Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

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shaidyn
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Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by shaidyn »

I'm looking to return to Rifts after many years away, with a group of friends who have no experience with it whatsoever. While doing some prep work I realized I have background information for a couple dozen sourcebooks in my head that my players don't have, and aren't like to be able to get any time soon.

I'm curious if anyone knows if there is a resource out there that has a synopsis of "Rifts", that includes information from all of the various sourcebooks. As in, "This is what's going on in Japan. Here's what China's like. If you're in North America, these are the big players." Sort of a summary of the world at large.

I've come across several broader description of what Rifts is as a setting (post apocalyptic, gonzo, etc.), but nothing that actually lays out information from the various world books to give players an idea of what's out there. For example, when I was explaining things to my friends I mentioned that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are real, they're out there, and they'll **** you up. This blew them away, because it wasn't something that had ever been mentioned anywhere else.
Shark_Force
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Shark_Force »

well, there's a *very* small amount of information on most places right in the RUE i think.

(how erin tarn managed to get all that information is anyone's guess, though).
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Mack »

Take a look at Aftermath. I believe it's the most of the info you're looking for.

Between it and RUE you'll have a decent grasp of the world.
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shaidyn
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by shaidyn »

I actually found what I was looking for elsewhere, so I'm posting a link to it here in case anyone stumbles across this thread from google:

https://rpggeek.com/thread/1578252/big- ... uide-rifts
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Proseksword »

Shark_Force wrote:well, there's a *very* small amount of information on most places right in the RUE i think.

(how erin tarn managed to get all that information is anyone's guess, though).


Yeah, RIFTs Aftermath is the book you are looking for - complete synopsis of the entirety of the RIFTs setting as published from North America to Europe to Australia to near-Earth orbit. I love that book!
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Hotrod »

Here's something I wrote up a few years back as a hook for people new to the Rifts setting:

At the end of the 24th century, Earth is in ruins. After an epic arms race at the end of the 21st century, the sudden outbreak of war unleashed a global catastrophe. Fueled by millions of simultaneous deaths, radiant lines of supernatural energy, many miles long, erupted around the globe. With their appearance, continents shook, volcanoes erupted, and storms raged. Along these ley lines, the fabric of existence tore into Rifts, gateways to other dimensions.

Unearthly creatures emerged from the Rifts. Their arrival brought more war, more bloodshed, and more change. The continent of Atlantis reappeared with a tidal wave, drowning and re-shaping the world's coasts. Greater powers arrived, enticed by a world awash in death. Human civilization collapsed.

300 years have passed. Rifts continue opening. Once dominant, humans face death and enslavement around the world. Their enemies are countless in number and variety: demons, vampires, alien predators, and worse.

Facing these threats, humans seek any advantage they can get. Many use their ancestors' technology: devastating guns, mighty power armor, and fast vehicles. Some desperate souls alter their own bodies with performance-enhancing drugs or powerful machines. Others turn to abilities awakened by the Coming of the Rifts: the psionic mind, the magics of harnessed ley line energy, or unions with alien powers.

Often misunderstood, these powers sow confusion and fear among the few remaining human nations. Their people and leaders wonder: what must humanity become to survive? The answers aren't pleasant. Many hate these countries more than the terrors they fight.

Those without power or protection live in fear, fleeing titanic threats they can neither oppose nor understand. Their fear is everyone's, for no-one is safe on this Earth of chaos and violence. Death fuels the Rifts, and no-one knows what horrors will emerge next.
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Eagle
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Eagle »

What I've told people is that if they've seen it in a post-apocalyptic movie or cartoon, then it probably exists in Rifts.
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oni no won
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by oni no won »

The explanation also depends on where you will start your players. For example, if they start in China, your players will only know that Hell has come to Earth.
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by slade2501 »

The day after tomorrow X Pacific Rim X Stranger Things X Blade X D&D. that is rifts.
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Eagle »

80s action movies (post apocalypse preferred) -- Terminator, The Road Warrior, Running Man, Robocop, Aliens, Escape from New York

plus

80s fantasy movies -- Sword and the Sorcerer, Conan the Barbarian, Krull, Fire and Ice, Excalibur

plus

80s sci-fi movies -- Blade Runner, Scanners, Akira, Near Dark, Robot Jox, Masters of the Universe

and don't forget

two scoops of Heavy Metal
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Re: Does there exist a synposis of the WHOLE Rifts Setting?

Unread post by Library Ogre »

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