Rifts
World Book # 19: Australia was one of the most anticipated source books for the
Rifts Role Playing Game. The (fictional) changes to this ancient continent almost render it unrecognizable to modern readers.
First of all, when the great cataclysm struck the world, Australia suffered the least. Sure, the western coast of the
island fractured and the ocean spilled into the interior of the land, creating an inland sea. But, for the most part, the
entire continent had little in terms of population. In fact, two
cities (Perth and Melbourne) remained as huge, technological
Mega Cities, walled centers of civilization. The Aboriginal tribes of Australia, perhaps the most mystically attuned people on the planet, embraced the Rifts as a mystical cleansing, and they quickly returned to their old ways of life on the rock. Other survivors, caught outside of the mega cities, soon adapted to life on the fringe. Sadly, Canberra, the capital of the country, and Sydney, the largest city on the island were destroyed. In fact, Canberra is said to hold treasure troves of old, pre rifts military equipment just waiting to be found. Sydney is not a haven for cut throats and criminals. Aboriginal tribes roam the outback, as do cannibalistic road gangs, looking for an easy target. These
various levels of civilization comprise the entire text, including the various Australian Player Character Classes. In the outback, where one has to fight, scrimp and save for every item, every meal and every drop of water, an entire culture of traders, repairers and raiders has emerged. In the technological cities, mega corporations rule with an iron hand, and corporate raiding is the norm.
In terms of magic, Australia is different from the rest of the world. One of the basic cornerstones of the Rifts world is the concept of Ley Lines, physical bands of Magical Energy that sweep across the world like curtains of energy. In Australia, these Ley Lines coexist with the Australia Dreamtime, something unique to the island. This affects the entire course of magic (which will be explored in a future supplement).
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