The last dimension book I’ve got to review (so far) is Rifts Heroes of the Megaverse. This book seems like an extra or, afterthought as far as dimension books go. I’m trying to keep an open mind, however with this book it’s really tough. My first opinion when I read it years ago was that I hated it and thought it utterly stupid. I’m rereading it again though and here’s what I’m getting this time around.
First of all the first 10 or more pages are very repetitive with the same basic idea: it might or might not exist. These races have stories that say it does, those races or groups say it doesn’t. I wouldn’t say I like it when books say the same thing with varied languaging.
Use a book to make superheroes, keep it away from the demons though…
As a GM I can’t see needing an entire book to describe a single magic item. Most say that if you include a book that offers unlimited cosmic powers to the good guys, isn’t there one for the bad guys? It happens there’s mention of that in this book as well and wouldn’t you know it.. “maybe”. Ok, so I could be jumping the gun on this.
I got ahead of myself
Alright so eventually there is a definitive answer that the book does actually exist. Perhaps that’s fine but then there are the super abilities to consider. Heroes of the megaverse are intended for a quick and fast method of transforming(by the way Atlanteans are immune to transformation so that is probably an oversight, haha) existing characters into superheroes specifically for the minion war. That’s fine and all however the powers within have a vast range of options.
The range of options available is drastic in the difference that there are some you would be really disappointed to get, and I can’t see anyone picking some of them. With some of the powers being vastly better than even some of the powers in the regular Heroes Unlimited books this creates yet another piece of confusion. Consistency is something that Rifts, and perhaps all of Palladium Books, is known for breaking.
In any tabletop roleplaying game it is important, possibly even required, to keep expectations of how things work the same from book to book. With every added book to Rifts, the lines of consistency got thrown out the window to the point of nobody knowing how or what you can or can’t do with superpowers. Can I have magic, an OCC, or psionics? These are the very problems that crop up causing some people to entirely avoid Rifts. Whys is this important?
Does Rifts Heroes of the Megaverse add anything useful?
There already exists in Heroes Unlimited the option for magic items to give people superpowers, so this book is redundant. Not only that but it then confuses the very rules used to create superheroes from Heroes Unlimited. Yes, I hear you…this is Rifts. Sure you can say that but it’s already started in several Rifts books that Superpowers are rare in Rifts and to use Heroes Unlimited if they are allowed.
Instead of muddying the waters with yet another book that really doesn’t add any story to the Minion War, even though the cover says it’s for it, why make the book. I usually have specific criteria I use to review a Rifts book but I flat don’t want to do it with this one. The end.