Snagged my copy today and am in the middle of reading it.
So far, so decent.
I only have
ONE, major nit with it.
The assumption that no one will ever find out the Shemarrians are not genuine.
-kaff kaff kaff metaplot koff koff-
Errrmmmm... okay, for the average beginer player & GM, I can say, sure, "I'm hip with that concept".
However, I've been running Rifts since it's first publication first printing and the campaigns are all interconnected , despite having multiple player groups. In all this time, yes, Lazlo (which is home base for 99.99997% of all my games) has found out that the Shems are constructions, but have no idea they are localy built (That part still jibes with Josh's meta plot).
Constantly reiterating that Erin Tarn is a moron, the CS and Free Q's are arrogant xenophobes, and the vast majority of the continent are ignorant hicks makes some GM's, who want to evolve their games, a little annoyed. No matter how much they may agree to the above points
All that being said, I like the book for the most-part and definately like that yes, they Shem's have changed and are now more plausible as a "culture".
I'm thinking at a later point
(in my own campaign mind you, this is just GM pie-in-skye thoughts), one of the 'Tribes' may actually start to REALLY think for themselves. Be it through close proximity to rift energy, a salvaged alien arifact, 'other' force or chaos-theory in action (any suitably complex system due to instabilities in
all structures, begin to alter and mutate) Said tribe could concieveably become truly independant and go their own way. This would of course cause both ARCHIE and Hagan no end of coniptions. Also, what would the PC's do if they interact with the now
free Shemarrian people? Help them in their quest to find a new home away from the East-lands?
Try to dig into the secrets of the Shem-Nation? please note; though independant, these freed-thinker Shemarrians would still hold their core programming for at least 1 or 2 more
generations, and act to keep their secrets just that.
A darn good first effort and worthy of 4 stars out of 5.