Many players and GMs that play Rifts have similar frustrations with the rules. For many, they see a lot of contradictions within the setting. For example, some rules state that characters cannot have psionics and magic at the same time and yet examples within books show otherwise. This article goes over how we deal with these contradictions.
Dealing with Rifts contradictions tip #1
Keep it simple
Keep it simple by comparing characters with the most powerful races in Phase World. Cosmo Knights, Prometheans, Demi-Gods, Godlings, and others like them are at the top of what’s possible. While you might start coming up with all kinds of exceptions from NPC examples, avoid the confusion. Maintain the game setting integrity by having everyone agree these are the top-tier classes and make game rulings accordingly.
Another way to keep things simple is to have a discussion with everyone regarding the power level you will all adhere to. If you have an adventure-style campaign you’d like to run then adventure classes may be all you want (City Rats, Cyber Docs, Vagabond, Rogue Scholar, etc). This conversation can also include how heroic the player characters should be.
For example, if you want them to be average then say so and have them roll stats as the books state. If you want them to be above average then use the house rule of re-rolling ones, or roll 1 extra die and use the best 3. You can also just allow them to pick stats within a certain range that matches their character description (admittedly this option requires players to have a good idea of what they are playing and a large degree of trust too).
Dealing with Rifts contradictions tip #2
Stop complaining and accept things as they are
The more you complain to each other the more it will become a habit. Do you want to play the game or do you want to whine and complain about how you(not the game creator) think the game “should” be? Create the habit of ignoring the inconsistencies and just playing.
I can come up with all kinds of contradictions myself, however, what does that add to your gaming experience? Instead of talking about what’s fun, you’ll end up complaining about everything that’s “wrong with the game” (a game you neither created nor have any say in). If that makes you feel good, go for it, but in the long run, it wastes time and energy as it won’t change the rules.
Avoid the time sink this creates with your gaming group, enjoy what Rifts has to offer by agreeing and acknowledging the power tiers, and then spend your time creating games.
Instead of complaining the best course you can take is to try coming up with ideas that prove the Rifts story as it is.
Dealing with Rifts contradictions tip #3
Simplify things for players
We all want to come up with a cool plan that finishes off the bad guy. We all want to be the ones to discover the plans the bad guys are actually after. Unfortunately, we all get stuck. When players come up with ideas and they don’t work out and are out of ideas how do you respond?
Most GMs I’ve spoken to will simply let their players languish without ever moving the story forward. It was your idea in the first place. It was your arbitrary(random, made-up) idea that determined a specific roll, skill, spell, or whatever was “needed” to move forward. So, then, it’s your responsibility as a game master to help the players out, and it’s your fault they got stuck.
Part of you might be saying “No, no it was the game”, “It’s the way the rolls went”, or “It’s the players because they didn’t figure it out”, this is where you are incorrect. You as the game master made those ideas up, you made the campaign up, so you are the one that ultimately has the blame fall upon you.
Now that said, who cares about blame, we want the game to progress. When your players give you ideas for trying to do something and you decide against it, rethink that and just ask yourself “Is this a reasonable idea that could work for the situation?”. If it is, allow it to work for the player(s).
Dealing with Rifts contradictions tip #4
It doesn’t have to be a problem
You don’t “need” to have every little detail planned out. Nor do you “have” to know exactly where the game will go at every step when players go off-path. You might be saying “That’s how it’s done though” so let’s discuss that.
First of all most dungeon masters and players have some sort of a background with tabletop roleplaying games in Dungeons and Dragons. I have seen a lot of people take rules from that system and then try applying them to other games. That is a recipe for ruining the experience of the new game you are playing.
When you go to a new system leave all the rules from that system with that system. When making a game, character or campaign, or whatever only use the new system.
I recall a lot of Dnd games that were very contained in a small geographical area. Consequently, we would want to know where every blade of grass is, and what every NPC is doing. To the point that most of the time a campaign wouldn’t even get started.
Plus as we would play, the smallest little details would start to crop up that would get blown out of proportion. Many times players bring silly things up in an attempt to succeed at a roll that in any other situation you would simply say no to. You can in most cases simplify situations like this “Do I want this to work and move us forward or not?”.
This allows the game master to not have every detail, simplify the game, and not make problems out of things that don’t need to be.
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