Rifts

Rifts ® is a Roleplay of Science-fiction, created by Kevin Siembieda and published in 1990 at Palladium Books. It is held on a Earth post-apocalyptic and parallel universes Miss and fantastic (magic and demons), with a side Cyberpunk (human improved, but not of data-processing network).

It exploits the concept of Megaverse ® (contraction of mega and Univers E ), which indicates the whole of dimensions (parallel worlds, and in particular the whole of the worlds developed in the Palladium plays) which can accidentally communicate between them by faults (rifts) .

A specific roleplay, Rifts Chaos Earth (Books Palladium, 2003), proceeds just after cataclysm, while Rifts is held approximately 300 years afterwards.

Universe

History

In XXIe century, science has permi the improvement of the living conditions and involved a reduction in poverty and a collaboration between the States.

Nations of North America (the United States, Canada, Mexico) ot established an alliance, the NAA (North American Alliance) in 2035. That east enter yourself others translated by the constitution of a paramilitary police force, the NEMA (Nothern Eagle Military Alliance) . Bases are installed on the Moon, a advanced base is installed over Mars. Four supercomputers archie are contruits, with phenomenal storage capacities and of analysis.

However, the scientific work also developed the lifespan and the capacity of the men and created the “human one improved”. This martial potential caused folds of the nations on them as from the years 2080. At the time of a skirmish between countries of South America, one of the countries used “super-soldiers” prètés by the NEMA: armor of power USA-G10 “Chromium Guardsmen” (litt. “Chrome Guards”, which one will call later “Glitter Boys”). The carnage of the opposing army involved a nuclear counterpart of “low intensity”.

The few million deaths which the bomb made released an appalling quantity of psychic energy, and this Juste at the time when occurred a planet alignment, and at midnight, two circumstances in which psychic energy is already high. This release of energy was the spark which put fire at the powders and caused a cataclysm, deaths of this cataclysm releasing in their turn of psychic energy… This Armageddon took place on December 22nd, 2098.

All the Earth was touched by cataclysm. This one started in South America, touched North America thirty seconds later, then all the planet a few minutes afterwards.

The lines of psychic energy are reflected to shine of a luminous blue and energy was projected to 5 km height. Gigantic earthquakes involved tsunami which devastated the coasts, with waves of 300 m devastating up to 160 km inside the grounds. The Atlantis reappeared. All the volcanos awoke, projecting ashes in the atmosphere; the lunar bases do not transfer anything any more of what occurs on Earth. The Sun was masked, creating one artificial winter; the temperature fell of a score of degrees. Hurricanes were given the responsability to devastate what was saved.

At the end of this chain reaction, civilization were devastated. The psychic energy implemented opened breaches (rifts) between dimensions, causing the arrival of extraterrestrial beings and demons. A third of the population died during cataclysm, and another third périre in the months which followed.

The psychic flow of energy which sweeps from now on the Earth, in the shape of convergent lines (ley lines) crossing in nodes (ley line nexus points) , is enormous and makes the magic concrete.

More than one hundred years after this cataclysm, nature covered the major part of the cities. The human ones are gathered in villages under the cut of a “guard” (sometimes more one tyrant), in general a demon or human modified and surpuissant.

The inter-dimensional faults were closed again but open from time to time. The extra-dimensionnaires creatures ( dimensional beings , D-bees, some come from Palladium) settled durably (unable to return to them), while demons control a part of the world.

Chaos Earth , Earth of chaos

Chaos Earth begins on January 1st, 2099.

The communications are cut.

The United States was devastated, the president died, the political bodies (Senate, Congrès) were decimated. Ash continues to fall, mélée of snow, and forms a carpet from one to five meters thickness.

In America, the only organization which remains so much oneself little structured is the NEMA. Everywhere, its teams of combat try to overcome the demons while the rescue squads try to save the populations. Chaos is favourable with plunderings and the riots. Certain human are combined with demons to acquire capacities, others base gangs to reign on portions of territories.

With fur and measurement, the NEMA is organized, gathered around justifiable points like Chicago. It tries to structure the survivors and to defend them, and tries aid operations, thanks to its organization and with its technology, in particular:

  • armours of power USA-G10 known as “Chromium Guardmen”, or “CG”, “Chromium-domes” (litt. “chromium head”), “Chromies”, “Guardmen” or “G-men”; these armours tranforment the combatants into true tanks, the silver plated coating gives a protection against the laser and has an psychological impact on the adversaries like on the population;
  • armours of power “Silver Eagle” (model states-unien)/“Heel” (Canadian model)/“Condor” (Mexican model): they are propelled armours able to fly; they are armed and armor-plated that Chromium Guardmen and less handy on the ground, but are adapted to the aerial combat, the air-to-ground attacks and the airborne rescue operations.

Rifts

In the book of Rifts , the new geography is presented by exploring Erin Tarn, which itself refers to Victor Lazlo, a character developed in the play Beyond the Supernatural .

Rifts is held approximately three hundred years after cataclysm. Cataclysm involved a dark Age of surroundings two hundred years. The world was now stabilized, of the companies started to be structured, while certain territories are dominated by brutal gangs or demons.

America

North America is a hostile ground, the West having become the “Earth of the spirits” (Spirit West) and the “New farwest” (New West Territories) , and the major part of the east coast was absorbed.

States joined around the city of Chi-Town (litt. “Knack-City”, the town of Chicago), forming the Coalition of the States ( Coalition States , CS). The Coalition rejects the extra-dimensionnaires magic and beings. Chi-Town is directed by a tyrannical emperor, Joseph Prosek, who maintains the people in ignorance and the fear. Chi-Town gathers in itself two million inhabitants, and its shantytowns (burbs) three million. The other human ones completely accept on the contrary the magic and handle it, as well as technology, and they accept the extra-dimensionnaires beings. Some gathered in the town of Tolkeen (Mineapolis). Ruins of the town of New York, and its underground grid, are called “Madhaven” (litt. the refuge of insane). A war prepares in addition between Chi-Town and Tolkeen. The town of Toronto became Lazlo, a city devoted to education and considering with benevolence the extra-dimensionnaires creatures.

Canada is a vast territory of hunting for the monsters, especially in the East, the survivors live as at the time of the colonies “Heart-of-iron” ( Iron Heart , Sudbury), capital of High-Canada Relic (Hamilton), Lazlo (Toronto), Chi-Quebec (Chicoutimi), capital of Low-Canada and State of free Quebec (Free-Quebec) .

Mexico is directed by vampires, organized in kingdoms. Atlantis reappeared, and it is used as a basis advanced for Splugorth, cruel people and conqueror, while the Companies Naruni, one manufacturing and salesman of weapons transdimensionnel, tries to draw part of the wars to increase its market.

Asia

Part of Japan was preserved cataclysm, and was found projected in the future.

Rules

The general system is described in the article Système Palladium.

Earth of Rifts and Rifts: Chaos Earth is a “world MDC”, i.e. the magic creatures (and in particular demons resulting from the faults) have points of megastructure (MDC, megastructure ramming capacity ) in the place of the points of structure (SDC, structural ramming capacity ); they can thus be wounded only by weapons inflicting to they-even mega-damage (typically explosive or magic weapons)

There exist many professions: the Walker of the Ley Lines is the magician par excellence, the Cyber-knight is the paladin future, the Sensualist a supuissant warrior doped, Pilote of robot or the armours of being able, kind of complete armor modern and over-equipped, Fusionneur Mental, a truly complete psychiatrist and well of others still!!!

Works

Rifts

  • Rifts ® Role-Playing Range (1995, 256 p): deliver basic (more 100  000 sold specimens)

    • Silver Edition Rifts ® Rule Book (256 p): de luxe edition
    • Rifts ® Ultimate Edition (August 2005): altered edition, also exists in de luxe edition (Gold Limited Edition)
  • Rifts ® Game Master Guide (352 p): lists of creature and material, explanation of rules, additional rules, charts and plans…
  • Rifts ® Book off Magic ™ (352 p): new types of magic, new fates, runic weapons, the material of the techno-wizards…
  • Rifts ® Adventure Guides ™ (192 p): councils, tricks, ideas, backdrops to write scenarios

Books of countryside

  • Sourcebooks

    • Sourcebook I : the Coalition of Chi-Town (CS, Coalition States ), and of the elements on the machines of war developed by the New Republic of Germany ( New German Republic , NGR)
    • Sourcebook II: The Mechanoids ® (120 p): the world of the play The Mechanoids of the same editor
    • Sourcebook III: Mindwerks
    • Sourcebook IV: Coalition Navy ™ (120 p): marine of the Coalition, monsters underwater, pirates…
    • Rifts ® Bionics Sourcebook (112 p): all on cybernetics and the Cyborg S
    • Rifts ® Mercenaries ™ (160 p): a new class, the mercenary, and all that goes with

  • Adventure Sourcebook

    • Adventure Sourcebook I: Chi-Town 'Burbs (48 p): Chi-Town and its suburbs
    • Adventure Sourcebook II: Chi-Town 'Burbs - Tolkeen Crisis (64 p): after the attack of Tolkeen by the troops of the Coalition of Chi-Town
    • Adventure Sourcebook III: Chi-Town 'Burbs - The Black Vault (48 p): all on the legend of the Vault Sinks (Black Vault) , the place where it is said that the troops of the Coalition stored the magic objects collected since tens of years
    • Adventure Sourcebook IV: Chi-Town 'Burbs - The Vanguard (48 p): the Avant-garde (the Vanguard) is a troop of wizards banished of Chi-Town, and who fight the mode
places from there

  • World Books : Books of the world

    • World Book I: Vampire Kingdoms ™ (176 p): the kingdoms vampires of Central America
    • World Book II: Atlantis (160 p): Atlantis reappeared off America, and is used as turntable for inter-dimensional traffics
    • World Book III: England ™ (152 p): medieval-fantastic England
    • World Book IV: Africa ™ (160 p)
    • World Book V: Triax and NGR ™ & The NGR ® (224 p): the New Republic of Germany and Triax ( New German Republic , NGR)
    • World Book VI: South America ™ (160 p)
    • World Book VII: Underseas ™ (216 p)
    • World Book VIII: Japan ™ (216 p): four cities going back to before cataclysm have re-appears of the limbs, the inhabitants think of being three days after cataclysm, whereas one is 300 years after…
    • World Book IX: South America 2 ™ (192 p)
    • World Book X: Juicer Uprising ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XI: Coalition War Campaign ™ (224 p): the war of expansion of the Prosek emperor begins with the head office of Tolkeen…
    • World Book XII: Psyscape ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XIII: Lone Star ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XIV: New West ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XV: Spirit West ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XVI: Federation Magic ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XVII: Warlords off Russia ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XVIII: Mystic Russia ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XIX: Australia ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XX: Rifts Canada ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXI: Splynn Dimensional Market ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXII: Free Quebec ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXIII: Xiticix Invasion ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXIV: Clouded One - Yama King ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XV: Clouded Two - Heroes ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXVI: Dinosaur Swamp ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXVII: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXVIII: Arzno - Vampires Kingdoms ™ (160 p)
    • World Book XXIX: Madhaven ™ (160 p)

  • Dimension Books : universes parallel with the Earth of Rifts , accessible by the faults

    • Dimension Book I: Wormwood ® (160 p): a world governed by the demons
    • Dimension Book II: Phase World ™ (208 p): the Phase world is a planet located near three galaxies; in addition to its astroports in orbit, Power station, the principal city, a Arcologie, is a inter-dimensional turntable because of its density of meridian lines
    • Dimension Book III: Phase World Sourcebook ™ (112 p): complement of the precedent
    • Dimension Book IV: Skraypers ™ (160 p)
    • Dimension Book V: World phase: Anvil Galaxy ™ (160 p): the galaxy of the Anvil, one of the three galaxies near the world Phase
    • Dimension Book VI: World phase: The Three Galaxies ™ (160 p)
    • Dimension Book VII: Megaverse ® Builder (96 p): helps with the creation of new dimensions
    • Dimension Book VIII: Naruni Wave 2 (96 p): the narumi are inter-dimensional traffickers of weapon

; Conversion of the other plays

  • Rifts ® Conversion Book I (192 p): Heroes Unlimited ™, After the Bomb ® and Palladium Fantasy RPG ®
  • Rifts ® Dark Conversions (192 p): creatures of the Megaverse

Rifts: Earth chaos

  • Rifts ®: Chaos Earth ™ (2003)

; Books of countryside

  • Sourcebooks
    • Sourcebook One: Creatures off Chaos ™
    • Sourcebook Two: Small channel off Magic ™
  • Mission books
    • NEMA ™ Mission Book One

Derivative products

There exists a Card deck to be collected, published by Precedence Publishing, as well as metal figurines.

According to a dispatch of site Books the Palladium, a film would be in preparation (produced by Walt Disney Pictures, realized by Jerry Bruckheimer, scenario of David Franzoni). The project is announced since 2003. On the forum of Warner, Jerry Bruckheimer declared on September 1st 2005 : “David Franzoni is still working hardware one the script. Ace seen from the popularity off this forum, we want to Be sour not to disappoint the fans. ”

“David Franzoni works hard on script. Within sight of the popularity of this forum, we would like to be sure not to disappoint the fans. ”

A Video game for N-Pledge, Rifts ® Promised off Power ™, left the September 19th 2005.

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