Rifts Campaign Idea

Created by Greg Askew
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Disclaimer: This campaign is created by Greg Askew (cable@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au) for use with the Role Playing Game Rifts® by Kevin Siembieda. The world, concepts, characters, and other ideas below are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Kevin Siembieda. Rifts® Manhuntertm is Copyright © 1994 Myrmidon Press [Editor's Note: Actually, I believe it is probably a trademark and I have used the tm symbol every place I knew one should be].

Background: Having purchased Rifts® Manhuntertm, I found I was having a little difficulty trying to integrate ideas in the book (and good ones at that) into a Rifts® Earth Campaign. So I worked on a campaign which would attempt to do this. It went something like this....

Setting: Can be any country with major ley lines/nexus points. I chose North West America (Montana). Generate a ley line in the area you choose.

Characters: A party of 3 or more. Magic users will benefit most from the locale. Try to have a range of character O.C.C./R.C.C. classes. The characters' levels do not matter.

Plot Background:
In an attempt to gain an upper hand in military affairs both locally and internationally, the Coalition has been conducting dimensional experiments, and in doing so, have stumbled across the Manhuntertm dimension. This dimension, having equal or higher standards in technology, and space flight offering contact with other races, in a highly profitable pursuit in the eyes of the CS, and the decision is made to open further portals, for longer periods, to this dimension. To do this however, ritual magic will be used, calling on a number of mages, and a location, preferably some distance away from populated CS States, is required. Their choice? North-west America (or your choice of country), where a rarely frequented ley line runs through Montana.

Your party has adventured into Montana and is setting up residence there (or some other reason). The low population density and the nearby ley line create an appealing location for a base of operations. With the exception of the two Equinox and two Solstace periods, this area remains relatively quiet (there is, of course, wild encounters, but these can be expected anywhere).

Adventure 1 - Arrival, Setting Up, Getting any natives out of the way

The GM may wish to set the scene by having the characters arrive in the area, only to find someone else is there for the same reason. They don't want you there, and you don't want them there...

Alternatly, the GM may notice that none of the PC's have Wilderness Survival. Whoops! Time to learn. Alternately, a small town/outpost may suddenly come into existence 1d10x10 miles away. What? No transportation? Ummm.. Would you believe they find an abandoned ATV? Perhaps one is driven into the area, and the PC's 'borrow' it.

Once the PC's are set-up, you can either run adventures in the wilderness or proceed to Adventure 2.

Adventure 2 - Here comes the Coalition

At this point, the coaliton decides they want to begin operations in Montana to open the portal to the Manhuntertm dimension. Initially, a small force will arrive to begin building an outpost station. This will take 1D4 weeks of non-stop work on the Coalition's part. (GM Note: Remember that outpost 1d10x10 miles away? If the PC's are in a hurry, have the Coalition move in and throw out/relocate the occupants. Their work is secret, after all).

The sudden presence of the Coalitiontm, scouting, patrolling, and generally searching for any spies, or enemies that may disturb them, will undoubtedly catch the PC's attention. If the PC's have a radio and the skills, they may tune in to the CS band radio, and listen in to the reports that are sent to the outpost. They will learn that some 'special guests' are arriving upon completion of the base set-up. No radio? Doesn't matter - the Sky Cycles, ATV's and power armour clad patrols originating from the outpost will alert them, especially if they have been pursued by the CS before (or they being hunted? Could they have been found? Do the PC's have something to hide that the CS wants, or think they want? - of course, these reasons are not true yet - the CS doesn't even now they exist right now).

Once the CS are setup, the 'special guests', in the form of 1d10x3 (at least 15) mages, along with the remainder of the CS forces for this area will arrive, in a convoy of 1 Death Head Transport, and several sky-cycles (1D4+2). The transport contains the mages, 1 APC, 1 Enforcer, 20 soldiers. This can increase or decrease according to level. These folks head to the outpost, and disapear inside.

How the characters react to the arrival of the CS will differ according to their attitude to the CS. If they want to run, keep the CS away from them; if they want to attack, change their mind with superior CS force. The idea is, keep them from leaving or attacking until the mages arrive. Let them scout arround, give them random encounters (make sure the CS don't get away - or perhaps they do, leading to other encounters?).

From here, lead the characters into...

Adventure 2 - The Second Bit

Now the characters will want a piece of the action. If they have been attacking the CS, and get captured, they will be escorted back to the outpost AS the mages arrive. If they have been scouting the area, they will see the mages land. Either way, the large number of magic users indicates a large magic ritual that the typically curious PC's will want to investigate:
  1. If they do go, create a large building in the outpost where the ritual will take place. Guard it lightly (most enemies would not have got this far, the CS thinks) on the outside. The characters will break in.
  2. If they don't want to go in, have them recaptured and escorted in. When the portal opens, the CS will send them in first to ensure the success of the magic. Once again, the large building is used to house the ritual.
The PC's should either way be drawn to the building the magic is occuring in, either by it being the most obvious or biggest building, a sixth sense ability in one of the characters, or by observing the mages entering this building.

Inside, the building will appear empty, save for all the people inside. The mages will be standing in a semicircle, the spell underway (nearing completion? If it seems that the characters are about to disrupt the occasion, have the spell finish before they can). Guards stand at various positions around the room, trying to ensure nothing will go wrong. A small group of CS V.I.P.'s are standing in one corner, watching eagerly. They will make contact with a number of companies that are waiting on the other side.

The mages will complete the spell, and the dimensional portal (15ft high by 20ft wide) will open to the Manhuntertm dimension. On the other side, the PC's will see a number of groups of well-dressed humans, carrying a selection of (very) unrecognizable weapons. They enter Rifts® Earth, and begin speaking quietly and quickly with the CS VIPs, the subject of conversation trade deals with the CS.

Enter the PC's - they will probably want to disrupt this. In fact - they will want to disrupt this: have them overhear their names connected with 'secret experiments'; have them overhear something (anything!) that will make them get real angry...

The easiest (and most plot continuing) is to disrupt the mages, who are busy keeping the portal open [Editor's idea: if the players won't do it, have one or more Coalitiontm soldiers rebel against their orders to assist a bunch of evil baby-killing mages]. Several thousand P.P.E.tm are being channeled into the portal - wanna mess it up? Disrupting mages requires shooting, pushing, hitting, or otherwise breaking their concentration. My group lobbed a grenade in the middle of the magic users! This will cause a massive surge of energy, causing the portal to (apparently - read on) close, and chaos to reign! The mages will probably die, go into shock, or otherwise become incapacitated. The guards will have no idea what is going on (unless the characters were spotted), and everyone will be at a disadvantage to hit. The GM should try to use his/her common sense. The VIPs will leave immediatly, and the guards will try to escape as well, but (in true spirit) some will fight to the bitter end.

If/when the characters survive, they will observe the CS evacuating as quickly as possible (The justification is simple - the CS does not want to be connected to this magical event which could probably be felt by magical users miles and miles away!). The CS will not stop to pick anything up, they will be concerned with getting out of there. In 1-2 hours, all CS personel and vehicles will be gone, leaving the characters alone in an abandoned, fully functional outpost. If they look around, or magic users detect magic, they will discover a large source of magic emanating from the large building where the magic was performed earlier. Further investigation will reveal a small (6ft high by 2ft wide) dimensional portal! It appears that the magical surge kept the portal open, but the size is much smaller than before. The portal has become permanent, and will remain as long as it in not closed. It has become tranparent (i.e. it can be seen, in the same way as you see a window without a frame - a slight disturbance in the view).

Also in the outpost are several buildings and areas, left to the discretion of the GM.

The portal leads to a small warehouse approx. 10km out of a large city in the Manhuntertm America. The warehouse is empty, and appears abandoned. Outside, the sun is shining (maybe) and the city in the distance appears thriving and busy! Where are the characters? What the blazes is going on? Can they get home? Answers to all these are up to the GM, though the last question should be yes.

Continuing the Campaign At this point, the new dimension opens up many new posibilities for adventures. The PC's may make themselves known to the local businesses, spaceports, etc. Hiring guards, muscle, or operatives comes to mind.

And Rifts® Earth? Well, the Coalitiontm may return to collect their belongings (30% chance), other magic users may come to investigate the strange event which occured, or other side effects may occur, depending on the imagination of the GM.

My own campaign was based on the above (characters beginning at level 1).
  1. Adventure 1
  2. A Wilderness Adventure - A magic-user fanatic rallies the local monsters to overtake a local outpost - characters intervene.
  3. Adventure 2
  4. Characters hired by spacedock as muscle on delivery mission to space colony
  5. Characters hired on ongoing basis by local terraforming company to run advance expeditions on potential planets for terraforming. Also hired to run infiltration missions on potential opponents to the company.
The fifth mission leads onto a wealth of possible missions, and leaves many options open to GM's! I enjoy making adventures on the fly, based on a skeletal mission created earlier. This is possible with the above list of adventures.

ENJOY!!!

- If anyone needs campaign ideas, or help, contact me -
Greg Askew
cable@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au