The Sovietski

[Pepsi Jedi]

Been reading through the Raw preview. I'm not trying to drop details, as per the comedic back cover or anything. I'll honor the intent behind it and all.

That said keeping it general.

BRAVO Mr Aten and BRAVO Mr Orr.

This stuff is GREAT. Someone sat down and THOUGHT ABOUT THE MATERIAL, instead of just using free flowing mind vomit and writing what ever popped into their head as they went.

The history section (Again with out giving any details) Beautiful. The pre-rifts stuff, all the way to present. Masterfully done. It went together beautifully. You could see it in your mind. The current events. Great as well. Many many story seeds sprinkled through out for games in the setting. It was all done quite well and to the point it's making me want to pick up the old Warlords of Russia book and read it again to glean new insights into those as well.

The way the society is set up, indeed based on a Soviet ideal, frankly would fit nigh on perfectly with the Coalition States with only very minor changes.

You guys have knocked it out of the park.

Now I've not read the OCCs or the 'stats' for the gear yet, but those are 'mechancis' I'm replying to the Fluff, the setting. What most of a WORLD BOOK Should be.

And I think it rocks. Before this book the Sovietski was "Just another group over in Russia' to me and glossed over. This book makes them a living breathing thing and now I want to play one.

Kevin and crew. If you're listening. LET THESE TWO GUYS WRITE THE "COALITION STATES" World book. Not the military (We have plenty of that now and more coming with Arsenel) Let them write a WORLD BOOK For the CS. The CS Society, history, infrastructure, the STATES. Not "Military gear"

Please.

~

Also Kevin and crew.... this stuff is so rich and so detailed. PLEASE use good artists for the book. The Raw has no art, and.. just .. please.. use the good ones. Stay away from the cruddy splatter punk stuff you sometimes go with. Crisp lines. GOOD art, please? You have a great book with great content but bad art can just gut it.

[jaymz]

Good to know

[bobharly]

Psst... How does one acquire a raw preview? I feel like I'm being teased here. I also agree that the world of Rifts has no shortage of weapons or OCC's. I like a good story too.

[Pepsi Jedi]

One hurries and orders before they run out.

Palladium produced 150 of them for a convention. Sold half at the convention and brought the rest home. It's been 2 weeks. They've gotta be running low, I'd suggest getting it now. if for no other reason, the actual book probably won't see print for 6 months to a year.. and with the SIZE of the preview, once you add art for the final book.. this book is either

1) Going to be split into two books which means another 4 to 6 months for the second one or (most likely. they've done this a number of times in recent years. Most recently with Heroes of Humanity and Heroes of Humanity Arsenal which we're still waiting for.)
2) Going to be HUGE.
or
3) Might have alot of stuff edited out to bring the size down, and if it DOES have stuff edited out for size, you'll want the preview to have the information.

Here's the link, for those interested.

https://palladium-store.com/1001/produc ... eview.html

[bobharly]

Thanks Pepsi Jedi. I didn't even know that Palladium did this! That's cool.

[kaid]

Been reading through the Raw preview. I'm not trying to drop details, as per the comedic back cover or anything. I'll honor the intent behind it and all.

That said keeping it general.

BRAVO Mr Aten and BRAVO Mr Orr.

This stuff is GREAT. Someone sat down and THOUGHT ABOUT THE MATERIAL, instead of just using free flowing mind vomit and writing what ever popped into their head as they went.

The history section (Again with out giving any details) Beautiful. The pre-rifts stuff, all the way to present. Masterfully done. It went together beautifully. You could see it in your mind. The current events. Great as well. Many many story seeds sprinkled through out for games in the setting. It was all done quite well and to the point it's making me want to pick up the old Warlords of Russia book and read it again to glean new insights into those as well.

The way the society is set up, indeed based on a Soviet ideal, frankly would fit nigh on perfectly with the Coalition States with only very minor changes.

You guys have knocked it out of the park.

Now I've not read the OCCs or the 'stats' for the gear yet, but those are 'mechancis' I'm replying to the Fluff, the setting. What most of a WORLD BOOK Should be.

And I think it rocks. Before this book the Sovietski was "Just another group over in Russia' to me and glossed over. This book makes them a living breathing thing and now I want to play one.

Kevin and crew. If you're listening. LET THESE TWO GUYS WRITE THE "COALITION STATES" World book. Not the military (We have plenty of that now and more coming with Arsenel) Let them write a WORLD BOOK For the CS. The CS Society, history, infrastructure, the STATES. Not "Military gear"

Please.

~

Also Kevin and crew.... this stuff is so rich and so detailed. PLEASE use good artists for the book. The Raw has no art, and.. just .. please.. use the good ones. Stay away from the cruddy splatter punk stuff you sometimes go with. Crisp lines. GOOD art, please? You have a great book with great content but bad art can just gut it.

I concur it is really well done I am super looking forward to it. This thing is going to be a beast if they keep it as is and just add art to it. It is a pretty big book and that is totally sans art with art this thing will probably push NG2 size.

[kaid]

Psst... How does one acquire a raw preview? I feel like I'm being teased here. I also agree that the world of Rifts has no shortage of weapons or OCC's. I like a good story too.

They are limited copies but there were still selling them on the palladium website store when last I looked and the atlantis one as well.

Note these are early previews and may not be what the final product comes out as although in both of these ones cases both of the books currently up are FAR closer to ready for prime time than any of the previous raw editions I have seen. Mostly they just need editing passes and art unlike the heroes of humanity/disavowed raw preview which were clearly fragments and fun but totally unfinished.

[The Galactus Kid]

Thanks guys! We had a blast writing it, and wanted to stay true to the original source material.

[glitterboy2098]

I know my brother grabbed me one at the convention, though I wont receive it till xmas. Looking forward to it, and hoping I wont have to change too much of my finland material to account for sovietski activity in russia.

[AlooWalking]

PepsiJedi, Kaid, thanks for the votes of confidence. This book was definitely part of GalactusKid's long term project to "make Europe playable." To hear you say you want to set a game in the Sovietski because you can see how it works as a society means we achieved our goal at least to some degree. Thanks.

hoping I wont have to change too much of my finland material to account for sovietski activity in russia.

We based what we wrote off what was already in WBs 17&18 about St. Peter's Spine. If you did the same, I think the material can live happily together, even if the various denizens cannot.

[glitterboy2098]

PepsiJedi, Kaid, thanks for the votes of confidence. This book was definitely part of GalactusKid's long term project to "make Europe playable." To hear you say you want to set a game in the Sovietski because you can see how it works as a society means we achieved our goal at least to some degree. Thanks.

hoping I wont have to change too much of my finland material to account for sovietski activity in russia.

We based what we wrote off what was already in WBs 17&18 about St. Peter's Spine. If you did the same, I think the material can live happily together, even if the various denizens cannot.

i was able to interrogate a friend who had a copy and find out some of the basics i need to keep in mind. andi am reasonably certain a copy of the RAW version will end up in my Xmas gift pile come december.. my twin brother went to the convention, and while he was there had asked via phone about items i might want from there as a gift.

it doesn't seem like there will be much i need to change.. would be almost nothing but i had a few idea on how to spice up some flavor text using references to the stuff in sovietski. once i get a copy i can finalize them.