RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The Rifter is a quarterly sourcebook by Palladium Books to help support all of it's game lines. Some of the articles are by staff writers but the majority were written by freelancers. This means there will be a larger variety of material for Palladium's games and a nice way for new writers to get their first publication. Below is a description of all the articles in the first Rifter.

The Name Giver: This is a list of suggestions on naming characters and NPC by Eric Wujcik. Probably not much use to experienced GM but it should come in handy for new ones.

Knights of the Dinner Table: Every issue of the Rifter will have a two page Knights of the Dinner Table comic by Jolly R. Blackburn. This one is about them playing a post-apocalypse game called "Grunge Warriors". During the course of the game Bob has way to much fun with nukes.

Rifts City Creation Rules: This uses the standard point creations rules to make up random cities for Rifts. If you don't like the other ones they have used you won't like this one but I think Eric J. Lind did a good job on it.

The New Roman Republic: Ever wondered what happened to Italy and Sicily after the coming of the Rifts. Rodney Stott sets a interesting view of a country mostly ran by Wolfen. There is info on the New Roman Republic and the Mafia in Sicily.

The Knights of Kamnos: A new order of Knights by James M.G. Cannon for Phase World. They are a strong warrior Knight and very vocal members of the CCW.

The Hammer of the Forge: The first part of a short story by James M.G. Cannon set in Phase World. The first part covers the transformation of a lost Human from Earth into a Cosmo-Knight.

The Siege Against Tolkeen: This is the first part in a story by David Haendler on his version of the war between the Coalition States and Tolkeen. It's not official but I highly recommend that any GM who plans to involve their players with that war read it.

New Major Super Powers: This is a list of new powers for Heroes Unlimited. Though know they all can be found in Heroes Unlimited 2nd.

New Morphus Tables: A varied selection of new Morphus tables for Nightbane by Aaron Oliver. They range from new animals to a weird clothing one.

The Inlustris: A whole new faction for Nightbane by William R. Muench. There is info on the new factions history and new character classes. There is even a new form of magic based on singing.

Hook, Line, and Sinkers: This is a nice collection of HL&S by Aaron Oliver for Nightbane. Great idea for sending players on wild adventures. This section also has a nasty serial killer NPC with related HL&S by me.

Beyond the Supernatural O.C.C.s: A nice collection of new character classes for Beyond the Supernatural. There is the Bard P.C.C. by William R. Muench. It's a interesting psychic who has directed there energy in artistic directions. The Priest O.C.C. by Chad Uskoski is for players who want to play the priest who is always fighting the evil supernatural creatures to protect the innocent. The last three are by James Calder. The first one is the Cursed Psychic P.C.C.. This psychic is forced to sense the supernatural unwillingly and has no real control over their power. The Pseudo-Psychic is someone who thinks they have psychic powers when they don't but they have other abilities that make them think they do. The Transcendent P.C.C. is a character that is reborn in a new body when the die. This means the player will have memories and abilities from past lives.

I think the Rifters are a great source of new material for Palladium's games. It allows a way to get out material that is way to small for a book and to keep updated on what's going on with the company. Some people were upset by the lack of fantasy content in the first issue but there has been some in every issue since. At only $7.95 for 120 page book it's a good deal.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Rifter #1
Author: Variety see below Category: game Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Cost: $7.95 Page count: 120 ISBN: 157457-009-9 Capsule Review by Shawn Merrow on 02/19/99. Genre tags: Science_fiction Modern_day Horror Far_Future Space Conspiracy Post-apocalypse	The Rifter is a quarterly sourcebook by Palladium Books to help support all of it's game lines. Some of the articles are by staff writers but the majority were written by freelancers. This means there will be a larger variety of material for Palladium's games and a nice way for new writers to get their first publication. Below is a description of all the articles in the first Rifter. The Name Giver: This is a list of suggestions on naming characters and NPC by Eric Wujcik. Probably not much use to experienced GM but it should come in handy for new ones. Knights of the Dinner Table: Every issue of the Rifter will have a two page Knights of the Dinner Table comic by Jolly R. Blackburn. This one is about them playing a post-apocalypse game called "Grunge Warriors". During the course of the game Bob has way to much fun with nukes. Rifts City Creation Rules: This uses the standard point creations rules to make up random cities for Rifts. If you don't like the other ones they have used you won't like this one but I think Eric J. Lind did a good job on it. The New Roman Republic: Ever wondered what happened to Italy and Sicily after the coming of the Rifts. Rodney Stott sets a interesting view of a country mostly ran by Wolfen. There is info on the New Roman Republic and the Mafia in Sicily. The Knights of Kamnos: A new order of Knights by James M.G. Cannon for Phase World. They are a strong warrior Knight and very vocal members of the CCW. The Hammer of the Forge: The first part of a short story by James M.G. Cannon set in Phase World. The first part covers the transformation of a lost Human from Earth into a Cosmo-Knight. The Siege Against Tolkeen: This is the first part in a story by David Haendler on his version of the war between the Coalition States and Tolkeen. It's not official but I highly recommend that any GM who plans to involve their players with that war read it. New Major Super Powers: This is a list of new powers for Heroes Unlimited. Though know they all can be found in Heroes Unlimited 2nd. New Morphus Tables: A varied selection of new Morphus tables for Nightbane by Aaron Oliver. They range from new animals to a weird clothing one. The Inlustris: A whole new faction for Nightbane by William R. Muench. There is info on the new factions history and new character classes. There is even a new form of magic based on singing. Hook, Line, and Sinkers: This is a nice collection of HL&S by Aaron Oliver for Nightbane. Great idea for sending players on wild adventures. This section also has a nasty serial killer NPC with related HL&S by me. Beyond the Supernatural O.C.C.s: A nice collection of new character classes for Beyond the Supernatural. There is the Bard P.C.C. by William R. Muench. It's a interesting psychic who has directed there energy in artistic directions. The Priest O.C.C. by Chad Uskoski is for players who want to play the priest who is always fighting the evil supernatural creatures to protect the innocent. The last three are by James Calder. The first one is the Cursed Psychic P.C.C.. This psychic is forced to sense the supernatural unwillingly and has no real control over their power. The Pseudo-Psychic is someone who thinks they have psychic powers when they don't but they have other abilities that make them think they do. The Transcendent P.C.C. is a character that is reborn in a new body when the die. This means the player will have memories and abilities from past lives. I think the Rifters are a great source of new material for Palladium's games. It allows a way to get out material that is way to small for a book and to keep updated on what's going on with the company. Some people were upset by the lack of fantasy content in the first issue but there has been some in every issue since. At only $7.95 for 120 page book it's a good deal. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Rifter #1