"Gonzo gaming gone wild" might describe the property that is Rifts! Rifts is the brain-child of one of the hobby's most creative talents, Kevin Siembieda, head guru at Palladium Books. Rifts has been around in its original Palladium format since 1990 and is one of those games that nearly everyone has heard of if not played. Rifts is known for its very extensive inclusion of just about everything imagined. It is in some ways the ultimate setting because everything fits somewhere. Anything that can be imagined can be part of Mr. Siembieda's Megaverse, which includes all the places the inter-dimensional rifts connect to.
Rifts now comes in two versions, the original by Palladium Books powered by the Palladium role-playing engine and a new version using Savage Worlds. Savage Worlds has been around since 2003 as a universal role-playing game that can be used for almost any type/genre of role-playing. It is on the rules lite side and has proved to be very adaptable with respect to setting. Savage Worlds is designed to be miniatures friendly, but certainly does not require miniatures to play.
The beauty of Rifts, and I do see beauty in this, is the wide-open setting that supports anything imagined. Rifts is a futuristic setting, with links to the past, and to any other dimension or universe the referee can dream up. The apocalyptic event which ended the advanced level of Earth's civilization some time in the future created "magic" ley lines and "rifts" opened connecting to other worlds, dimensions and times. Things entered and things exited the rifts and now everything is possible for adventure. Want technology, yes, Rifts has cyborgs, laser rifles, giant robots and Glitter Boys! Want traditional medieval fantasy, yes, Rifts has pockets of elves, dwarves, knights and wizards to adventure with. Want magic wielding wizards facing down giant robots, yes, that is supported as well.
There is a long tradition in the hobby for "gonzo" gaming. David Hargrave of Grimoire Games famously added dinosaurs, T.I.E. fighters and flying (explosive gas filled) sharks ridden by goblins to his Arduin milieu White Box game and gave popular following to his style of gaming through publication of the Arduin Trilogy. The concept is a freedom to include whatever you like in your game. The rules are there to inspire your creative imagination, so if you think it would be fun, include it. If you see it someplace else and think it would be fun to add to your game, just do it. After all, isn't that just what White Box creators Gary Gygax and David Arneson did?
Having read through the big box of awesome that is the Savage Rifts Collector's Box Set my head is swimming with possibilities. That, I think is something similar to the mind-stretching experience White Box was when first I set myself to learning it. The Collector's Box includes the three main volumes: Tomorrow Legion's Player's Handbook, Savage Foes of North America, and the GameMaster's Handbook along with a GM screen, several map sets, custom bennies and dice. Palladium Books has taken the Rifts setting much further, but North America is the portion covered here. Long-time Rifts fans will notice The Tomorrow Legion as a new organization created just for the Savage Worlds version. Rifts is a challenging setting, but basically a simple idea that can get as complex as one likes depending on how far you want to take it. Starting small and local and adding in as play continues seems the way to go here...but there is that temptation to dial it up to eleven and include everything imagined.
No comments:
Post a Comment