The Inside Scoop on Gaming

The Rifter is a sourcebook that comes out quarterly. Its a mix of writing by staff authors and freelancers. This gives a way for new writers and artists to get there first publication. The rest of this review will be a description of this issue and some general thoughts.

From Behind the Desk of Kevin Siembieda This is used by Kevin to share his thoughts and give out news. In this case it's used to kill some of the rumors that were in circulation about Palladium Books at the time. For example one of them was that Kevin had gone blind.

Thinking Big by Eric Wujcik A good short article on how to think big when making campaigns. The recommendations are based on a campaign that has been running since 1978. I found the explanations to be interesting and got a few more ideas reading it again for this review. It recommends a top down approach that will make the running of large worlds easier on GM.

Knights of the Dinner Table by Jolly R. Blackburn One of the highlights of the Rifter is that each one comes with a new KoDT comic strip. It's the first thing I read in every issue. Don't want to blow the strip in case you have not read it but watch out for the shoe box. ;-)

Palladium News, Info, & Coming Attractions by Kevin Siembieda Some more news on what's going on with the company and info on upcoming books. The book info is just a brief summary of what it will have.

The Rifts Connection Crossing Realities, Timelines & Infinite Possibilities by Kevin Siembieda This talks about which of the modern Palladium lines is the past of Rifts Earth. There have been hints scattered through the Rifts books that point to either Beyond the Supernatural or Heroes Unlimited as its past. They are instead described as dimensional twins that have interacted with each other. That is the brief version but reading the whole thing will give a better idea how the Megaverse works.

The Imp, Supernatural Rumormonger by William Muench The fastest thing in existence is rumors and these creature helps spread them. Does your player need some hard to find info these are your guys. The down side is dealing with them will get who knows what about you in circulation? That is not the best thing if you have some secrets to keep.

Pirates by Shawn Merrow This starts out with some suggestion about pirate behavior. The next part is some stats for generic pirates to help fill out of the crew. The rest of the article is a series of three NPC each comes with Hook, Line & Sinkers. I can't say anymore since I'm rather biased on this one.

Hacking, Cyberjacking and Supernatural Data Theft Across the Megaverse by Wayne Breaux This is some official rules for hacking for the entire Palladium Books lines. It starts with an overview of the subject. The next part covers the use of this article across the Megaverse. The overviews are brief but give the bases on how to use it in those settings. The next section is where the rules start for running the net. It evens covers the use of magic and super powers in hacking. The rest of the article is a series of new character classes for the varies lines. I have not had a chance to use this yet but there are some good idea here.

The Blood Shaman for Wormwood by The Steven Trustrum This is a new type of magic user made to work with the lack of ley lines on Wormwood. To power there magic they most drawn it from inside them by self inflicted wounds. It comes with a new selection of magic made for it. It was made with Wormwood in mind it can be used with the other lines. It also has to be one of the more gruesome creations I have seen for a Palladium game.

Techno-Wizard Extravaganza by Mark Sumimoto & Jason Richards This is a variety of creations for Techno-Wizards by the two authors listed above. They didn't write it together but their work is mixed together through the body of the article. It adds a lot more depth to this character class. It has more on how they thing and work. Then it goes on to an interesting selection of specialized Techno-Wizards. The next part is some construction guidelines. The rest is a large selection of new TW creations to equip your players or give the Techno-Wizards idea on new ones to make. The TW items range from weapons to vehicles. There is also some to give that Vampire next door a bad night to.

The Siege Against Tolkeen by David Haendler This is the continuation of the story started in the first Rifter. The story is told mostly from the viewpoint of a Coalition solder working behind enemy lines. This installment has chapters 9 through 11 and as of Rifter #8 its still going on. It may not be the official version of what will happen in the war but will give idea on what life in Tolkeen might be like. If you're not a big fan of game fiction you will most likely not enjoy it.

The Hammer of the Forge by James M.G. Cannon This is the second chapter in an ongoing story about a new Cosmo-Knight and his adventures in Phase World. This tends to be the second thing I read in every Rifter. Its about a character class that is not very popular. I like that it shows they can be more then just walking weapons of mass destruction.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Rifter #2
Author: Group see below Category: Magazine Company/Publisher: Palladium Books Line: All Palladium Books lines Cost: $7.95 Page count: 112 ISBN: 157457-012-9 SKU: Cat. No. 102 Capsule Review by Shawn Merrow on 11/07/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Horror Far_Future Space	The Rifter is a sourcebook that comes out quarterly. Its a mix of writing by staff authors and freelancers. This gives a way for new writers and artists to get there first publication. The rest of this review will be a description of this issue and some general thoughts. From Behind the Desk of Kevin Siembieda This is used by Kevin to share his thoughts and give out news. In this case it's used to kill some of the rumors that were in circulation about Palladium Books at the time. For example one of them was that Kevin had gone blind. Thinking Big by Eric Wujcik A good short article on how to think big when making campaigns. The recommendations are based on a campaign that has been running since 1978. I found the explanations to be interesting and got a few more ideas reading it again for this review. It recommends a top down approach that will make the running of large worlds easier on GM. Knights of the Dinner Table by Jolly R. Blackburn One of the highlights of the Rifter is that each one comes with a new KoDT comic strip. It's the first thing I read in every issue. Don't want to blow the strip in case you have not read it but watch out for the shoe box. ;-) Palladium News, Info, & Coming Attractions by Kevin Siembieda Some more news on what's going on with the company and info on upcoming books. The book info is just a brief summary of what it will have. The Rifts Connection Crossing Realities, Timelines & Infinite Possibilities by Kevin Siembieda This talks about which of the modern Palladium lines is the past of Rifts Earth. There have been hints scattered through the Rifts books that point to either Beyond the Supernatural or Heroes Unlimited as its past. They are instead described as dimensional twins that have interacted with each other. That is the brief version but reading the whole thing will give a better idea how the Megaverse works. The Imp, Supernatural Rumormonger by William Muench The fastest thing in existence is rumors and these creature helps spread them. Does your player need some hard to find info these are your guys. The down side is dealing with them will get who knows what about you in circulation? That is not the best thing if you have some secrets to keep. Pirates by Shawn Merrow This starts out with some suggestion about pirate behavior. The next part is some stats for generic pirates to help fill out of the crew. The rest of the article is a series of three NPC each comes with Hook, Line & Sinkers. I can't say anymore since I'm rather biased on this one. Hacking, Cyberjacking and Supernatural Data Theft Across the Megaverse by Wayne Breaux This is some official rules for hacking for the entire Palladium Books lines. It starts with an overview of the subject. The next part covers the use of this article across the Megaverse. The overviews are brief but give the bases on how to use it in those settings. The next section is where the rules start for running the net. It evens covers the use of magic and super powers in hacking. The rest of the article is a series of new character classes for the varies lines. I have not had a chance to use this yet but there are some good idea here. The Blood Shaman for Wormwood by The Steven Trustrum This is a new type of magic user made to work with the lack of ley lines on Wormwood. To power there magic they most drawn it from inside them by self inflicted wounds. It comes with a new selection of magic made for it. It was made with Wormwood in mind it can be used with the other lines. It also has to be one of the more gruesome creations I have seen for a Palladium game. Techno-Wizard Extravaganza by Mark Sumimoto & Jason Richards This is a variety of creations for Techno-Wizards by the two authors listed above. They didn't write it together but their work is mixed together through the body of the article. It adds a lot more depth to this character class. It has more on how they thing and work. Then it goes on to an interesting selection of specialized Techno-Wizards. The next part is some construction guidelines. The rest is a large selection of new TW creations to equip your players or give the Techno-Wizards idea on new ones to make. The TW items range from weapons to vehicles. There is also some to give that Vampire next door a bad night to. The Siege Against Tolkeen by David Haendler This is the continuation of the story started in the first Rifter. The story is told mostly from the viewpoint of a Coalition solder working behind enemy lines. This installment has chapters 9 through 11 and as of Rifter #8 its still going on. It may not be the official version of what will happen in the war but will give idea on what life in Tolkeen might be like. If you're not a big fan of game fiction you will most likely not enjoy it. The Hammer of the Forge by James M.G. Cannon This is the second chapter in an ongoing story about a new Cosmo-Knight and his adventures in Phase World. This tends to be the second thing I read in every Rifter. Its about a character class that is not very popular. I like that it shows they can be more then just walking weapons of mass destruction. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)

Rifter #2