In 2012, Palladium Books released the Rifts sourcebook: Rifts Black Market. It was written by an all-star team of writers: Matthew Clements, Kevin Siembieda, and Carmen Bellaire.
Matthew Clements has other Palladium Books credits, such as the Rifts Northern Gun world books, the Rifts Vampires sourcebook, and several Dead Reign sourcebooks. Carmen Bellaire’s credits include Rifts Dimension Book 8: Naruni Wave 2, Powers Unlimited One for Heroes Unlimited, not to mention parts of the Rifts Ultimate Edition core book, among other works. Kevin Siembieda is the owner of Palladium Books, a game writer, and a prolific author.
The Rifts core book and many of the expansion books make reference to a generic “Black Market,” usually in the context of credits, valuable items, and shady services. Since Rifts’ inception, the Black Market has just been a “thing” that floated around the Rifts universe. The Rifts Black Market sourcebook changes all that. Finally, we get some depth and an identity associated with the “Black Market.”
First, we learn about Black Market operations at a high-level. We get an understanding of what the Black Market does and its role on Rifts Earth. This goes beyond listing its practices (contraband, smuggling, etc…) but also how the Black Market connects with other organizations in the Rifts universe. Who does the Black Market serve? What do they do? Where do they do it? These are explained early in the book.
If you thought that the “Black Market” was a single entity, think again. The book describes five separate Black Market factions, each with its own territory and specialties. Each faction has its own boss, notorious ‘employees,’ and contacts. For example, “The Chicago Network” performs operations in and around Chi-Town, North America’s largest city. My personal favorite is El Oculta whose influence is spread out in the North American southwest.
It’s all well and good to know about the separate factions, but how do they operate? What is the hierarchy of power operating a faction? How does a character deal with a Black Market faction? The book describes the internal structure of a faction, Black Market etiquette, and how they handle situations of authority. An example provided is how a Black Market operative would pass a security checkpoint or handle a law enforcement official.
No criminal enterprise is complete without “specialists.” The Black Market sourcebook describes many of the jobs in such an organization. For example: a Hit Man, a Fence, Courier, or Acquisition Specialist. A description of each job is provided, including the skills and attribute requirements to take on such a role. The character is, of course, paid and the pay grade is provided in the description.
One of the better parts of the book is the rules for playing a Black Market character. Selecting a Black Market character grants the player special abilities and other benefits. Depending on the character’s O.C.C. (or “class” in D&D terms), the player selects a pre-determined number of Black Market abilities. These are different from the “jobs” described above. An example of a Black Market ability is “Friends in High Places,” which means the character has a connection with several “friends” or allies in the community. These contacts are often in positions of power or authority. Not a bad connection to have! The character may be “Slippery,” and is able to escape difficult situations. These abilities often provide skill and attribute bonuses, not to mention terrific role-play opportunities.
So the Black Market is able to acquire valuable goods. What do they do with them? Sell them, of course! But where? Rifts Black Market provides rules for creating Black Market Sales Outlets, which also includes tables for creating your own Black Market “traveling show.” This provides a GM with more opportunities for role play or adventure hooks.
Lastly, there is a section of the book devoted to Bandito Arms, a weapons manufacturer dominant in the American southwest. This company gets many of its sales from Black Market activities, which is probably why many of their goods are listed in this book. And there are many goods here: pistols, rifles, heavy weapons, even rail guns. A nice selection of vehicles, robots, and power armor is offered as well.
Rifts Black Market is one of my favorite sourcebooks for Rifts. It provides a wealth of information on a huge, yet previously undefined, part of the Rifts universe. The book is well-organized, thorough, and a lot of fun. I especially enjoy the rules for incorporating the Black Market into character creation or character development. If you want to expand your Rifts campaign and add an exciting element to your campaign, I highly recommend Rifts Black Market.
