Your favorite Worldbook? And why?

[Shorty Lickens]

For Me:

1st place is WB2, Atlantis. It had loads of new lore for the Rifts universe. Lots of creatures, magic, gear, history, cultures, and all kinds of info on the big evil splugorth and their minions. Loads of good junk for a single book. Kept me busy for years and I still like going back to it more than any other individual book. Splynn Dimensional Market was OK, but didnt add as much content as I was hoping for.

2nd place is probably 23, Xiticix Invasion. Again, adds lots of lore and finally fleshed out the upper midwest & general Xiticix info, which I had been waiting years for.

Arnzo and Madhaven were good too. Madhaven had especially good art. The gap between Kevin Long and Nick Bradshaw was unpleasant.

[Incriptus]

Juicer's Uprising: Kingsdale was the first [I believe] fully defined city in North America. It exists uncomfortably close [in] CS territory. Combines the best aspects of both the human augmentation and magical side of Rifts. It has been the hub for my north america games since it came out.

Honorable Mentions

Mercenaries: A joy to read due to the large number of NPCs and their back stories, combined with all the toys a growing boy needs. Naruni on one page and chipwell a few pages later.

Pantheons of the Megaverse: A book that has seen virtually no use in my games but perhaps the most fun to sit down and read. Seeing all the different gods we know and love [and a bunch that have never hit my radar before] being massaged and manipulated to fit in the Rifts setting. In particular when it discusses their relationships with other Pantheons, or Splugorth.

[Killer Cyborg]

The original "Vampire Kingdoms," because it has enough maps and information for countless campaigns or off-the-cuff adventures.
It is the prototype for how World Books should be, and they've never matched it.

[The Beast]

The original "Vampire Kingdoms," because it has enough maps and information for countless campaigns or off-the-cuff adventures.
It is the prototype for how World Books should be, and they've never matched it.

[guardiandashi]

its hard for me to decide.
I really like mercenaries because of the classes and gear.
I really like sourcebook 1 because of the shemarrians, and the robot construction rules/options

but in some ways I really like the new west because of the whole high tech western gimmick.

[Shorty Lickens]

Juicer's Uprising: Kingsdale was the first [I believe] fully defined city in North America. It exists uncomfortably close [in] CS territory. Combines the best aspects of both the human augmentation and magical side of Rifts. It has been the hub for my north america games since it came out.

Honorable Mentions

Mercenaries: A joy to read due to the large number of NPCs and their back stories, combined with all the toys a growing boy needs. Naruni on one page and chipwell a few pages later.

Pantheons of the Megaverse: A book that has seen virtually no use in my games but perhaps the most fun to sit down and read. Seeing all the different gods we know and love [and a bunch that have never hit my radar before] being massaged and manipulated to fit in the Rifts setting. In particular when it discusses their relationships with other Pantheons, or Splugorth.

well, those arent Worldbooks but thanks.

[The Beast]

its hard for me to decide.
I really like mercenaries because of the classes and gear.
I really like sourcebook 1 because of the shemarrians, and the robot construction rules/options

but in some ways I really like the new west because of the whole high tech western gimmick.

I can help you with that. Your first two picks aren't world books.

[eliakon]

Vampire Kingdoms is by far my favorite.
It was what made me love the setting. It set the stage and made the world real.
It allowed for everything that followed on and in many ways every book since has been a sequel to that one book... a sequel that has never quite matched the magic in my opinion.

[Curbludgeon]

I'm a fan of 12, 16, and 32, but 7 might be my favorite. Carella and Shiering were a winning combination.

[CyCo]

Can't you guess? ;p

Rifts Australia. In part because I'm an Aussie. In part because Mad Max is a big bookmark in the post apoc genre and so at least in a small way helped inspire Rifts. And in part because I'm biased. I know Ben and some of the content in the manuscript lead from discussions between Ben & myself. The Kwalas were made by Ben for me. 8]

[DhAkael]

Vampire Kingdoms (1st. edition): due to the fact it had maps, world building and good & bad npcs galore. If one were to do JUST a upper South America / Mexico / New Mexico campiagn, this book is pretty much all you need for months of gaming.

Atlantis: for a taste of the exotic, alien and super-evil civilization on Rifts Earth; here you go. The corner stone of a whack-tonne of other books (world & dimesnion) starts right here.

New West: though not as well developed as Vampire Kingdoms, this book has it all. Towns, OCC's, new skills (or skills better explained), toys and monsters. A must have for 'frontier' style campaigns. Also; until the beastery books are published, this is the best source aside from the conversion book (1st ed; NOT revised) for preadtory and not so predatory monsters and DINOSAURS!.

[dragonfett]

Juicer's Uprising: Kingsdale was the first [I believe] fully defined city in North America. It exists uncomfortably close [in] CS territory. Combines the best aspects of both the human augmentation and magical side of Rifts. It has been the hub for my north america games since it came out.

Honorable Mentions

Mercenaries: A joy to read due to the large number of NPCs and their back stories, combined with all the toys a growing boy needs. Naruni on one page and chipwell a few pages later.

Pantheons of the Megaverse: A book that has seen virtually no use in my games but perhaps the most fun to sit down and read. Seeing all the different gods we know and love [and a bunch that have never hit my radar before] being massaged and manipulated to fit in the Rifts setting. In particular when it discusses their relationships with other Pantheons, or Splugorth.

well, those arent Worldbooks but thanks.

Actually, Juicer Uprising is a world book.

[Wise_Owl]

From the Early days probably Atlantis; while I loved a lot about plenty of the world-books, that one got a lot of use. Way more use than a book devoted to a place where a majority of PC's might be considered Lunch should get. The biowizardy stuff, the weird alien monsters, the more fleshed out elements of Atlantis, of course, Tattoo Magic.

Though given the books I've read, I'd probably go with Warlords of Russia. That book I found inspiring long after I had more or less stopped playing rifts to the degree I had in the 90's. Mass Roaving Bands of Cyborgs moving through feudal realms and weird demonic invested forests. Mystic Russia isn't quite as good, but as a pair they are fantastic.

[Blue_Lion]

Japan-Ninja. Ninja TW

[Warshield73]

While it is clearly not original I have to go with Atlantis, WB2, being the best. It not only gives an outstanding description of the continent Atlantis, new magic, and great vehicles and weapons but the description of the Splugorth and their minions can be used on every part of Earth and throughout the Megaverse. I would have a hard time coming up with a WB that I have used more than this one. I have always thought that this book should be the model for all WBs.

My close second would probably be WB7 Underseas. It was great seeing some Pre-Rifts tech but the great thing about this book is giving you some hazards for traveling to other continents. I really wished I had had this book when WB4 Africa came out. When my players traveled from North America to Africa for the Gathering of Heroes the entire trip took about an hour of table time and they only had an encounter with a few Splugorth minions.

[Wise_Owl]

While it is clearly not original I have to go with Atlantis, WB2, being the best. It not only gives an outstanding description of the continent Atlantis, new magic, and great vehicles and weapons but the description of the Splugorth and their minions can be used on every part of Earth and throughout the Megaverse. I would have a hard time coming up with a WB that I have used more than this one. I have always thought that this book should be the model for all WBs.

My close second would probably be WB7 Underseas. It was great seeing some Pre-Rifts tech but the great thing about this book is giving you some hazards for traveling to other continents. I really wished I had had this book when WB4 Africa came out. When my players traveled from North America to Africa for the Gathering of Heroes the entire trip took about an hour of table time and they only had an encounter with a few Splugorth minions.

I'll agree that Underseas is a fantastic Worldbook, easily in my top five. It was such a different 'thing' when it came out. It has things I'm not fond of, but over-all the entire book just opened avenues of adventure and consideration I never thought of. I think after I bought that book I ran a sea-based campaign the following week I was so stoked. Years later I still think it's fantastic in examine an area so many people would just ignore.