This Rifts world book 5 Triax and the NGR review is something I look forward to. It’s a book that has really fun aspects to it, though I confess I have had very little play time with it. If you are someone that likes a Robot focused game, then I think making a game in Rifts Europe is the place to do it at.
The New German Republic (NGR) is surrounded and besieged by the hostile Gargoyle Empire – an empire of giant monsters. Only the superior robotics and weapons technology of Triax keeps the monsters at bay, but for how long? This epic World Book presents the Triax robots, power armor, cyborgs, and world setting that is Rifts Germany and surrounding region. More than 100,000 copies sold!
Rifts world book 5 Gm Material
To me, this book is all about giving a GM a setting based around Gargoyles and Brodkil. The NGR themselves are rather similar to the Coalition just in another part of the world so nothing really special there. The area discussed is somewhat smaller in mileage so scuffles could potentially be more common, or if not larger in danger depending on your rendition. Other threats lurk as well.
This book gives a quick overview of Europe including places like France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany, and some others. A large portion of the Gargoyles on Rifts Earth wants to remain free from their typical sub-demon station and govern themselves. The Brodkil also wish to remain free but have their own kind of agendas somewhat different than the Gargoyles even though they are allies at times.
Player Material from Triax and the NGR
Players get some really great options for robots, power armor, and other equipment in Europe. The tech level is roughly equivalent to that of the Coalition. The artwork used to depict much of the equipment is incredible. Here are some things to look forward to.
Due to the size of Brodkil and Gargoyles, the NGR has focused pretty heavily on Robots. That said, there is still a good line of body armor that players can choose from. Power armor on the other hand is sort of sparse in that only are listed. One is a Glitter Boy Variant, while the others are split between high-speed scout-style power armor and a robot destroyer.
With the size of the opponents, Triax has a large line of robot vehicles. They classify vehicles over 10 feet in height as being robot vehicles, whether it’s a tank or power armor. Essentially anything that’s not mostly man-sized is in this section. In total there are 12 robot vehicles, 19 combat vehicles, and 3 robot drones. That’s not all for players either.
Players can also look forward to a lot of advanced heavy weapons. If you have a hankering for some rail guns, particle beam rifles, missile launchers, or others look no further. In addition to those, there are gun scopes, medical items, computers, cybernetics, and more.
Rifts world book 5 Triax and the NGR Story material
Opening up the book we get a look at the NGR and Triax Industries through the eyes of Erin Tarn. After that is a breakdown of the NGR and how Triax Industries fits in. I do like the explanation of how Europe was fairly well off after the Rifts opened up, as not all places would likely be hit. That is the case here, but instead of Rifts Europe faced Gargoyles that had been transported elsewhere and made their way to or within Europe. This unified the people to work together, though they adopted a silly “no nonhumans” ideology, instead of a “no monster” mindset.
Outside of the NGR, we have a story about the gargoyles, Brodkil and this is one of a few books that has a comic strip in it. As for the Gargoyles, they are fragmented and chaotic, though what could bring them together? The Brodkil on the other hand has found much more focus partly due to the intervention of the Lady of Death (Rifts Sourcebook for more information).
Originality of Rifts world book 5
I consider this book to be pretty high on the originality side of things. For one there are not just 1 but 3 entirely new civilizations described and their interactions with each other. Plus we know how they act within themselves, with other powers on Rifts Earth, their motives, equipment, RCCs, and OCCs. This book is just full of stuff to give a gaming group more options to use.
How Game-breaking is Triax and the NGR
The book isn’t breaking anything really at all. The Gargoyles are sub demons rating like a 2 or 3 out of 10, while the NGR and Triax equipment is on par with Coalition stuff.
This Rifts world book 5 Triax and the NGR How good are the occs
I don’t really consider them to be that useful myself. If I were to classify OCCs I would say there are your core classes (ultimate edition type classes that fit most any game), niche classes that are stronger and used in specific game types(like a demigod, and others), and filler classes(classes you know exist but few will choose to play). Most of the classes in this book fit into the filler category.
How well does world book 5 mix with the core book
Fits really well into the overall landscape of Rifts Earth. The book has a nice section on how the NGR interacts with places like Quebec and the Coalition. You could use that information to make some kind of game either creating stronger ties or giving it to players as something to try and stop. Either way could lead to traveling to Europe.
What I find many people say regarding playing Rifts is that they tend to play a lot of where they live, or simply what they have access to. So North America is the fallback just because it’s the focus of the Rifts Ultimate Edition.