Rifts World Book 2: Atlantis

Rating:
Summary: Rifts World Book Atlantis
Review: Although this book is full of great information for players and game masters looking for new and interesting characters to mix it up with in their campaigns, it lacks the depth that other of the rifts world books have. The book may touch on the basic motivations of the Splugorth and their minions and allies, but it doesn't get into the specific plans that each has. These details would make it easier to see how one might work the new powers that be into an existing campaign. The author suggests in the preface that this is some of his best writing to date, but I have to disagree when this work doesn't include any stories or excerpts from the lives of rifts characters that have seen Atlantis and experienced its realities first hand (see Rifts Federation of Magic and one Coalition officer's experience with some demons his troops run into)

Rating:
Summary: A must buy!
Review: Characters such as the Tattooed Men make this book unique and intersting to play. Information about the Splugorth give it the variety of both good and bad characters needed for a good champain. And the equipment and weapons are awsome!

Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: I was really excited to learn about Atlantis in the Rifts main book and looked forward to an intricate, exotic realm. I was left slightly cold.

Rifts Atlantis is the heart of a massive alien empire which thrives on a slave trade, including many unfortunate human and humanoid races. This makes Atlantis could be a bad idea for greenhorn PCs, because if they act up, the heat will be on them in no time. If you do run an Atlantean campaign, you have to be careful in setting up the game balance.

On the other hand, there is a great variety of new OCCs, RCCs, and magic, including Splugorthian biomagic (biotechnology meets magic, rather like a technowizard, although this stuff is much more powerful than a technowizard). There is quite a bit of fodder for GMs, and this alone may recommend the game to you.

My chief gripe is that with all the new gear and character classes, we have more of a sourcebook than a worldbook. In the Vampire Kingdoms book, we had a map of Ciudad Juarez which showed buildings of note and the turfs of the various gangs. We have some general descriptions of the Atlantean cities, but nothing that really does justice to them. I really think that such a big, advanced and decadent society should have had a deeper treatment, at least for the capital city of Splynn.

In short, if you buy this expecting learn about Atlantis, you may not get all that you want to learn (I have, however, heard that there is a worldbook specifically for the Slave Market in Splynn, so perhaps they do justice to the continent after all). If you want new baddies and technology to supplement a campaign in perhaps North America or Europe (i.e., a Splugorthian party is scouting out human settlements or advising demons on how to fight the CS or NGR), this has a lot of stuff.

Rating:
Summary: A must buy!
Review: This is a well written book, with tons of information on the Splugorth, and other minions of Atlantis. There are also plenty of O.C.C.'s and R.C.C.'s to choose from and loads of ideas for new adventures. A must have.

Rating:
Summary: I have just purchased this book for my Rift's campaign.
Review: This is a well written book, with tons of information on the Splugorth, and other minions of Atlantis. There are also plenty of O.C.C.'s and R.C.C.'s to choose from and loads of ideas for new adventures. A must have.