Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts

Kumakun

First, a little intro:

This is the first in probably a series of interest posts to see what kind of games and settings are even popular right now. I've been tasked with a few goals by the Rhost crew, and I need an example game to actually make the following happen:

I just finished a mushcode tool and I really need to take it through a real project so I can find places to improve. This means an opportunity to get a little heavy on coded in-game systems while writing code that's easy to reuse and apply to many more places either as in part or as a whole.
Rhost needs/wants an integrated frontend that's packaged with it. I need a demo place so I can build the said solution. I've got some integration tools to write! But I can't just write them in a vacuum. To stay motivated it has to be towards a tangible goal.
I'm feeling really, REALLY damned nostalgic for an old-school RPG.

Caveat: While I can make anything connected to the game. Wiki, the website, softcode, marketing, design, etc. I can't actually RUN the day-to-day. For me, it's a piece to market my technical and artistic skills. But gosh I'd love to see it inhabited.

If you've just been looking for someone to code that D100 BRP powered game? Something that uses a system that's in the OSR realm or just a great setting for flexing coding chops? DM me, I'm really curious.

Rifts

Rifts has everything I've been craving recently. Mecha, survival horror, exploration, post apocolyptic, cyborgs - and a pretty crunchy system behind it all - if Palladium is the consensus.

Are you interested?

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?

Palladium or SavageWorlds?

How would you handle the sheer enormity of the Rifts ecosystem? Ultimate data entry?

Here are my answers, just to get the conversation started!

Are you interested?
Heck yes, I'm interested!

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?
I'd love to start with something low powered and basic - where MDC is a big deal, and minor to mid monsters from the rifts are actually dangerous. Maybe that means restricting to anything in the Rifts Ultimate Edition Book?

Palladium or SavageWorlds?
Palladium

How would you handle the sheer enormity of the Rifts ecosystem? Ultimate data entry?
I would write a framework, then let the individual games expand from there. In this instance, maybe Rifts Ultimate, and some of the lower-powered, earlier world-books. The less we expect people to own, the more accessible the game is IMHO.

Thanks for reading, I know this was a longer one - and thanks even more for responding. :3

ZombieGenesis

@kumakun I'd be all for a Rifts game.

Are you interested?
Yes.

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?
I'm a "throw it all in a blender" type. I fully embrace the off the wall power levels of Rifts and would like to see just about anything appable from a Rogue Scholar to a Demigod.

Palladium or SavageWorlds?
Palladium.

Runescryer

Are you interested?
Yes, very much so

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?
My personal favorite area is the New West/Colorado Baronies. But, the Lazlo WorldBook is currently in production (RAW manuscripts available at Palladium Books), and I think that might make a better setting. You get nice mix of potential hostiles (CS, Federation of Magic, Free Quebec, Wilderness) and a solid centralized City.

As for power level, I'd say anything besides the CosmoKnight/Godling level of power. Just as long as the people running scenes have a firm understanding of the setting & character capabilities and can adjust to challenges.

Palladium or SavageWorlds?
Palladium

How would you handle the sheer enormity of the Rifts ecosystem? Ultimate data entry?
I'd suggest a Tiered character system, based on rarity for the specific game location rather than 'power'. Another option would be to say anything from the Rifts Corebook/RUE and the book(s) most appropriate to the setting are allowed, with characters from books outside the setting subject to a more stricter review process and possible restrictions (basically, if you want to be from another book, you'd better have a solid BG written up that explains what you're doing in this part of the Megaverse away from 'home')

Kumakun

@zombiegenesis said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

@kumakun I'd be all for a Rifts game.

Are you interested?
Yes.

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?
I'm a "throw it all in a blender" type. I fully embrace the off the wall power levels of Rifts and would like to see just about anything appable from a Rogue Scholar to a Demigod.

Palladium or SavageWorlds?
Palladium.

The only problem I see with the 'throw it in a blender' technique - expecting at least staff to have access to all of that material - as fun as that encounter might be.

Kumakun

@runescryer said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

What sort of Rifts game would you like to see? What power level?
My personal favorite area is the New West/Colorado Baronies. But, the Lazlo WorldBook is currently in production (RAW manuscripts available at Palladium Books), and I think that might make a better setting. You get nice mix of potential hostiles (CS, Federation of Magic, Free Quebec, Wilderness) and a solid centralized City.

I was honestly going to back through the main book again, and see what was spotlit and choose from there. It's been years since I've cracked open any of Rifts books TBH.

As for power level, I'd say anything besides the CosmoKnight/Godling level of power. Just as long as the people running scenes have a firm understanding of the setting & character capabilities and can adjust to challenges.

Phase World: The Dimension Book of No You Can't Have.

How would you handle the sheer enormity of the Rifts ecosystem? Ultimate data entry?
I'd suggest a Tiered character system, based on rarity for the specific game location rather than 'power'. Another option would be to say anything from the Rifts Corebook/RUE and the book(s) most appropriate to the setting are allowed, with characters from books outside the setting subject to a more stricter review process and possible restrictions (basically, if you want to be from another book, you'd better have a solid BG written up that explains what you're doing in this part of the Megaverse away from 'home')

I think this makes sense for starting - restricting to the main book, and maybe the splat from the location if there is one. It's asking players to invest less to participate. But still allowing some exotic things through, with enough scrutiny so we know that they're not just going to steamroll through the game - or if they are, they'll at least make plot hooks while they do it.

Runescryer

@kumakun said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

Phase World: The Dimension Book of No You Can't Have.

Eh, maybe the Prometheans/Phase Adepts can be iffy, but I don't think they're more or less powerful than a dragon hatchling. And the concept of a Wulfen Quatoria chasing a criminal through a portal to Rifts Earth isn't that out of bounds or even overpowered. The issue is, again, how often such characters should appear in a given setting.

I was honestly going to back through the main book again, and see what was spotlit and choose from there. It's been years since I've cracked open any of Rifts books TBH.

I'm a little more recent, having played in a couple online games this years and rebuilding my Palladium library. Lazlo is on/near the ruins of Toronto and New Lazlo is near the ruins of Detroit. You've got the whole Magic Zone as well as Chi-Town and Free Quebec within a few days travel by horse. So, there's multiple 'factions' that can come into play, depending on the year of the setting. Post-Seige of Tolkein, you'd have Lazlo/New Lazlo, Chi-Town/CS, Free Quebec, Federation of Magic, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula with Northern Gun/Ishpeming & the Mantsanique Imperium/Wellington Industries. Technically, you could also include Psyscape and the Shemarian Nation within that range as well. That's a good spread of diversity in character & adventure options right there.

theznar

@kumakun

I can't say that I know anything about Rifts...but an integrated front end would be great for Rhost. That alone would be enough for me to take a look at a place.

Kumakun

@runescryer said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

@kumakun said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

Phase World: The Dimension Book of No You Can't Have.

Eh, maybe the Prometheans/Phase Adepts can be iffy, but I don't think they're more or less powerful than a dragon hatchling. And the concept of a Wulfen Quatoria chasing a criminal through a portal to Rifts Earth isn't that out of bounds or even overpowered. The issue is, again, how often such characters should appear in a given setting.

I was honestly going to back through the main book again, and see what was spotlit and choose from there. It's been years since I've cracked open any of Rifts books TBH.

I'm a little more recent, having played in a couple online games this years and rebuilding my Palladium library. Lazlo is on/near the ruins of Toronto and New Lazlo is near the ruins of Detroit. You've got the whole Magic Zone as well as Chi-Town and Free Quebec within a few days travel by horse. So, there's multiple 'factions' that can come into play, depending on the year of the setting. Post-Seige of Tolkein, you'd have Lazlo/New Lazlo, Chi-Town/CS, Free Quebec, Federation of Magic, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula with Northern Gun/Ishpeming & the Mantsanique Imperium/Wellington Industries. Technically, you could also include Psyscape and the Shemarian Nation within that range as well. That's a good spread of diversity in character & adventure options right there.

I'd love to pick your brains more on setting if you're okay with that. Any help/input I can get on the setting/world would be magical.

ZombieGenesis

@kumakun said in Interest check, and early discussion: Rifts:

The only problem I see with the 'throw it in a blender' technique - expecting at least staff to have access to all of that material - as fun as that encounter might be.

Not untrue.

I think even if you limit it to the core rules and whatever splats suit your area it'll still be fantastic though. Even in just the core rules you have such a wide variety of character types to choose from that I don't think anyone could ever get bored.

Runescryer

@kumakun Sure thing. PM me anytime. I'm really more of a concept/idea kind of guy who knows fark-all about coding. But whatever help I can be, happy to provide it.