Long story short I saw the SW Edition of rifts in the store this weekend. I remember Rifts on the shelves in the 80s and 90s.
I mainly purchase RPGs just to read, I love the background and histories. Though I try to get the current edition just in case I find a group.
Are the core books worth picking up just to read? White Wolf was so good at that, and I remember being disappointed in the Robotech RPG for being short of background.
Which books would you suggest? Rifts or SW Rifts? What core books to read?
Also I notice a lot of the books have the same cover as they did back in the day, are the usable in the current edition?
Any other helpful suggestions?
So where do you start?
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glitterboy2098
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Re: So where do you start?
if doing Palladium Rules Rifts, you want the Rifts Ultimate Edition (RUE), and them probably the Game Master Guide (which is a bit out of date in rules, but the index of gear is very helpful). after that, it is mostly a matter of what part of the world you want to game in. though Conversion Book 3: dark conversions is handy as a "monster manual"
for Savage Worlds Rifts, you'll need the base Savage worlds Core Rules, then the Savage Rifts Game Master's Handbook and Tommorrow Legion Player's Guide. after that whattever Savage Rifts or other savage worlds setting books catch you eye.
despite building off (nominally) the same world setting, the difference in rules and gameline crossover options means the two diverge greatly in feel. something i will leave to more experianced posters to elaborate on.
as far as PB's books.. PB has for the most part been sticking to 'shadow updates', where they fix eratta and do minor rewrites for compatibility with each printing. the versions for sale in PB's online store are generally the most recent printings, and many of them have had such shadow updates. (which for many is just changing page references to reflect RUE's layout, and change the secondary skills to reflect RUE's handling of them)
books that have had major revision have been released with "Revised" in the title, generally the oldest books like worldbook 1 and sourcebnook 1, both of which have expanded on the original content with new material, such as the Republican's in Sourcebook 1 Revised (a secretive organization of NEMA descendants in north america), or the addition of how the rest of north america is reacting to the vampires of mexico in worldbook 1 revised.
for Savage Worlds Rifts, you'll need the base Savage worlds Core Rules, then the Savage Rifts Game Master's Handbook and Tommorrow Legion Player's Guide. after that whattever Savage Rifts or other savage worlds setting books catch you eye.
despite building off (nominally) the same world setting, the difference in rules and gameline crossover options means the two diverge greatly in feel. something i will leave to more experianced posters to elaborate on.
as far as PB's books.. PB has for the most part been sticking to 'shadow updates', where they fix eratta and do minor rewrites for compatibility with each printing. the versions for sale in PB's online store are generally the most recent printings, and many of them have had such shadow updates. (which for many is just changing page references to reflect RUE's layout, and change the secondary skills to reflect RUE's handling of them)
books that have had major revision have been released with "Revised" in the title, generally the oldest books like worldbook 1 and sourcebnook 1, both of which have expanded on the original content with new material, such as the Republican's in Sourcebook 1 Revised (a secretive organization of NEMA descendants in north america), or the addition of how the rest of north america is reacting to the vampires of mexico in worldbook 1 revised.
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Re: So where do you start?
For Palladium Rifts I recommend starting simple:
RUE (Rifts Ultimate Edition) and SB1r (Source Book 1: Revised) that will give you a good smattering of stuff to start with for gear and OCCs and such. If your group likes it you can look into getting some of the other books.
RUE (Rifts Ultimate Edition) and SB1r (Source Book 1: Revised) that will give you a good smattering of stuff to start with for gear and OCCs and such. If your group likes it you can look into getting some of the other books.
Re: So where do you start?
glitterboy2098 wrote:if doing Palladium Rules Rifts, you want the Rifts Ultimate Edition (RUE), and them probably the Game Master Guide (which is a bit out of date in rules, but the index of gear is very helpful). after that, it is mostly a matter of what part of the world you want to game in. though Conversion Book 3: dark conversions is handy as a "monster manual"
for Savage Worlds Rifts, you'll need the base Savage worlds Core Rules, then the Savage Rifts Game Master's Handbook and Tommorrow Legion Player's Guide. after that whattever Savage Rifts or other savage worlds setting books catch you eye.
despite building off (nominally) the same world setting, the difference in rules and gameline crossover options means the two diverge greatly in feel. something i will leave to more experianced posters to elaborate on.
as far as PB's books.. PB has for the most part been sticking to 'shadow updates', where they fix eratta and do minor rewrites for compatibility with each printing. the versions for sale in PB's online store are generally the most recent printings, and many of them have had such shadow updates. (which for many is just changing page references to reflect RUE's layout, and change the secondary skills to reflect RUE's handling of them)
books that have had major revision have been released with "Revised" in the title, generally the oldest books like worldbook 1 and sourcebnook 1, both of which have expanded on the original content with new material, such as the Republican's in Sourcebook 1 Revised (a secretive organization of NEMA descendants in north america), or the addition of how the rest of north america is reacting to the vampires of mexico in worldbook 1 revised.
Is there a definitive lists of books that have been shadow updated to be more in line with RUE?
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glitterboy2098
- Rifts® Trivia Master
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Re: So where do you start?
sadly no. there may be some informal lists out there compiled by posters here on the forums, but there is no official lists anywhere. one of the reasons these are termed "shadow" updates.
Author of Rifts: Deep Frontier (Rifter 70)
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Author of Rifts:Scandinavia (current project)
* All fantasy should have a solid base in reality.
* Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.
-Max Beerbohm
Visit my Website
Re: So where do you start?
I like to start here: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discuss ... thing-else
And then go to FATAL & Friends: https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=fata ... ends+rifts because fundamentally I am a sarcastic bastard.
And then go to FATAL & Friends: https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=fata ... ends+rifts because fundamentally I am a sarcastic bastard.
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shakespear
- D-Bee
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Re: So where do you start?
boring7 wrote:I like to start here: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discuss ... thing-else
And then go to FATAL & Friends: https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=fata ... ends+rifts because fundamentally I am a sarcastic bastard.
That was really informative and amusing. =)
The current Rifts "ultimate edition" is the same one from 2005? I ask because reviews werent kind
Re: So where do you start?
In answer to your original question, I don't know much at all about Savage Worlds. My understanding is that to play it, you have to buy the basic SW rulebook, and then the two SW Rifts books (GM Guide and Player's Guide). That gives you the rules, the basic setting, and the main character classes. Anything else for SW, you're stuck buying the normal Palladium sourcebooks and eyeballing a conversion between the two systems.
The current version of the Palladium rules is the Ultimate Edition from around 2005 (that year sounds right). The Palladium system started as Kevin Siembieda's big set of houserules for 1st edition Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s/early 80s. Then as time went by, he used the same system to run sci-fi games, and superhero games, and horror games, etc. And he added new game mechanics every step of the way until you have the current system. The game can be very clunky if you allow it to be. It needs an overhaul, like D&D 3rd edition was to D&D 1st. But it's not gonna get it as long as Kevin Siembieda is in charge, because it's his baby.
As far as Palladium games go, the thing you have to realize is that the rules have been "stealth updated" over the years as Kevin Siembieda changes his mind on things. So in one book, it will say you can do XYZ, and in another book 5 years later, it will say you can't. For example, at one point in the evolution of the game, KS decided that dodging bullets or energy blasts gave you a -10 penalty to your dodge roll. This just sort of came out of nowhere, as it had never been mentioned before. At some other point, he decided that your physical prowess (dexterity) bonus no longer applied to modern ranged weaponry, only hand to hand stuff. KS is a guy who apparently still GMs his own game system, and some of his rulings seem to be things that came up in his game and required him to make an off-the-cuff decision, and then by god it's showing up in the next book. So if Bob the player makes a really broken character, and KS decides that "no, the rules don't really work that way", you can bet that in the next book, there'll be something changing the rules.
Remember that every single group in existence uses their own house rules to make Rifts work. The good part of that is that you can basically ignore a lot of the rules and it still works just fine. I'd actually suggest getting an older version of the rules, like maybe an old copy of Ninjas and Superspies, or the old 1990 Rifts game, and using the basic combat rules that you find there. Then use bits and pieces of the 2005 book to expand on it. There's a lot of good stuff in that book, it just really needs an editor.
As far as the sourcebooks go, Rifts is awesome in that department. Like White Wolf, it's fun to just read through them and see all the crazy stuff that they came up with. Not every book is a masterpiece or anything, but there's a ton of weird imaginative stuff in them. KS obviously knows where to get the good drugs in his hometown. It's a big crazy acid trip of a world.
To get started playing, I'd suggest a version of the main rules, Rifts Sourcebook 1 (which includes a lot of the basic enemies in North America that other books will reference), World Book 1 and 2 (the Vampire Kingdoms of Mexico, and the lost continent of Atlantis), and then probably World Book 16, the Federation of Magic. That'll give you a working knowledge of the important figures who come up again and again in Rifts North America. Rifts Conversion Books 1 and 3 can also act as a pretty decent "monster manual" for you to use as well. Juicer Uprising, Psyscape, and the Coalition War Campaign books flesh out some more stuff if you're interested, but none of them are really necessary.
The current version of the Palladium rules is the Ultimate Edition from around 2005 (that year sounds right). The Palladium system started as Kevin Siembieda's big set of houserules for 1st edition Dungeons and Dragons in the late 70s/early 80s. Then as time went by, he used the same system to run sci-fi games, and superhero games, and horror games, etc. And he added new game mechanics every step of the way until you have the current system. The game can be very clunky if you allow it to be. It needs an overhaul, like D&D 3rd edition was to D&D 1st. But it's not gonna get it as long as Kevin Siembieda is in charge, because it's his baby.
As far as Palladium games go, the thing you have to realize is that the rules have been "stealth updated" over the years as Kevin Siembieda changes his mind on things. So in one book, it will say you can do XYZ, and in another book 5 years later, it will say you can't. For example, at one point in the evolution of the game, KS decided that dodging bullets or energy blasts gave you a -10 penalty to your dodge roll. This just sort of came out of nowhere, as it had never been mentioned before. At some other point, he decided that your physical prowess (dexterity) bonus no longer applied to modern ranged weaponry, only hand to hand stuff. KS is a guy who apparently still GMs his own game system, and some of his rulings seem to be things that came up in his game and required him to make an off-the-cuff decision, and then by god it's showing up in the next book. So if Bob the player makes a really broken character, and KS decides that "no, the rules don't really work that way", you can bet that in the next book, there'll be something changing the rules.
Remember that every single group in existence uses their own house rules to make Rifts work. The good part of that is that you can basically ignore a lot of the rules and it still works just fine. I'd actually suggest getting an older version of the rules, like maybe an old copy of Ninjas and Superspies, or the old 1990 Rifts game, and using the basic combat rules that you find there. Then use bits and pieces of the 2005 book to expand on it. There's a lot of good stuff in that book, it just really needs an editor.
As far as the sourcebooks go, Rifts is awesome in that department. Like White Wolf, it's fun to just read through them and see all the crazy stuff that they came up with. Not every book is a masterpiece or anything, but there's a ton of weird imaginative stuff in them. KS obviously knows where to get the good drugs in his hometown. It's a big crazy acid trip of a world.
To get started playing, I'd suggest a version of the main rules, Rifts Sourcebook 1 (which includes a lot of the basic enemies in North America that other books will reference), World Book 1 and 2 (the Vampire Kingdoms of Mexico, and the lost continent of Atlantis), and then probably World Book 16, the Federation of Magic. That'll give you a working knowledge of the important figures who come up again and again in Rifts North America. Rifts Conversion Books 1 and 3 can also act as a pretty decent "monster manual" for you to use as well. Juicer Uprising, Psyscape, and the Coalition War Campaign books flesh out some more stuff if you're interested, but none of them are really necessary.