The Inside Scoop on Gaming

One of the main problems with the RIFTS series of World Books is the fact that they rarely connect with one another. Each book usually contains a fair number of concepts and new ideas that work well for creating new adventures, provided that the GM confines the setting to that particular World Book. Unless the group of players is constantly traveling around the world, it is somewhat hard sometimes to explain the influx of new Japanese or Australian items into a campaign set in the Midwest United States.

RIFTS World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign goes back to the basics of the RIFTS campaign, focusing in on the evil forces of the Coalition States that were touched upon in the first two published RIFTS game books. In a way, it's frustrating that this book came out so long after the original book was published -- this should have been World Book 1 or 2, not 11. The Coalition War Campaign adds considerable depth to the ideas presented in the original RIFTS book, and would have allowed GMs the opportunity to create a richly-detailed campaign setting many, many years ago when the game first came out, rather than relying purely on the thin outlines provided in the original book and a lot of imagination. I've always thought that a GM should be able to change or discard an established RPG campaign setting because he or she wants to do so, not out of necessity.

Anyway, the Coalition War Campaign starts by covering all the various Coalition States, describing what each of them is like -- which ones are strongly allied with the main Coalition State of Chi-Town, which ones aren't a complete bunch of fascist xenophobes, what players can expect when they visit each different state. The politics between the States and the NPCs in charge of them make for interesting campaign background. They're well thought out, and aren't the usual cardboard bunch of power-hungry maniacs . . . not all of them, anyway. Also mentioned are the little independent kingdoms surrounding the Coalition States, and the interactions that occur between them.

The majority of the book is dedicated to new character classes and armaments for the Coalition States. There's a lot of new material there, and a lot of it is quality stuff. Items like the Super-SAMAS armor and the Hellraiser armor add a lot to the dynamics of the game, and allow players to make some great choices when rolling up a new character. The artwork for this section is outstanding as well. However, some of these armors and weapons are much more powerful than others, allowing for some strange balances of power between players in an adventuring group. It's hard to see how a player running an ordinary Coalition soldier, for example, is going to be able to stack up with a Coalition Super-SAMAS pilot in combat. It can be done, but it's not always simple. If everything in this book is used indiscriminately, some players may feel as though they're useless in many situations.

The Coalition War Campaign also focuses, appropriately enough, on the storyline involving the Coalition's plans for warfare and suppressing possible insurrection. A timeline is provided that shows the development of the Coalition's military forces, as well as certain incidents that occur throughout this time period. Only three measly pages of the book are actually dedicated to adventure ideas. While I would have preferred to have seen such ideas written up at much greater length and depth, I felt this could at least provide a GM with enough information to start a solid campaign.

All in all, the book is one of the stronger RIFTS products on the market. The sheer amount of new, quality material it offers makes it a good addition to the existing line of books. Also, if you're just starting a RIFTS campaign, then definitely get this book. The material that it offers will make setting up a campaign a whole lot easier.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

RIFTS World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign
Author: Kevin Siembieda Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Cost: $20.95 Page count: 224 ISBN: 0916211-93-2 Capsule Review by Mike Ferguson on 02/17/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Post-apocalypse	One of the main problems with the RIFTS series of World Books is the fact that they rarely connect with one another. Each book usually contains a fair number of concepts and new ideas that work well for creating new adventures, provided that the GM confines the setting to that particular World Book. Unless the group of players is constantly traveling around the world, it is somewhat hard sometimes to explain the influx of new Japanese or Australian items into a campaign set in the Midwest United States. RIFTS World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign goes back to the basics of the RIFTS campaign, focusing in on the evil forces of the Coalition States that were touched upon in the first two published RIFTS game books. In a way, it's frustrating that this book came out so long after the original book was published -- this should have been World Book 1 or 2, not 11. The Coalition War Campaign adds considerable depth to the ideas presented in the original RIFTS book, and would have allowed GMs the opportunity to create a richly-detailed campaign setting many, many years ago when the game first came out, rather than relying purely on the thin outlines provided in the original book and a lot of imagination. I've always thought that a GM should be able to change or discard an established RPG campaign setting because he or she wants to do so, not out of necessity. Anyway, the Coalition War Campaign starts by covering all the various Coalition States, describing what each of them is like -- which ones are strongly allied with the main Coalition State of Chi-Town, which ones aren't a complete bunch of fascist xenophobes, what players can expect when they visit each different state. The politics between the States and the NPCs in charge of them make for interesting campaign background. They're well thought out, and aren't the usual cardboard bunch of power-hungry maniacs . . . not all of them, anyway. Also mentioned are the little independent kingdoms surrounding the Coalition States, and the interactions that occur between them. The majority of the book is dedicated to new character classes and armaments for the Coalition States. There's a lot of new material there, and a lot of it is quality stuff. Items like the Super-SAMAS armor and the Hellraiser armor add a lot to the dynamics of the game, and allow players to make some great choices when rolling up a new character. The artwork for this section is outstanding as well. However, some of these armors and weapons are much more powerful than others, allowing for some strange balances of power between players in an adventuring group. It's hard to see how a player running an ordinary Coalition soldier, for example, is going to be able to stack up with a Coalition Super-SAMAS pilot in combat. It can be done, but it's not always simple. If everything in this book is used indiscriminately, some players may feel as though they're useless in many situations. The Coalition War Campaign also focuses, appropriately enough, on the storyline involving the Coalition's plans for warfare and suppressing possible insurrection. A timeline is provided that shows the development of the Coalition's military forces, as well as certain incidents that occur throughout this time period. Only three measly pages of the book are actually dedicated to adventure ideas. While I would have preferred to have seen such ideas written up at much greater length and depth, I felt this could at least provide a GM with enough information to start a solid campaign. All in all, the book is one of the stronger RIFTS products on the market. The sheer amount of new, quality material it offers makes it a good addition to the existing line of books. Also, if you're just starting a RIFTS campaign, then definitely get this book. The material that it offers will make setting up a campaign a whole lot easier. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)