RIFTS, After the Bomb, etc.

Greetings all!

First time poster long time...long long time...player

Bought my MA in 1976 with birthday money...even before I bought my little box of D&D or any of my LBB Traveller.

RIFTS or more to the point After the Bomb.

If you have not tried either, there are some seriously good things about the Palladium system...too be sure.

It has become a bit of a monster, as it evolved it became something to feed the hungry power gamers.

But toned down, with a sense of restraint, there is much win to be found.

Basically it is a create what you want within a series of guidelines, with tons of skills which are percentile (thumbs up from my camp).

The After the Bomb focuses on animal mutants...being an extension of TMNT.

The process of uplifting your character is the best hands down.

You use bio-E points which are set based upon animal type and size...an elephant has less and a mouse has more...a large stock animal character can sell back size to gain bio-E points and small stock animal character can buy up size.

You choose between human features, hands, vocal chords, biped, etc. all using the bio-E...including special animal traits such as claws and poison relative to your animal type.

There are two editions.

I have both...if you do not and want to get one...which you should, run quick!...get the second edition as is is cleaned up and has evolved a bit.

A bad joke sorry.

Anyway...this system can be used as an overlay to just about any other system...fun times.

There are rules for chimera...mixed animal aspects...that I also use for human and plant mutants.

In my more science fantasy games I tend to use the Earth is being terra formed to recover or to be changed into something else...or as per RIFTS there are places where alien worlds spill into ours and vice versa...so I like to blend the mutations a bit.

But I also tend to knock the laundry list of mutations down also...in my games you will rarely have more than a couple mutations unless they are for color or flavor...take as many cosmetic mutations as you like

So there you have it...RIFTS is a deep subject and I just touched on After the Bomb...good stuff...must haves in my book.

I have to say that Wujcik's work on ATB was awesome. I originally played TMNT myself and, while I've never had a chance to play, ATB, I am thus familiar with the BIO-E system. well thought out.

I got to have lunch a couple times with Eric when I was working at GENCON and GAMA shows.

Good guy, real shame.