Here is a rifts world book 20 Canada review to help you better understand what’s within. This book brings to us the major areas, cities, factions, problems, and more within Canada.
Some specific information within the book includes an overview of Rifts Canada with hints of things to come later. Also key places like communities, monsters, d-bees of Canada, more on the Tundra Rangers, weapons, and equipment. There are maps plenty for those that want a visual representation of where things are laid out.
A comprehensive overview of Canada, including notable places, cities, towns, people, O.C.C.s, monsters and conflicts. Though much of Canada has reverted to wilderness, there are pockets of civilization and technology, though not all of them human.
Gm Material from Rifts world book Canada
The book opens up with a history of Canada and how it developed from there to the time of the Rifts. This is interesting because if you wanted to make some games prior to Rifts Earth then you could make a Heroes Unlimited game that crossed over after the Rifts.
Rifts Canda is the perfect book to put rules in regarding how to deal with hypothermia and cold effects. Whether you actually use them in a game is altogether a different story. Most players end up in environmental armor, magic protection, or some fast-moving vehicle so they usually end up being moot. Besides that, they are very trivial things to deal with when you are playing characters that should be the exception to weak mortal mundane challenges like feeling cold.. haha.
Kidding aside these rules could be adapted if needed to other types of challenges players may face like radiation exposure, deep vacuum, magical cold, etc, how is it up to you and your group?
Rifts Canada has a similar feel to that of our own old west society. Which would make it a great book to combine with The New West, Spirit West, and other books that fit that genre. If you want a low-key adventure-style game (high story/character progression, low combat), then I highly recommend this book.
Maps, cities, Coalition and more
The maps within the book give a really good idea of what the terrain is like as well as where certain races/monsters are at. After showing some maps there is a section that gives some thoughts on travel with different riding animals, including dealing with weather and such.
After this bit, we then get a feel for the different major cities and kingdoms within. A dozen or so cities, towns, and villages are given descriptions and a basic map. Also, some maps are helpful in playing them in relation to each other.
Rifts Sourcebook 1 discusses events taking place near Rifts Canada, read the review here.
There is some tension between the Coalition and Free-Quebec and surrounding areas. These problems can be used to create all sorts of adventure with just this book alone. Or combine it with others to have adventures that travel the breadth of North America.
I think that’s for the most part the biggest thing a GM has to look forward to with the last note being a larger breakdown of the Tundra Rangers. These are the good guys of the area, doing good for good’s sake. How a Gm uses them can be quite varied, though you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Rifts World Book 20 Canada Player Material
Players get to look forward to about 10 OCCs, including the headhunter(which is basically a partial conversion cyborg with different specialties (assassin, warrior, etc). Some different Races are listed in the book specific to Canada that could be used as well (are they good though.. you’ll have to find out).
Other things players can look forward to are different Canada-specific, scratch that.. cold weather-related skills. Plus there are quite a few different weapons, equipment, shaman magic spells/totems, and more.
Story material in Rifts World Book 20 Canada
Free-Quebec and Canada, in general, have long been loosely working with the Coalition. Due to the loose fitting ties of the different cities and towns of Canada some places tolerate magic more than others. Free-Quebec officially states its anti-magic but it quietly allows it more out of necessity to not upset the tenuous balance they live within. This and other things cause some tension that the Coalition is sort of on the fence about taking action on.
The originality of Rifts World Book 20 Canada
I really enjoy pretty much all this book has to offer. It helps create a more robust and expanded North America. It also helps show just how much of North America is free and open. The story portions give a lot of options for adventures to be created and enjoyed. Plenty of which can be used in games that originate elsewhere on Rifts North America. In fact, you can have characters come from other dimensions through certain parts of Rifts Canda(You figure out what I mean).
Is Rifts World Book 20 Canada game breaking
Nothing from this book is game-breaking in any way. The additional setting/kingdom information may break your own ideas of what’s going on prior to using the book.
How good are the occs from World Book 20
I put all the OCCs listed in the support category. There are supposed to be a fair number of Tundra Rangers going around as peacekeepers, soldiers, and lawmen but the OCCs don’t jump out to me. In a world of super soldiers like Juicers, cyborgs, and other OCCs from the Ultimate Edition and other books these are not as exciting. The Woodsman for example is clearly a support role OCC (with the Headhunter as the one exception). We all know people go out and do woodsmany things but I don’t much care to play one.
How well does Rifts Canada mix with the core book
Rifts Canada works together with the main book like rice and butter, like cake and white people. Being serious, Rifts North America obviously includes Canada. The Ultimate Edition introduces us to the Coalition which happens to have land and facilities close to Canada. This makes a Rifts Canada book an ideal concept to create. The information really helps expand and deepen the playing field of all the major powers within Rifts North America.