Scholar’s Review #83: Dimension Book 2: Phase World

Written by: C.J. Carella

Release Date: December 1994

GENERAL

Just the second Dimension Books released, this title will be 30 years old in December of 2024; that’s wild! The fact I’ve only just gotten to reading it is also a zany consideration. Phaseworld starts us off in a setting where inter-dimensional and intergalactic travel, espionage, intrigue and action are commonplace. Alien races can be found at every turn. This opens wide any options a GM might have found limited by the setting of Rifts Earth. Do you want to play a low-fantasy action setting righting wrongs on some backwater planet? Is a high fantasy setting where Players influence strategic decisions across the galaxy your game? Well, this book looks to establish the framework for a GM to provide anything and everything for their Players.

SECTIONS

The Phase World Universe. Set in the setting of the Three Galaxies, Phase World is the foremost trading post in the Megaverse. Connected to hundreds of dimensions via technology and controlled ley line rifts, it is oft referred to as the Center of the Universe. The planet itself is actually has two distinct societies; one the cosmopolitan mega-city with its satellite logistic and defense system called Center, the other belonging to the rock-like humanoid native species of the planet, the Promethians. It is the Prometheans that have curated and maintain Center, a spire city of over 600 million with 80-100 million more transients.

• Center. The first portion of the book goes into the various elements a GM and Player would need (e.g. history, geography, security, transit), before going into the familiar Palladium Books City Highlights and Notable Citizens segment.

• Prometheans. Provides the R.C.C. for First and Second Stage Prometheans, as well as selected O.C.C.s that provide more insight into the species and their abilities.

• Phase Powers. A significantly unique and restricted series of powers that read like spells but are presented as psionics.

• Other Species and Classes. Includes the Draconid and Phantom, followed by five Classes that give some insight into the kind of adventures Players would expect to conduct in the Phase World setting: lots of space travel, piracy, bounty hunting and commerce. We also get a useful segment showing how Rifts Classes can be folded into Phase World.

  
  

Naruni Enterprises (NE). A bit of a dive into this enigmatic arms dealer, and their solid position within the Three Galaxies. Efforts on Rifts Earth have met resistance, but with spies across North America and Europe, they are scheming up new efforts. We get a view of their Repo-Bots (IMO mistakenly presented as an R.C.C.), super cyborgs with cutting edge Naruni Tech not on the market (with absolute loyalty to NE), as well as the True Naruni R.C.C.

The Three Galaxies. The three actual galaxies are largely carved into three major inter-galactic players, with thousands of smaller, regional ones. We get an idea of their size, layout, geography, and some specifics on species breakdown, universal languages in use, money and trade. Each of the following dives into the society, foreign relations, and some details of the major worlds within.

• Consortium of Civilized World (CCW). Akin to the American Confederacy, whereby each race signed a Compact, but internal matters are theirs to manage. Includes 231 member races and 100 associated races comprising of 5000 planets and thousands more space stations. Lots of humans, Wolfen, and a new race called the Noro. Several O.C.C.s and R.C.C.s.

• The Transgalactic Empire. Dominated by the Kreegor and ruled as a monarchy, the ruling Kreegor royal family and planetary governors rule with an iron fist, the populace in a constant state of fear. We get the Kreeghor R.C.C.s, along with the Machine People and Silhouette R.C.C. and a number of Imperial O.C.C.s

• United World of Warlocks (UWW). An alliance of worlds that predominantly use various sorts of magic and Techno-wizardry to run their civilization. The three major civilizations fuse their internal government into Parliament of Worlds. Mostly Elves, Humans, Dwarves and Wolfen, playing to a lot of the stereotypes you would expect.

• Splugorth Planets. Dozens of worlds under four collectives, each run by a single Splugorth. Several others are located at Center.

• The Paradise Federation. A group of 26 worlds catering to all manor of desires and vices. Includes a changeling-esque Pleasurer R.C.C., which I firmly contend should have been an NPC.

• Other Worlds. A series of entries that detail some of the other notable societies, including the insectoid Star Hives (and NPC villain classes), Dominators (30 ft giants and enemies of Cosmo-Knights), and the actual Cosmo-Knights.

Creating More Alien Races. The Three Galaxies is home to thousands of species, and this is an absolute gem of a resource. Provides a mechanic for determining attributes, damage capacity, appearance, psychological modifications and characteristics, unusual powers and technology, magic capacity and general attitude/culture. This segment alone is a shining star for any GM looking to create some meaningful adventures in the Three Galaxies.

Monsters and Animals

• Arboreal Wailers. Monkey-like reptilians from the Seljuk homeworld.

• Kreeghor Bloodhound. Four-legged replicas of the Kreeghor race; used for tracking and hunting, sometimes even for the sporting type of ventures.

• Lesser Ugglies. These Space Rats have spread throughout the Three Galaxies.

• Vampire Ugglies. Another beast of infestation that feeds on P.P.E. and/or I.S.P.

• Killer Apes. Gorilla-like creatures with long shaggy hair from the Corkscrew Galaxy.

Weapons and Technology. The level of technology of the Three Galaxies is at least a century ahead of Rifts Earth; bear this in mind, and not just on the author’s name.

• Weapons. A host of pistols, rifles and cannons from various entities. Includes phase, gravitonic, and psionic crystal technology.

• Body Armour. Various suits of armour from across the Three Galaxies.

• Robots and Power Armour. Various robots and power armour from across the Three Galaxies, including some Kittani models.

• Tanks & Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Some more conventional vehicles from the three major players.

Starships and Space. With a new setting, it’s no surprise we have some new skills.

• New Skills. A few notable skills, mostly of the Pilot variety. Some interesting entries for Fighters and Small Vessel combat

• FTL Propulsion. Some discussion on the various technologies that make ships move from one system to another. Includes Phase Drives, Contra-Gravitonic, Rift-Jump or Magic, and finally the Space Gates.

• Weapon Systems. Big ships have big weapons. Lots of big damage weapons.

• Fighters & Interceptors. Some of the more common models from the three major players, as well as Naruni models, and civilian model shuttles.

• Star Frigates. We start seeing patrol craft and less-than-Capital ships and small to medium merchant vessels.

Campaign Ideas. A series of adventure plot hooks the GM can start with to introduce the setting. There is also a mini adventure.

IMPRESSIONS

Current Assessment (6/10). Full disclosure, I’m coming at this decades after release and knowing of the follow-on books I still must review. The premise for this book was to provide a setting to allow space exploration, conflict and intrigue, with an expansive range of possibilities. I think the idea of a space-faring setting is a logical next step. I was really wanting to love this book, but discovered the book tried to do too many things and never really achieved its aim.

Presenting the Center as a megacity where all roads of the Three Galaxies lead to, is a great start. As a setting, the GM can leverage myriads of adventure scenarios. What I found lacking was the details needed to really help establish the setting; urban adventures are notoriously difficult for a GM to plan and handle due to the copious tangents Players might follow. In terms of Rifts, the example I would site is Fire Town in the Adventure Sourcebooks. Add to this this cliché of the Prometheans as a whole, and it loses a bit of luster. It’s certainly a brilliant idea, I just wished it took more time detailing Center.

The Three Galaxies are touched upon, and we get a little bit of information on the three major empires. I got the sense of a PFRPG/Rifts mash-up in space vibe. We have a human-Wolven-alien tech-empire, a monstrous tech-empire, and an Elf-Dwarf-Human-Wolven mage-inspired one, along with few details on a smattering of others. Is it necessarily inspired? No, but it WILL be familiar and easy to tie into other Palladium Books games. I just wonder if the mish-mash of RCC/OCCs and various gear/vehicles/space craft could have been better presented in more discrete, targeted books.

It’s a taster’s menu of what Phaseworld is capable of presenting. As an initial Dimension Book with several more published shortly thereafter, I can see the appeal and why it did so well. It grabs the whole idea of inter-dimensional exploration by the belt buckle and never lets go. The artwork is varied and supports the information very well, with Vince Martin, Wayne Breaux, Scott Johnson and Kevin Long all providing great works. I was particularly struck by Martin’s works for the Naruni, Machine People and Silhouette. I could well imagine GM conversions, and settings based on several popular Intellectual Properties (e.g. Star Trek, Star Wars) and building from there. Was Phaseworld everything I was expecting, after starting with Center? No, and I would have set several of the Classes and Races as NPCs, or pushed into a more in-depth publication. What it does accomplish is create a baseline for GMs to start their group exploring interplanetary and intergalactic adventures of all sorts. As a lead-off book into this aspect of the game, it starts us off decently in the right direction.

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