Palladium Books® Weekly Update – Jan. 17, 2015

By Kevin Siembieda

It has been another action packed week at Palladium Books.

Christmas Surprise Package offer is over, but still keeping us busy

There were 74 people who placed orders during the last weekend of the offer. Many were multiple Surprise Packages, so we were kept busy selecting, signing, packing and shipping this week. All but one has shipped by today, Friday. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who ordered a Surprise Package and all our supporters.

Gosh, what else happened? We brainstormed about the present and future of Robotech® RPG Tactics™, I had a good chat with the folks at Harmony Gold, we made final arrangements with an Exports Broker to ship backer rewards to Australia, we discussed many projects, worked on convention related stuff for AdeptiCon, Gen Con and the Palladium Open House, took care of some business maters, Wayne and Matt worked on The Rifter® #69 which is shaping up nicely, Alex and Jeff helped Julius with a lot of packing and shipping, and in between, Jeff has been working on Robotech® RPG Tactics™ instruction sheets and other related issues. As for me, I was involved in all of the above – Wayne too – and was very pleased to finally get in a few solid days of work on rewrites and editing of Bizantium. Oh, I also worked on some ads and promotions. Yeah, there have been many loooong days and working weekends.

Books slated for the next 5-6 months of 2015

We have a lot of irons in the fire as we try to bang out books and plan for conventions. Oh, and check out the newest sale, below, with free gifts that are eye-popping. Read on.

The Rifter® Super-Subscription Drive – Low Price – Free Gift

It only happens once a year – for a limited time – The Rifter® Super-Subscription Drive. We want people to discover The Rifter® as a valuable resource, so we are offering the biggest selection of FREE gifts ever as an enticement. Gamers already familiar with The Rifter® always jump at this offer. That’s because, even when late, The Rifter® has been so consistently good, it is hard to say no to the Super-Subscription Drive.

The free gift is always a nice incentive, and this year the selection is truly unique and fun. I have dug through the Palladium archives to make a number of out of print titles and “special” items available. For us, gaming is all about friends and fun, so enjoy and have fun. Note: The early issues of The Rifter® are limited and available only while supplies last. Please keep the orders coming and enjoy.

Here are four reasons (and 7 gift choices) why this is the perfect time to try The Rifter® or renew your subscription:

1. Save $16 off retail and each issue is delivered right to your door.

2. FREE gift worth $17.90 to $35.85 when you order now! 7 gift choices.

3. Order during the Super-Subscription Drive to lock in your low, low subscription price for the next year.

4. The Rifter® has been outstanding and is the place to find regular source material for Beyond the Supernatural, Palladium Fantasy®, Splicers®, Heroes Unlimited™ and other settings. And future issues will have more playing and G.M. tips.

If you haven’t taken a look at The Rifter® lately (if ever), I suggest you try an issue. The Rifter® is an excellent source of ideas, characters, monsters, villains, powers, magic and adventures for your own game. Even articles designed for settings you don’t play are likely to offer ideas and material you can easily modify and incorporate into your campaign. In fact, drawing on concepts from outside the usual setting can spice up your game and keep players guessing. The Rifter® is a great tool for that. That’s the beauty of the Palladium Megaversal Game System; you can often take characters, gear and ideas from one world setting and drop them into ANY of the other settings with no or little work. Other times, the amount of modification is minimal to make it work in a different setting. That means a monster from Palladium Fantasy® can be easily used as a monster, mutant or alien in Heroes Unlimited™, After the Bomb®, Robotech®, Rifts®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, Chaos Earth® or Splicers®, and vice versa. What needs to be adjusted? Perhaps just changing Hit Points/S.D.C. and damage to Mega-Damage, or M.D.C. and M.D. to Hit Points/S.D.C., or some other minor tweak.

Characters from Heroes Unlimited™ and After the Bomb® can be from the future, or the past (depending on the setting), or they can be mutants, or aliens, or beings from another or parallel world. As I am so wont to say, you are limited only by your imagination. The same holds true for towns, cities and adventures – use that place and the adventure ideas tailored to a different setting. Sure you may have to swap out monsters and treasure, or adjust motives, but you might be surprised how easy, fun and different that adventure plays out in a different world environment. And The Rifter® is the ultimate source for alternative, new and different ideas, adventures, characters, and story ideas. All of which can be tweaked to fit most settings, as can optional rules. The Rifter® is a factory for alternative ideas.

The Rifter® Super-Subscription Offer is your chance to try The Rifter® at a discount price and get a FREE gift. Offer ENDS February 28, 2015.

Click here to see the full description for your subscription options and choice of free gift in the Palladium Online Store.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

We are working on several fronts regarding Robotech® RPG Tactics™, FAQ to be posted online, much more detailed and elaborate building instructions, and other things. In fact, we may start posting the instruction sheets as Jeff Burke gets them done every few days.

The ship carrying the Australian backer rewards has been booked. The container and transport to the port should happen next week, possibly as soon as Monday. All 10+ pallets are packed up, shrink wrapped, banded and ready to go!

Some of the corrected renders for Wave Two items have started coming in as well. Meanwhile, we are prepping for convention season starting with AdeptiCon. See that convention report elsewhere for some details.

UPDATE: AdeptiCon – March 19-22, 2015, in the Chicago, Illinois area.

Palladium will be attending its first AdeptiCon, March 19-22, in the Chicago area. This sounds like a very cool event and we are pumped up about it. We’ll be contributing to the swag bags for attendees, bringing Robotech® RPG Tactics™ products to sell, as well as a selection of Robotech®, Rifts® and other RPG books.

Wayne Smith, Jeff Burke, and myself will be present to chat, answer questions, and have fun. There is at least one Robotech® RPG Tactics™ tournament (description below) and we continue to look for additional volunteers to run RRT demos or even another tournament. So if any G.M.s who are planning to attend AdeptiCon would like to help demo or build and run a small tournament for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ for Palladium, please contact us immediately at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone (734-721-2903). Thank you! We’ll keep you posted if we add any special events or convention exclusives. We hope to see many of you there.

AdeptiCon will be host to a very special event – Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Battle for Macross Island™. The first Robotech® RPG Tactics™ tournament at an international gaming convention!

UPDATE: Gen Con Indy – July 30-August 2, 2015

Palladium gaming events at Gen Con went over great last year. The most we have ever offered. We want to see even MORE Palladium gaming events being offered at the 2015 Gen Con Indy.

Game Masters wanted. To make that happen, we NEED Game Masters to start contacting Palladium Books and/or Gen Con game coordinators Victor Peterson and NMI now. To get into the Gen Con game pre-registration and the program book, Gen Con needs ALL game information by mid-February to make it into the first round of events. So please start making your plans, writing your descriptions and sending them in to the Palladium Megaversal Ambassadors pronto at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We need games for all Palladium RPGs, from Rifts® and Palladium Fantasy® to Robotech®, Nightbane®, Dead Reign®, Splicers® and all the rest. Thank you. And just like last year, we’ll be offering all players, Best Players and Game Masters “rewards” for their participation. Plus G.M.s who run several games in the Palladium block will get a free Gen Con G.M. badge (as supplies allow). Join the fun and help out at the same time.

We are also looking for volunteers familiar with RRT and wargames to run demos and full games of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ in the miniatures area of Gen Con.

UPDATE: 2015 Palladium Open House (POH) – May 15-17, 2015, at the Palladium warehouse in Westland, Michigan.

That’s only FOUR months away! Can you believe it? Have you ordered your admission tickets and “reserved” your hotel room? What are you waiting for? Nonstop Palladium gaming for three days (four for those coming to VIP Thursday). A lot of Palladium creators have confirmed they are coming, see below. MORE updates and details to be posted in the next week or two.

A lot is happening on this front, but here are the highlights for now:

VIP Thursday tickets go on sale February 1, 2015. These are the last remaining tickets for this exclusive event. I believe there are around 40 slots left. Sold on a first come, first served basis.

Growing list of Palladium creators who will be present:

For more info and to purchase tickets to the Palladium Open House, click here.

URGENT: Reserve your rooms soon for the 2015 Open House Hotel!

Your reserving your hotel room today helps Palladium in a number of ways and secures the limited space for all of you in attendance. Your credit card will NOT be charged until May, so there is no reason not to play it safe and reserve your room. Note: Hotels within a 20 mile area WILL BE BOOKED due to a sporting event the same weekend. You need to RESERVE YOUR ROOM TODAY or the next available hotel may be 20+ miles away. Seriously!

Comfort Inn

40455 Ann Arbor Road
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: 734-455-8100

Group Code: Palladium Books – you MUST request the Group Code “Palladium Books” at the time of booking to ensure the correct rate will be quoted and billed to you.

Dates of the 2015 Palladium Open House (POH): May 15-17 (May 14 is VIP Thursday), 2015.

$109.00 (plus tax) per night at the Comfort Inn, a.k.a. “Plymouth Clock Tower Hotel.” That’s $109 (plus tax) for a room with two queen beds or one king with a sofa that has a pull-out sleeper. ALL rooms have a micro-fridge and FREE high-speed wired/wireless Internet. The hotel also offers a FREE hot breakfast from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. near the lobby, heated indoor swimming pool, a fitness center (24 hours), and a coin operated laundry. The large conference room is ours to use for around the clock open gaming. Reserve using Group Code: “Palladium Books.” And do it as soon as possible. The hotel has been remodeled, resulting in a smaller number of rooms. If you know you are coming to the 2015 Palladium Open House, we recommend you reserve your room today. Important Note: You MUST give them the Group Code: Palladium Books to get this rate. Call 734-455-8100 to make your reservation. The hotel does NOT charge your credit card until a few days before the event and you can cancel up to May 10, 2015. So there is no reason to wait.

I think we may max out our attendance numbers for 2015, so make sure you order your tickets sooner than later to make sure you are not turned away. Palladium can only accommodate around 300 gamers total (plus staff and Palladium creators). Once we reach that number, the POH will be sold out. Order in the coming months or risk not being able to attend. If you wait till March or April, 2015 it may be too late!

Admissions: Please purchase your admissions sooner than later so we can accurately plan for the necessary number of events, tables, chairs, and so on for the weekend. This write-up is just the highlights, please read the full description in the store. Remember, Price of admission covers ALL EVENTS, except VIP Thursday. There are no extra fees for gaming events, panel talks or autographs. The larger description of the 2015 POH in the online store has NOT yet been updated, but we will. Still there is additional info and details there.

$45 per person for the Three Day Weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday; May 15, 16 & 17) when ordered in advance per each individual. ($60 at the door and after April 12, 2015, if space is available.)

$87 additional for VIP Night – Thursday – May 14, 2014. The VIP Night always sells out within weeks, so watch for tickets to become available and make your reservation as soon as possible. First-come, first-served. VIP Night is a special, one-evening event limited to around 120 gamers. VIP Thursday, May 14, 2014: 3:00 P.M. till 12:00 P.M. NOTE: As has become tradition, we hold a number of VIP slots to be offered in February so that gamers who decide to attend closer to the POH have a chance of getting into the coveted VIP Night too. Those 30 or 40 held-back tickets will go on sale February 1, 2015. You get the delicious meal catered by Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons (people rave about her meals), plus you get an extra afternoon and evening of gaming (opens late afternoon), a more intimate chance to talk with Palladium staff, artists and writers, and first crack at rare collectibles, prints and original art.

Other POH Highlights:

2015 POH Game Masters needed

We want to post a tentative schedule of games, panel talks and events online in early February. That means we need Game Masters to submit their POH game descriptions and events as SOON as possible. Thanks!

Palladium Megaversal Ambassadors, Palladium creators, and any experienced Game Master planning to come to the 2015 Palladium Open House – please tell us now if you are planning to run one or more gaming events so we can schedule them and post them online. We’re hoping to offer more than 100 gaming events.

Discount and free G.M. T-Shirt if you run three or more games at the POH. Run 3+ games and get our new G.M. T-shirt FREE (unveiled for the first time at the POH) and a 30% discount on Palladium’s RPG books, T-shirts and most other items (sorry, excludes original art, limited editions, art prints, auction items and Robotech® RPG Tactics). We need plenty of games to satisfy 300 gamers. Your help is appreciated and welcomed. Contact us by telephone (734-721-2903) or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

UPDATE: The Rifter® #69 – February, 2015 release

Wayne, Matt and Alex have been selecting and editing material. They still have a ways to go, but this is shaping up to be another great issue. The Rifter® #69 will contain material for After the Bomb®, Chaos Earth®, Rifts® and more. Don’t forget that most material can be easily adapted from one setting to another. Since 2015 is the 25th Anniversary of Rifts®, we will be doing what we have done with the anniversaries of Palladium Fantasy® and Heroes Unlimited™ these past two years by making every cover of The Rifter® in 2015 dedicated to Rifts® and making sure there is a wealth of Rifts® material for each issue in 2015.

COMING: Price Increase for the Heroes Unlimited 30th Anniversary Gold and Palladium Fantasy® 30th Anniversary Elemental Green Hardcover – increase to $50.00 on February 1, 2015

The low, low price of $40.00 for the two 30th Anniversary editions was done as part of the anniversary celebration. With the New Year and a new anniversary, we will increase the price to $50.00 each on February 1, 2015. This puts the HU2 and Fantasy special hardcover editions in line with most of our other Gold Editions, past and present. Fair warning: you have two weeks left to make purchases at the $40 price.

That’s all for now

I don’t want to bury people with too much. This week’s focus was convention events and the Rifter® Super-Subscription drive. We’ll be working through at least part of the weekend and thinking of you. I will also try to get back to posting Murmurs from the Megaverse. Game on.

– Kevin Siembieda, Game Designer, Writer, Publisher

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics – Available now in the USA and Canada – coming to other parts of the world soon

You need to check this exciting game out. Beautiful, detailed game pieces of your favorite Robotech® mecha, and fast playing rules that capture the Robotech® experience. And this is just the beginning. We have so much more planned. Available in game stores across the USA and Canada.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Boxed Set (Main Box Game) – Cat. No. 55100 – $99.95 retail price. This is the game Robotech® fans have wanted for decades. Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games, or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces.

The First Six Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Expansion Packs are available to retail at the same time as the main box game. Here are the SKUs and retail prices.

Battle Foam Robotech bag/carrying case – Cat. No. 55107 – $120 retail (limited supply). Note: We only have about 50 Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Battle Foam bags available. Once they are sold out it will be months before we manufacture more, if ever.

Dead Reign Graveyard Earth

Dead Reign® Sourcebook 5: Graveyard Earth – Available now

If you love zombies and haven’t tried this game, it is time to do so, along with this compelling new sourcebook. The Dead Reign® core rule book and sourcebooks capture the Zombie Apocalypse in a fast-playing, action-packed RPG of survival and terror.

The Graveyard Earth™ sourcebook expands the Zombie Apocalypse around the world, providing a wide range of ideas and settings for adventure. Every continent is given an overview with key locations noted across the globe. This includes likely and rumored Safe Haven communities, military outposts and data about what happened during the zombie outbreak and what’s going on NOW. Has any government survived? Is anyplace safe?

Rifts Book of Magic

Rifts® Book of Magic – Back in Print End of January

Rifts® Book of Magic has been sent to the printer for reprinting. We have not yet received a ship date, but it should be around the end of January. When we know the exact date, we’ll let you know pronto.

Rifts® Book of Magic is 352 pages of nothing but spells (850 of them), magic and magic items, including Rune Weapons, Techno-Wizard items, Bio-Wizard Splugorth creations, and Iron Juggernauts. That’s cover to cover spells and magic items and a few related odds and ends like Atlantean Tattoos and the Nazca Lines. Everything collected from the first 23 World Books, Sourcebooks 1-4, and Siege on Tolkeen 1-6 into one giant reference of magical goodness. At the printer. Taking pre-orders now. Ships end of January.

The Rifter #69

NEW! The Rifter® #69 – January or February

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready to go source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines. And don’t forget, most of the material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

With 2015 being the 25th Anniversary of Rifts®, every issue of The Rifter® will feature a Rifts® inspired cover and contain at least one Rifts® article.

The Rifter® #69 – Winter, 2015:

Chaos Earth Rise of Magic

Rise of Magic – Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook – January/February

The reason this book kept getting pushed back is that it is not a simple reprint. We had many corrections to make and the entire book has to be re-typeset and laid out like a new book. Art had to be found and scanned. Well, we will have it to the printer soon and in your hands by the end of January or early February.

The return of magic has empowered humans with strange and wondrous powers unlike anything quite yet seen (and different from most conventional types of magic). This only complicates things for Earth’s defenders as the line of distinction between “good guys” and “bad guys” begins to blur.

Bizantium and the Northern Islands

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook:

Bizantium and the Northern Islands – Ships February

Realistically, Bizantium and the Northern Islands™ will not be ready to ship until February. The writing has been a little rougher than I expected, but really I have been pulled away to handle a great many other things. I continue to clear my plate and expect to give it the majority of my attention over the next two weeks. All the artwork is in, and looks fantastic.

Journey to the Island Kingdom of Bizantium, situated at the far northern peak of the Palladium World. Its vast fleets of merchant vessels and warships travel the high seas and bring untold wealth back to the kingdom, as well as exotic goods, people, customs, weapons and foreign magic. As foreign powers exert their influence on the throne, treachery and potential power grabs lurk in the shadows.

Robotech UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines sourcebook is set in space with the UEEF (United Earth Expeditionary Force) led by Admiral Rick Hunter. This valiant force of mecha-clad heroes travel across the galaxy liberating planets from the bondage of the Invid Regent, the Robotech Masters and other tyrants and monsters.

Rifts Coalition States, Heroes of Humanity

Rifts® Sourcebook – The Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity

The events unfolding in World Book 35: Megaverse® in Flames threaten to change the entire landscape of Rifts® Earth, as the demonic minions of Hades and Dyval seek to bring Hell on Earth and turn the planet into a dimensional gateway to Armageddon!

The Coalition States, along with Northern Gun and Lazlo, take the lead in the defense of North America. Heroes of Humanity explores the good and bad in the Coalition’s efforts to save humanity and send this new threat back to the pits of Hell.

Rifts® Secrets of the Coalition States: The Disavowed

“Desperate times require desperate measures. War has nothing to do with morality or justice. It’s all about winning or dying. We cannot bind our hands with high ideals, even our own, or worry about the laws of renegade nations or the rights of alien people. We must fight fire with fire. And you are the match.” – Colonel Lyboc addressing a Disavowed team

The Disavowed are so Top Secret that their existence is known only to a handful of the Coalition States’ most elite, top echelon, with Joseph Prosek II the mastermind behind the Disavowed operation, and Colonel Lyboc its shadowy face. Find out who these men and women are. How the Disavowed get away with using magic, traveling to other parts of Rifts Earth and even to other dimensions in pursuit of enemies and strategic information that cannot be had through conventional means. Learn about the secret parameters in which these hard-boiled warriors, secretly hand-picked by Joseph Prosek II, operate, why almost every mission is considered a suicide mission, and why they must forever be the Disavowed.

Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans

True Atlanteans are descendants from Earth’s past. The survivors of the sinking of Atlantis (really a dimensional mishap) and travelers of the Megaverse, wielders of Tattoo Magic and other lost mystic arts. Most people regard them as heroes, but are they? The Sunaj Assassins are mythic villains feared by all, yet they too are True Atlanteans who serve dark forces.

For the first time, much of the story behind True Atlanteans and their secrets are revealed.

Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: First Responders

The Great Cataclysm has devastated civilization, but humanity fights for survival. The struggles of civilian law enforcement, fire and rescue, and everyday men and women are some of the most epic tales to be told in a world gone to hell. They fight monsters, aliens, the paranormal, the elements, and each other, all with the hope of reclaiming their lives from the Chaos.

Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: Resurrection

In the shattered depths of Wisconsin, survivors are besieged by the dead come back to life. Zombies. But not just any type of zombie, zombies done Rifts-style. And unless the source of the zombie plague can be found and neutralized by NEMA defenders, North America may be overrun by the dead.

This was actually something Taylor White and I have been kicking around for years, even before we released the Dead Reign® RPG line. We think you’ll love it.

DriveThruRPG

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made 100 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com, as well as Fantasy Paper Miniatures, Game Master resources and other good things with more to come. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include:

© Copyright 2015 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Powers Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Dead Reign®, Chaos Earth®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. RPG Tactics™, Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.

This press release may be reprinted, reposted, linked and shared for the sole purpose of advertising, promotion and sales solicitation.