Palladium Books® Weekly Update – April 24, 2015

By Kevin Siembieda

This has been prepare-for-conventions week. We pulled sales stock and planned for PenguiCon (this weekend in Southfield, Michigan, where we have a booth), pulled and shipped prize support for MobiCon (10 Palladium game events, May 22-24, in Alabama), planned and prepped more for Gen Con Indy (July 30-August 2, always a lot to do for this big convention), and, of course, all kinds of things for the Palladium Open House (May 14-17, Westland, Michigan at the Palladium warehouse – it’s awesome). And when I say we have been working on conventions all week, I mean non-stop from 8:00 AM till 10:00 PM every day, with business matters and coordination of other products squeezed in between. ALL kinds of exciting stuff is going on. You will find all the details about some of it below.

Rifts® is Coming for Savage Worlds!

I accidentally created a firestorm of speculation and excitement last week when I talked about some of those behind the scenes projects under the topic of Rifts® is heating up. Particular my statement that “in an effort to truly expand Rifts® across the Megaverse®, in cooperation with Palladium Books, another role-playing game company is currently adapting the Rifts® Earth setting to that company’s RPG system of rules, as well as producing adventure sourcebooks.”

Well, this became hot news, with Bleeding Cool (a magazine I personally enjoy), breaking the news that the company is Pinnacle Entertainment Group (Deadlands RPG, Savage Worlds) and the game system will be Savage Worlds. Pinnacle followed up the Bleeding Cool announcement with this “official” press release, below. We’re delighted with the positive response to this news.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Pinnacle Entertainment Group announced today the development of Rifts for Savage Worlds, their award-winning tabletop roleplaying game system.

Pinnacle released a mock cover, using art from Palladium’s 2005 Rifts Ultimate Edition with permission. The cover artist for the book was Scott Johnson.

“We are thrilled to follow up Kevin’s post with this announcement that we do, indeed, have the license to develop Rifts for Savage Worlds,” said Savage Worlds creator Shane Hensley. “We are early in the process, but anticipate having a core rulebook for the setting released in time for Christmas.”

The Palladium Books Weekly Update—April 19, 2015, written by Kevin Siembieda, recently made mention of a new roleplaying game system for the beloved setting:

“In an effort to truly expand Rifts® across the Megaverse®, in cooperation with Palladium Books, another role-playing game company is currently adapting the Rifts® Earth setting to that company’s RPG system of rules, as well as producing adventure sourcebooks.”

Rifts is an exciting multi-genre post-apocalypse game that began publishing in 1990. Featuring elements of everything from cyberpunk and fantasy to mecha and mythology, Rifts has always been Siembieda's vision of a game with everything for everyone, tied together with a strong narrative.

"I'm really excited to see what Rifts will look like in the Savage Worlds system," said Siembieda. "The Savage fans are great folks, and I think Rifts is going to be an amazing amount of fun for them, letting them explore all the possibilities of both the system and the setting."

Savage Worlds was created by Shane Lacy Hensley. Savage Worlds and the Pinnacle logo are all trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. For more information, visit www.peginc.com or contact Jodi Black, Marketing Manager for Pinnacle, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. More about Palladium and the Rifts setting can be found on their website here: http://www.palladiumbooks.com/

Siembieda on the subject. So there you have it. This is something that I had talked about and kicked around for a number of years, and now it’s finally happening. (Years before this, Steve Jackson approached me about doing GURPS Rifts®, which I was very interested in, but somehow it never happened. I don’t know if Steve or I dropped the ball on that one. SJG is another great company I appreciate and respect.) I like Shane Hensley and I know the writer on the Rifts® Savage Worlds project fairly well, and I feel comfortable with him tackling the game series. NO, I’m not going to hint at who that may be nor leak anything else. Like you, I can hardly wait to see the final product.

And this is just one of many things that have been boiling behind the scenes. I don’t talk about them, because for one reason or another, 8 out of 10 never happen or take years to become reality. Look at the Rifts® movie optioned by Walt Disney Pictures for development of a live action movie by Jerry Bruckhiemer Films. We signed that deal waaaaaay back in 2002 and it has been stuck in development hell ever since. I pray that JB or Disney will do something amazing with Rifts® someday soon, but it may never happen. There are a zillion moving parts to get a movie made. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. (Only 1 in 10,000 movie options ever actually get made into a film.) Exciting and frustrating at the same time. Despite the long wait and uncertainty, I very much appreciate that Jerry Bruckhiemer and company respect the property enough to not just throw together a piece of junk that is barely recognizable as Rifts®. They are waiting for the right script and want to do the property right. I respect and appreciate that immensely. All of us should. That said, I wish they would move on it or cut us free.

There have been a lot of projects like that. A flurry of excitement, intense interest and then . . . nothing. Heck, most inquiries to license or develop a property based on Palladium’s I.P.s never get as serious or as far as the JB Films deal. Like I said, we have interest in Nightbane® and Splicers® by a third party right now, but who knows where it might go. I had an independent film maker, I never spoke about, shop Nightbane® around several years ago. He was a fan and excited about the prospects, but nothing came of it despite his best efforts. I wish doing these kinds of deals was as easy as most people seem to think it is. It isn’t. We daydream about movies, TV shows, animated series and videogames based on Rifts®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Splicers®, Dead Reign®, Heroes Unlimited and all the rest. Until then, we remain focused on creating new and exciting RPGs, sourcebooks and fun in the RPG market.

PenguiCon this weekend – April 24, 25 & 26, 2015 – Southfield, Michigan

Palladium Books will be at PenguiCon (our booth will be in the hallway – not in the dealers’ room) selling Robotech® RPG Tactics™, our latest RPG book releases and other select RPG core books and popular items. Best of all, since the convention is so close to our warehouse, those of you in attendance can let us know about any specific RPG titles you may want and one of us will drive them in later that day. Talk about service. Chuck Walton will also be present selling original art and prints, too. Swing by to say hello, get some autographs and buy the latest releases.

EXPANSIVE UPDATE for the Palladium Open House – May 15-17 – Westland, Michigan – you need to read it!

I didn’t want to take up the opening half of the Weekly Update with all the news and information about the Palladium Open House, so please take a look at it elsewhere in the Update for it. We’ll also post it in the online store description over the weekend. And check out the mock-ups for some of the awards for those who place in the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Tournament. Painting winners also get prizes. See below.

NOTE: The price of admission to the Open House, May 15-17, covers ALL events – EXCEPT the Robotech® RPG Tournament ($10 per player) – and gives you access to all the guests, Kevin and crew, as well as the many RPG gaming events (first come, first served), panel talks, auction and other activities.

Open House Weekend Admission

MUCH MORE Open House news and details are found elsewhere in this Update.

UPDATE: Palladium Open House – Schedule – May 15-17, 2015 – Westland Michigan

The schedule of events for the Palladium Open House should be posted this weekend or Monday. We wanted to try to get Carmen Bellaire’s game events included and at least some of the panel talk subjects and times included.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #70 – at the Printer – ships on April 30

I approved the printer proofs of the cover and interior pages on Monday. The Chuck Walton cover looks awesome. The “official” source material and all the other stuff is great fun and super useful for players and G.M.s alike. I’d dare say The Rifter® #70 is a special issue everyone will want – 60+ magic spells, the Splicers® Technojacker, monsters, Game Master tips and house rules, Rifts® adventures underseas, a Rifts® city-state in Kansas, the conclusion to Irvin Jackson’s Rifts® short story, news and more! See the description elsewhere in this Update or in the online store.

UPDATE: Chaos Earth® Resurrection sourcebook – spring release

When I can, I have been dividing my time between the editing and rewrites of Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ and Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines™ Sourcebook. Chuck Walton is working on the artwork right now. Still hopeful to have Resurrection at the Palladium Open House.

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

We all want this book so bad, we can taste it. It’s coming and it’s awesome. Written by Irvin Jackson. Art by Allen and Brian Manning, Apollo Okamura and others.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

We are still working on a lot of different things for RRT, but hope to have a couple of big announcements coming very soon. Those of you in the Metro-Detroit Area, come and compete in the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Tournament at the Palladium Open House, Saturday, May 16, 2015. $10 entry fee. Seven awards and prizes. Details below.

Palladium Open House

Robotech® RPG Tactics Tournament at the Palladium Open House – May 16

Tickets for the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Tournament are on sale NOW. Sold on a first come, first served basis; 20 slots, plus some reserve positions in case of cancellation or failure to show.

RRT Tournament:

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

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 six sets of Fantasy Paper Miniatures (with 20+ figures in most sets) are available now (many recently posted with new sets coming over the next few weeks). 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.

Palladium Books® at Gen Con® Indy – July 30-August 2, 2015

It’s gonna be awesome, Gen Con Indy always is. Palladium Books has earned Premium Event status, there are 50+ gaming events, and our booth will be packed with exciting product to sell and Palladium creators to chat with and sign your books.

Closing thoughts

I’m certain there is more to talk about, but Wayne just got back from dropping off the RRT trophy files and needs to post the Update to get home at a decent hour for a change (i.e. before midnight). I also have a scheduled call coming up in a little while. More next week.

– Kevin Siembieda, Game Designer, Writer, Publisher

BIG Palladium Open House UPDATE – May 15-17 – Westland, Michigan

With the help of a lot of awesome people, volunteers and Megaversal Ambassadors, the 2015 POH might be our biggest one ever. We have more gaming events, more panel talks, more T-shirts and special products, more one-of-a-kind collector items and original art than ever before. And attendance is shaping up to possibly break the old record. At this point, we won’t know until the event comes to a close.

We are thrilled to be hosting a Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Tournament (thanks, Jake!), and Wayne and I worked hard to make the award designs special. Get your ticket reservations in pronto. I think half are already gone.

Super-excited about so many Palladium creators being available to those who attend. There are never this many artists, writers and other Palladium creators at any convention.

The schedule of events for the Palladium Open House should be posted this weekend. We wanted to try to get Carmen Bellaire’s game events included and at least some of the panel talk subjects and times included.

NEW products to debut at Palladium Open House – May 15-17 – Westland, Michigan.

We have a lot of new, fun products making their debut at the Open House. FOUR new T-shirts (and the grey, Property of the Coalition States T-Shirt is coming back in stock), three mouse pads, two dog tags, a selection of plastic travel glasses, and art prints. PLUS 1,400+ pages of book negatives (think art prints; more on them below), and 50+ Kevin Long illustrations (pencil and ink) as well as artwork by me (Kevin Siembieda) and other artists.

NEW at POH: T-Shirts

Note: Sizes Medium to 5XL, and they all look awesome. They will be made available in the online store after the Open House. Usual pricing per size.

NEW at POH: Mouse Pads

Note: All are 8x9 inches and $9.99.

NEW at POH: Commemorative Dog Tags

NEW at POH: Plastic Travel Glasses

FIRST TIME EVER: 50+ pieces of original artwork by Kevin Long from TMNT, Robotech® and Sentinels RPGs and others – available at the Palladium Open House – May 15-17 – Westland, Michigan

NEW at POH: Rare pieces of Palladium history can be yours

– book negatives available at the Palladium Open House – May 15-17 – Westland, Michigan

Back before the digital era, the physically “pasted up” pages of a book were photographed, and a set of negatives were used to make the “plates” from which the books were printed. With a few rare exceptions, there was only ever ONE set of negatives created for each book (sometimes two, usually when changes and correction pages were made, or a second edition done). That negative was used to create the printing plates for every new print run. As a “negative,” the images of the text and line art are reversed; white on a black background.

Pages of negatives with artwork look amazing, but even the pages with only words and headlines look cool, and make an exotic and unique keepsake. For a few bucks, you can own a piece of gaming (and printing) history. These are truly, one-of-a-kind items that look pretty spectacular in a matt or frame. Negatives with text only are $2, title pages and those with a quarter or half page of artwork are $5-$15, and a full page of artwork is $15-$30. Only those from the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles sometimes cost more, ranging from $2-$50; the most expensive negatives being comic strip pages and full pages of artwork by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

To my knowledge, no one has ever offered negatives for sale like this. We came up with the idea one day in the warehouse last summer while Jeff Burke and I were flipping through a massive stack of negatives and pondering their fate. They come “ganged” on big, 30x48 inch sheets with 16 pages of negatives on the big sheet. There were sheets of white paper between each big sheet of negs and the negative images on the white backdrop looked fantastic. Like a woodcut or scratch board drawing. I made the comment to Jeff that they were like works of art and a shame to destroy. Jeff agreed, saying they looked impressive and were unique works of art – like a one-of-a-kind lithographic print. And added, “I think fans might want to buy some of these. I know I would. Have you considered giving them away in Christmas Grab Bags or selling them?”

I loved the idea. As a collector, myself, I knew this was something I would buy as a fan. As fate would have it, a couple fans came by a few days later. I showed them some pages and asked their opinion about offering them for sale. They went nuts over them and one guy bought a dozen pages all by himself, plus a half dozen TMNT pages for a friend he called on the phone. As a hint of things to come, I included a negative or two in a few dozen 2014 Christmas Surprise Packages, but we’ll be making the largest selection of negatives available for the first time at the Palladium Open House. I’m happy to sign purchased negatives in silver ink. They include negs from the following books:

And possibly others. It depends on how many we have time to cut loose and bag. Besides, we don’t know if there is a demand for these attractive and unique items. Just because we and some fans think they are awesome keepsakes and collectibles, doesn’t mean other people will agree. Then again, as a comic book collector, I know I would be thrilled out of my mind if I owned even just a few negatives from any issues of Spider-Man, the Avengers, Captain America or any old Marvel comic book, especially the early issues.

We do NOT have the negatives for all our books, as they have been destroyed or lost over the decades, but we do have the negs for several dozen books that were stored in the Palladium warehouse. (I’m only keeping the original Rifts® RPG negatives for myself.)

Each negative comes in a plastic bag with a white backing board and certificate of authenticity and explanation of exactly what the negative is and which book it came from. I think collectors of art and Palladium memorabilia will love this unique item. And once they are sold, they are GONE forever. I hope you get as big a thrill out of these pages as we do.

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

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

Meet 40+ Palladium Creators – artists, writers, game designers staff, Rifter® contributors, Defilers and others for one of the largest such gatherings ever. It happens only once every few years at the Palladium Open House – May 15-17, 2015 – Westland, Michigan. (Plus May 14 for those attending VIP Thursday.) The event takes place at the Palladium warehouse and offices. And this may be the last Open House, so do not miss out. Special guests include Jolly Blackburn, creator of Knights of the Dinner Table, and Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man artist and long-time Palladium fan favorite artist, Ramon K. Perez.

List of Palladium Creators, Artists, Writers & Personalities:

Note: Only those with an asterisk remain tentative, but circumstances change, so there is no guarantee everyone on the list will make it to the POH. Price of admission covers ALL events, EXCEPT the Robotech® tournament.

Play in games run by the very people who make them, in the building where the magic happens. Get the latest news and happenings. Get the behind the scenes lowdown on events. Ask any question. Have a blast.

Most Palladium products are in stock and available for purchase, from prints and T-shirts to books and coffee mugs. And we always have a selection of new T-shirts and speciality items available for the first time ever at the Palladium Open House. This year, there is also a wide range of original art, prints and rare, signed and out of print book titles being made available. Some of the rarest and most unique items to be offered up in the live auction. IN ADDITION, many of the artists and writers bring original art, prints and specialty items for sale from them individually. It all adds up to an incredible experience.

A rare event, the POH is sort of like the Olympics in that we only host one every 2-4 years (the last one was held in 2012), making it all the more special. For a number of reasons, it is looking more and more like this may well be the last Palladium Open House, so if you can make it, come on over for our last grand party.

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Admission Tickets

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Advance Ticket Purchase Guarantees Your Admission – May 15, 16 & 17, 2015 (VIP Night, May 14, 2015 is an additional day and extra cost of $87).

$60 per person for the Three Day Weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) when ordered in advance per each individual. Same price at the door, if space is available.

$25 for Friday, 9:00 AM till Closing (about midnight). Same price at the door, if space is available.

$25 for Saturday, 9:00 AM till Closing (about midnight). Same price at the door, if space is available.

$12 for Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Same price at the door, if space is available.

$87 additional for “VIP Night” – Thursday, May 14, 2014; 3:00 P.M. till about Midnight. A few “cancellations” have made a handful of VIP night tickets available on a first come, first-served basis. VIP Night is a special, one-evening event limited to around 100 gamers. You get the delicious dinner catered by Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons (people rave about her food), plus you get an extra afternoon and evening of gaming, a more intimate chance to talk with Palladium staff, artists and writers, and first crack at rare collectibles, prints and original art.

The price of admission covers ALL events EXCEPT the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Tournament. The price of admission gives you access to all the guests, Kevin and crew, as well as the many RPG gaming events (first come, first served), panel talks, auction and other activities. There is an additional $10 fee to play in the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ tournament. Limited to 20 players (see details earlier in the Update).

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.

The Rifter #70

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

With all the “official” source material you’ll want to place your orders now! 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.

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:

Imaginos Plus #1

NEW! Imaginos Plus #1 Comic Book – available now

A 32 page, color comic book created by long-time Palladium artist and friend, Mark Dudley. Imaginos Plus™ features four, 6-8 page “teasers” for different comic book titles created by Mark Dudley and the Imaginos crew. One of them is a Rifts® story. To Rifts® fans and collectors, this item is well worth the cover price.

A+Plus #5

NEW! A+Plus #5 Comic Book (1978) – Available now

A+Plus Number Five was the last issue of a 64 page, black and white, independent comic book created and published by Kevin Siembieda and Alex Marciniszyn. The first few issues came out while these two best friends were still in college. It sells on the comic book collector’s market for $10-$20. Had Siembieda continued on the comic book trail, there might never have been a Palladium Books.

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.

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™ "Starter Box" – 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.

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:

POH Game Masters and Gaming Events Welcome – May 14-17, 2015

Game Masters can be ADDED right up to the event and even during the event, though games advertised in advance are likely to get the best attendance so contact us as soon as possible and we’ll add you to the schedule. It is NEVER 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 on Thursday and Friday for ALL of our game lines.

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.

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