Rifts book most worth owning.

[say652]

I feel the best rifts book is the original corebook.

[Zamion138]

England

[Marrowlight]

Oh this should be a fun one.

Ignoring the MB, original recipe or UExtra crispy...Huh. I'm torn between the GMG, BoM, CB1, or D-Bees of North America.

I think I'm gonna go with D-Bess of North America. CB1 is cool and all, but so much of it is traditional races - D-Bees is much funkier and Rifts-like.

[Chronicle]

The original conversion book.

[Zamion138]

Personaly id like see peoples opions not on the gmg and on bom, they are sweet but honestly its like saying the mainbook.
Honestly though i think Juicer uprins and mercs gets the most use at the table . I said england last time mostly becuase people were giving it so much crap earlier.

[Armorlord]

The 'core set' I recommend to new people is the Master Guide, the Book of Magic, and the Bionics Sourcebook, along with the suggestion to track down a RMB to go with the RUE. That gathers together a core reference team for 'stuff'.
From there, I tell them, it's a matter of where you want the game to go.

[Bill]

I vastly prefer CB1 over D-bees of North America for precisely the opposite reason that Marrowlight cites. I think the traditional fantasy races get severely downplayed in most Rifts material, even though elves and dwarves are common enough to have at least three variations each in canon. Goblins, orcs, and trolls are all very useful antagonist races that don't necessarily have a pile of kewl powers to keep track of.

Second choice, Wormwood. More as an example of how a dimension setting book ought to be done than anything else. It's built around compelling ideas and opportunities for stories where I find the Phaseworld and Three Galaxies stuff to be more of an opportunity for race, class, and equipment proliferation.

[Ravenwing]

CS War Campaign, Lone Star, and Cs navy for the Good guys.

D-bee's of NA, Conversion book 1 and Dark Conversions, FoM are the Monsters Manuals for Rifts so you gotta have those as well. VK, Wormwood,Atlantis, Hades, and Dyvaal complete the MM series for rifts.

Course my favorite book is New West, so add that as well.

[Hotrod]

The problem here (a good problem to have) is that there are so very many books to choose from.

My main standard for awesomeness is compelling originality. Rifts works best for me when the authors stride forward into strange, new territory without leaning on cultural and historic cliches. I also tend to lump together books that seem to be sequels of each other. With that as my standard, these are my favorites:

World Books:
Atlantis/Splynn Dimensional Market: Yes, it leans a little on the ancient legend, but holy cow, does it do some original things with it.
Vampire Kingdoms: Circus section aside, this one was pretty awesome.
Triax/Mindwerks/Triax 2: Yeah, they're toy factories, but the quality of the toys is pretty high. I liked this as an alternative setting on Rifts: Earth. I like it better than North America.
Mercenaries/Merc Town: Tremendously useful book for many different types of campaigns, whether you work with a mercenary, work against a mercenary, or you are a mercenary.
Psyscape: This breathed new life into psionics, an area of the game that often seems a bit marginalized.
Juicer Uprising: As Psyscape did for psionics, so the Uprising did for Juicers.
SoT 4, Cyber Knights: This sourcebook was more about the knights than about the Siege, and that's a good thing.
Coalition War Campaign/Lone Star/Free Quebec. These were the best of the wartime books. They enriched the setting without railroading the plot.
South America 1&2: CJ Carella did a nice job handling this continent with a lot of very original ideas.
Dino Swamp 1&2: Again, very original take. I liked both.

Sourcebooks/Dimension Books:
Phase World/Three Galaxies/Anvil Galaxy/Dimensional Outbreak: Outstanding setting that crosses well with Rifts Earth.
Hades/Dyval: They're like the Land of the Damned books for the megaverse. I like 'em. I don't know how useful they are, but I like 'em.
Sourcebook 1. ARCHIE 3 alone made this one worth it, and there's plenty of other good stuff to boot. Though some may disagree, I liked the bit on the Republicans.

Of course, my favorite book is England =)

[flatline]

Core book: RMB. I grow to dislike RUE a bit more every time I pick it up.

World book: England. It's my favorite setting for new players and it contains my favorite classes (temporal wiz and warrior).

Source book: I'm indifferent to most source books.

However, if I could only have one Palladium book, it would be Wormwood. I tend to view all other Palladium books as potential source books for Wormwood.

--flatline

[Zamion138]

as we can all see if you dont like england your in poor company.
Not that I have forgiven the filthy lobster backs to this day for what they did to my country....but that doesnt mean the WB was not good.

[drewkitty ~..~]

The original conversion book.

I have to agree with Chronicle, the RCB1. Two reasons are because it has the RT 1st ed conversions and the sharpshooting WP in it.

[flatline]

All the love for England warms my heart. I was under the impression that it was poorly regarded.

--flatline

[say652]

for bionic characters i love Japan
for mutant animals and demigods the South America.
And of course I cannot say enough good things about Heroes Unlimited. Though not a source book these characters have been the focus of many many discussions on the forums. Too overpowered, banned in my game, only if i get to pick the limits, blah blah blah, me personally spandex belongs in a post apocalyptic world.

[say652]

The original conversion book.

I have to agree with Chronicle, the RCB1. Two reasons are because it has the RT 1st ed conversions and the sharpshooting WP in it.

And not to mention a small list of super abilities.

[flatline]

for bionic characters i love Japan
for mutant animals and demigods the South America.
And of course I cannot say enough good things about Heroes Unlimited. Though not a source book these characters have been the focus of many many discussions on the forums. Too overpowered, banned in my game, only if i get to pick the limits, blah blah blah, me personally spandex belongs in a post apocalyptic world.

I'm a big fan of supers as player characters in Rifts campaigns. Most of our Rifts campaigns had at least one super powered character in it. They're excellent characters for players that aren't keen on the bookkeeping that comes along with magic or psionics.

--flatline

[Looonatic]

The Game Master's Guide. It is a wonderful reference for looking up skills, psionic powers, weapons, vehicles and other stuff. It's a lot lighter to lug around than 30 other books.

In that same vein, the Book of Magic. Same deal. SPells and magic referenced from all the books that came before it.

If I have one complaint, it's that there is no easy way to update it. So every new book that comes out, makes it a little less complete.

[Eashamahel]

My 'core' of favourite books are the original grouping, namely
-RIFTS Main Book
-Conversion Book 1
-Sourcebook 1
-World Book 1: Vampire Kingdoms

These four worked together extremely well, gave a new GM (or me at the time) everything ever needed to run incredible games, and more than anything else, they all had the same 'character' or shared the same concept of what RIFTS (at the time) was. Clearly this has changed a great deal over the years, and I have enjoyed many of the other books published, each with either it's own unique view of RIFTS, or just a very different/evolving view of it. From these 'other books, my favourites would have to be:

-Wormwood. Just one of the most interesting books ever made. Clunky as possible, it was still loads of fun as a kid, and remains a book I am very fond of.
-Lonestar. Just full of amazing concepts and information, a great book just to read, even if nothing in it ever gets used.
-Shemarrian Nation. Possibly the perfect Sourcebook. It is about exactly what it is about, no filler, and a great read/concept excellently put together and written.
-Mercenaries. A very different view of RIFTS, or maybe just a larger one, but another great book. Only thing that keeps it from being at the top for me is the 50 some odd pages of NPCs.
-Japan. Just one of my favourites, very neat all around.
-Juicer Uprising. Would have benefitted greatly from a change in Palladiums book style, seperating out the the 'Juicer' sourcebook it wants to be with the 'Juicer Uprising' adventure that it's paired with.

[Marrowlight]

The Game Master's Guide. It is a wonderful reference for looking up skills, psionic powers, weapons, vehicles and other stuff. It's a lot lighter to lug around than 30 other books.

In that same vein, the Book of Magic. Same deal. SPells and magic referenced from all the books that came before it.

If I have one complaint, it's that there is no easy way to update it. So every new book that comes out, makes it a little less complete.

Honestly, it'd be pretty easy for them to do something like the old marvel official handbook comics and just do a yearly update (or for Palladium, it'd prolly be better to do a 2-3 year update). Just wait until they had something Rifter sized and sell it. Maybe even merge the BoM and GMG updates into one update if things are slow.


Even easier as a PDF....but we won't go there.

[Eashamahel]

wait...wait...

I can understand your 'most worth owning' list including 30(!) titles, I mean, I like a lot of books as well, but you included THREE books that have not even been PUBLISHED yet in Northern Gun 1&2 and Megaverse in Flames.

How can you possibly say that books which aren't printed, which you have never seen, are the most worth owning?

[Greyaxe]

Mercenaries. It is my Rifts bible.

[Nightmask]

wait...wait...

I can understand your 'most worth owning' list including 30(!) titles, I mean, I like a lot of books as well, but you included THREE books that have not even been PUBLISHED yet in Northern Gun 1&2 and Megaverse in Flames.

How can you possibly say that books which aren't printed, which you have never seen, are the most worth owning?

Overly hopeful perhaps?

[Vrykolas2k]

Dimension Book 7: Megaverse Builder, or Federation of Magic.

[Vrykolas2k]

The Game Master's Guide. It is a wonderful reference for looking up skills, psionic powers, weapons, vehicles and other stuff. It's a lot lighter to lug around than 30 other books.

In that same vein, the Book of Magic. Same deal. SPells and magic referenced from all the books that came before it.

If I have one complaint, it's that there is no easy way to update it. So every new book that comes out, makes it a little less complete.

I think that's the only Rifts book I don't own...

[Ordered Chaos]

Mercenaries. It is my Rifts bible.

Seconded

[Eashamahel]

The Game Master's Guide. It is a wonderful reference for looking up skills, psionic powers, weapons, vehicles and other stuff. It's a lot lighter to lug around than 30 other books.

In that same vein, the Book of Magic. Same deal. SPells and magic referenced from all the books that came before it.

If I have one complaint, it's that there is no easy way to update it. So every new book that comes out, makes it a little less complete.

I think that's the only Rifts book I don't own...

The Game Master's Guide or the Book of Magic?

I was big on the GMG when it came out, but I really haven't picked it off the shelf in years, and then only to take a look through it and see what's actually in it again, never for actual gaming. It's got skills, but so does whatever core book you are using. Same with Psychic powers. And that leaves some rules (depending on the edition probably) that may or may not still be part of the game/differ from the rules in the rulebook you are using, and then pages and pages of Armour, Power Armour, and Robots, each section with less information than the last. I've never needed the stats of a robot I don't have the book to, and if I did, it's not like there is anything close to the full stats presented anyways. That, combined with the fact it doesn't really have anything about GMing in it, as that's in the Adventure Guide I think, and it hasn't seen much play by me in a half dozen or more years.

Oh, one thing it is good for is the guns. In that case, it's got all the info, and at least some of the pictures.


The Book of Magic, on the other hand, is great. It's got everything I would want. And a Stone Master OCC. For some reason.

[Glistam]

Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition.

[flatline]

Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition.

Man, I don't know. I've got HU:revised and HU2 and sometimes it seems like HU2 is a step backwards.

Maybe it has some gems in it that I haven't discovered yet...

--flatline

[Killer Cyborg]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

[BookWyrm]

First thought to answer the question: ALL. OF. THEM.

But upon reflection, I'd have to say I have to say I have a soft-spot for Madhaven (probably most because I live not far from NYC, and the entry on the Coney Island area of Queens just makes me smile), Phase World, Cyber-Knights, and Heroes of the Megaverse (*not* just because my name's there, so ).

[Vrykolas2k]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

Sure, if you just want to play a human, dog-boy or dragon.

[Morik]

For my players the best books to have to make the setting they want to play.

Rifts Core and Conversion book 1 for more races (I guess I need D-Bees of NA to get a updated race selection.)
Rifts WB1 Juarez is always the main starting place (Vamps should always be the main diet of any Psi Stalker IMO)
Rifts Lone Star/ Coalition War Campaign (Doctor Desmond Bradford is the best antagonist ever made in Rifts IMO)
Rifts New West/ Spirit West/ Juicer Uprising (I hate that Los Alamo is in this book and not New West)
Rifts Mercs 'cause my players always want to be a Merc outfit.

I do have more books than that. It's just that I think with just those you can have YEARS of playing a wonderful MERCENARY story set in the Texas Badlands territories. You could trim Juicer and Spirit West to make it 7 books but I think you would be losing flavor.

Honestly Psycape is getting a lot of play from my players as of late.

[Todd Yoho]

I got more fun out of the RMB (the original and FAR superior to Ultimate) and Conversion Book 1 than all of all other Rifts books combined.

[Killer Cyborg]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

Sure, if you just want to play a human, dog-boy or dragon.

Actually, you can play a D-bee too, IIRC.
Just not a schmancy one like you get in later books.

Although you could always adapt the Intelligent Supernatural Being table for PC use, too.

[Eashamahel]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

Sure, if you just want to play a human, dog-boy or dragon.

Actually, it's human, Dog Boy, Dragon, and Psi-Stalker/psychic mutant humans, as well as D-Bee human, half native half D-Bee human, or Earth Mutant/Alien/D-Bee, with possible modifications ranging from tails, eye colour, furs, strange skin colours, horns, and different skin types (which add additional SDC). Most of my favourite D-Bees (the D'Nor Devilman, for instance) are easily physically built using the RMB, as are almost all of the D-Bees most people have played in my games over the years (the flesh and blood SDC ones, not the mamals that are battle tanks somehow).

So yeah, neat book, vastly underrated.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Hard to really answer this as "worth' is subjective and varies depending on what you're playing, where, and with who.

As for my 'favorite' books, after the RUE, I'd have to say Lone Star and DBees of NA. I love Lone Star for the Mutants, the indepth info on the Psi Hounds, the Lone Star setting itself, the villains, and the Perez art (Especially coupled with the Machinations of Doom Comic/graphic novel set there.) DBees of NA... while it is some what thick with Burles art, which detracts, it has some other good artists in there and some of the Dbees are more than just 'Human with an animal head'. Some can be quite fun and imaginative to play.

[The Dark Elf]

Rifts Dimension Book zero: Palladium Fantasy

[say652]

LETS EXPAND THIS TOOO. What is your favorite Palladium book and why you like this genre so much.

[Pepsi Jedi]

After The Bomb 2nd is my all time favorite Palladium book.

I started role playing and collecting RPGs when I was 12 and picked up a copy of "Mutants Down Under" because I liked TMNT comics. (Pre-Kiddyfying). Found out it was a supplement for TMNT and other Strangeness. Picked it up, and a life long Role player was borne. When ATB2 came out it was basically the second generation of TMNT&OS, more indepth, more animals, better traits, disadvantages, the works. It's also useful in Heroes Unlimited games and yes, Rifts. I make lone Star mutants via the ATB2 rules and they are some of my all time favorite characters.

I've got the digital copy and 4 hard copies of the book. 3 signed and 1 of those has Erik's signature in it.

"Mutants Down Under" Was my "First" but ATB2 is a 'better book' and very useful and my all time fave Palladium book.

[Eclipse]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

Sure, if you just want to play a human, dog-boy or dragon.

Actually, it's human, Dog Boy, Dragon, and Psi-Stalker/psychic mutant humans, as well as D-Bee human, half native half D-Bee human, or Earth Mutant/Alien/D-Bee, with possible modifications ranging from tails, eye colour, furs, strange skin colours, horns, and different skin types (which add additional SDC). Most of my favourite D-Bees (the D'Nor Devilman, for instance) are easily physically built using the RMB, as are almost all of the D-Bees most people have played in my games over the years (the flesh and blood SDC ones, not the mamals that are battle tanks somehow).

So yeah, neat book, vastly underrated.

You're referring to the 'create a supernatural being' description near the end of the book?

[Eclipse]

Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition.

Man, I don't know. I've got HU:revised and HU2 and sometimes it seems like HU2 is a step backwards.

Maybe it has some gems in it that I haven't discovered yet...

--flatline

How so? I always had second edition only..

[flatline]

Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition.

Man, I don't know. I've got HU:revised and HU2 and sometimes it seems like HU2 is a step backwards.

Maybe it has some gems in it that I haven't discovered yet...

--flatline

How so? I always had second edition only..

It's been a while, but the first thing to come to mind is that Create Force Field now requires two actions to create a force field which means you can no longer create a FF in response to, say, a car jumping the curb. Not being able to create a FF defensively totally changes the nature of the power from HU:revised.

--flatline

[The Dark Elf]

First of all he can defend himself, Yo. (He already said he was joking.)

Like the OP can "defend" what he's asked for in his OP by himself...
Actually I did appreciate Bills interjection as it helped me to realise whether I had over stepped the mark and was wrong in my honest reaction. It also stopped my from posting things Id regret. Ty Bill.

Second, I can disagree and give my opinion about anyone's opinion if I want to. (even if you don't like it)

So can Bill.
And I can joke or write something irrelevant if I want to...

But in forum rules you cant be rude.

[The Dark Elf]

ok since people want to be douchetards and unfriendly, LETS EXPAND THIS TOOO. What is your favorite Palladium book and why you like this genre so much.

Still not sure on a favourite Rifts book but I do read Pantheons alot (& Dragons & Gods). Not sure why, I guess I like the interaction.

[Eashamahel]

You're referring to the 'create a supernatural being' description near the end of the book?

No, in the RMB character creation section they have a page of Optional Rules, among those are Family Origin table, on which you can roll Earth Native, D-Bee: Human, Earth Natives/human mutants, Half Native/Half D-Bee human, and finally Earth Mutant/D-Bee or Alien. The last three come along with two rolls on the another table of non-human traits. Pretty much every game I have ever done has used this section, it's incredibly useful, even as simple as it is, and really lets people's imaginations fly.

[Morik]

First of all he can defend himself, Yo. (He already said he was joking.)

Like the OP can "defend" what he's asked for in his OP by himself...
Actually I did appreciate Bills interjection as it helped me to realise whether I had over stepped the mark and was wrong in my honest reaction. It also stopped my from posting things Id regret. Ty Bill.

Second, I can disagree and give my opinion about anyone's opinion if I want to. (even if you don't like it)

So can Bill.
And I can joke or write something irrelevant if I want to...

But in forum rules you cant be rude.

Not respecting the OP's main post and writing something irrelevant and not on topic isn't rude?

Btw Pantheons is a nice book and ties in really well with the megaverse as a whole. Is Dark Conversions a good buy? I was always considering buying it.

[Eashamahel]

From what I remember about Dark Conversions, it was definately neat and worth owning, but it has been awhile since I have read it.

Pantheons ties in well to everything else, but not much else ties in to Pantheons. Still, it's a neat read just for the ideas behind the different groups. Dragons and Gods I actually enjoy reading a little more, probably because it has the Alien Intelligence section, as well as the Elementals, which have always been of great interest to me.

[The Dark Elf]

Not respecting the OP's main post and writing something irrelevant and not on topic isn't rude?

Not if the intention was humour, no.

[Vrykolas2k]

The RMB is the only book you really need.

Sure, if you just want to play a human, dog-boy or dragon.

Actually, it's human, Dog Boy, Dragon, and Psi-Stalker/psychic mutant humans, as well as D-Bee human, half native half D-Bee human, or Earth Mutant/Alien/D-Bee, with possible modifications ranging from tails, eye colour, furs, strange skin colours, horns, and different skin types (which add additional SDC). Most of my favourite D-Bees (the D'Nor Devilman, for instance) are easily physically built using the RMB, as are almost all of the D-Bees most people have played in my games over the years (the flesh and blood SDC ones, not the mamals that are battle tanks somehow).

So yeah, neat book, vastly underrated.

Psi-stalkers and mutants are still humans. So are the d-bee humans.

[Eashamahel]

Cool. So are the Madhaven Mutants.

Point stands. Besides the wide vareity of 'humans' available for play, there are also aliens and non-human d-bees.