Rifts World Book #20: Rifts Canada illuminates what transpired to the United States’ Northern neighbor during the great cataclysm and subsequent dark ages. Like the rest of the world, Canada’s population, largely gathered around the Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast, was devastated by tidal waves and other events. Calgary, in the deep interior, suffered only a loss of one third of its population. However, with the coming of the rifts, a permanent, colossal mega rift opened on the city’s outskirts. After years of a constant demonic outpouring, poor Calgary was lost, as was Edmonton.
Many small settlements, pockets of humanity, have sprung up in the Canadian wilderness. The narrow band of humanity that surrounds the Great Lakes is a major source of civilization. The province of Manitoba has become the Hivelands, the dominion of fierce insectoid aliens known as the Xiticix. Territorial, these aliens are slowly expanding their hive constructions into civilized territory, refusing to make any attempt at peaceful resolution to their encroachment.
One of the most endearing things about this book is the adaptation of Canada’s most recognizable force: the Canadian Mountie, to the Rifts world. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a force used to harsh and unforgiving environments, survived the coming of the rifts quite well, and soon resumed their policy of providing law and order to the rugged frontier lands of the frozen North.
Another feature of the newly dubbed “Tundra Rangers” is their acceptance of any good person, be it human, mutant, alien, or other dimensional being. They regularly join forces with Cyber Knights to administer justice, and often risk their lives to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. The Mounted Division of the Rangers is comprised of all races, including those races who normally compete against each other for territory. Further still, the cavalry mounts could be anything from a robotic horse to a dinosaur.
All in all, if one is running a campaign set entirely in the Americas, than this book is a major requirement. It provides many new player character classes, and outlines the lands to the North. Furthermore, it provides rules for dealing with cold weather, thus making exploring these lands a danger.