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Hardly. For the most part Chaos Earth reprints the RGMG rules, with some new editing mistakes that make things worse.

Nightshade wrote:

Aequitas wrote:Okay, I don't have the Rifts Game Master Guide but I do have Chaos Earth, my question is are the rules printed in Chaos Earth the best rules to use for Rifts? I really don't like the way Rifts Rules seem to change with every successive World Book, IE Dodge Rules, HTH rules, etc. so would the rules printed in Chaos Earth have all the changes that have been made to Rifts Rules?

Correct me someone if I'm wrong but I believe that the rukes in Chaos Earth are a summation of the rules as they stand now in the Game Master's Guide.

Thats my impression as well, and one reason why I have not bothered to get the GMG.

Dustin Fireblade wrote:

Nightshade wrote:

Aequitas wrote:Okay, I don't have the Rifts Game Master Guide but I do have Chaos Earth, my question is are the rules printed in Chaos Earth the best rules to use for Rifts? I really don't like the way Rifts Rules seem to change with every successive World Book, IE Dodge Rules, HTH rules, etc. so would the rules printed in Chaos Earth have all the changes that have been made to Rifts Rules?

Correct me someone if I'm wrong but I believe that the rukes in Chaos Earth are a summation of the rules as they stand now in the Game Master's Guide.

Thats my impression as well, and one reason why I have not bothered to get the GMG.

The GMG has a lot of stuff besides rules, including a TON of equipment, all the Psi powers, etc. It's actually a really useful book.



Daniel Stoker

Daniel Stoker wrote:

Dustin Fireblade wrote:

Nightshade wrote:

Aequitas wrote:Okay, I don't have the Rifts Game Master Guide but I do have Chaos Earth, my question is are the rules printed in Chaos Earth the best rules to use for Rifts? I really don't like the way Rifts Rules seem to change with every successive World Book, IE Dodge Rules, HTH rules, etc. so would the rules printed in Chaos Earth have all the changes that have been made to Rifts Rules?

Correct me someone if I'm wrong but I believe that the rukes in Chaos Earth are a summation of the rules as they stand now in the Game Master's Guide.

Thats my impression as well, and one reason why I have not bothered to get the GMG.

The GMG has a lot of stuff besides rules, including a TON of equipment, all the Psi powers, etc. It's actually a really useful book.



Daniel Stoker

Well I already own most all the other books, and as I don't need but 4-5 books to run my games I just don't see the need to get it.

Is Chaos Earth worth buying?

Yes. Once you get the Creatures of Chaos and the Rise of Magic books to go along with the main book.

Grendel wrote:Is Chaos Earth worth buying?

I probably wouldn't pay full price for it, but it's not a bad book (like most Rifts books my opinion of it can be summed up as "good ideas, bad execution").

If you just want the rules and none of the setting, you'd be better off getting the RGMG and the Revised Conversion Book, because Chaos Earth's core rules are just reprints (with new errors, as I mentioned before).

If you're looking for a fully refined and finalized version of the Palladium Combat System though, you're never going to find it, because Kevin himself still isn't finished with it. He has stated before that it is a work in progress, and new books will always be adding or changing something.

Tinker Dragoon wrote:If you just want the rules and none of the setting, you'd be better off getting the RGMG and the Revised Conversion Book, because Chaos Earth's core rules are just reprints (with new errors, as I mentioned before).

If you're looking for a fully refined and finalized version of the Palladium Combat System though, you're never going to find it, because Kevin himself still isn't finished with it. He has stated before that it is a work in progress, and new books will always be adding or changing something.

This is very true.

I have read all main books (Rifts, Chaos Earth, old Conversion book, GM Guide...), and every time I find 1 or 2 or more changes that confuse me.
I also thought that Chaos Earth, being the most recent book, would be the answer... but no

I am sure that if I get Splicers, it will happen again....

What have I found? that every group, GM , player, etc.. use rules that "fit" them, may be using 1, 2, 3, all of them , or a personal blend.

Hav0k wrote:What have I found? that every group, GM , player, etc.. use rules that "fit" them, may be using 1, 2, 3, all of them , or a personal blend.

And that's kinda of KS's intent. Use what you like, toss what you don't. All rules are lassaiz-farre.

Mack wrote:

Hav0k wrote:What have I found? that every group, GM , player, etc.. use rules that "fit" them, may be using 1, 2, 3, all of them , or a personal blend.

And that's kinda of KS's intent. Use what you like, toss what you don't. All rules are lassaiz-farre.

And it's that very 'use what you like' mentality on the part of KS that I consider Palladium's biggest strength. It allows you to adapt the system to your own preferences, rather than force your preferences to adapt to the system.

Mack wrote:

Hav0k wrote:What have I found? that every group, GM , player, etc.. use rules that "fit" them, may be using 1, 2, 3, all of them , or a personal blend.

And that's kinda of KS's intent. Use what you like, toss what you don't. All rules are lassaiz-farre.

yep, what I love about it too

Cat Of Many Faces wrote:you'll find full agreement here on that one. one of the biggest draws to palladiums books for me is the "your mom and I have been talking and we think you're up for the responsability" feel about the rules. i have never felt that i was being talked down to by the rules. and i always feel that they are supposed to be tweaked to fit my way of doing things. i just love that.

a ruled cat

Well, this was a really big discovery for me. I have played Palladium for a long time, but I only have seen 1 group of players, so I had to rely on books and traditional "knowledge" about RPGs.

It really takes a heavy weight from your shoulders to know that the publisher and the author encourage this kind of use of the rules...

I have found "similar" paragraphs in other games, but I have never seen that actually implemented, or even discussed.

This brings the question: If this is the idea, I dont think there is any set of "rules" for Rifts tournaments or "official" events (never been in one of those...). A lot ot other games and systems *insist" on having only 1 set of rules that *everyone* must use.....

Tyciol wrote:With a combination of Rifts, HU, Nightbane, PF, Psyscape, Between the Shadows, etc. etc. etc. I think I have all the psychic powers. I think the GMG, like the book of magic, and like dark conversions, is just taking things from other books and putting them together, useful for someone who doesn't own the books and doesn't intend to get them, but for someone who does, a relative waste of money, useful only perhaps for a couple solitary rules or spells.

..Nonsense. I have every book and the GM guide is the one I use the most. All the Equipment, all the skills (I don't want to hear it Theru and Kuseru), all the Martial Arts, and basically every suit of PA, every robot and every vehicle (except the GAW stuff).

..Making characters is much easier having that book around. Since Palladium sent a copy to our gaming club we've had it easy.

"Why buy the boxed set when I already have the movies individually?" Because there are different special features.

-Mike >8]