Rifts Sourcebook 2 The Mechanoids review covers how these insane cyborgs accidentally find their way to Rifts Earth and their plans for total genocide of all humanoids. The Mechanoids are new to dimensional travel (luckily), and hopefully, never increase their understanding or take it back to the rest. Find out within how Archie 3 and Hagan view them, where they first infiltrate Earth from, and more.
Sourcebook 2 includes over 20 Mechanoids, new character sheets, new robots from Hagan and Archie 3, and adventure ideas.
Archie 3 and Hagan are back, but have inadvertently unleashed The Mechanoids® into the world!
The Mechanoids have one driving goal: To destroy all humanoid life! This book has it all. Source material, the Mechanoids, new equipment, monsters and adventure.
Gm Material from Sourcebook 2 The Mechanoids
For the most part, this book is all GM material. Something of note for GMs that comes from some of the Dimension books is that of the dimensional energy matrix. The Mechanoid’s home dimension is technically the opposite of the matrix of Rifts Earth, which should essentially make them unable to operate.
If a player brings this up, then you can use it as such and the whole problem takes care of itself with cannon rules. Or, you could come up with reasons why they still operate. A simple way of doing that is to say that a positive and negative version of each robot exists within their ships so this isn’t an issue (although this is tough to justify as this book says they know nothing of magic and dimensional gateways).
The major portion of the book for GMs brings the Mechanoids against Archie 3 and them both against humanity. If you want to simplify things you could just have things be machine vs machine with the players running into things and deciding what they want to do, of course, the murder hobos that players are they’ll just destroy everything right?
Or how about dealing with cults
Alternatively, you could avoid the Mechanoids and Archie altogether. In this way, you could just have the players interact with Doomsday Cults. The Children of Doom are one such cult listed, but you could make up others as well. Part of the Children of Doom is a Neuron Beast, which is a supernatural entity. So you could fit it in with the Minion War if desired, or as a distraction.
Or use the included adventure
This adventure is perfect for new players, either to Rifts itself or to The Mechanoids. It is intended specifically for those that don’t know what they are. It’s nothing overly complex. In fact, it goes along with The Mechanoids are the Devourer and they get reports confirming a dozen or so towns have been destroyed. If you consider The Mechanoids to be the Devourer/Devouring Swarm then this works great and would fit your game easily.
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Rifts Sourcebook 2 Player Material
Not much is available for players from this book. Not only are there no OCCs, races, weapons, or gear to purchase, but the Mechanoids stuff is almost impossible to use. Even if a player gets Mechanoid technology they have to be psychic to use it. Or rather that’s how their technology operates and is used by the Mechanoids themselves.
So for players to get even remote access to their stuff they have to make some tough rolls. First, their technology is considered alien, so you’re at a rather steep negative to understand it. If you aren’t also a psychic, or perhaps working with a psychic, then you’d be at an even bigger negative. Personally, as a GM I would suggest not allowing Mechanoid technology to be used. I see them as NPCs and think they are best kept in that light.
If they want to make their own tech, then by all means perhaps they can run tests on Mechanoid tech and glean something from it that gives them insight into creating their own. For me, this is a much more fun route to go as players in Rifts often tend to only look at the options presented. Instead of placing limitations and restrictions on your players, give them room to make their own stuff (including spells, TW items, and psionics even).
Rifts Sourcebook 2 Story material
The story of this book creates a situation of Archie vs the Mechanoids vs Humanity. The mechanoids find a way onto Rifts Earth into Archies facility and he doesn’t like them. Well at first perhaps he does but eventually realizes they won’t help in his goals long term.
Now I don’t much care for the Mechanoids, but this little battle on Rifts Earth could be entertaining. There isn’t much to get from it other than the knowledge you stopped a world threat. The book includes adventure ideas.
The included adventure is intended as an intro and works well as such. Some extra subplots are included that are take them or leave them, mostly depending on how your players decide to go.
In addition to those parts, you can also create adventures based on the power of your characters and then match them up with the appropriate Mechanoids. For example, if they are really powerful then perhaps you have them go against the Mechanoid spider fortress, or if adventure classes perhaps they simply run into defensive bots.
Aside from working against The Mechanoids, there is also Archie to consider. He has many robots as well with the Shemarian nation, as well as robots protecting certain outposts of his. It’s unlikely that you will actually have players encounter Archie or Hagan directly because they are so reclusive.
The originality of Rifts Sourcebook 2 The Mechanoids
Made back in 1981 the Mechanoids remind me a lot of Terminator or at least the “man-made robots turn on their creators” plot. I didn’t know about The Mechanoids until I started playing Rifts again back in 2012 roughly. So for me, I have been rather burnt out on this kind of plot idea. We have so many books and movies that it has been done to death for me.
Due to this, I didn’t really get much into The Mechanoids. To that end, I haven’t done much with Archie either for much the same reasons.
Is Sourcebook 2 game breaking
This depends entirely on how you want to use the Mechanoids. If you want them to be a nigh unstoppable enemy then yes it’s game-breaking. If you use them as this all-devouring swam that can’t be killed then sure, it’s going to break your game and the player’s spirits. For one, they will expend vast resources with virtually no way to game anything in return to repair and rearm. Now you may think that’s what heroes do, and maybe so, but players will get demoralized when their precious power armor can’t be used because they don’t have the credits or material to repair and refit, just one example.
If you use them as just another menace then they aren’t any more game-breaking than the Coalition. With how the Coalition continues to defy the odds and keeps coming out looking like the savior of North America, one could argue they are actually game-breaking.
How good are the occs from Rifts Sourcebook 2 The Mechanoids
No new OCCs or races are listed in this book. For new options consider the D-Bees of North America, New West, Federation of Magic, or many other books.
How well does it mix with the core book
In my opinion, this book mixes best with other Archie books like Shemarian Nation. Now it works just fine with the core book setting information. It initially takes place in an Archie 3 base so having more information for those areas would be very helpful. In addition, you could add the coalition war campaign and other Coalition books to fill in more coalition areas that buffer Archie.
Note- I’m aware this book does offer Mechanoids as “good guys” and even as optional player characters, I just don’t care for them. I’d prefer just to leave them as NPC villains. They are all Cyborgs and frankly, you are better off making your own Cyborg than you are playing one of the old versions of Mechanoids.