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I've noticed a lack of reviews of Palladium's products on RPG.net. Perhaps this is due to the backlash on the net community from the WotC lawsuit? Palladium's fairly harsh copyright protection policies? In any case, I've decided to do my bit and write up a batch of reviews for Palladium's flagship product line, RIFTS.

The RIFTS Sourcebook, also called RIFTS Sourcebook 1, was the first supplement to be produced for the RIFTS game system. It's essentially an overflow book--most of the stuff you'll find here is mostly stuff that should have been in the basic rulebook, but ended up on the cutting room floor. It is also one of the two or three most Important supplements to have, if you're planning on playing or gamemastering RIFTS.

Firstly this is due to the five and a half pages of questions and answers at the beginning of the book. Much of this would be called "errata" by the less-charitable. A number of fuzzy points from the main rulebook are covered, and are generally discussed in sufficient (sometimes exhaustive) detail.

The real heart of the book is the section dealing with North America in the RIFTS setting, centering on the Coalition, a human-supremacist state located in what used to be middle America. The Coalition is covered quite impressively; sections dealing with its philosophy, organization, primary political figures, military doctrine and war machines are all included.

The section on Triax, a monolithic armaments corporation operating out of Europe (specifically Germany,) consists mostly of description of guns, vehicles and robots, though a little background is included as well. More gear is always nice to have, though given the haphazard layout of the statistics, the whole section ends up taking more space than it ought to. Triax is covered in greater detail in the fifth RIFTS World Book, _Triax and the NGR_.

Moving through the book, we come across A.R.C.H.I.E., not only the Lamest Idea in the RIFTS Sourcebook, but one of the goofiest things in any of the large number of RIFTS Supplements. A.R.C.H.I.E. is a giant psychopathic disembodied brain floating in a tub. No, really. I'm not sure what Kevin Siembeida was thinking when he wrote this little doozy, but this is what happens when you own the company. (The same applies to most of his art, by the way--while not really bad, it's far below the standards of the excellent artists that work on most Palladium products. I guess nobody has the heart to tell him.)

The adventure which follows is weak only in that it utilizes A.R.C.H.I.E. as its primary villain. With a little work, it can be modified to feature a less cheesy menace. And A.R.C.H.I.E.'s robot minions (described in great detail, with full stats,) can easily be given a home elsewhere is the RIFTS universe. The Bottweiler alone is almost worth the price of the book.

The section on Robot characters is thorough, though it has a number of the balance problems you'll find scattered throughout RIFTS. At the very least, it's labeled as "optional," so no one will feel obligated to use it. I imagine most GMs will allow "Bot" characters, but many will never see one, given the vast array of toys RIFTS allows you to play with.

A number of miscellaneous beasties are also described. Since the selection of creatures in the RIFTS rulebooks is, in my opinion, insufficient, this is fairly helpful. (But don't worry, RIFTS Conversion Book 1 will fill out the rogues' gallery nicely.)

The RIFTS Sourcebook is one of the cornerstones of any RIFTS library and should be near the top of the to-buy list of anyone considering running a game. Despite A.R.C.H.I.E., the detail on the Coalition, the rules clarifications and the rules for robot characters make the book worthwhile. And at $11.95 for 120 pages, you can safely cut the entire A.R.C.H.I.E. section out of the book and still feel like you've gotten a good deal.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 3 (Average)

RIFTS Sourcebook
Author: Kevin Siembeida Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Cost: $11.95 Page count: 120 ISBN: 0-916211-51-7 Playtest Review by Iron Czar on 12/01/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Horror Espionage Conspiracy Post-apocalypse Old_West Vampire	I've noticed a lack of reviews of Palladium's products on RPG.net. Perhaps this is due to the backlash on the net community from the WotC lawsuit? Palladium's fairly harsh copyright protection policies? In any case, I've decided to do my bit and write up a batch of reviews for Palladium's flagship product line, RIFTS. The RIFTS Sourcebook, also called RIFTS Sourcebook 1, was the first supplement to be produced for the RIFTS game system. It's essentially an overflow book--most of the stuff you'll find here is mostly stuff that should have been in the basic rulebook, but ended up on the cutting room floor. It is also one of the two or three most Important supplements to have, if you're planning on playing or gamemastering RIFTS. Firstly this is due to the five and a half pages of questions and answers at the beginning of the book. Much of this would be called "errata" by the less-charitable. A number of fuzzy points from the main rulebook are covered, and are generally discussed in sufficient (sometimes exhaustive) detail. The real heart of the book is the section dealing with North America in the RIFTS setting, centering on the Coalition, a human-supremacist state located in what used to be middle America. The Coalition is covered quite impressively; sections dealing with its philosophy, organization, primary political figures, military doctrine and war machines are all included. The section on Triax, a monolithic armaments corporation operating out of Europe (specifically Germany,) consists mostly of description of guns, vehicles and robots, though a little background is included as well. More gear is always nice to have, though given the haphazard layout of the statistics, the whole section ends up taking more space than it ought to. Triax is covered in greater detail in the fifth RIFTS World Book, _Triax and the NGR_. Moving through the book, we come across A.R.C.H.I.E., not only the Lamest Idea in the RIFTS Sourcebook, but one of the goofiest things in any of the large number of RIFTS Supplements. A.R.C.H.I.E. is a giant psychopathic disembodied brain floating in a tub. No, really. I'm not sure what Kevin Siembeida was thinking when he wrote this little doozy, but this is what happens when you own the company. (The same applies to most of his art, by the way--while not really bad, it's far below the standards of the excellent artists that work on most Palladium products. I guess nobody has the heart to tell him.) The adventure which follows is weak only in that it utilizes A.R.C.H.I.E. as its primary villain. With a little work, it can be modified to feature a less cheesy menace. And A.R.C.H.I.E.'s robot minions (described in great detail, with full stats,) can easily be given a home elsewhere is the RIFTS universe. The Bottweiler alone is almost worth the price of the book. The section on Robot characters is thorough, though it has a number of the balance problems you'll find scattered throughout RIFTS. At the very least, it's labeled as "optional," so no one will feel obligated to use it. I imagine most GMs will allow "Bot" characters, but many will never see one, given the vast array of toys RIFTS allows you to play with. A number of miscellaneous beasties are also described. Since the selection of creatures in the RIFTS rulebooks is, in my opinion, insufficient, this is fairly helpful. (But don't worry, RIFTS Conversion Book 1 will fill out the rogues' gallery nicely.) The RIFTS Sourcebook is one of the cornerstones of any RIFTS library and should be near the top of the to-buy list of anyone considering running a game. Despite A.R.C.H.I.E., the detail on the Coalition, the rules clarifications and the rules for robot characters make the book worthwhile. And at $11.95 for 120 pages, you can safely cut the entire A.R.C.H.I.E. section out of the book and still feel like you've gotten a good deal. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 3 (Average)