A rifts world book 8 japan review. There is some really cool stuff from Rifts Japan the downside is that it’s near impossible to get access to. I’ve never actually used the options from it outside of Japan because of the fact that it’s so contained. There is a lot to look forward to though.
Rifts Japan has over 20 OCCs and RCCs, plus new weapons, robots, and power armor. Japan is well known for having much better cybernetics and bionics as well as martial arts. In addition, it brings us pre-Rifts technology, some anti-technologies, and supernatural monsters.
Four pre-Rifts cities suddenly materialize from a pocket dimension. For them, three days have passed since the Great Cataclysm began, for the rest of humankind it has been 300 years! Pre-Rifts Glitter Boys, people, and technology clash with anti-technology traditionalists, magic, and Oni demons! Traditional O.C.C.s like the Samurai, Mystic Ninja, Yamabushi Priest and Warrior Monks, blend with high-tech marvels like the Dragon-Borg, Ninja Juicer, and Cyberoid.
Gm Material of Japan
A full map of Japan is included that has all the ley lines of the island on it. This is really helpful and is really only possible because the island isn’t super large. Other maps are included with the different provinces each empire controls. Speaking of empires that’s another thing GMs should familiarize themselves with.
Each society within Japan has its own specialty. Ichto is really good robotics, New empire is anti-technology, just to name a few. So knowing what each one does helps you gain a better understanding of what kinds of adventures to build and a general idea of where they will be on the island.
Player Material from World book 8
As with most all Japanese-related fiction Rifts has some super cool-looking armor and robots reminiscent of anime. My favorite power armor in this book is the Tazu-Tengu. It’s a flight variant power armor with wings that just looks awesome.
This is the only book in Rifts that has martial arts with expanded abilities. Traditional hand-to-hand combat is much more limited and simplified than in Rifts Japan. While it may be fun for some people, I personally think combat is already too long as it is. What the martial arts system does in all games I’ve played with it is just draw out every action even more and extend an already long fight. That said if you wanna make a real John Wick style feel use the expanded moves and such.
Something that I like the most in Rifts Japan is cybernetics and bionics. They are really advanced and I’d love to come up with a good reason to pull them out of Rifts Japan to Rifts North America. These are just the highlights that come to mind for me, what things do you like most from Rifts World book 8?
Story material from Rifts Japan
First off the history of Japan from the time the Rifts occurred the island has been devastated. Some mountains rose higher, others changed course, others became volcanoes, etc. Mountain-sized waves and earthquakes also rocked the island. All in all the population and topography were nearly wiped out. Survivors rebuilt and pushed through to the current time.
kyoto was rebuilt and became the central city of the New Empire. It has a 1000′ tall Millenium tree that helped stave off supernatural horrors. The city and the new Empire are but one of several other societies. The New Empire has a policy of anti-technology, which clashes with newcomers like H-Brand, Ichto, and others. While they may not get along exactly in this area, they would ally against foreign intrusion.
For more information about the different societies pick up a copy.
Speaking of which, have you look at our review of Rifts World Book 18 Mystic Russia?
Rifts world book 8 japan originatlity
I would say that the spirit of Japanese history was captured very well and maintained in a futuristic fashion. Population wise though we are playing in areas that are extremely small in comparison. The current population of Japan in 2022 is around 125 million, while the Rifts Japan book has the island at 6.8 million. That is a crazy drop in population. So much area would be devoid of life, meaning so many adventure options.
How game-breaking is Rifts world book 8
The description of Japan is that it’s not very accepting of outsiders and as such its influence on the outside world is very small. Demons, monsters, dragons, martial arts, and all the improved cybernetics are rather contained so even if you brought them to other areas of Rifts Earth there would be a limited impact. In addition repairs for technologies may be impossible or at least very costly.
How good are the occs in Rifts Japan
I don’t really find the OCCs to be all that great outside of the Japan setting. Many of them are melee-oriented making them terrible in modern warfare. The book brings Samurai, Ronin, and Ninjas to Rifts Earth which is.. neat.. but is it really practical? RPGs aren’t about what’s practical very often however we all have our own limits to which we will suspend disbelief.
How well does Japan mix with the core book
Not nearly as well as I would like due to the distance from North America that Japan is. Combine that with all the threats that are found on/in the ocean, and via air travel, things from Japan don’t make their way elsewhere often. That’s without the hidden secretive nature of the Japanese clans and culture itself. Combine all these aspects and you’re looking at a totally confined set of adventures.