Thoughts on how Star Wars would look to Rifts PC (0 Convert)

[carriath]

Pre-eminently, what I have to write here will provide no content regarding conversions, or how to make them. These are just my musings on the differences between the Star Wars Universe and the Rifts Universe, and the considerations a GM might take when they consider how their Player Characters might perceive the world.

Full disclosure, yes I have developed my own conversion rules, and no you may not contact me to transfer them to you or make them available elsewhere online. This is out of consideration for the legal difficulties this could cause for Palladium or myself, and also, I dream of writing for Palladium professionally some day. So, not jeopardizing that. A skilled GM might take these principles and home brew some ideas... and there are many others who have posted quality conversions, non professional level, but enough to get you started.

That said, the first consideration to take into consideration is The Force, or magic/P.P.E.

I believe that Rifts characters with magical or psionic abilities would notice an immediate difference in the nature of P.P.E. in the Star Wars Universe (particularly shifters as one of the Player characters in the group was). P.P.E. levels would be at a higher ambient level, but with a complete absence of ley lines. I believe it would be a unified, and polarized field. And although places strong with the force would resemble Nexus points, it would not be the same. Also, the idea of P.P.E. being intimately tied to good v evil, life v death would be foreign and potentially uncomfortable. (Using magic or psionics for selfish or good purposes may influence the character alignment)

These characters would also likely be perceived as being "Strong with the Force" and recognized as potential Jedi or Sith by those not familiar with Rifts: Earth, a group whose membership presumably includes "Everybody in the Star Wars Universe". This may be interesting for characters with evil alignments, or horror factors. (more on this later)

2
Star Wars would be a "light" M.D.C. universe with regards to personal armaments. Why? Well, consider that the Star Wars universe according to most canon was at peace for 24,000 years under the Jedi council. Technological focus would have been placed into "civilized" concerns such as colonization, and FTL travel. Warring planets would have experienced intervention and suspension of hostilities, which would limit development of military grade (for Rifts Earth) equipment. With the notable exception of Mandalorians, smugglers, and potentially the Hutts, most people would not have spent the time developing a military industrial complex. Such a thing would be the equivalent of hiding an entire planet from all on-lookers consistently across millenia. Similarly, development of large fleets would have been difficult to hide, given the common use of hyperspace travel by all of the common planets. The exception of course being that the Vehicles in Star Wars would be equivalent or higher level M.D.C. Also, in consideration that people can potentially survive blaster fire which I would assume is M.D.C. I strongly suspect that the Force makes everyone either a very high level S.D.C. being in excess of 100, or minor M.D.C. beings. This makes some convenient but interesting explanations possible.

3 Technology level. While Rifts technology would outstrip almost all technology with regards to war machines, SW tech exceeds it by far in things like: Artificial Gravity, Power sources (both personal weaponry, and ship power sources), Hyperspace travel, and various other things we expect to find in a FTL civilization, e.g. hyperspace communications, and A.I. Operators would likely be able to repair almost any mechanical/electrical problem they encounter, but would be at a complete loss in regards to systems that simply don't exist where they originated. (without telemechanics) They would likely be able to learn these at a disadvantage, but it would take time. On the other side, Slicers and the like would be able to understand the majority of Rifts technology but would be at a loss employing the advanced techniques used to build or repair the M.D.C. armor, weapons components, advanced laser lenses, etc. which give the military edge. This though is a matter of refinement. SW would likely produce this technology if it were necessary as evidenced by Storm Trooper armor. Mandalorian armor also is unique in both material and technique, so it would be similar but not the same as Rifts armor.

(But why then does the Empire only give Storm Troopers sub par armor? Logistics, straight up. There were potentially billions of stormtroopers. Remember they were an enforcement army on a Galactic scale. Not even the CS, NGR, Russia, Bandito Arms, and every other technological force on Rifts Earth working together for 100 years be able to equip that number. Yes, a successful shot might overwhelm the light armor, but we are talking a slight advantage to an Overwhelming semi-disposable force. Naruni maybe, I bet they would love the chance)

4 Cultural differences. Rifts and Palladium players in general tend to do a better job role playing this. Rifters are used to culture shock, due to... well, Rifts. However, unless they have encountered galactic civilizations, and space travel they are likely to be awestruck. Similarly, the overall level of law and order/peace in SW would be uncomfortable and unfamiliar for any not Rifted into a war period. In SW, knowledge of Jedi, Sith, and the Force is universal and would be highly confusing at first. Racism: SW it is generally just normal that all D-Bees are considered people. With the exception of the Empire. This could be a problem for some from Earth and may influence their affiliations and relationships they choose to pursue in SW. Poverty: SW has a surprising level of overall poverty in many of the movies, and a surprising divide between the wealthy city planet dwellers, and the poor desert and forest planet inhabitants. Also, City Planets.

5 The Force, Light Side, and Dark Side.
Horror Factors, any creature of supernatural might or individual with a Horror Factor who is magically inclined would likely be perceived as being of the Dark side of the force. I earlier addressed that alignment shifts due to use of magic might be disturbing for players, but I believe appropriate. The high ambient level would allow Jedi to use Psionic abilities like telekinesis at little personal cost. The Force is inherently internal and external, so there would be no differentiation between Psionics and Magic. It would be assumed a person who can do one can do both. Also, The force is an extension and galactic inter-connection so Jedi can influence P.P.E. across planetary levels at times. This is due in part to the unifying nature, unlike Rifts Psionic energy isn't restrained to vast flows, and doesn't have a light side or dark side. I will not post more of my research here as it might infringe upon rights and depart from speculation. But if you are interested, resources out there and I highly recommend "The Jedi Path" by Daniel Wallace. It is not a RPG book, just a definitive beginners guide to the History, nature, and existence of the force as it regards Jedi. Many of the Force power categories in the book are similar to Spells or abilities found in Rifts, including potential dimensional travel. Jedi also appear to have constantly active some things that would be spell or psionics effects in Rifts. Aka the ability to inherently understand all languages, less limited telekinesis, telemechanics in at least 2 cases, and other things.

6 Hyperspace: Hyperspace travel, would feel like dimensional travel, but different. I presume/speculate that Hyperspace would be like crossing a Rift into a map space using technology and pre-existing coordinates. So, hyperspace wouldn't typically open a Rift, but it could if some outside mystical force was involved (wink, wink, nudge nudge hint). A strong enough Hyperspace Rift could cross time and space, and there "may" be force sensitive individuals in the SW universe who can use the Force to cross time and space. Also without knowledge of Hyperspace coordinates, the PC's will be going nowhere (and possibly into a sun) very fast.

7 Jedi, Jedi Council, and their trappings (Light-Sabers). Most mages and psionicists would be resistant to having the Jedi code enforced on them, although many might adopt it if trapped in the SW Universe. Many will choose independent paths and be considered renegades and potential dark-siders by the Jedi Council. Others, particularly Lazloans and other civilized psychic groups with a governing body may willingly accept the council and it's rulings (if it exists at the point you jump into). Jedi in addition to constant Psychic energy fueled precognition and enhanced reaction time would be at least in some cases (Vader and [Spoiler]) be able to block or absorb M.D.C. attacks.

Light-Sabers (not entirely their own subject) would likely be M.D.C. weapons more powerful than Vibro-Blades. They would be able to block/deflect/absorb M.D.C. up to a certain point (no anti-ship, and likely the higher M.D.C. of Rifts weapons. AKA don't try and block a Boom Gun round with a Light Saber). Beyond this they would fail or explode. I developed a specific separate Weapons Proficiency for it, which includes construction, and the abilities one would see in the movies. It requires you to have roleplayed the Jedi/Sith Instruction, and created your own light saber. Which in turn requires crystals. I recommend you do the same, you may choose to allow those without the Proficiency or who have the Sword proficiency to use these weapons but I recommend they do not get any of the abilities, and perhaps have a penalty or chance of injury at your discretion. Light-Saber crystals on the other hand require much consideration. If you are in SW, you have no problem, but if you want to RP a Padawn on Rifts Earth without GM fudging, there are no Sabre crystals.

Light Sabers are Techno-Wizard items, and not. They require Techno-wizardry to create, but not to use. Probably, Grievous and Spoiler presumably are or were force sensitive. It may require P.P.E. or I.S.P. to activate, it may not. As such, it may be detectable by magic, maybe not. It may be seen by NG Customs as a TW device, it may not. I can't definitively say they are tech or magic. either way be aware.


Thanks all, that is my thoughts on Rifts PC perspectives in SW Universe. If the admins allow this post (and I have done my best to lay out no rules, or conversions) and you would be interested in posting or replying, I ask you to respect a few things. Fantasy Flight Games owns the rights to Star Wars currently (I pray that Palladium may get them or have joint ownership at some point it is so well designed for running a SW campaign). If you want to play Star Wars, I can't in good conscience neglect or promote their product. THIS IS PALLADIUM (kick the heretic into a pit). Respect that both of these companies are in competition and both deserve the profits of their works. DO Nothing to undermine that.

Do not post material from the SW movies, Books, or any other copyright belonging to LucasArts, etc. This means that if in Star Wars VII Jar Jar died horribly from Midichlorian induced cancer... don't post about it here, no matter how much you want to.

Similarly, do not post any conversion rules or material. No M.D.C. values, no Skills, no fleshed out vehicles, armor, abilities, etc. Anything that would allow you to play the characters. The intent is to make a potential campaign feel better and more fleshed out, with consideration to important aspects of play.

Focus on the principles. I will be posting a follow up post on what Rifts would look like to SW Characters. In that like this I will not post any kind of advice on dice rolls, any specific bonuses or penalties, or equipment. Please do the same. We're not trying to merge the Universes, just dabble in tourism between the two.

A merger would be exciting, profitable, and highly interesting and if it's meant to be, it probably will. I will be a little critical of the FFG Intellectual Property. The dice, what the heck FFG, bad way to make a buck off your players. I've read some of the books... excellent writing, and the system is reasonable. Palladium would do it better, although perhaps not easier.

Good Luck out there! May the generic mystical thing accompany you!

[carriath]

Rifts to SW Universe characters.

1. Normies: Rifts Earth would be familiar, but also frightening to most people throughout the SW Universe. Military powers and Force creatures/Users beyond their understanding of any scale exist. Terrifying weapons more powerful than blasters, demons, dragons, etc. would be things to come to terms with. Although smugglers, and pilots, and the rest are absolutely familiar with the variety, they would not understand again the scale of intensity of conflict. Galactic conflict occurs on a much less intense, but more universal level. The CS would be something like the Empire on mechanical Steroids, with much more aggression, but a far lesser scope. It would be weird that people don't just jump on a ship, head into hyperspace and leave. (That said, a ship that hyperspace jumped into the Palladium Universe would be incredibly lost... with 0 Hyperspace maps. Every leap would be a random one and risky. Collisions with asteroid fields and etc. It would take millenia of exploration or contact with a pan-galactic empire with Hyperspace technology to fix this.)

For Normies, the absence of Jedi & Sith would be both a blessing and a curse. The order to the universe which they knew is gone, their is no galactic government, and no structure or order on a higher than planetary regional level. It may seem primitive and strange to them.

Alien races would be automatically seen as D-Bees and treated as such, which may be risky for the SW visitors, who are unaware that their race can be a death sentence.

2. Force Sensitives & Jedi
I believe they would sense the "disturbance" which created the chaos that is Rifts Earth, it would feel like a wound in the Force, a wrongness that needs to be righted (or taken advantage of). Jedi may feel disoriented and uneasy with the independence of the Force from a Light Side or a Dark Side. They may lose their moral bearings. I theorize that they would choose to establish a Jedi order and attempt to "heal" the force. Surprisingly, they would be the most prejudiced I believe, when it comes to the ENORMOUS amount of force users who do not follow any recognizable code Sith or Jedi. They may feel a kin ship to Cyber-Knights or the city of Lazlo, but it would be all too easy for them to get caught up in the conflict with the CS and/or fall to the Dark Side. It would be a struggle to maintain their way when the force offers no guidance (being neutral and all).

Likewise, the Force isn't a universal presence (to the extent it is in Star Wars), rather it is torn, and ravaging back and forth across the universe. While it is noticeablly and incredibly stronger on ley lines and nexus points it doesn't exactly flow through all things and bind them all together... at least not as how we understand it. The power of a ley line may be overwhelming or comforting. To a Sith, it would be like heaven. Chaos, and power... home sweet home.

To summarize, I believe it is highly likely that the Jedi would choose to seek to heal the force in our galaxy. Any pilots they have, or ships would be dedicated to figuring out what has happened and fixing it. Other "force" users may be extremely hostile to this, and abhor the idea of P.P.E. guiding ones morality. Some may choose to help them, or hinder them.

Also, it will be much more difficult for Jedi to survive at first in the Rifts universe. Unless they adopt armor and combat they will likely be fried by the first M.D.C. bolt they don't deflect. A jedi should be able to learn spells or focus on psionics.. which would make them a somewhat powerful multi-classer... but what they focus on should affect them down to the core. A Jedi who falls to deeply into the use of Temporal Wizardy or Bio-Mancy may find themself insane, or devastatingly evil. Unless they can reconcile the absence of the force as they know it, and the chaos of the world around them and accept on some level that it will likely take millenium and many many apprentices to tame the force... they will likely find themselves ostracized and live a bitter, lonely life.

Jedi who do adapt have the potential to become incredibly powerful. I believe they have a deeper connection to psionic energies, and a fundamental understanding that allowed them to shape their galaxy. They could become very powerful, enough to draw the attentions of the Gods, and other pan-galactic powers. Many of whom would view a Jedi Order as a potential and very serious threat. All things said, Rifts is not a friendly place to Jedi.

Robotech, in the Robotech Universe Jedi will have a much easier time. They will be a bit disturbed by the lack of variety of species, and the much much lower levels of P.P.E. (no conversions exist between the two, another legal taboo)

TMNT, What? Why? Seriously. Okay fine. What do you think would happen if you plopped a Jedi in current day NYC? Does the Force exist?..

As GM's use your best judgement, if you want to play a Jedi versus endless hordes of zombies... go ahead and do it! Just don't post the rules you come up with for it here.



I apologize. I have only played Rifts, and Robotech. Honestly, I'm happy with that. I gladly incorporate TMNT, Ninjas & Superspies, Dead Reign, Supernatural * Beyond, and Heroes Unlimited when it is possible and convenient within reason. For the most part I can only speak to Rifts. I haven't read any of the books beyond some original Robotech, the new manga version Robotech, and lots of Rifts.

[carriath]

[quote="carriath"]

4 Cultural differences......

"Similarly, the overall level of law and order/peace in SW would be uncomfortable and unfamiliar for any not Rifted into a war period." Consider P.T.S.D. soldiers who have been exposed to constant danger over weeks and months, suffer from the high level of readiness that can be painful and uncomfortable for those who are watching them go through it. Essentially, just about anyone from Rifts: Earth would exhibit similar symptoms even if they weren't living with P.T.S.D. already. Many individuals including most heroes with high M.E. would be highly resistant... but it would still feel odd that there isn't a potential dragon or Coalition robot vehicle out there somewhere with your name on it.

The idea that you could live out the rest of your life un-harassed so long as you follow some (most would say reasonable comparatively) laws would be so foreign that it would seem like a dream for years to their characters. Even under the empire side D-bees fare better than they do on Rifts: Earth. With the possible exception of magic users. The struggle between the light side and dark side would necessarily and obligatorily try to draw them in. They could run, but they would be running a long time, the rest of their lives most likely.

In addition, the tech they bring over might earn a person who doesn't cooperate a bounty. Might also make an Operator a very rich business owner.

Also, the idea of a planet being able to be blown up is pretty universally incomprehensible and horrifying. Not much difference in how a Riftie or SW universe characters would look at it. The next logical step would be a galaxy destroying weapon, and beyond that only something that destroys all of reality, and then all of all realities is worse. But hey, we aren't talking Lovecraft here so... let's just say anything that can blow a planet up will be equally horrifying (or intriguing) to all beings who come from planets.

[Jefffar]

I appreciate the attempt to provide a conversion free discussion of this, but even simply describing items as MDC or SDC without direct stats is enough to start this down the trail to conversions. So I'm locking this thread pre-emptively.

We have to be strict on this policy, sorry.