4/17/2016

salvaging Rifts with BRP and the Morrow Project....

salvaging Rifts with BRP and the Morrow Project....

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11-22-2003, 10:17 AM

Gears
salvaging Rifts with BRP and the Morrow Project....
Here's a crazy idea I had the other day, and I'd like your thoughts on:

When Rifts first came out, I must admit I kind of liked it. I bought a pile of books, the first dozen world
books or so, and ran numerous campaigns, before I finally gave up on it for the following reasons:
*The system seems hopelessly and needlessly complex and arbitrary, like it can't make up its mind on
what sort of resolution mechanic it wants to go with. The fact that the system is constantly adding
more and more arbitrary skills, abilities, and rules only accentuates this problem.
*The setting provides boatloads of powerful PC types, which bothers me for one reason: Most of these
powerful PC types should have far more knowledge of the world(s) than the players do. With the world
constantly adding huge 'missing bits' of the cosmology, it gets frustrating to have to keep re-explaining
'what you know' about the universe to supposed dimension trotting badasses.
*The sheer volume of PC types means it can be tricky to explain what these folks are doing together,
and why they stick together in the long run.
*The setting seems to have at least one hopelessly corny concept for every three or four good ones.
Not a terrible ratio as games go, but one that definitely adds up in a setting as detailed as Rifts.
*Mega Damage.
So here's the idea I was struck with: convert the system to BRP (which I enjoy immensely), using the
core Rifts skills as the only skills in the game. Magic, equipment, and weapons shouldn't be too difficult
to convert over. Do away with MDC by making it something like its current value x 5 in
SDC/HPs/whatever.
Then do away with pretty much all the character classes other than doctors, scouts, Glitter boy pilots,
mechanics, and the like. Explain that when the world started going downhill centuries ago, a group of
some sort created a network of underground complexes and put hundreds of people into cryogenic
stasis in each. Now the PCs complex has woken up, thawed them out, and come back to life. The
community has spent the past year getting itself up and running, monitoring radio broadcasts as best it
can (a few tantalizing clues about the outside world), and dealing with its first encounter with the
supernatural (someone in the community, perhaps a psychic, became posessed by some sort of interdimensional entity. Now the PCs have been selected and equipped for the first contact with life outside.
The setting would be trimmed down to a grittier version of itself, without all the over the top megaversal conquering uber-heroes and villains lurking around every corner.
This sort of pseudo-Morrow Project concept gets PCs around having to understand the setting at all
ahead of time. It gives them a natural reason to stick together and work together. It gives them plenty
of goals and support as they start out (help the community they come from deal with a hostile unkown
world). And it sets up some great plot threads down the road: when the Coalition begins to hear about
them, they will undoubtedly want to recruit the 'pure human' survivors. The community will have to
develop a policy towards D-Bees, magic, aliens, and the like; the PCs will undoubtedly have heavy
influence on these decisions, being the 'ambassadors' to the outside world. There is also the question
of other communitites of sleepers
https://forum.rpg.net/printthread.php?t=87600&pp=10&page=1

from before the rifts: are they still out there, and how have they

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salvaging Rifts with BRP and the Morrow Project....

of other communitites of sleepers from before the rifts: are they still out there, and how have they
adapted to the new world?
I dunno, just thinking out loud here. What do you think?

J Arcane

11-22-2003, 12:44 PM

See, my confusion here is on whether or not there is anything to salvage.

The base problem with Rifts is it's very concept, particularly the titular interdimensional rifts.
Basically, it's just another post-apoc setting, otherwise.
And the Rifts themselves are the prime justification for the unbalanced nature of the game. The reason
there's such a complete random hodge-podge of crazy crap running around, with no seeming theme or
anything, is that pretty much anything can wind up getting sucked into a Rift and winding up on Earth.
It's even been suggested that Rifts Earth in particular, due to the extremely magic-rich environment, is
becoming a sort of nexus point for all inter-dimensional travel.
There's really no reason a rift couldn't open up and bring whatever the hell you wanted, which is why
there's such a heinous number of conversions out there, of every concievable fictional device known to
man.
I've never been impressed with too many of the subplots. The Coalition is basically and Earth-bound
version of the Imperium from Warhammer 40k, but not as cool. Most of the other nations are just
boring. The Splugorth are just CoC Elder Gods, they even have servitors in Phase World that look like
Cthulhu with a hoody on. The only worldbook I ever found genuinely fascinating was Wormwood, so I
could definitely see stealing that setting, but beyond that?
What's the point really?

danzig138

11-22-2003, 12:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by J Arcane
What's the point really?
Some people enjoy the variety available in RIFTS. That could be the point. Or maybe someone likes
the basic set-up of North America. There are lots of points and lots of reasons someone may want to
play RIFTS. That, combined with some people's perception of system flaws, give rise to new ways to
play the game. What matters is that they see a point even if you don't.
Personally, I'm working on converting RIFTS to the Marvel Super Heroes Game.

TechnoGothic

11-22-2003, 02:01 PM

i enjoy the fact that RIFTS isnt *balanced*...

OCCs, RCCs, ect dont have to Balanced by mechanics, flaws, upsides, ect...
i dont like D&D cause they do try to *balance* things out too much...
i did convert Rifts to TSR's Marvel Superheroes years ago...
it was unique ;)

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11-22-2003, 03:37 PM

Argetlamh

I think a point-buy system like Tri-Stat or Hero would work best to capture the inherent imbalance of
the setting.
Example
30 points = CS military squad, mercenary company, what have you
40 points = squad of ace mecha pilots
60 points = improbable band of dragons, godlings, and other interdimensional twinks
11-22-2003, 05:01 PM

Noon
Quote:

Originally posted by TechnoGothic

i enjoy the fact that RIFTS isnt *balanced*...
OCCs, RCCs, ect dont have to Balanced by mechanics, flaws, upsides, ect...
i dont like D&D cause they do try to *balance* things out too much...
*snip*
It's quite easy then. Develop a random powers table (preferably with 100 entries), then go through
each class, rolling say 2D6 times.
Done.
It'd be nifty if we could do the reverse for Rifts.

Gears

11-22-2003, 05:07 PM

What's the point? It's this:

My thinking is that there really are some neat ideas buried in Rifts; it's not just another postapocalyptic earth. The difference being the whole 'magic done it' feel of the apocalypse, and the
interesting possiblities for earth as an interdimensional off-ramp for the universe. The problem seems
to be that many of the interesting ideas don't get followed through to any kind of internally logical
conclusion; things just sort of get slapped down willy-nilly and left that way. I'm all for a world with
vast power imbalances; that increases the scope for differing approaches to running a campaign, from
street rats in Chi-Town to universe hoping Cosmo-Knights. It just seems that after a few decades or
centuries a new sort of order would emerge, yet Rifts wants to keep things perpetually cut up into
discreet little segments.
Also, many times cheesy grade-B solutions are presented to problems where far more interesting
results would likely be the result. Example: earth's ecosystem seems pretty fundamentally unchanged
on Rifts Earth, right down to most wildlife species still being present which existed before the rifts; the
biodiversity has expanded in a completely unsustainable way rather than altered its basic bottom-up
dynamics. I think Rifts earth should have far-reaching differences in how nature continues to function
under such bizarre dimensional stresses: one would think that after a time the most efficient and
durable species in the universe would widely colonize earth's ecosystem, changing flora and fauna
dramatically. Also, the issue of disease should be handled somehow: I would think the dimensional
influx of germs, parasites, and other micro-organisms would pose a much greater threat to earth's
indigineous species than the occasional big lumbering giant with spikey things on his back. Humanity
would heavily depend on magic or science based medical resources to survive such constant biological
assault; those without access to such vast resources would perish or be changed dramatically as they
adapted to such a harshly-ravaged world.
Again, I'm just thinking out loud here,
https://forum.rpg.net/printthread.php?t=87600&pp=10&page=1

but I hope I've given you some idea of what I see about Rifts

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Again, I'm just thinking out loud here, but I hope I've given you some idea of what I see about Rifts
that has great potential once you get past some of the sillier elements (like much of the New West
book, for instance).

Steve Conan Trustrum

11-22-2003, 10:08 PM

Guys, if you're contemplating converting Rifts to another system

DO NOT ANNOUNCE IT ON THESE

BOARDS

Announcing such an intent is just begging for someone to send Palladium an email which will quickly
have them knocking on your e-door with a C&D threat.
11-23-2003, 01:56 AM

Noon
God bless them!
Instead, announce your converting DRIFTS.
Its the product that never was and it needs converting!
Convert over the UBER damage system to whatever.

In fact, name a whole lot of stuff different, put it on your web site for free and you'll be sweet.
Correction. They'll still try something. Just be polite, but firm...rolled up newspaper works well, I've
found.

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