Palladium Books® Weekly Update – April 2, 2015

By Kevin Siembieda

My thanks to the multitude of friends, fans and associates who have been sending me birthday wishes all day long. Funny, I don’t feel any older. lol.

As I write this, high winds and a thunderstorm are washing over us. The lights have flickered several times, so I hope we don’t lose power before we send out and post this Weekly Update. We continue to work at a frenzied pace on many fronts, including Robotech® RPG Tactics™ developments, Rifts®, the Palladium Open House and many, many other things. Sales have been strong this week, with orders for Bizantium and the Northern Islands™, The Rifter® #69, the Robotech® Dice Bag, and pre-orders for a variety of upcoming titles coming in at a good pace. We’ve also gotten several distributor orders this week for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and other Palladium game lines. But let me dive right into things.

UPDATE: Bizantium and the Northern Islands – Available now

Bizantium and the Northern Islands™ has shipped to everyone who has placed an order directly from Palladium Books, as well as to distributors. Initial reactions have been shock and satisfaction. This world book offers new dangers, new places to explore, new monsters and animals, new ancient and angry gods, villains, history, magic, adventure and fun. If you’re a fan of the Palladium Fantasy RPG®, you want Bizantium and the Northern Islands™. Take a look at the FREE sneak preview of it on DriveThruRPG.com for just a glimpse of this exciting 192 page book. Available now.

As I pointed out last week, author Glen Evans as well as Matthew Clements, me (Kevin Siembieda), Charles Walton, Mark Dudley, Amy L. Ashbaugh, Ben Rodriguez, Alex, Wayne, Jeff, Julius, and other contributors to this world book will be available at the Palladium Open House to sign your copy of the book and chat about creating books. But don’t stop there, bring any of your books to the POH for signing. No other convention or gaming event offers so many Palladium creators to sign books, and we are happy to do so.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #69 – Available now

Subscribers and individuals alike are just starting to get their copies, and are very pleased with the content of The Rifter® #69 with its many mutants, monsters, characters and places to explore. Check it out. Remember, most source material can be used in almost any Palladium setting. Available now.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #70 – in production – ships end of April

The articles and source material for The Rifter® #70 have ALL been selected, artwork has been assigned, and text is currently undergoing editing and rewrites (where appropriate). It is another great issue – half of which is “official” source material for Rifts® and Splicers®. There are dimension-traveling monsters (official), the Frost Mage and 40 new magic spells (official and suitable for Fantasy, Rifts® and most settings), the Splicers® Technojacker extremely expanded (official), a Rifts® town, exploring the oceans and seas of Rifts Earth, the conclusion to Irvin Jackson’s Rifts® short story, and more! All of it is good stuff. See the new description elsewhere in this Update or in the online store.

UPDATE: Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook – in production

I have been working on this title in between directing operations on several Robotech® plans and projects. Robotech® Marines is going to be a crowd pleaser with new mecha, aliens, new character classes, the Invid and more. Author Irvin Jackson outdid himself.

NEW! Robotech® Dice Bag – Gold imprint on a black bag

The Robotech® Dice Bag was a hit at AdeptiCon and is a hit with gamers making purchases from the Palladium online store. The Robotech® Dice Bag has gold colored printing on a faux velvet, black, draw-string bag – 7½ x 8 inch bag with flat, round bottom. $8.00 and only available from Palladium Books. More to be revealed for Robotech® soon. See a full description of this item elsewhere in this Update and in the online store.

UPDATE: Chaos Earth® Resurrection sourcebook – spring release

I have done more spot editing on Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ and met with Chuck Walton just today to go over artwork and concepts. This new and powerful sourcebook should be done in time for the Palladium Open House, and Taylor White (who is also running some games) will be available to sign books, along with many other Palladium creators.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

So much going on. We continue to hammer out a number of projects and plans we think our Kickstarter backers and all Robotech® supporters will be excited about. We don’t have everything worked out yet, so we are hesitant to discuss them yet, but very soon.

Meanwhile, work continues on the engineering aspect of Wave Two items, and more comprehensive instruction sheets for building Robotech® RPG Tactics™ are being posted on DriveThruRPG.com with much more free and helpful materials in development.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ has shipped to our Kickstarter backers in Europe and continues to ship to Australian backers, with the rest of the world to follow.

As I noted last week, Palladium has exciting plans in development for expanding the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game line and gaming experience. I’m anxious to share those with you as soon as possible.

Beasts of War recently posted an Unboxing of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ video with Carmen Bellaire, co-author of the rules for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, and it is my understanding that 2-3 additional videos will be posted in the weeks ahead. Catch ‘em all and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3P37ucKoyk

Don’t miss the Forge the Narrative Podcast we mentioned last week. While at AdeptiCon, Jeff Burke and I did a podcast with Paul Murphy. He also interviewed the guys at Ninja Division and a host of other people. It can be heard at:

http://www.forgethenarrative.com/2015/03/ftn-bonus-episode-10-ninja-division.html

UPDATE: DriveThruRPG.com – previews, new products and fun

The Palladium Fantasy® Bizantium and the Northern Islands™ free preview is posted and available now. The Rifter® #61-62 and four new sets of Fantasy Paper Miniatures (with 20+ figures in most sets) have also been posted. And there is more to come. Palladium continues to provide FREE support to Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and other Palladium game lines with supplemental material. And this is just the beginning. So far, that includes some RRT game cards, the massive mecha painting/color design templates (more than 100 images in color and black and white – and an awesome resource for any Robotech fan), and some detailed assembly instructions, with MUCH more coming. We have big plans for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and other Palladium game lines.

We’ll be adding a bunch of new material to DriveThruRPG.com over the next several months, so keep an eye on it. DriveThruRPG.com already offers 100+ Palladium Books products available as PDFs with more to be made available soon. They currently include free items, previews and book titles like the Coalition Wars®/Siege on Tolkeen™ series, Splicers® RPG, The Rifter® issues #1-62 (with more to come), and first edition rules of the Rifts® RPG, Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, Heroes Unlimited™ RPG, The Palladium Fantasy RPG®, and related 1st edition sourcebooks for each. And more! Like what? Like Fantasy Paper Miniatures (see below) and Game Master Kits for digital download. They are available only as PDF files and were designed special to help you run your games and build campaigns. There are also sneak previews of books and other good stuff. Check it out! And let other gamers know they are available too. We’ll be making more available on DriveThruRPG in the weeks and months to come, so take a look on a regular basis.

UPDATE: Six volumes of Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” are available now, on DriveThruRPG.com

Six volumes of Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” are now available and waiting for you on DriveThruRPG.com with two more specific to Bizantium and the Northern Islands being worked on right now and coming in another week or two. And they will be followed by more for Palladium Fantasy®. See the full description elsewhere in this Update and in the online store.

UPDATE: PenguiCon – April 24, 25 & 26, 2015 – Southfield, Michigan

A reminder that Palladium has added PenguiCon to its convention schedule – April 24-26. We’ll be there selling Robotech® RPG Tactics™, our latest book releases and other select RPG titles. Chuck Walton will be present selling original art and prints, too. And since the Palladium warehouse is only 30 minutes away, tell us your special wants, and we can have one of the Palladium crew drive them in later that afternoon or evening. Swing by to say hello, get some autographs and buy the latest releases.

UPDATE: Palladium Open House – May 15-17, 2015 – Westland, Michigan at the Palladium Books Warehouse

Only six weeks away! One of the many things I’ve been part of has been helping to coordinate the gaming schedule and games being played at the POH. I have been in touch with a number of Game Masters this week as well as the Megaversal Ambassador coordinators (Jeff and I have another conference call with them on Saturday), and we’ve already started to reorganize the warehouse and set up areas.

FYI: It is NEVER too late for a G.M. to let us know you want to run a game or two at the POH. Game Masters are always welcomed! And that includes G.M.s who only want to run a single game. That’s fine. Come and run your game. Just let us know so we can add you to the changing and growing schedule.

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

Palladium Open House Musing

I was saddened to learn that two long-time fans and supporters of Palladium Books won’t be making it to the 2015 Open House due to unexpected health issues. To illustrate how dedicated these two gentlemen are, they were the first and second people to place an order for weekend admissions tickets and VIP reservations. And I don’t think they have missed a single POH. Take care guys and get healthy again, fast. You will be here with us in our thoughts.

To me, this is another example of why to attend the Open House if you can make it. None of us knows what awaits us at any moment. Let’s enjoy the POH and our camaraderie while we can. Come to the Open House even if it is for one day! Meet 40+ Palladium creators, game in the Palladium warehouse, and have a blast. Personally, I’d love to have the opportunity to chat and talk about gaming with you.

I’m sure there is more going on. I banged out a bunch of contracts. Assigned artwork to various book titles. Need to assign some more. Had a number of meetings and discussions about Robotech®, BTS and other projects, consulted with various G.M.s and Palladium writers and artists, need to call Carmen Bellaire back, and get back to work writing. Right now, I’m finishing up this Update so I can head home to a special birthday dinner with Kathy and a relaxing evening. More to come. Stay tuned.

– Kevin Siembieda, Game Designer, Writer, Publisher

Robotech Dice Bag - Black

NEW! Robotech® Dice Bag – Available now

People have enjoyed the Rifts® dice bag for years, so we thought we’d do one for Robotech®. The Robotech® Dice Bag debuted at AdeptiCon and went over very well. Now it is available in the Palladium store for everyone. This is just one tiny thing we’ve been working on behind the scenes for Robotech®. More to come.

Bizantium and the Northern Islands

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook: Bizantium and the Northern Islands – Available now

To the civilized world, Bizantium and the waters and lands around it are frightening. A realm of sea serpents, monsters, and barbarians. To the heroes and people who live there, it is a realm of adventure, beauty and opportunity.

One might consider Bizantium as the center of adventure and mystery in the North. Many are the myths of ancient gods, lost treasures and strange creatures. On the mainland, there are the Wolfen and their canine kin, the Kiridin barbarians, the turbulent Shadow Coast colonies, and all manner of monsters and secrets in the Northern Hinterlands and Great Northern Mountains. Living near the edge of the Sea of Despair and in the shadow of the Land of the Damned, sea monsters and danger are but a short voyage away and make all too frequent visits to the Bizantium islands.

North of Bizantium are the Icy Ocean and Great Ice Shelf, places where only a handful of the bravest Bizantian sailors have ever set sail, and the rest of the world knows nothing about. For kingdoms in the south, only a few scholars have ever heard of the Great Ice Shelf or the cannibalistic Necromancers known as the Iceborn who make the frozen wasteland their home. Those who have heard tales of the land of ice and death are convinced they are nothing but the stuff of myth. Very soon, they will find out otherwise.

And these are but a few of the revelations presented in Bizantium and the Northern Islands™. Discover for yourself the wonders and horrors that await.

NEW Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” – on DriveThruRPG.com

Three new Volumes are already waiting for you, another is coming this weekend and more soon after that. Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” are a quick, fun “online only” product for gamers who want inexpensive game pieces for their Palladium Fantasy® game – only $5.99 for 20+ figures in each set. All are colorful, dynamic and attractive figures available via PDF download that you print on a card stock, cut out and slide into a paper stand (all part of the pack you purchase). A FREE Sample and the first SIX sets of Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures are available NOW on DriveThruRPG.com, and many more are coming. Including a set or two for Bizantium and the Northern Islands.

The Rifter #69

NEW! The Rifter® #69 – Available now

The Rifter® #69 is packed with exciting and fun material for Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, After the Bomb®, Dead Reign®, Heroes Unlimited™ and more!

The Rifter® #69 – Winter, 2015:

The Rifter #70

COMING! The Rifter® #70 – Ships end of April

This issue is epic, with a wide array of source material by several contributors, half of it “official” as well as some by Kevin Siembieda.

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. 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® #70, Spring issue will present a nice variety of new source material for Rifts® and other Palladium RPG settings. Celebrating the Rifts® 25th Anniversary, there will be an emphasis on Rifts® material and each cover will be Rifts® related.

Splynn Dimensional Market

Back in print – Rifts® World Book 21: Splynn Dimensional Market

This awesome sourcebook is, in effect, Rifts® Atlantis Part Two. It is said that anything you may desire – especially if it is dark, magical or alien – can be purchased, for a price, at the Splynn Dimensional Market. Anything. ‘Nuff said.

Chaos Earth Rise of Magic

Rise of Magic – Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook – Now shipping

We’ve all played “post” apocalyptic games. Now imagine playing as the apocalypse is happening. As the world you know is crumbling. As magic and monsters from myth become real and your world is reshaped by forces beyond your comprehension. That is the premise behind the Rifts® Chaos Earth® series. That YOU play through the Great Cataclysm as the apocalypse happens.

Rifts® Chaos Earth®: Rise of Magic™ is a key book in that continuing story (new books are coming this Spring and Summer). In Rise of Magic™, humans, particularly children, are discovering they can draw upon mystic energy and cast magic. The thing is, they don’t really know what they are doing. Magic is just part of the chaos and the impossible that is happening all around them. Meanwhile, others have found they can summon and control monsters and demons, while still others make pacts with supernatural beings to become witches and worse. And some have learned they can harness the magic to animate and command the dead. Madness and more chaos ensues. All of this only complicates things for NEMA, Earth’s defenders, as the line of distinction between “good guys” and “bad guys” begins to blur, and things go from bad to worse.

Chaos Earth RPG

Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG – Available now

The origins of Rifts® start here! It is a new beginning. But first everything that human civilization had become during the Golden Age of Science, more than eighty years in our future, must come to a crashing end. The Earth is in the process of being transformed into a place more alien than a thousand alien worlds. Ley lines erupt with even more power and ambient energy than what is known on Rifts Earth 300 years later. Rifts – tears in space and time – appear along ley lines to unleash legions of aliens, monsters, dragons, supernatural horrors, and ancient gods of myth and legend in a mad symphony of chaos and transformation.

You play survivors or the heroes of NEMA. The men and women of the Northern Eagle Military Alliance equipped with their Chromium Guardsmen (Glitter Boys), Silver Eagles (SAMAS) and host of other robots and power armor to stand against a rising tide of enemies and alien invaders. They are humanity’s last and only hope to survive the apocalypse that will become known as the Great Cataclysm. These are the heroes you play in a world that can only be described as Chaos Earth.

Chaos Earth Resurrection

Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: Resurrection – Coming

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.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics

– Available now in the USA, Canada, European Union, Australia and New Zealand

If you love Robotech®, you’ll want to take a look at this game. Beautifully detailed game pieces of your favorite Robotech® mecha, and fast playing rules that capture the Robotech® experience in a new, exciting way. And this is just the beginning. We have so much more planned. Available NOW – in game stores across the USA and Canada. Available in stores in the UK, European Union, Australia and New Zealand soon.

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 along with the main box game. Here are the SKUs and retail prices.

Battle Foam Robotech® RPG Tactics™ bag/carrying case – Cat. No. 55107 – $120.00 retail (limited supply). Note: We only have about 30 Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Battle Foam bags available. Once they are sold out it will be months before we manufacture more, if ever.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Rulebook – Cat. No. 55105 – $20.00 retail. Note: This is the same rulebook that is included in the main game box, and is offered separately for those who want an extra copy, or want to check out the rules before buying the whole game.

Robotech UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One – Coming

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.

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.

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:

Books slated for the first 6 months of 2015

Other titles for 2015 and beyond

Come to the Palladium Open House – May 15-17, 2015 – Westland, Michigan

Please consider this a personal invitation from me, Kevin Siembieda, to come and spend a weekend with the Palladium staff, our wonderful fellow creators, friends and fans from around the globe. At the POH you can ask any questions, enjoy long chats, get autographs from 40+ Palladium Creators, enjoy plenty of laughs, game like crazy and come away with memories that you’ll never forget.

Meet 40+ Palladium Creators at the 2015 POH

How often do any of us get to hang out with 40+ Palladium creators or a few hundred gamers from around the globe? Only at the Palladium Open House, and it happens only once every few years. You will NEVER see this many Palladium creators at any one location. Only those with an asterisk remain tentative.

Note: Must RESERVE HOTEL ROOM by April 1, 2015 to guarantee a room and get the special $109 rate! Call 734-455-8100 and 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.

POH Game Masters and Gaming Events still needed for the Palladium Open House – May 14-17, 2015

Game Masters WANTED. It is not too late to volunteer to run games at the Palladium Open House. For some reason, after the Open House Update was sent last weekend, a number of people seemed to think it was too late to volunteer to run games. It is NOT too late to sign up to run gaming events at the Palladium Open House. The more Game Masters and games the better. We can use more Game Masters to run game events for ALL of our game lines. We saw a few G.M.s calling and emailing earlier this week to ask if they could run events for us. YES, please do. The more the better! Let us know as soon as possible so that we can work out a solid advanced schedule, but we’ll take gaming events anytime.

Get Free Stuff and Discounts if you run games. POH Game Masters Run three or more games and get a FREE special G.M. T-shirt unveiled for the first time at the POH and a 30% Game Master Supreme 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 products). We need plenty of games to satisfy 300 gamers, so . . . HELP! 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.. Please contact us as SOON as possible. We want to post updates to the schedule well in advance.

Thanks.

What we will need from G.M.s:

NOTE: If you commit to running games at the POH you must be serious and MUST be available to run your games. Do not disappoint gamers from around the globe by being unprepared or absent. You also have to purchase your own admission ticket.

Send Game Event e-mails to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
– or call – (734) 721-2903 – and ask for Wayne, Jeff, Julius or Alex.

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

© 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.