts that you might end up with a Glitterboy who can do magic (Arcane Background: Magic) and one who can do psionics (Arcane Background: Psionics).  The frameworks are there to provide you with a scaffold to build your character with.  It's kind of like a class, but then it's not.  You're not defined by your framework in Savage Worlds Rifts.  You are allowed to come up with any kind of character you want: the framework is there to help you leave the occupational character class of Rifts behind.  In fact, you define the character you want to play.

If you want to play a gunslinger with psionics you can (in fact, the Psi-Slinger is an iconic framework in another, later SW Rifts product.)  If you want to play a cowboy who does magic, it's very possible to do that (Empires of Humanity details the cowboy and the gunslinger).  Each iconic framework "is a package of powers, special abilities, Edges, gear, and other character elements that define an iconic
role within a setting. In the case of the world of Rifts®, where characters begin with incredible capabilities and devastating machines of war as a matter of course, the Iconic Framework is a necessary tool to help represent these ideas while still working within the core ideas of Savage Worlds."

An iconic framework is there to help you make the character you want.  How different races are handled is another innovation.  While you can select a race in Rifts (human or Dimensional Being, like elf, orc, or simvan), some of these are considered Racial Character Classes in vanilla Rifts®.  That means it has it's own skills and other things to consider.  In Savage Worlds, you can choose a race and then choose a framework.  This means you can play a simvan cowboy, a grackletooth mind melter, or a "mutant" dog crazy (the dog boy is actually genetically engineered, something I'll discuss once I get to Rifts: Lone Star). Each race in Savage Worlds Rifts is just an option to pick.  To help you customize your character to your tastes.  And yes, you can still play a dragon hatchling.  Except it's an iconic framework, not a race.

One other innovation over vanilla Rifts is how skills are handled.  In  vanilla Rifts® you roll percentile dice and hope to get under a certain percentage.  Savage Worlds handles skills differently.  You roll a die.  The better the die, the better the probable outcome.  Rolling a skill with a d4 in it is a lot different than rolling a skill using a d12. It can provide different results than rolling a percentile die (note: I know skills in Rifts are varied in their application -- one skill might just raise your Physical Strength, another might raise your Physical Prowess).

Cybernetics is another important innovation over vanilla Rifts®. You can still get cybernetic implants, but you are simply restrained by a mechanic called strain.  Strain tells you how you may recover from cyber-surgery.  Although some systems are unlimited, some are not, and some may require a basic cybernetic implant.

So, mega-damage.  Is it in there?  Yes, it's in there. A weapon in Savage Rifts that can do mega-damage is considered to be a heavy weapon in Savage Worlds.  Armor capable of having MDC is considered to be heavy armor in Savage Worlds. One problem with vanilla Rifts® was that you had different scales of damage and most weapons did mega-damage.  In Savage Worlds, this is handled differently. The damage scaling is more realistic.  A hand-held Wilk's laser weapon does not do mega-damage in Savage Worlds. Therefore, if you shoot a regular Joe with your laser weapon in Savage Rifts®, you aren't going to suddenly turn him into a pile of ash. He'll be hurt, but he won't automatically burn up.  However, a mega-damage weapon -- like a rail gun -- does gritty damage per Savage Worlds' rule systems.

Potential Psychic Energy, or P.P.E. and Inner Strength Points, or I.S.P.  Are they in Savage Rifts®? Yes, they are.  P.P.E. can be transferred like it is in vanilla Rifts®, and there are ways of cultivating your personal P.P.E.  Usually everyone has P.P.E. (this includes Mystics), and psychics have I.S.P.  This is discussed in the Magic and Psionics chapter, including a discussion on each Arcane Background (Gifted, Magic, Miracles, Psionics, or Weird Science).

Conclusion

So, you're a Rifts player of the original system. Maybe you enjoy the original system.  And you are curious of how Rifts work with the Savage Worlds system.  And they did their best translating Rifts to Savage Worlds. It's beautifully laid out in living color.  And it looks well done!  I suggest you get a copy of Savage Worlds Adventure Edition and this book to begin a campaign.  Savage Worlds and Rifts work well together.  There are no levels, that's for sure, and no alignments. But Savage Worlds brings Rifts up to date and nearly into the 21st Century.