Rifts to Gurps

[AlonzoTheGurpsPlayer]

Sorry I only ask questions on the forums but I was wondering if anyone knows of a conversion I can find because well, most sites are down or all if that's the case (sites about conversions or at least pages). I used to try and play rifts but the system is OK at best and I really like the setting.

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by AlonzoTheGurpsPlayer

Sorry I only ask questions on the forums but I was wondering if anyone knows of a conversion I can find because well, most sites are down or all if that's the case (sites about conversions or at least pages). I used to try and play rifts but the system is OK at best and I really like the setting.

Sadly, Palladium sends take-down notices to all fan sites that convert from its house system to other systems.

[AlonzoTheGurpsPlayer]

Yeah, I'm just hoping because I'm sure I'm not the only one here to like the setting. I can care less about the rules.

[samd6]

I'm sure lots of people have conversions (goodness knows I've got a half-finished conversion floating around my computer somewhere)

[Blind Mapmaker]

I tried converting RIFTS a couple of times for personal uses and the last time worked pretty well, but we never continued that campaign. The players just couldn't get into the world.

The most important two things are:

Forget about mega-damage. Just settle on a DR level that basically makes you immune to most small arms fire (DR 30ish works fine) and give that to all MDC armour as a minimum. Then give most of the MD weapons armour divisors. The good armour has Hardened +1. That way you still have a chance to hurt someone in cheap armour when firing AP slugs from a rifle, but you need ulra-tech weapons when dealing with military-grade armour.

Forget about sticking too close to the rest of the system and just try to capture the feel. I used to try and convert their magic system until I finally realized I don't even like it. Just use GURPS spell magic for most RIFTS spells and magical powers and convert the feel of the freaky stuff that isn't covered in GURPS. Vehicles are bit of a problem, but your GURPS approximations are probably just as good as the things Palladium came up with. I mean every second vehicle has a nuclear reactor inside.

Whatever you do make sure you get the right players for this. Even though I haven't seen anybody play RIFTS and not complain about the rules, your typical RIFTS player is probably less interested in ultra-realism and more in a fast-moving game. Give them that and they'll be glad to finally have a system that allows for attribute rolls and increasing skills you've actually used in the campaign.

[thulben]

I bookmarked this one a while ago. It might be relevant to your interests: templates.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by AlonzoTheGurpsPlayer

Sorry I only ask questions on the forums but I was wondering if anyone knows of a conversion I can find because well, most sites are down or all if that's the case (sites about conversions or at least pages). I used to try and play rifts but the system is OK at best and I really like the setting.

A simple principle that could carry you a long way is to go to Gurps Ultratech and convert by name or description.

So Rifts laser rifle becomes Gurps laser rifle. Most suits of Rifts personal MDC such as the Dead Boy are just examples of the Gurps Combat Hardsuit. the light/"soft" suits might be Tac suits instead.

You can also play around with TLs making Triax a full TL in advance of Northern Gun as just one example.

UT also gives you light and heavy battlesuits though the big Mecha are going to have to be guessed at. They were a problem even with full design systems seen in earlier vesrions of Gurps too.

Moslty though Rifts is built out of standard SF tropes and Gurps has most of those covered.

Also, if you uise Gurps stuff v. Gurps stuff you'll probably find them decently balanced agaisnt each other which Rifts conversions based on soem numerical formula might not be.

[samd6]

Don't try and convert all 30+ books. My homebrew Nightbane conversion is tedious, and that's about 7 books piecemeal. (Palladium's smallest line)
Now, if the OP were to ask "How do I model in GURPS this {trait}, like this guy has in Rifts?" That would be fine.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by AlonzoTheGurpsPlayer

Yeah, I'm just hoping because I'm sure I'm not the only one here to like the setting. I can care less about the rules.

One of my many dopplegangers had a site that is still accessible at archive.org. For 3rd edition, revised.

[nik1979]

You can just get it for effect.
I find Rifts is really more about presentation and the rich imagination aids, but if you look carefully at the game-balance and crunch everything and I mean everything is already in GURPS and done better in gurps.

You can just make you own multi-dimension nexus world like The Long Earth or just make it worm holes to a bunch of interstellar worlds on earth itself... there are so many ways to achieve the "Rifts" effect with various settings and sci-fi means.

I'm saying this because I want to respect KS wishes but at the same time point out that the gaming industry and story tellers evolve. One can achieve the same effect and breadth of Rifts in another setting, even improve on it and draw from all the game design and writing lessons that has happened in the history. Although I do admit that Nostalgia in Gamers are one of the most powerful marketing tools and influence; still if is just your players I'm sure one can achieve a Dark Kitchen Sink setting with many of the RPG tools available in the SJline of books already.