2D10 (also called percentile dice because two will give you a they are and what’s going
s going on around their characters. Do not just
result of 1 to 100) means 2 ten-sided dice.
2D4+2 means roll two 4-sided dice and add two to the result. So
your results will range from 3 to 10.
Luck is built into the dice. The roll of the dice determines the
outcome of most events from combat to the use of skills. This is
where luck and fate come into the game, adding a fun, unpredict-
able element.
You will need a pencil and notepad or scrap paper. I suggest
pencil over pen because sometimes there are stat changes and eras-
ing involved. I, Carl Gleba, prefer graph paper, because it helps me
to line up various statistics and to keep them more organized, but
that is a personal preference not a requirement. I know others who
prefer lined note pads or blank paper. Lastly, to play this Rifts®
Primer Adventure, you’ll need this guide. The characters and
NPCs provided can be photocopied for your convenience.
Imagination. The greatest tool you have is you. You and your
players, or more precisely, your imagination. Try not to feel self-
conscious or timid. Feel free to ask questions and participate. It’s
okay if you don’t know which dice to roll at first. And I think
everyone feels worried and a bit self-conscious, at first. Try not to
be worry about how people might think about you, your style of
play, or how you handle your character. Have fun, speak up, ask
questions, and play in character. A good group of players, whether
they are experienced or new to role-playing, are not likely to laugh
at another player or belittle the choices he or she makes for their
character. At least, they should not. Experienced gamers, please
cut the new guy(s) a break. You were uncertain and made foolish
choices when you first started RPGing, give new players your sup-
port, encouragement, and patience.
We have found the best way to try role-playing is to dive right
in and not worry about how you look to others. Focus on your
character, the game, the action and the adventure, and everything
should work out fine. Oh, and if your novice character gets himself
killed, shrug it off, roll up a new character and rejoin the fun. Los-
ing characters through naivete, foolishness and heroism may hap-
pen more than once. It is part of the game and not anything to feel
ashamed of. We have all lost characters in role-playing games. Be
the character and have fun. More on character play later.
Getting Started
The Game Master
First, you need to determine who will be the Game Master.
The Game Master is combination movie director and master
storyteller. As the Game Master (G.M.), you establish the story
and set the pace for the adventure. You will know the plot ele-
ments, villains and what the full adventure entails – particularly
what dangers lay ahead for our band of heroes: the player charac-
ters. As the Game Master, you should always try to be fairly famil-
iar with the rules and flexible with your story/adventure, including
the ones presented in these pages. I can tell you from experience
that no two groups will play this adventure exactly the same way,
so flexibility and improvisation are necessary skills that the G.M.
should embrace.
One of your jobs as Game Master is to narrate. Describe the
scenes using all the senses to give your players a feel for where
say, “You entered a bar and walk up to the first empty table.”
That’s too simple and you are telling them what to do. Instead, set
the stage and ask them what their characters are doing.
For example, say something like, “Your characters have en-
tered the Rusty Cup Pub. Despite being the middle of a sunny,
summer day, the bar is dark and dingy. There are no windows and
there are a surprising number of patrons present for this time of
day. Some sit at the long bar, others sit at tables, and a few play at
one of the four pool tables. The smell of fermented alcohol, sweat
and smoke from rolled cigarettes and a few cigars permeate the
air. There are several human and D-Bee (non-human) patrons at
the bar and more at nearby tables. The pair of Headhunters (par-
tial cyborg mercs) who are playing pool stop to look at you.
“The bartender shouts, ‘Welcome gentlemen, you’re just in
time. I’m opening a bottle of my best swill. Come on over and try
some. Your first glass only costs one credit. You can’t beat that
anywhere.’”
Then ask each player what his character is doing. Inevitably a
few will head over for the cheap drink and to chat with this friendly
barkeep, another one or two might sit down at a table while casu-
ally looking around to size-up the place and the customers inside.
From here, all kinds of things might unfold. Use your imagination
and your characters.
Setting the scene is very important, and the example above
does that nicely. It establishes atmosphere and mood. And most
importantly, it helps all the players to visualize what they (and
their characters) are seeing. By just saying, “You enter a bar,” ev-
eryone is going to have their own impression of where they are and
what the place looks like. By offering a description like the one
above, “it’s dark and dingy,” “no windows,” “there are humans
and nonhumans present,” “a pool table and a pair of cybernetic
mercenaries,” sets the stage and a mood. At first glance, this tavern
appears to be a place for mercs and nonhumans who value privacy,
because there are no windows, etc. And because all the players are
imagining the same thing, it gives them a shared experience and
avoids confusion later on. This way, everyone will be on the same
page. Oh, and by giving “the bar” a name, you create a memorable
and specific place. Not just any “bar” or “pub,” this is The Rusty
Cup Pub – and a place that may become a regular locale for getting
information, mercenary work, making connections and contacts, or
maybe it’s just a safe watering hole where adventurers can unwind.
The trick is providing a decent amount of details without get-
ting bogged down in way too much detail. (I, Kevin Siembieda,
always start with what is the most obvious to anyone walking in,
and wait for the players to ask me questions about the place be-
fore providing more info and specific details. If they don’t ask,
I assume they are not looking around or noticing people or the
things that could be important clues about the bar and the people
inside. This alone may lead the player characters into trouble.) The
players don’t need to know the exact size of the place, the exact
number of tables and chairs or what the tablecloths look like unless
it is important to the setting and mood. There is a big difference,
for example, between cheerful green tablecloths with silver flow-
ers, and black tablecloths with skull on them or anti-CS slogans in
the borders. But such little details are not important unless it is for
mood or story.
Players who want more information will usually ask the G.M.
questions to get it, like, “Do I see any shady characters?” Again,
this is a broad question and the answer might be, “Yeah, pretty
much everyone in the pub.” Players will learn to ask more specific