Setting Showcase: Wormwood (Rifts)

Name: Wormwood (Dimension Book One)
Produced By: Palladium Books
System: Rifts/Megaverse system
Genre(s): Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror/70's rock (not really a joke)

Motorcycles, demons, magic, and the biggest badasses in the Megaverse!

The first “Megaverse” book for Rifts is one of the more interesting ones. While they later went in a more science fiction (or science fantasy) direction, Wormwood is a throw back to the 70's adult cartoons like Wizards, Rock n' Rule, and Heavy Metal. In fact, the last section of Heavy Metal seems to be a powerful influence when you look at it.

Wormwood is a very different world from Rifts Earth. So different, I get the feeling that this book was suppose to be a new game, but got pulled under the Rifts umbrella. It very well could be that they thought it would make it more successful. Or it could be that someone thought that Rifts needed the boost. Either way, this is a source book for Rifts, meaning you need the core book to use it.

As I said, Wormwood is different. Radically different. It's so different, the whole planet is alive. You read that right. Wormwood is a living creature. The how and why of this aren't known but it seems to have some kind of intelligence. How intelligent, no one seems to know. What this means is that the planet adapts to suit the needs of its inhabitants, producing air, food, and water for them, and even shelter. It also has symbiotic animals that help maintain it and keep it in good condition. This critters can also bond with the humans that have taken up residence on the planet, allowing them to communicate their needs to Wormwood easier. Since most everything people need is provided, and they have access to magic, there's very little technology on the planet. Somehow (only in Rifts, folks) a bunch of shotguns and motorcycles ended up here and people love them. There are seem to be some flintlocks and the like running around. The inhabitants will pay good money for any of these items.

Speaking of the inhabitants, let's get into some details. First of all, most of the people living on Wormwood are human and speak American English. They're also MDC (Mega Damage Capacity) creatures. Kind of insane when you think about it and unbalancing if they ever leave. The society of Wormwood resembles Renaissance Europe, with The Church in control of everything and the people divided by castes. Of course, the Church is really the last line of defense for this world. What are they defending against? Why, the Unholy Host, of course!

That's right, Wormwood is under siege from demons. While Rifts is fast and loose with what exactly “Demons” are, and it extends to this book as well, most of these things fit the bill if only in looks. These monsters are slowly conquering the world and draining the very life essence of those they have captured. Where exactly these monsters came from isn't really known but they're here and they keep coming. They've taken a lot of territory and it doesn't look like they'll be stopped anytime soon.

Of course, there's one last thing that might swing things in favor of the Forces of Light: The Battle Saints. They're giant organic robots. And they kick all of the ass. They're part of Wormwood's symbiots and there's only a handful of them. They require very rare crystals to move, but when they do, things are going down.

I love this setting. It's balls to the walls, over the top, and out and out nuts. But because it's a Palladium product, it's half-baked. Everything made by this company, but especially the ones for Rifts, are half-baked. But since I love things like Heavy Metal, this flawed concept is right up my alley. If normal Rifts doesn't do it for you, maybe give this one a shot.