Humanoid mutant animals a reality!?

[Kevin]

Humanoid mutant animals could become a reality!

After the Bomb®, TMNT®, Splicers and Dog Boys could become reality! I heard on public radio driving in to work that the UK (I believe it was) is planning to pass a law allowing animal genes to be spliced with “human embryos” and “human genes.” Really.

Of course, the intent is to devise treatment for, and immunity to, certain diseases as well as grow human organs for the purpose of surgical transplants, and other medical applications. HOWEVER, all you need is one lunatic like Doc Feral to take science to the extreme and, BAM, genetically engineered mutant animals!

I just thought you guys and gals would get a kick hearing about mixing human and animal genes. I know I did. The After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks will always have a special place in my heart, and to this day I think that Erick Wujcik’s AtB RPG is an overlooked masterpiece. I mean, who doesn’t want to create and play any kind of mutant animals and the new version of AtB includes Chimeras and other cool ideas. Any of these mutant animal characters can be easily transplanted to Heroes Unlimited, Rifts®, Splicers and just about any setting with weird science, super-heroes or dimensional travel, if not the post apocalyptic world of After the Bomb® itself.

Heck, After the Bomb® could be an alternate dimension to Rifts Earth. I didn’t realize it until Erick mentioned it one day, a couple years ago, but there are a few striking similarities between Rifts® and After the Bomb. The most notable being the post apocalyptic setting, humans being replaced by nonhumans, and the war-like, techno-powered, Empire of Humanity (cousin to the Coalition States?), also located in the Midwest. Coincidence? I hope so. I’d hate to think I subconsciously stole the CS from Erick and AtB. Actually, Erick didn’t see any similarties till after Rifts® was out for a decade, and I was not consciously inspired by or thinking of After the Bomb® when I did Rifts®, so it is coincidence. A cool coincidence that could be turned into a dimension spanning crossover adventure from one world to the other. It would certainly be easy enough to convert Empire of Humanity weapons, armor, vehicles and tech to M.D. or bring mutant animals of AtB to Rifts Earth. What other similarities might there be between the two parallel Earths?

Hmmm, just a fun little murmur from the heart of the Megaverse®.

Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Artist, and Daydreamer
© Copyright September 5, 2007 Palladium Books Inc.