Nice review. It used to bug me that each book would outstrip the next in Power Geeking, but given that a huge part of the game is supposed to be role-playing (Siembieda himself seems to personally love the Rogue Scholar class more than anything) and you don't NEED to use everything, you are correct. I mean, Kevin goes on and ON about how important role-playing and problem-solving are, but most people tend to just get right into the Dice-Rolling aspect.
Of course, it doesn't help that most Sourcebooks are filled about 50% with ultra-new Robots, Armaments & Character Classes that are slight modifications of what came before, often being more powerful. The game has more "Exploits" and Game-Breaking potential than just about any other, since it makes no real attempts at Game Balance in-book (some Classes are just blatantly better than many others), basically leaving it entirely up to the GM. A weaker GM with exploitive, whiny players can quickly have his campaign spiral out of control. You'll need to be stronger to run this game.
The only thing I know about this game is that it has gorgeous art and Byzantine rules, giving it the appellation, "Best game that no one plays". That's all I heard about it.
"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"
The only thing I know about this game is that it has gorgeous art and Byzantine rules, giving it the appellation, "Best game that no one plays". That's all I heard about it.
"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"
Jabroniville: Thanks, and you're definitely right about the last part. A pushover GM will quickly become overwhelmed with this game. I've heard other people complain about how each new book is packed with hardware, when they're more interested in other aspects (world building, alien cultures, etc).
doctrainAUM: The rules system is probably the biggest hurdle I've encountered in the game. Groups I've been in have countered it by adopting House Rules that modify the system so that it works better for us (I'm pretty sure we've never done combat the way it's supposed to be done). I don't know if Byzantine is the right word for it, though. I've played games with much more complicated rules (Shadowrun springs to mind). I think the problem might be the opposite, the rules are too vague and loose, with a lot that's not adequately explained.
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Don't let the complaints about Power Creep turn you off this game
I've been playing Rifts for about 15 years now, and it is my favorite Tabletop RPG. What I like the most about the game is the blend of genres possible in the game. You can play any kind of character you want, and any setting or blend of settings. Rifts lets you cut your imagination loose in a way that few other games allow.
The complaints I see regarding Rifts fall into two broad categories: Power Gaming and Power Creep. In my opinion, both are non-issues. The Zeroth Law of any RPG is: If you don't like something about the game, don't use it. Kevin Siembieda isn't gonna kick your door down because he heard you don't use anything from Naruni Wave 2. But putting that aside, in my years of playing I can't think of a single case where Power Creep was ever an issue in my group. I still make characters out of the first book, use weapons and equipment from the first book, mixed in with stuff from other books, and have never had a real problem.
One example off the top of my head: I played in a campaign that lasted about three years (that's in real time, mind), where I was a Mind Melter. Mind Melters are psychic characters with access to a more diverse range of psychic powers than any other class. By the end of the campaign, my character had more powers that I knew what to do with. My character was also the weakest in the party. Because I didn't design him to be a powerhouse. By the end of the campaign, my character was running a major mercenary company, and had personal and business ties with some of the most powerful people in the setting, while the rest of the party was mostly content to rack up body counts or go after other personal goals. The point, though, is that we all had fun, which at the end of the day is the only real way to gauge how good or bad a game us.
On another Power Gaming related note: yes, Rifts has plenty of potential for Hack-and-Slash. But that's not all Rifts is good for. There's just as much room for intrigue, politicking, or any other game you want to play. There's also been Munchkins in games I've played, and they've usually been the least effective members of the group.
If you've been thinking about trying this game, but you've heard bad things about Power Gaming aspects, remember that Rifts, like any other game, is about what you want to do with it.