Your first step into the Megaverse
New to Palladium? Start with the world.
Palladium can look enormous from the outside. You do not need to learn every game, every book, or every rule. Pick the kind of adventure you want, grab its core book, and begin there.
What sounds fun to you?
There is no single correct entry point. Choose the setting that makes you want to create a character.
RIFTS
Magic, robots, monsters, dimensional travel, and ruined Earth all collide in one vast setting.
Survive the endChaos Earth
Begin during the catastrophe that creates the world of RIFTS. Smaller scope, immediate danger.
Swords and sorceryPalladium Fantasy
Old-school fantasy adventure with distinctive magic, occupations, creatures, and cultures.
Mecha and dutyRobotech
Pilots, transforming machines, alien wars, and human drama inspired by the animated saga.
You only need three things
- One core rulebookIgnore the shelf of supplements for now. The main book for your chosen game is enough to learn and play.
- A small group and a simple problemRescue someone, investigate something strange, or survive one dangerous night. Your first game does not need to save the Megaverse.
- Permission to make a rulingPalladium games contain detail, but play should not stop while everyone searches for a perfect answer. Make a fair call and keep the story moving.
What should you expect?
Characters can be wildly different in power and ability. That is part of the personality of these games, not a puzzle you must solve before playing.
Character creation may take longer than in newer, lighter systems. Build characters together and treat that first session as part of the experience.
The rules give you tools, but the Game Master still makes judgment calls. Start with the rules you need tonight; learn the rest when it becomes relevant.
If you want to begin with RIFTS
Start by understanding the world before worrying about every character class. Chaos Earth shows how the old world fell. RIFTS shows what grew from the ruins.