It strikes me as somewhat odd that my friends and I have developed what appears to be a unique multiplayer experience: the battle arena. It seems simple. In any given RPG (in this case, Rifts), you choose characters, a location, possible options, and then let the games begin. The simplest form is the basic deathmatch, in which everyone hunts down and kills all the other characters in any way possible. Winners of this "battle arena" can expect tangible reward in the game; perhaps even a new character, if they save up long enough! The reward does not have to be too big; perhaps in-character knowledge of a heretofore unknown enemy, perhaps a new Wilks laser rifle.

The battle arena is entirely out of character, thus leading to people enjoying the arena more; if you aren't worried about your character's permanent death in the game, why not try something new? Of course, one can argue that people will stagnate and stick to the same strategies in order to secure that reward; such an observation is well founded. But there are a few answers to this argument. First of all, those that stick to the same strategy usually lose. Period. Predictability is a battle arena gamer's bane. If the character is so strong that they can be predictable and never be killed, then they are likely too powerful for the battle arena. Second, the GM does get irritated by those people. Another part of the battle arena is a reward for something besides winning or losing. If a character single-handedly killed 4 of the other people in the arena before being cut down himself, and also demonstrated in-character play while doing this, shouldn't he receive an award? Other places on the site list potential awards and penalties. Penalties are the other way of answering "cheap" play. Sure, you may win the battle arena every time using your same ol' strategy, but if the GM docks you 5000 credits and gives you a 4000 credit prize every time, aren't you going to want to change? And penalties can also be battle arena based, as well.

Example: One fairly amusing option one of my GM friends developed for those people who merely run away from conflict, hide, and snipe people from where they cannot be hurt, is to turn them into a chicken in the next battle arena. Oh sure, they might still be able to run away, but I'd like to see them fight! Thus, a way of punishing those who don't play fair in the arena is to make sure that they suffer next arena.

Of course, for those bored of the simple deathmatch, different types of arenas can greatly serve to mix up the fun. One type is the endurance round: players keep on fighting stronger and stronger enemies until they are defeated. They receive prizes based on how long they lasted. It's a simple modification of a deathmatch, but the skills needed to "win" in an endurance round are very different than the ones in a regular deathmatch. For one, having the ability to take lots of damage or regenerate the damage you take is even more useful than ever before in this match. Another thing to note is the necessity for variety. Perhaps in a regular deathmatch, being a specialist will work, but in an endurance round, one fights a much greater range of enemies. In Rifts, an endurance round would move up from a farmer with a rake to a civilian in a mega-damage trenchcoat all the way up to Glitter Boys and adult dragons!

Another, even funner, way to do a quick multiplayer experience is what my friend calls the scenario. It's basically a short roleplaying encounter. What's really fun is that people are mixed up into places they normally wouldn't be. One possible scenario is to have your player group be divided into two teams and put into a Heroes Unlimited® or Skraypers® city and force them into a cat-and-mouse game with each other. Of course, the divided player group will also have to deal with superheroes who will be trying to stop the destruction. The advantage of a scenario is that, unlike a battle arena, smart RPing pays off. If one group is able to convince the heroes coming after them that they are innocent people (albeit super-powered) who are being hunted by their murderous former comrades, then the other group will have their hands full without even fighting their real enemy! Other tactics would include staging a fight with their enemies, then leaving when the cops and other cavalry arrive, forcing their enemies to handle the situation; staging ambushes; pretending to change teams and then shoot their new allies in the back; and so on. In-character play is also more valued in the scenario, although the scenario is an excellent place to have a Corrupt somehow be a nice, honorable pacifist, or to have a Cyber-Knight desert and betray his team at any time! The scenario can be used to revive nostalgic feelings; how about placing your characters into a Dungeons and Dragons dungeon, albeit with appropriate Rifts enemies?