Anyhoo, here's my work-in-progress worldbook:
Rifts: Korea
The Concept: Human kingdoms on the Korean peninsula carve out a tenuous existence with the help of supernatural goblins known as ttokebi, who are small, clever and never entirely trustworthy. As the signs of a Japanese invasion come faster and larger, palace factions plot their intrigues - with the ttokebi, with rival kingdoms, with the Japanese, or with the shamans.
Classes:
Seer - a political advisor with psychic powers.
Militia Commander - a fighter class with diplomacy/leadership bonuses.
Ttokebi - the RCC. Impish, SDC-only, but with incredible intelligence and strong magic.
Mudang - a shaman, whose connection to spirit allows her (always a her) to summon supernatural agents. Old, weak, and a social outcast, a mudang operates behind the scenes, but with enormous power.
Courtier Clone - A regular human with multiple backups. However, he or she is never quite sure how many there are left, and if the palace is destroyed, will lose them all.
Ki Assassin - A trained martial artist whose touch can penetrate any MDC armor to attack the life-force of the being beneath.
Jury-Rigger - part pilot, part engineer, part vagabond, these men and women are vital to maintaining technology where there is little manufacturing. That said, a boom gun simply does not work on a SAMAS, though the pilot seldom survives the lesson.
The Kingdoms:
The Northern Kim - an autocratic, paranoid kingdom, the Northern Kim are the most "tech-oriented" of Korea's principates. Relying heavily on modified Russian gear, the Kims defend a mountainous land while eyeing the lush but demon-infested plains of Manchuria. Their exclusionary culture would imply that they are above dealing with ttokebi or mudang, but appearances are deceiving in the north.
The Northern Kim:
- Rely more on dedicated forces than on militia, with a smaller but heavier military
Trade and deal with Russian warlords, particularly in technology
Plan to take Hanbing Province piece by piece
Are hostile to d-bees (particularly ttokebi), magic users, psychics, and mudang
Seem stylistically similar to the old North Korean regime, but substantively are much more similar to the ancient Koguryo peoples
Engage heavily in jury-rigging of power armor, robots and other technology.
The Eastern Cho - the oldest of the four kingdoms, the Cho family focuses on trade, particularly with Japan. Its western lands are fenced by rugged mountains, which offer protection and rich mines. However, the Cho kingdom is clearly losing ground to its neighbors, and its nobles increasingly see Japan as the only viable option for protection and leverage.
The Eastern Cho:
- Have a small, core army but a well-supplied, well-trained militia
Trade most heavily with the Republic of Japan, and maintain friendly relations with the New Empire
Are welcome to d-bees, hostile to ttokebi, and look down on mudang, though both are extant in small numbers
Have little indigenous technology and prefer to receive new arms and armor through trade rather than jury-rigging
Would rather subjugate themselves to the Republic than lose a war to the Southern Pahk or Eastern Lee
The Southern Pahk - the youngest of the Kingdoms, the Pahk family is the most insecure. They have come therefore to rely the most heavily on the support of the ttokebi, for better or worse. If allowed to grow, this kingdom could be unbeatable due to its lush fields, high population, and powerful ley lines, but its factional politics and poorly-trained militia army offer little threat, for now.
The Southern Pahk:
- Have a huge, poorly-regulated and irregularly-equipped militia
Are open to trade with all Japanese states, but have little to offer against the mines of the Eastern Cho
Are welcome of d-bees, and suspicious of ttokebi and mudang, but will use them both officially and unofficially
Rely on techno-wizardry over manufactured arms and armor, limiting its offensive potential (as the ley lines taper off outside its borders)
Resemble stylistically the old Republic of Korea (Daehan Minguk) but substantively are much more similar to the ancient Shilla peoples
Would eliminate the Eastern Cho before dealing with the Western Lee, if possible
The Western Lee - mystical, mysterious and murderous. Magic-users and shamans are welcome here, although men of arms aren't exactly turned away, either. The Lee family is close with the shamans, which generates suspicion among its lower classes. Ttokebi don't like the Lee, and will try to turn and warp its family members to sow chaos and distrust. However, the Lees are tight-knit and individually powerful, thanks to their practice of magic. If an uprising is to start, it will start here.
The Western Lee:
- Have the weakest militia of all, preferring to retain mercenaries
Trade with the Otomo and Ichto, in both goods and persons
Officially welcome shamans and d-bees, but hunt and kill ttokebi
Rely mostly on magic, as technology can be used too easily by the masses
Want to import demons from China to slaughter the Pahk and Cho, but fear attracting the attention of the Northern Kim, who would crush the Lees if they cared to