Manhunter takes place in a distant future where humanity has discovered faster-than-light travel and began to colonize the galaxy.

The Aglians were a peaceful civilization dedicated to scientific advancement and were horrified at humanity's history of warfare and aggressive expansionism.

Believing that a proper lesson had been taught to prevent future aggression from humans, the Aglians recalled their Manhunter robots for deactivation.

These attacks are designed to sow chaos and discontent among human colonies and sour relations with other alien races and star nations encountered since the Manhunters' disappearance.

The Manhunters have also recruited alien allies to aid in their efforts against the powerful Aglian Terran Planetary Defense System government.

[citation needed] The Aglian Terran Planetary Defense System is the most powerful star nation in the known space of the Manhunter universe.

This region also contains True Earth, a planetary slum devastated by overpopulation and climate change, that is now largely the forgotten home world of humanity.

The Bloodhood was formed through a merging of human and Chiropti martial codes to create a warrior society to help keep the peace on the frontier.

[citation needed] Exile Space is vast and composed of multiple colonies, mostly human, not affiliated with the ATPDS government.

Exile Space is also home to the Holy Order of the Void, a mysterious religious cult centered around an ancient crashed spaceship that often provides highly advanced cybernetic implants to devout followers.

The Gorushan Empire routinely sends marauders into Exile Space to conduct raids and acts of piracy against undefended colonies and trade routes.

[citation needed] Manhunter: Science Fiction-Fantasy Role Playing Game was designed by Ramon P. Moore, with art by Jerry Bingham, and published by Kingslayer Productions in 1988 as a 72-page book with a cardstock screen.

[1] Rifts: Manhunter: A Megaverse Sourcebook was written by Buck Shomo based on Ramon P. Moore's concept, with cover art by Jerry Bingham, and published by Myrmidon Press in 1994 as a 196-page book.

However, he found the actual game mechanics "far too complicated, most notably the combat system, whose convoluted formulas slow the action to a crawl."

Given the hard science edge to the game, Swan found the magic system an oddity, commenting "though playable, it's jarringly out of place in this setting."