Quote from: dragoner;723982Also there was a yooper(?) company that was still making SDC power armor and tanks and such, we used to call them mook industries, because only mooks used their stuff.

Chipwell Armaments, aka Cheapo Arms & Armor, introduced in Rifts Mercenaries, and one of the best ideas to come out of a very good book.

Low-quality but very affordable weaponry and armor suits, ideally suited for the fledgling community in the wastes who wants to defend itself from MDC wildlife. Against real, Coalition or Northern Gun-grade weaponry, though? Not a chance.

Quote from: The Butcher;723997Chipwell Armaments, aka Cheapo Arms & Armor, introduced in Rifts Mercenaries, and one of the best ideas to come out of a very good book.

Low-quality but very affordable weaponry and armor suits, ideally suited for the fledgling community in the wastes who wants to defend itself from MDC wildlife. Against real, Coalition or Northern Gun-grade weaponry, though? Not a chance.

According to talks with the writer of Rifts Mercenaries - that book got him in trouble with Siembeida. Not sure what element though was the contention?

Quote from: Omega;724124According to talks with the writer of Rifts Mercenaries - that book got him in trouble with Siembeida. Not sure what element though was the contention?

C.J. Carella wrote that one, right? IIRC, his stats for arms and armor tended toward the overpowered. I don't know if that was the issue (actual or just perceived) with Mercenaries though.

Quote from: Omega;724124According to talks with the writer of Rifts Mercenaries - that book got him in trouble with Siembeida. Not sure what element though was the contention?

No idea. If Bill Coffin's classic old RPGnet post is anything to go by, KS can be quite the control freak. C. J. Carella did write some real stinkers for Rifts (the South America books), but Mercenaries is fantastic, and even the much-maligned Pantheons of the Megaverse is packed with adventure hooks.

Quote from: Dan Vincze;724145C.J. Carella wrote that one, right? IIRC, his stats for arms and armor tended toward the overpowered. I don't know if that was the issue (actual or just perceived) with Mercenaries though.

Mercs is an earlier book in terms of power level. There's definitely some serious firepower in there, but it hadn't quite reached ridiculous levels like MDC leaves and the phase weapons.

Mercenaries is one of the best Rifts books, by far. Yes, there are some powerful weapons, but the book is about dudes who are hired guns; it makes sense they'd have access to the good stuff. And they're also supposed to be small in number...there aren't millions of mercs in North America. Maybe closer to a few thousand? The power creep that happened in later books led me to stop buying them after South America 1. They just got dumb and made no sense when paired with the main book.

Rifts main book w/Atlantis for supernatural threats, mercs for military characters, and maybe the conversion book for a lot of weird shit like monsters, and that's really all you need.

It literally just now dawned on me that with published material alone, I now have enough stuff for H&H to run a house-ruled Rifts. Only thing I'm missing is mechs and they're on the docket for the H&H Companion series.

Quote from: J Arcane;724214It literally just now dawned on me that with published material alone, I now have enough stuff for H&H to run a house-ruled Rifts. Only thing I'm missing is mechs and they're on the docket for the H&H Companion series.

:eek:

That's a bold statement, sir.

Here's my personal test for whether a system can do Rifts:

You can have a Vagabond (a post-apocalyptic hobo, really) and a Dragon Hatchling (young, but physically very powerful and able to learn magic) in the same party.

Sounds simple enough, but most point-based systems can't do it. Unless you hand different point totals to different players and that's bullshit.

In H&H's case, I think the trick would be to cover all the different classes with H&H's nominally archetypal, but quirky classes; e.g. Rifts Rogue Scientists don't necessarily map to H&H Scientists because there really is no equivalent to the H&H multi-tool (and its spell-like "programs") in Rifts. It can be done, but it'll take some serious work.

In any case -- have you considered a lower-tech, Earth-bound, post-apocalyptic hack for H&H?

Quote from: The Butcher;724282:eek:

That's a bold statement, sir.

Here's my personal test for whether a system can do Rifts:

You can have a Vagabond (a post-apocalyptic hobo, really) and a Dragon Hatchling (young, but physically very powerful and able to learn magic) in the same party.

Sounds simple enough, but most point-based systems can't do it. Unless you hand different point totals to different players and that's bullshit.

In H&H's case, I think the trick would be to cover all the different classes with H&H's nominally archetypal, but quirky classes; e.g. Rifts Rogue Scientists don't necessarily map to H&H Scientists because there really is no equivalent to the H&H multi-tool (and its spell-like "programs") in Rifts. It can be done, but it'll take some serious work.

In any case -- have you considered a lower-tech, Earth-bound, post-apocalyptic hack for H&H?

I've had a couple ideas for possible seeds for a PA version of the rules, and as a setting near and dear to me, it's definitely something I'd like to do some day.

Before I decided to just do the Companion series I was actually working on resurrecting my old 'A Song in the Dark' setting, but I think it's just too dated an idea now.

If I do a PA game now it might just be an extrapolation of AR, or an original setting, but I'd need to find a twist. Unlike SF or Urban Fantasy, I actually have shoes to fill when it comes to a PA D&D, so I'd only do it if I found the right direction I think.

Quote from: J Arcane;724158Mercs is an earlier book in terms of power level. There's definitely some serious firepower in there, but it hadn't quite reached ridiculous levels like MDC leaves and the phase weapons.

Rifts Mercenaries arms and armor are generally on pair with core book stuff, except for Naruni armaments that are super-expensive and use specific ammo that's only available from their transdimensional purveyors.

Quote from: Brad;724210Rifts main book w/Atlantis for supernatural threats, mercs for military characters, and maybe the conversion book for a lot of weird shit like monsters, and that's really all you need.

Seconded. Though I'd throw in Federation of Magic, or the Rifts Book of Magic for additional spellcasting fun, and maybe Psyscape for some fun new psionic classes and powers.

And depending on where on Earth you're setting your game, I'd point you towards a World Book, or point out that you're better off coming up with your own ideas.

Quote from: The Butcher;724282Here's my personal test for whether a system can do Rifts:

You can have a Vagabond (a post-apocalyptic hobo, really) and a Dragon Hatchling (young, but physically very powerful and able to learn magic) in the same party.

Sounds simple enough, but most point-based systems can't do it. Unless you hand different point totals to different players and that's bullshit.

Well, that's because point-buy systems care about dope-smoking-freak concepts like "game balance."

JG

I love MD.

In the game I ran tonight, I was able to describe a city street, four vendor booths and 3 people who were set ablaze or cut in half by an MDC laser pistol. I was able to describe civilians turned to mist by an MDC rail rifle, and buildings set ablaze by plasma mini missiles.

The PC's SDC car was hit with an MDC laser pistol which burned through the door to hit the PC who was in mega damage armor. His armor heated up enough to start smoking the seat and the laser caught the engine and part of the frame on bright white / green fire.

The bad guy in a mega damage breast plate was hit with a plasma rife, where I was able to describe his neck and face blistering and his shirt and jacket burning off to expose a bright glowing, super hot vest.

I find the whole thing entertaining and hysterical.

Quote from: James Gillen;724460Well, that's because point-buy systems care about dope-smoking-freak concepts like "game balance."

JG

and that is why they fail.

Quote from: ForumScavenger;724728I love MD.

In the game I ran tonight, I was able to describe a city street, four vendor booths and 3 people who were set ablaze or cut in half by an MDC laser pistol. I was able to describe civilians turned to mist by an MDC rail rifle, and buildings set ablaze by plasma mini missiles.

The PC's SDC car was hit with an MDC laser pistol which burned through the door to hit the PC who was in mega damage armor. His armor heated up enough to start smoking the seat and the laser caught the engine and part of the frame on bright white / green fire.

The bad guy in a mega damage breast plate was hit with a plasma rife, where I was able to describe his neck and face blistering and his shirt and jacket burning off to expose a bright glowing, super hot vest.

I find the whole thing entertaining and hysterical.

Exactly. The whole thing has a somewhat adolescent mentality to it; but that's the entire fucking point. There's a reason why RIFTS became so immensely popular, and the whole "explosion in another explosion" stupid-action-film combat that gets generated by things like the MDC rules are part of that.

RPGPundit