RIFTS China: Review

[Nekira Sudacne]

KS is making a parody to make a fun game.

he's not making a political statement. he just thought it'd be interesting.

[RoadWarriorFWaNK]

we've got the NGR creating a more tolerant society (and these *are* the bloody Nazis),

there arent any nazis in the NGR.

[Svartalf]

we've got the NGR creating a more tolerant society (and these *are* the bloody Nazis),

there arent any nazis in the NGR.

I think he means that the Nazi party originated in Germani...

[AdmTolval]

Perfect review. I wanted to see stats or run downs of the Celestrial Court and/or some of it's heroes (The book is Heroes of the Celestrial Court). I would like to see Palladium put out more books with place descriptions, with maps, and adventure books. No more O.C.C.s!! We have more than enough right now. Kinda wish I didn't buy the book. But got to keep my collection up. I have every Rifts, Robotech, and Heroes Unlimited book.

[Syndicate]

Still in the process of reading the rest of China 1. So far it's been very intriguing. I also own a copy of Mystic China and Ninja's & Super Spies. Overall, I'd have to say the book is a "fresh relief" in the world of Rifts. It has a unique feel to it that's very captivating.

I'd have to rate it 6 1/2 to 7.

[Svartalf]

Perfect review. I wanted to see stats or run downs of the Celestrial Court and/or some of it's heroes (The book is Heroes of the Celestrial Court). I would like to see Palladium put out more books with place descriptions, with maps, and adventure books. No more O.C.C.s!! We have more than enough right now. Kinda wish I didn't buy the book. But got to keep my collection up. I have every Rifts, Robotech, and Heroes Unlimited book.

Please be more clear.

The Celestial court ISN'T in that book is it?

Looks like it has been relegated from it's originally planned place in China 2 to China 3 ... which, given Erick Wujcik's going back there will probably never get written at all...

[Svartalf]

I have read these conversions... to put it frankly, they are not so good. I was looking forward to the original author working closely with KS to give us a definitive version.

[grandmaster z0b]

>snip<
Polotics:

As you might guess from my Rants on Sound Off, I can't write a review on "China" without making some comments. I will try and make it fairly quick though.

My biggest problem with the setting is the history behind the "Geofront". I am not sure if Kevin has a political agenda or not (Palladium does more or less let me speak my mind), but I've noticed some recurring themes with RIFTS that are really beginning to irk me.

1. The United States pretty much defines civilization for the planet. Unlike other countries we have produced a melting pot culture unlike anything else the world has ever seen. Yes, we have a lot of problems here, but then again we also bring them upon ourselves by trying to do more than any other nation that has existed.

While there is Racism, bigotry, and crime in the US a lot of that is the result of freedom and tolerance more than a result of oppression. Basically freedom also means the freedom to hate. Even at our worst however we are lightweights compared to the levels of racism and bigotry present in a lot of other countries.

Despite this, I can't help but notice that the US has pretty much embraced Pseudo-Nazism in almost all of Palladium's products. In Nightbane we have "The Preserver Party", in ATB we have "The Empire Of Humanity", in RIFTS we have "The Coalition States". It's almost universal through Palladium's writing that this country is portrayed as being some kind of maniacal ethnic-clensing machine waiting to happen.

Despite the way my rants probably seem, I think this is a giant joke. I mean we've spent billions of dollars cleaning up oppressive messes (Yugoslavia anyone?) throughout the world. While things like "Iraqi Freedom" get a lot of criticism, at least we're acting with the best interests of the majority of people in mind. Furthermore, as the Iraq conflict shows, people are allowed to criticize what is happening, something that is not allowed in a truely oppressive state.

2. Whenever we see a foreign culture depicted, it's almost universally portrayed as being overall more enlightened and less bigoted than we are.

I mean where the USA is falling into pseudo-nazism, we've got the NGR creating a more tolerant society (and these *are* the bloody Nazis), and we've got the Chinese standing on the side of angels. I mean heck, even the Soveitski seem to be more open and tolerant than the dominant power in North America.

That's right, the Chinese. You know the guys who still torture people, and shoot down pro-democracy demonstrators and stuff? The same guys who robbed nuclear secrets from us, grounded one of our planes and then tried to loot technology from it. The "Human Hive" itself.

Okay the general "future" history of China as expressed at the beginning of the "Geofront" section is possible. I didn't much like America being called an 'Empire'; but hey, I guess we need to set the tone. I could agree that China's continued development might re-ignite the Cold-War, but largely because of China's societal policies, and the fact that unlike their portrayal here, their education and development is heavily controlled, and most technology that they develop seems to be bought or stolen from
somewhere else.

Not too long ago, I remember reading about how China was in trouble because they were trying to steal "Viagra" from Pfizers and manufacture their own in violation of patents and such. Apparently this not being the first and only case of technological theft.

The point here is not so much to bash-China, but to point out that if anyone was going to become a group of oppressive totalitarian maniacs after an apocolypse, it would be the remaints of the Chinese Goverment. They are already pretty bad as it is now, and things would just get worse.

Honestly, I'm hoping that the upcoming development of "The Republicans" will give us a good-aligned remaint of the American Goverment, and perhaps balance the scales somewhat hear.

Note, I didn't consider this in my score. To do so would be unfair. I evaluated things based totally on what was written in the books and the gamability of the setting.


>>>----Therumancer--->

OK, good review.
BAD generalisations of world politics.
Ever heard of Canada, Australia or a whole host of over countries in the world that are not stupid backwater countries following their grand leader the USA? You cannot just blantantly say thing like this :

1. The United States pretty much defines civilization for the planet. Unlike other countries we have produced a melting pot culture unlike anything else the world has ever seen. Yes, we have a lot of problems here, but then again we also bring them upon ourselves by trying to do more than any other nation that has existed.

Actually Australia is, if anything, more multicultural than America, and our culture is far less homogenised. The fact is that many Americans see themselves as the greatest country on earth and also as "planetary police" well I don't know if you've ever been outside of the country or not but that is not a widely held view beyond the US.
Also please do not just make comments like this as if they were gospel truth:

While things like "Iraqi Freedom" get a lot of criticism, at least we're acting with the best interests of the majority of people in mind.

Were you acting in their best interest? Why didn't you go in when they were killing the Kurds years ago? Why aren't you in at least one of the African countries that is having genocide and civil war? I'm not going to start a political debate but it does seem to me that there are economic and political factors beyond just "the best interests of the majority".
Basically, I'm not trying to say your wrong but I think you should try and be a bit more sensitive to the fact that not all of us on these boards are from the US or share your views.
Thanks