How Did You Get Into Rifts and Why Do You Keep Playing

[SmilingJack]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

4: What were your first Rifts Books

5: What about Rifts do you love

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

[Bill]

It looked cool when I was 16 and it still looks cool 20 years later. The proverbial rule of cool trumps every bad thing about the game for me and keeps me coming back.

[Giant2005]

1: How did you get into Rifts

My brother introduced me to it.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

I remember crying like a little girl when my brother, who happened to be both GM and player, felt the need to kill my character.
Years later after re-discovering Rifts, I have now realized that his character was using his special GM powers to do it.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

It seems that I can only remember the traumatic moments of the past...
I can however, remember many awesome moments from more recent days but I'm not going to try and filter through them and try to figure out what my favourites are (yeah I am lazy and basically screwed this question around )

4: What were your first Rifts Books

My group started from scratch and bought the books as they came out at our local hobby store. The first one I actually bought myself with my hard-earned paper route money was South America 1.

5: What about Rifts do you love

The world.
I love the setting, it is deep and covers pretty much everything I could want out of a game.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Same answer as number 5.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

20-ish years.

[MaxxSterling]

My friend and I decided to create our own gaming system after playing D&D, it was going to be an unbound rules system where you could play anything you wanted, imagine a dragon fighting an F-16 or the Terminator in a medieval setting. We came up with a rules system, a general setting and essentially an entire core rulebook complete with skills, weapons, armor, races, classes and so on. This was approx. 1996. And then one day we happened to notice this system called RIFTS that we'd never even heard of and poof... dream destroyed.

We started playing it and that's that.

As to why I keep playing it, I have no idea, other than it being familiar and being easier to figure out than GURPS.
This game is horrific in terms of editing, the rules are broken in many places and no two groups play this game the same way... Which is why you almost never see it run at conventions and also why it has an extremely negative reputation among gamers. In fact I have 9 comic/gaming stores in my side of the state and not a single store carries any palladium products. They used to, but no one bought them... I remember buying 8 books at one time because a local store bundled them as a pack and sold them for $5, yes $5.

[Subjugator]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

4: What were your first Rifts Books

5: What about Rifts do you love

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

1. I got into Rifts because my brother and my best friend (at the time) were playing it and kept talking about it. I was very resistant at the time (D&D and only D&D!), but tried it...and loved it.
2. My earliest memories...God. I was a juicer. I loved the idea of live fast, die young. I mean, I figured I'd be dead well before I was 35 and didn't care, so I could relate.
3. My favorite gaming memories are from the Open Houses. The people there are wonderful.
4. Main book, Vampire Kingdoms, SB1, Conversion Book 1, and Atlantis. It's all we had at the time. I bought them all at the same time.
5. It's effing brilliant! Honestly, a lot of it has to do with my friends, but I also love that it ignores the idea of balance and tells you to be who you want to be. It has limitless possibility.
6. I've not played for a while (time constraints), but it offers an incredibly rich world and storyline. I'm a fluff guy, not a rules guy.
7. Very nearly since initial publication. 22 years or so.

There's a hundred things to love about Rifts. The people. The story. The richness of world. The background. The players. The fun. The diversity. The love. The incredible work that I know goes into every single book.

...and those are the reasons I love Rifts...kind of...

I've made a lot of friends because of Rifts. It's given me things I never thought I'd find in a book. The books were friends to me when I had none. They had entire worlds of people who would think I am just fine. They opened paths to real people who think I am just fine. They led to me developing new personal heroes and loving gaming more than I ever would've had I simply stuck in the D&D mindset.

Not only has Rifts given me friends and personal heroes, I've gotten to meet those heroes (the Palladium crew, the artists, et al), see them become human, become friends with some of them, and still get to see them for the heroes they are. How many people can say they've gotten a phone call in the middle of a game and nobody complains about the call coming in, because it's the publisher of the game you're playing? Yeah, Kev's called me in the middle of a game a few times.

Have I mentioned that I love Kevin Siembieda? You'll find people on the net who are detractors of his. You'll never see me say he's a bad guy. He's an amazing guy who always has a smile for me, who after an incredibly long day at GenCon will sit up for hours talking to me in his hotel room catching up with me even though he's so tired he has dark circles under his eyes, but damn he's so glad to see me he can't help it. Kev ignited my love of art.

Did you know that when you go into Kev's office you'll see hundreds of books on different sections of the world, different cultures, medieval weapons, modern weapons, armor, art, and a thousand other subjects that he wants to learn about so he writes good books for us? Did you know that if he puts in a 12 hour day, it's a short day for him? Did you know that this man loves his fans as much as they love him, and that he always has a ready smile for all of them? Have you seen how many people have gotten early work in their career from Palladium only to When I owned everything Palladium had ever made and got a grab bag, the man found things I didn't even know existed so he made sure I got a great grab bag.

Have I mentioned that I love the artists and freelancers? When I go to the Open House, talk to them on Facebook, or see them at Gen Con, they are genuinely glad to see me and are always ready to chat, game, draw something for me, tell me about what they're writing, talk, or just plain hang out. Their art is always under-priced and they're always glad people love it. The freelancers are always glad to tell you about what amazing things they're writing.

Mostly though, I love Palladium. I love my friends here. I love the people at Palladium. I love the artists and the art.

I assume most people here have seen the show Cheers or are at least aware of it. When I go to something involving Palladium, I'm Norm, and that's a beautiful thing. Palladium is the place where everybody knows my name, and they're always glad I came. Even the people I annoy love me here. I love that, I love them...

...and I love Palladium.

I may be the Super Fan, but it's a Super Company and a Super Group of Fans that are involved in my being such a fan.

-Dennis Hughes

[Neo]

1: How did you get into Rifts

School gaming club

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

Playing a headhunter since all we had was the old core book.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Playing back when you had a lot of people on PalChat

4: What were your first Rifts Books

Rifts Mercenaries, Core Book and NGR#1

5: What about Rifts do you love

I used to love how planned out it was, and how real the setting was.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

I dont play Rifts anymore.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

I had been playing Rifts on and off since 97, but I havent played an actual Rifts game in over 5 years. Still buy the books though.

[say652]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,


1: How did you get into Rifts
My former player from my ADnD 2nd ed. game introduced me to the system
2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
Realizing that my 5000 year old elven assassin got like 4 occ's worth of skills
3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
critical hits
4: What were your first Rifts Books
Rifts main book, still the only one i own.
5: What about Rifts do you love
No matter how strong your characters are you will always run from the coalition.
6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
Love the setting
7: How long have you been playing Rifts

Over 10 years now.

[keir451]

1. I got into Rifts from Robotech, just a natural progression for me.

2. My earliest memories are of my original game group and I running our first campaign where I was a female GB pilot.

3. The varied people I meet and the strange adventures I run in.

4. My first books were the Rifts RPG, Conversion Book, Source book 1 and Vampire Kingdoms.

5. I love the fact that Rifts has it ALL; the magic (bad as it is), tech, High tech, psionics, etc.

6. Why do I keep playing? I can create any setting I want in Rifts (I can in D&D too, but Rifts is different), I can be as crazy as I want and NOT really break the concept of the game.

7. Off and on for the past 23yrs.

[GenThunderfist]

1: How did you get into Rifts

A good friend of mine from highschool first got me interested in it when we first started to actually hang out. He would tell me stories of chainsaws and dragons and everything. I had played DnD with a friend way back in my childhood and loved it. This sounded much cooler.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

My first character was a Combat Mage. He wasn't built very well and I have to say that I didn't enjoy playing him very much, however he had paired chainswords (just differently explained vibroswords) which was pretty b.a

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Let's see...there was the time I survived a direct attack by a Demon with a GM who doesn't use the GI Joe rule. I was going to die...but I did it to save my buddy. It was literally down to the will of the dice, and his attack did 1D4x10 MD on a claw strike...I had a 25% chance to survive it. It was pretty cool

Another one was where I was a Blade Mage and I was pinned down by a Panther Shark...I stabbed it in the face on a nat.20 I think, killing it and saving myself

4: What were your first Rifts Books

My friend who got me into Rifts got me both RMB and Mercenaries as my first books the same year I started playing.

5: What about Rifts do you love

The setting. I love it. It's such a great testament to the desire to live in so many ways...

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Uhhh....I like it? No clue really. It's just fun for me

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

Uhhh...like 5+ years I think?

[taalismn]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

4: What were your first Rifts Books

5: What about Rifts do you love

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

1) Saw a copy bandied about at a Trinity College Fantasy Guild Gamefest way back 1i the 1990s(we had local corporate sponsorship from a local game store). Rifts had just come out, and I was already hooked on Robotech.

2) Ran a few trial episodes with friends.

3)Playing the unexpected, like a hulking full conversion cyborg with professional Cooking skills and incredible Charm stats, opposite a fanatically superhero-obsessed Crazy with a rubber chicken as a sidekick.

4) Rifts Main Rulebook...now dogeared and yellowed. Been collecting them ever since, even if I don't play.

5) Wide open to all madness.

6) Wide open to all madness. It's a crossover change of scenery, change-of-tone, game that can be played hand-to-mouth run-for-your-life grit-serious, or post-apocalyptic slapstick(with demons as straight men!).

7) Since it came out.

[Razzinold]

1: How did you get into Rifts?

One of my best friends from High School got me into it. He used to play D&D with a group of guys then he found Rifts. The D&D guys didn't want to switch so he formed his own group. He was the GM and the group consisted of me and his two brothers (all of us new to RPG's).
He GM'd our group all through high school and into college/university when we came home for the summer break to work.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts ?

Playing in the first group in High School, I was 16 or 17.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts ?

Too many to list, but probably our longest running campaign (like 3 years or so) and then later on in life when my wife played for the first time.

4: What were your first Rifts Books ?

I bought the RMB and the hardcover silver edition on the same day, then the next one was Vampire Kingdom, after that basically one of us (or more) from the group bought every new book that came out.

5: What about Rifts do you love ?

I really like setting (huge fan of the whole post apocalyptic genre)

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts ?

Back when I first played I thought it was the coolest thing ever, so it brings up a lot of fond memories when I play, it's still a lot of fun today and it's great creative outlet and I like introducing new people to the hobby.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

16 or 17 years.

[cyberdon]

I picked up the original Rifts rpg many, many years back -to be honest- because of the amazing cover (the Splugorth minion or whatever).

Years flashed by, and everyone I knew wanted solely to play some form of D&D, because they only liked swords, and our main guy in the group hated sci-fi.

Fast forward years ahead, and I'm still playing games with swords, but I decide to use SKYPE when it first comes out in order to get together with some old buds to play rpgs -once again with swords in them.

After many years, my brain eventually makes the connection: Hmm, maybe, just maybe, I don't have to stick with people who don't like sci-fi all of the time.

So I look at the Rifts books I've purchased over the years -because of fluff rather than crunch- and find and pull out my RUE from some box in the basement -I'd heard from some guy at a gaming store that Palladium was in trouble so I picked up the RUE.

I then posted a call for players on this site, slowly collected a group, and got down to business.

So that's that. I started with the core book and the adventure book, and later threw in Rifts: Canada.

I totally love the game.

[Damian Magecraft]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts
I had been playing Palladium games since 83 and Rifts was the newest release
2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
When a "fist" fight broke out between the Hatchling GHD and the GB in the party.
3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
When the juicer in the party declared he was going to preform a Diamond Cutter on the Adult Dragon
4: What were your first Rifts Books
I Bought them in order as they became available
5: What about Rifts do you love
The kitchen sink setting
6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
Its a great setting and the old school feel of the system
7: How long have you been playing Rifts
Since August 1990

[Glistam]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

For the game Rifts, specifically, it was through a group of friends in the Navy when we were going to school in Florida in 1996-1997. Palladium itself I got into in 1993, with Heroes Unlimited.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

My earliest Rifts memory is actually from 1993/1994, in high school. Someone in my homeroom class very excitedly showed off their new Rifts: Africa book to me, and to this day I still don't understand why they did that. As far as playing Rifts, it would be with the same group in Florida, and specifically a rules discussions with the Create Force Fields super power. Everything was going fine until we needed to know just HOW big, exactly, the force field could actually be.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

My first character, in that game we ran in Florida, annihilated a whole squadron of Mechanoid Wasps travelling at high speed with a perfectly timed Force Field. Later in that same game, that character rode out the wave of the Mechanoid spider-base exploding with the last of their Force Field MDC, just barely surviving. When I ran Rifts with that same group, two of the players played twins separated at birth - one was a Coalition Special Forces, the other was a Powerful Psychic. They set this all up, and having the reveal play out in the game resulted in some epic RP. I could write paragraphs of my favorite Rifts memories, but those were some of my earliest.

4: What were your first Rifts Books

Since Heroes Unlimited was my first love, getting the conversion book after the main book was a must. After that, it was pretty much every book released that I could get a hold of.

5: What about Rifts do you love

The infinite possibilities.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

There's just so many options, both for playing and for storytelling, that it's hard to not come back to. No matter what "power level" the game is set at, it can always remain challenging and fresh.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

On and off since 1996, though I started with Heroes Unlimited and Robotech (not together) in 1993.

[dragonfett]

1: How did you get into Rifts

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

4: What were your first Rifts Books

5: What about Rifts do you love

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

1) I remember reading the RMB, CWC, and the two Phase World books back when I was a freshman in high school because my brother stored them in my room (he slept on the couch and had no other place to store his gaming stuff). I also read his copy of the 2nd Ed PHB, DMG, and Monsterous Portfolio (iirc, it was the monster manuel that was contained in a binder). I also remember that my second oldest sister was not fond of the fact that my oldest sister, her husband, and my brother played games (she thought RPG's were the devil's work) and disapproved of them getting me interested into them.

2) The first time I played Rifts was during my week of spring break during my senior year of high school. Part of the reason that I remember it is due to the fact that also happened to be the very same week that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in that car crash while racing in the Daytona 500 (iirc).

3) I would have to say that my favorite memory playing Rifts was when the group I was in were all either demi-gods or godlings (I can't remember off hand). I was a Promethean Phase Adept. He had a whole extra-dimensional realm. The one thing that I remember the most is that we were exploring an ancient ruin and we came to a hall that was trapped and we couldn't find a way to get past them and we had no other way to go. So my character went running down the corridor purposely triggering all of the traps and using his phase power to walk through the solid stone blocks that came falling from the ceiling.

4) The RMB, GMG, and the Book of Magic.

5) The diversity of being able to play a high tech warrior, high tech mage, a low tech character, dragon, or so much more.

6) The Setting

7) On and off now for about 12 years.

[dpenwood]

1: How did you get into Rifts
I started playing Rifts in 8th grade I think (1988-ish). I was running a D&D campaign, then one of my players brought in TMNT book by Palladium, so we gave it a try. Eventually he bought Ninjas & Superspies... then Heroes Unlimited... then Rifts. I was disappointed in Rifts at first because my TMNT character (a mutant rhino) couldn't survive in Rifts. He survived fine in N&S and even HU, but got his ass kicked when he ended up in the Rifts world. I didn't "get it" at the time, haha.

My buddy got tired of gaming and that was that... mostly D&D since then... until my girlfriend (also a gamer) came home and said "I was just asked to run a Rifts game at Arisia next month" (a local con here near Boston). I was amazed at how quickly the character generation and rules came back to me as I was helping her make the pre-gens. I ended up falling in love with the game again. That was a year or two ago.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
See #1.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
I haven't been a PC in Rifts since Reagan was president. I find myself running the game rather than playing in it.

4: What were your first Rifts Books
The original Rifts book... then a couple years ago I borrowed her copy of RUE, which she has since just given to me. My first book beyond that was New West I believe.

5: What about Rifts do you love
I love the universe. It's so rich and expansive. I'm also the type of person who needs to have many things going on at once, and Rifts certainly has that! I like all the different O.C.C.s, races, and how you can open any book and learn something about the Rifts universe that you didn't know before.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
See #5.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts
Started playing in 1988-1990... started playing again in 2011.

[slade the sniper]

1: How did you get into Rifts
Got interested by the ad in the Wargame West catalogue and bought one of the first copies via mail.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
Making the Military Specialist and thinking that RIFTS was sooooo much cooler than TMNT...but by the second game we started porting in TMNT, Robotech, Heroes Unlimited...it got kitchen sink really quick, yet that shared world is still the default setting for me and the group.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
Getting eaten by a frog demon while rescuing the damsel in distress...only to have her rescue me by gutting the demon and then declaring my PC to be her property since she rescued him...then having an entire campaign where another group of PCs tried to rescue him...but didn't.

4: What were your first Rifts Books
Rifts original main book, followed by Sourcebook 1 and then Vampire Kingdoms...then Rifts Mercenaries, then Atlantis and the Mechanoids...don't remember the order after that...

5: What about Rifts do you love
The setting and the fact that you can have anything you want in it...but executed so much cleaner than was done with Torg. The kitchen sink really appeals to me all these years later.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
The setting is so open and you can just mix and match so easily.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts
um, since I was 16...so, I guess 22 years now...

-STS

[Shadow Wyrm]

A friend of mine got me into Rift's and role playing games, and I continue to play because it is by far the most interesting game world out there.

[Alrik Vas]

When i was 12, i was on my second Robotech character (the first was named after me...it always sucks when "you" die) and our SDF-5 Wataru of course had a (can you guess?) SPACE FOLD MISHAP! The ship was damaged and in the Atlantic ocean just off the east coast of North America. We had to deal with Splugorth, sea monsters, ARCHIE and the Coalition all while trying to figure out how the crap we were going to get back and rejoin the REF exploration forces.

That's how I got into Rifts.

Why do I keep playing? I wish i was.../sigh

[Zamion138]

1: How did you get into Rifts
First rpg i bought. I bought it honestly cuase it was near the magic cards at hobbie town usa. And the cover had chicks in tight clothes and *****....i was 12ish.
2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
Hating the first gm i ran across at 14, i had just started smoking pot (i dont anymore) anyhow he was a holy roller and i always felt he was picking on me. But the rest of the group was fun and i rember dieing 3 times in a night once. 2 of wich were my fualt.
3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
Robo slammer walking across the floor of the great lakes fighting a demon fish thing and managing to win with an air leak....it was all very adventurus.
4: What were your first Rifts Books
Rmb, atlantis,england,ngr in that order.
5: What about Rifts do you love
The plot, the possibilities, over all just the cool factor.
6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
I can gm it with out books, i have a back log of cool chars i wanna play and the megaversal "ness" of some of the games ive been in.
7: How long have you been playing Rifts.
18 years off and on. Only shadowrun is as fun or deep as palladium games.

[DhAkael]

1: How did you get into Rifts
Was a long-time player of the Robotech RPG (edition 1), and was looking to ditch D&D, but didn't want to give up the fantasy / magic aspect of TSR's cash-cow. Tried Shadowrun, but despite an initially superior product storywise and art-wise, the game system made no sense... then came Rifts; it had Robotech's high-tech aspect, it had Shadowrun's dystopia aspect, and it had magic and monsters in a d20 / d100 based system I was familiar with. haven't regretted the choice.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts
Insanity...seriously, had some of the most WHACKED-out games for several years until I hit my rythem. *LOL* It got so bad, Erin Tarn patnsed Prossek Jr. & Senior in the first few pick-up games.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts
"The elevator incident". Entire session keeping the 2 Capt. Testosterones of the group stymied at the top of an elevator shaft via the actions of a crippled Mechanoid brute which had a stack of grenades it kept sending up the shaft everytime the LEEEEEEROOOOOY JENkins twins tried to go down.

4: What were your first Rifts Books
First Printing, First Edition Mainbook straight out of the shipping box (bought at 'The Silver Snail' Eglington & Younge St. location. Also, sourcebook 1 (1st ed, first printing) and The conversion book which actauly ENCOURAGED you to convert from other game I.P.'s... I still have it and quote it when ever I see KS frothing at people doing "C"-words

5: What about Rifts do you love
Yes.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts
*shrug* Last man standing that isn't WhiteWolf 'sparkly emos/rabidmutts/long eared artsies/Supermunchkinsfromdawnoftime' based or an offshoot of the basterdized and thourghly mangled mutation that calls its-self D&D.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts
Yes. No seriously; ever since it came out I have only had ONE year where I did not have a game crew. The meta-story has been going on since third year after 1st printing 1st edition came out; my present campaign(s) tie into story threads I developed nearly 15 years ago...

[SpiritInterface]

"Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts"

The group had been playing Heroes Unlimited for a couple of years when Rifts came out and we shifted over as soon as Rifts came out.

"2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts"

My Juicer kicking major butt.

"3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts"

Way too many to count.

"4: What were your first Rifts Books"

First printing of the first edition of Rifts main book.

"5: What about Rifts do you love"

Diversity (the Palladium Megaverse is a place of infinite possibility).

"6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts"

Diversity (the Palladium Megaverse is a place of infinite possibility).

"7: How long have you been playing Rifts"

Since it came out.


After playing a great many of the different game systems (and play testing a few) my group finds that the Palladium Megaverse allows for the widest variations and flexibility of play that is why we are going to stay with it.

[earthhawk]

Rifts was the second game I ever ran. D&D was the first, but as with others, the paranoia about kids killing themselves made my parents ban it from the the house, yet I could have Rifts books (go figure!). I don't play anymore although I wish I could. The reputation that Rifts has in the gaming community is pretty awful, so much so that must gamers won't touch it (unless they've played before). And since most game shops don't stock Palladium products its even harder to get new players into the game. Still, Rifts has a great story and setting which are fun to read. I continue to buy new Rifts books as they are released with the hopes of someday playing again.

EH

[Snake Eyes]

I didn't get into Rifts till the early 2000s, though i've been a fan of Palladium since '85.....The reason i still play (actually mostly GM), is because it is a really cool setting

[drewkitty ~..~]

My 1st PB game books were the RoboTech books. I got them for the liner notes in the back cause the Macross series was, and still is, my favorate anime series. And it was Robotech that got me hooked with anime when it was shown on TV.
Years later a couple of my collage friends introduced me to playing RPG's and the group started with Rifts.
-----------
I try not to play rifts...but if it is the only game and you need your gaming fix...

[Mech-Viper Prime]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

4: What were your first Rifts Books

5: What about Rifts do you love

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

1. Saw it in a hobby store out in Colorado, it was love at first sight.
2. Fighting the coalition.
3. The battle of liberty( players vs coalition), the battle of Bowie(players vs mechinoids) , and the house ( Halloween adventure of random silliness ).
4. The old Rifts main book.
5. The setting, the picture on the old conversion book sums up Rifts.
6. It's the setting still.
7. About 23 yrs , 2 months , 2 days .

[DevastationBob]

1: How did you get into Rifts?

By watching too many monster movies, reading too many comic books, drawing too many weird cartoons, reading too many trashy sci-fi and horror novels. My brain was pre-programmed to love this game. Also my friend Ian invited me to a game.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts?

Just trying to pick a character to play for my first game, we just had a core book and the conversion book but everything looked too cool and it was impossible to choose. I wound up with a Werewolf though. There were like ten of us playing that first game, it was chaos. People kept falling asleep the later the game went on and you'd wake up and ask what happened to your character, (fell into a rift, got stuck in a faerie ring, etc), then pick up where the group was. I honestly have no idea what the story was in that first game. At some point we were fighting Aliens (from the eponymous film) but later my Werewolf was dodging rail gun fire from a giant robot.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts?

Jumping into a Spiny Ravager's mouth and lobbing plasma grenades down it's gullet while it tried to chew me up. Over the shoulder shooting an energy rife at an attacking Predator Power Armor and nat 20ing resulting in detonating the suit's supply of missles and blowing the whole damn thing out of the sky. Being the only party member to avoid a meteor strike spell that an enemy spellcaster dropped on us at the Big Boss Fight for that particular campaign. Taking out two MDC armored bandits while wearing only a hospital gown with an SDC character. And that was all in the same game.

4: What were your first Rifts Books?

TMNT and Heroes Unlimited Revised (heh). I believe Vampire Kingdoms was the first one I got and it's still one of my faves to this day. Eventually I got tired of borrowing and acquired the Core Book Limited HB, the Sourcebook 1, and original conversion Book, which, in my humble opinion, are all you need.


5: What about Rifts do you love? The apocalyptic kitchen sinky-ness of it. The art is great, the fluff is great, and the rules worked well enough for us. That it involves all that is awesome. Giant Robots, Monsters, Other Dimensions, Superpowers, Kicking evil's butt.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts? Well, I haven't played in a while, the power-creep got to me, but the nostalgia keeps bringing me back.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts? Since 1990-91 abouts.

[BookWyrm]

For me, Rifts was, and still is, a great setting, & it links all the other PB worlds (Nb, HU, TMNT/AtB, ect).

[Carl Gleba]

1: How did you get into Rifts

I was already a Palladium fan as i owned all of the Robotech books and Palladium Fantasy. One day I saw the Rifts book at my FLGS and immediately recognized it as a Palladium product. After browsing through the book and seeing all the elements of sci-fi that I love it was a no brainer to purchase.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

I remember the first character I made, the first character I played, many of the first adventures we went on.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Playing new group from the Rifts Mercenaries. We took that group of players to new heights that we never expected. It had every kind of story you could think of from betrayal to revenge.

4: What were your first Rifts Books

I have pretty much purchased every Rifts book as it has come out. Most of my books are 1st printings.

5: What about Rifts do you love

Everything, but probably the setting is the best. I was totally blown away when the setting was north America. Playing a game pretty much with my back yard as the setting never occurred to me. Rifts opened me up to all kinds of experiences and th emish-mash of magic and technology has to be my second favorite love. Where else can you wizards, dinosaurs and power armor all in the same adventure?

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Every game is different even if the setting is the same and there are no limit on what kinds of adventures you can go on and what level of power you want to play.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

Since it first came out.

[Chronicle]

I was shown a Glitterboy..........nuff said

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

Recently i had the opportunity to join a new campaign and meet a new group of gamers,

During the course of getting to know one another we began discussing our first experiences with rifts and why we love the the game of Rifts so much,

As we discussed our experiences, a deluge of fond memories and emotions poured forth, so much so that i felt like i could discuss my early moments of playing and my love of the game for hours

I knew that as passionately as I felt, many of the people on the megaverse forum would feel similarly, and I thought it would be cool to hear everyone's experiences as well as personal insight regarding the topic

Here are some questions to help promote the discussion

1: How did you get into Rifts

I was already playing Heroes Unlimited and Robotech when Rifts launched.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

Realizing that we had zero good GMs other than myself in our group.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Mostly about reading the great lore, less about playing.

4: What were your first Rifts Books

The Rifts Main Book. First printing. Still have 3 copies.

5: What about Rifts do you love

The interesting lore/stories in the books.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Nothing; i can't convince anyone to play, and i have a hard time making an argument for why they should. The system is nearly unplayable and incredibly new-player unfriendly.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

I played for about six years when it first came out. I haven't played since. Mind, i wasn't doing much of ANY tabletopping during that time, as i was LARPing and doing reenactment instead.

[say652]

what got me into the game was, way back in the AD&D 2nd edition days my gm(James) would frequently throw Mechs(do you know the game?) at our high level party. we dimension hopped and fought in high tech worlds often(our magic weapons and spells kicked but) i honestly was already playing in a game like this before it existed. Rifts just gave me books to work from instead of Jamie and Mikes(Mikes his brother) conversion tables and the combat system for Rifts beats the hell out of a T.H.A.C.O. system. After six great years my Marvel Hero and his dwarven psionic battle buddy and our Mech Warrior had traveled every realm people came and went over the years as a house rule "if you leave your character becomes an Npc, should you ever return." 20 years later on vacation i ran into them and Fire Cracker was waiting.(wasn't too imaginitive back then) and we fought through the abyss to find a wizard who could free the ninja Caplack from his dimensional prison. now a thousand miles away we still chat on facebook.(planning a game when our vacations line up using the palladium rules this time.)

[Forar]

1: How did you get into Rifts

I was introduced to it by friends who had heard of the system, but (far as I recall) never played a game of it. We rolled up characters, ran a 2 day quest, and were hooked.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

That the first shot of that quest was a natural 1 that blew the bow off the craft we were all riding on.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Adventures with friends, crazy characters caught up in simply epic combat.

4: What were your first Rifts Books

GMG, Triax, which then expanded to pretty much everything produced for the line up to that time. Xiticix Invasion was the last world book I bought, so it appears my collection ended around 1999 or 2000.

5: What about Rifts do you love

Power armour. Love me some awesome power armour.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Sadly not applicable.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts.

We played for about 5 years (through high school and a little beyond) before we moved on to D&D 3E and eventually 4E. Due to distance, commitments and other responsibilities, we haven't had a regular RPG group for years now, which is a shame. Most of the collection has been sold off on ebay, but choice books I enjoy (25-30'ish?) still hold spots of honour on my shelves. And I remain tempted to pick up Triax 2. There were a few attempts at Play By Email campaigns, and a couple on RPOL I was enjoying, but those are long past as well.

[jaymz]

1: How did you get into Rifts

A friend got me playing to show me D&D wasn't the only thing out (for the record I hated D&D)

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

Outsmarting a master Vampire

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

Just hanging out with friends

4: What were your first Rifts Books

RMB, CB1, SB1 and WB1 VK all i one purchase

5: What about Rifts do you love

The setting

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

The setting

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

over 20 years.

[DhAkael]

I was shown a Glitterboy..........nuff said

Yeah, I know quite a few people that had the same reaction.
For me, it was mix of magic & tech. Shadowrun was supposed to give that, but the system (1st. ed) made no sense. Rifts, rules-set problems aside, was much more accessible.

[Zamion138]

I was shown a Glitterboy..........nuff said

Yeah, I know quite a few people that had the same reaction.
For me, it was mix of magic & tech. Shadowrun was supposed to give that, but the system (1st. ed) made no sense. Rifts, rules-set problems aside, was much more accessible.

Compared SR1 yeah heaps and heaps sense ill definitely agree.
That was a clunky system, 3rd edition is when SR got easy to play.

For all palladiums fualts ive never seen the seem as hard to use just gotta let the gm make rulings here and there, and how often do the errors show up depe ds alot on the game stylings.

[Icefalcon]

1: How did you get into Rifts

I saw the game sitting on the shelf in a local book store. After looking at it I realized it was an RPG unlike any other that I had played to that point and picked it up. I actually did not get to play it until I went to college and found others who were playing.

2: What are your earliest memories of Playing Rifts

My first character, a Juicer working for the Coalition, sitting in our modified Big Boss (had a turret with a C-27 attached) spinning the turret in circles and playing video games at the same time. And another time same Juicer getting in a vibro-knife fight with a Crazy.

3. What are your favorite memories of Playing Rifts

The recent Open House I attended in 2012. It was my first one and I played in two games run by Aten. They were a blast.

4: What were your first Rifts Books

The first 20 or so books were all purchased in order as they came out.

5: What about Rifts do you love

The rich setting.

6: Why Do You/ What makes you Keep playing Rifts

Other than the recent Open House, I have not been able to play in over 12 years. I have run a few games here and there but I don't get to play it anymore.

7: How long have you been playing Rifts

Since it began.