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Richards' Arzno mainly details the geographic area of what was, pre-Rifts, the U.S. state of Arizona. Richards does an excellent job describing not only the title city of Arzno, but many of the surrounding communities as well. Especially appreciated is the consideration given to realistic trade scenarios; characters and details do not feel thrown in, but rather are where they are for valid reasons.
The first section of the book goes into a bit of detail of the communities surrounding Arzno, such as the vampire strongholds of Bisbee and Fort Tombstone (the latter is detailed much more in-depth later in the book), and then goes on to discuss one of my favorite parts of the book, The Great Trade Road, a route that ties together several of the Rifts New West communities. The towns and goods along the route are detailed and helps avoid the "unsupported population center" syndrome. With caravans, bandits, and fortunes made & lost in a single trip, its an excellent feature and plot device.
The book also does a nice job of capturing many of the features of the Arizona landscape, and giving the wilderness an unfettered, sometimes alien feel. For example, The Waste is actually a region that, unlike much of the surrounding countryside, is verdant and grassy. In The Waste, entities known as Waste Ghosts appear to go through the motions of living normal, pre-apocalyptic lives. However, when an entity known as a Screamer makes its appearance, the entire area turns from a peaceful one into a dangerous recreation of a pre-Rifts' community's last moments.
The book then switches gears to detail the city of Arzno. Arzno is a settlement built on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, and it is extremely well-detailed. Arzno relies in large parts on its Techno-Wizardry and the Arzno Mercenary Corps for defense. As throughout the book, Richards seems less concerned with creating a high-power wonder than simply detailing a quality adventure locale for players. Description of the city's businesses and key residents are supported by several accompanying maps. Arzno is the sort of community that has a lot of details and both apparent and hidden plot hooks, but it doesn't feel like its contrived or every house has a demonic entity living in the chimney. The Arzno Mercenary Corps, their main line of defense and a taking up a large section of the town, is also well-detailed, complete with rank, structure, insignia, and more.
One of the big features of Arzno is the large amount of new and innovative Techno-Wizardry devices it features. The city itself relies on TW items for much of its defense, and we are not left hanging to describe or invent them. Among the TW firearms produced are several forms of water rifles or pistols (as protection against the vampire incursion--more on this in a bit), a couple types of new grenades and bombs, a particularly nasty lightning mace, and of course, a rail gun firing wooden stakes.
I also really enjoyed the write-ups of the Techno-Wizard Power Armors, Aircraft, and Ground Vehicles (what worthy adventurer doesn't need a TW hovercraft or combat truck?). But lest you think the Techno-Wizard items are all combat and nothing else, let me mention such goodies as the TW Reading Glasses (for translating those alien languages), TW Security Scanner (can we get these standard at airports?), and the TW Concealment Cloak. Seriously, if you like Techno-Wizards or Techno-Wizardry, you are not going to want to ever part with this book.
After the equipment section, we come to our main antagonist--vampires. aking their first really notable appearance since the first Rifts World Book, they are back with a vengeance. Based in Fort Tombstone (yep, that Tombstone), the vampire menace in this case is exceedingly well-organized. How vampires work in Rifts is explained in a "Vampires 101" section, which I was happy to see (quick overview: any sort of running water hurts them, vulnerable to silver, daylight, and wood, impervious to most normal weapons, can create large numbers of mind slaves, tiered into 3 groups of Master, Secondary, and Wild). I won't spoil their plans for you, but the vampires of Fort Tombstone are organized, dangerous, led by a tactical genius, and are ready to ready to make some big moves. The vampire-controlled territories and life therein is nicely laid out, and those wishing to fight from the other side of the fence (joining the vampires) will have few problems doing so.
Production values and whatnot? Well, if you're any sort of Palladium fan, you already know what you're getting--a sturdy binding, standard Palladium layout, etc. I will say the book is rather cleanly laid out, items are easy to find, and the sections rather logically follow one another. There was a large ruckus on the Palladium boards over the cover art, with some folks really, really disliking it (I'm neutral on the issue; my wife disliked it). The interior art is generally of a high quality, with several pieces by Wayne Breaux, Michael Dubisch, Mark Dudley, Apollo Okamura, and Todd Hebenstreit (among others) highlighting the mood nicely. I do miss Ramon Perez, though.
To sum up, Rifts: Arzno is a great product that offers a lot in the way of adventure. Don't be expecting page after page of new Racial or Occupational Character Classes--I believe I counted three total in the entire book. However, do expect plenty of good background material, a Techno-Wizard's paradise of weaponry and items, and a great setting for adventurers of all levels. Both high and low-power characters can find plenty to do in Arzno and its surrounding environs, and might even find they want to make it their base of operations. With Rifts: Arzno, Jason Richards cements his place in the "New Wave" of Palladium freelancers and quality releases we've already been seeing from such folks as Todd Yoho, Carl Gleba, and Carmen Bellaire. If you haven't picked up a Palladium/Rifts book for a while, do yourself a favor and snag this one. I think you'll like what you see.
