Who are your favorite bad guys of Rifts: Earth?

[Hotrod]

Great adventures need great antagonists. Which are your five favorites, and why?

If I'm missing any significant ones, please let me know, and I'll edit them in. I'll only do this for a few days, though, since it resets the voting to zero whenever I modify the poll.

[Zamion138]

Love hordes of 9 foot tall subdemons so brodkil for the win.....
For the "other" it would have to be the CS....i cant belive they are not on the list....im guessing this was an accident

[say652]

Vamps are my fav, they don't sparkle and are very hard to kill.
CS for mass explosions
Dragons because they are dragons
Oni,i like the random roll charts
and Arkhons because everybody relies so heavily on energy weapons

[Zamion138]

Apon further inspection i missed them

[Incriptus]

I'm a big softy for Spluggies. During my phase world campaign I had a particularly well armed Conservator that was just beastly. Usually I bring up the Atlantis and everyone knows stuff just got hard.

[DhAkael]

Sploogies followed up close behind by The Toaster with the CS as the pathetic third place mooks (Post Tolkeen War; as they bled themselves dry taking out Minesota).

[mobuttu]

I would also add Wormwraith (from New West)...I love that creeter.

[Alrik Vas]

The obvious are the CS and the Splugorth...though playing a CS game I loved using Tolkeen as the bad guy before and during the war. Nothing bums your players out more than knowing they're going up against THAT particular wall of nonsense.

[Greyaxe]

I love using Pecos Raiders. I envision them like Mad Max. Lots of mutants from lone star and such.

[Hotrod]

I would also add Wormwraith (from New West)...I love that creeter.

Added.

[Ravenwing]

Wheres the listing for Erin Tarn, and the Hippies at Lazlo?

[taalismn]

Wheres the listing for Erin Tarn, and the Hippies at Lazlo?

Floopers for that matter. They're the same threat level, over all.

[drewkitty ~..~]

Wheres the listing for Erin Tarn, and the Hippies at Lazlo?

He didn't list the good guys on the bad guys list.

[Hotrod]

I don't include individual antagonists for this list, unless it's something like an alien intelligence with minions/multiple splintered essences. In order to qualify for my list, the antagonists have to be described in villainous terms in canon material. They also have to represent some sort of unified faction/group of factions. Wild psi-stalkers don't qualify. If I counted them, then every social species would have to get thrown in, and I can only put 50 options up per poll on these boards.

Even if there was any ambiguity about Lazlo, it wouldn't make the list. It's impossible to use them as a canon set of antagonists, since the city itself, its forces, its agents, and its gear are not described in detail or statted out anywhere.

By the way, please re-vote if you haven't already. Every time I update this poll, the vote tally goes to zero.

[Ravenwing]

Wheres the listing for Erin Tarn, and the Hippies at Lazlo?

He didn't list the good guys on the bad guys list.

Ahhh, but I only Play CS Games, and Erin Tarn and Lazlo are the Bad Guys.
Good and Evil are all a matter of perception, and depending on whose side you're on, will determine who your PC's perceive is the bad guys.

[Hotrod]

Ravenwing, you make an excellent point. It's entirely possible for good people to come out on opposite sides of a conflict. Since I only have 50 options per poll, it isn't feasible to include every faction in the setting. Instead, I opted to limit the poll to factions that the narrators present as villainous.

Lazlo is many things, but it is not a direct antagonist to the CS. The narrators portray Lazlo in an exclusively positive light. They're very careful to avoid conflict, so they aren't a typical antagonist, even for CS games. How do they play out as bad guys in your games?

[Zamion138]

Ohhhhhh dont forget the Unholy from wormwood.
They are about as evil as it comes.

[Hotrod]

Yep, they are evil, and make great villains, but this is a poll about the Rifts Earth setting. Unless the Unholy have a significant presence I don't know about, they don't qualify.

[Giant2005]

Ravenwing, you make an excellent point. It's entirely possible for good people to come out on opposite sides of a conflict. Since I only have 50 options per poll, it isn't feasible to include every faction in the setting. Instead, I opted to limit the poll to factions that the narrators present as villainous.

Lazlo is many things, but it is not a direct antagonist to the CS. The narrators portray Lazlo in an exclusively positive light. They're very careful to avoid conflict, so they aren't a typical antagonist, even for CS games. How do they play out as bad guys in your games?

Wouldn't the same be said for the Naruni then? They don't antagonize anyone, they just sell weapons - they are classified as a villain because the CS doesn't like them, and that is a trait shared by Tarn.

[Ravenwing]

Ravenwing, you make an excellent point. It's entirely possible for good people to come out on opposite sides of a conflict. Since I only have 50 options per poll, it isn't feasible to include every faction in the setting. Instead, I opted to limit the poll to factions that the narrators present as villainous.

Lazlo is many things, but it is not a direct antagonist to the CS. The narrators portray Lazlo in an exclusively positive light. They're very careful to avoid conflict, so they aren't a typical antagonist, even for CS games. How do they play out as bad guys in your games?

Generally it runs similar to Tolkeen, Pre-SoT books. The CS, and it's Ally FQ perform a number of Recon Missions, Sabotage, and other Clandestine missions. In the Games I run Lazlo actually fought the War against the Bugs during the SoT. The Lazlo war wasn't just fogged over and forgotten about as per SoT:Aftermath, Lazlo did it, and this is how General Holmes survived his time in the Bug Lands. This was a major event actually, while the CS did have some involvement in the so called 'Bug War', it was minor as they had their hands full in Tolkeen, and against a rash of raids and insurgency from the Pecos Empire, and the FoM. Lazlo didn't eliminate the bugs, but they were able to destroy all the hives but the original, and cut it's numbers down to such a level that the bugs can be ignored for 20+ years easily.

That the formerly Peaceful Kingdom of Lazlo was able to persecute and win the War against the Bugs has lead the CS to reclassify it as a seriously potential adversary, probably even more so then Tolkeen. This in turn has made the CS, it's leaders and citizens extremely nervous. With minor wars in the Pecos Empire, and along the FoM borders, the CS can't afford to let another super power rise and possible contend with them in the arena of North America. It's simply a matter of national Security for them. Although not ready to invade Lazlo yet, the CS and FQ are gathering intelligence on the city layout, known supporters, allies and other tactical information. When the time comes, Lazlo, like Tolkeen will have to be eliminated.

From the CS perspective, and after Tolkeen, Lazlo has the same capacity to summon demons, perform atrocities, and otherwise inflict the same 'evils' that Tolkeen did during the war. Regardless of their so-called peaceful intentions. After all Tolkeen 'claimed' to be a peaceful kingdom that respected all philosophies, views, and people. Yet it quickly became apparent to the CS that it was all just a cover up for their demonic summonings, use of black magic(Necromancy, Witchery, Shifting were all commonly practiced by Tolkeen during the war.), human sacrifice, and Anti-human Agenda.

Furthermore Lazlo's so called Self Defense Forces engage in acts of insurgency, by looting, ambushing CS troops, and aiding fugitives in the remains of the Tolkeen Theater from the CS perspective. To Lazlo's perception they are trying to keep harmful magic items, spells, and artifacts out of the hands of dangerous villains, either CS, or another faction(Like the FoM, Atlantis, etc.) as well as aiding in humanitarian work by aiding refugees out of the conquered nation. But to the CS these are all acts of an already established Covert War.

When the CS looks at Lazlo, it sees Tolkeen, all over again. Thus Lazlo is the 'Bad Guys' in my games. The FoM is more of a Terriorist network, and slightly less organized then the Pecos Empire. To many cults, and mages on power trips to ever form a cohesive fighting force. That isn't to say it isn't dangerous, but it's minor.

[Hotrod]

Ravenwing, you make an excellent point. It's entirely possible for good people to come out on opposite sides of a conflict. Since I only have 50 options per poll, it isn't feasible to include every faction in the setting. Instead, I opted to limit the poll to factions that the narrators present as villainous.

Lazlo is many things, but it is not a direct antagonist to the CS. The narrators portray Lazlo in an exclusively positive light. They're very careful to avoid conflict, so they aren't a typical antagonist, even for CS games. How do they play out as bad guys in your games?

Wouldn't the same be said for the Naruni then? They don't antagonize anyone, they just sell weapons - they are classified as a villain because the CS doesn't like them, and that is a trait shared by Tarn.

The Naruni seem to have an imperialist/thuggish streak that most companies just don't have. They are portrayed by the narrators as bad guys. That's why I chose to include them (and the Black Market).

I have a very suspicious vision of who Erin Tarn is, and of what Lazlo is, but this perspective is not supported by canon material. Not yet, anyway.

[Zamion138]

Whats the name of the AI that creates Xombies......the main enemy of psyscape?
I never use him/it but hes a potent player.?



EDIT: nevermind nxyla is his name and he is on there.

[Subjugator]

Desmond Bradford. Not the CS, but Desmond. Brilliant. Corrupt. Powerful. Insightful.

He's frickin' awesome.

[arthurfallz]

Vampires are number one. Hordes of Vampires, it always struck me as just an awesome threat.

The Coaltion, Splugorth and the evil three who are one in England would be my runners up.

[DhAkael]

Desmond Bradford. Not the CS, but Desmond. Brilliant. Corrupt. Powerful. Insightful.

He's frickin' awesome.

Agreed; I've been having fun with his little "side-projects" off-camera in my meta-campaign.

[Eclipse]

The blood weeper and his city in South America (ancient incan undead). He's just a tad disturbing and he hangs with some pretty unsavory undead and demons.