Palladium Books® Weekly Update – August 7, 2015

By Kevin Siembieda

The last several Weekly Updates have been rather brief as we were preparing for Gen Con and trying to hammer out a couple of books. That means this Update will be fairly long, but full of news and fun stuff, including our first Robotech® Flash Sale and our Gen Con Report.

NEW! Robotech® RPG Tactics Zentraedi Invasion Weekend Flash Sale – August 7, 8 & 9, 2015 – Friday, Saturday and Sunday only – Select RRT titles at a gotta have it discount!

We want everyone to discover the fun and excitement of Robotech® RPG Tactics™. Especially with Wave 2 RRT products coming in the months ahead.

Been thinking about trying Robotech® RPG Tactics™? Well, get ‘em now at this special 30th anniversary price! Available for ONE weekend only, August 7, 8 & 9, 2015. Enjoy. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Robotech®.

Robotech® Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook – Available now and hitting stores

Robotech® Expeditionary Force Marines™ Sourcebook was a hot item at Gen Con, and we are hearing a lot of positive feedback. We are proud of the Robotech® Expeditionary Force Marines™ Sourcebook and think you will enjoy it very much. It is set in that in-between period which follows beloved characters like Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Miriya and Max Sterling, Breetai, Exedore and others on their voyage to the Robotech Masters’ homeworld, Tirol. There they would meet other alien life forms and do battle with the combat forces of the Invid Regent. This leads to a planet-hopping campaign to liberate worlds from the Invid and it all starts here. Between the information and characters in Robotech® Marines™ and the Shadow Chronicles® RPG, you can engage in all manner of space-faring adventure, from exploration to all-out combat. A must for Robotech® fans. Order yours today.

UPDATE: Gen Con Indy Report, Robotech®, Rifts® and more

Gen Con was fun, exciting and completely worthwhile. Sales, though our best ever, were a bit disappointing. We met with old friends and made new ones. Signed a lot of books and enjoyed talking with hundreds of fans. A lot of RRT Kickstarter backers (I must have spoken to close to a hundred myself) stopped by to offer words of encouragement and support, and we are glad to hear from so many people who are enjoying the game. Of course, like all of us, they are anxious to see Wave Two items in their mailboxes and on store shelves. With any luck, that will be toward the end of this year. We continue explore ways to reduce the piece count of individual RRT pieces and work on other aspects of the game.

Robotech® Expeditionary Force Marines™ Sourcebook was the hot selling book. Gamers took advantage of the two Gen Con coupons – one celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Robotech® and the other the 25th Anniversary of Rifts® – so we sold a lot of all things Robotech® and Rifts®. (Don’t worry, you’ll be seeing a few very similar sales in the weeks ahead.) With the exception of a few lulls on Friday and a couple on Saturday, we were busy almost all the time, even on Sunday.

Sales of the three Robotech® exclusive figures were light. A surprise, because they look pretty awesome. And painted up, they are fantastic. I think we were particularly struck by Grell and Breetai who look amazing painted. They are also the most figurative and different from the pieces released in Wave One, so I imagine that element of newness helps them stand out to us. I’m personally a fan of the Breetai character, so he sticks out for me and is just a cool figure.

One high point at Gen Con (and there were a number of them) was meeting and chatting with legendary modeler and Creative Director at Spartan Games, Neil Fawcett. Neil was very gracious with his time and input. He looked over Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and he liked what he saw. He loved the detail and expressed his opinion that the sculpts and sprues were of top notch quality. He was sorry to hear that the factory had to, in effect, create new digital files from the STL files provided them, because it makes the tooling process so long and costly, but thought they did an excellent job. He mentioned several times while looking over the various sprues (and finished built pieces) that “the factory did a really nice job for you.” It was cool hearing that from a man with such experience and background. Neil also offered us some advice for moving forward with Wave Two items, and liked the three new metal exclusives at the show; commenting that the quality, all round, was high. He’s a robot/spaceship nut (no surprise there, right) and loves looking at stuff like this. I gave him a copy of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and he said he’d return the favor by sending Palladium a few things. Awesome. Thanks, Neil, it was great meeting you and we look forward to seeing more amazing releases for Halo and other projects from Spartan Games.

Btw, if you guys and gals haven’t taken a look at the Halo miniature game from Spartan Games, you need to check them out. Wow.

Carmen Bellaire and Jeff Ruiz (NMI) ran a great many Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demos during Gen Con, especially Jeff. Carmen Bellaire is a rapidly rising star within game design circles. After my making the proper introductions at Gen Con last year, Carmen has been hired by Upper Deck to design several new games for them and has impressed them with his first couple of endeavors. He’s also working on a game for Hawk Wargames, and the owner of yet another game company who watched Carmen demoing one of his own, independent game designs, was so impressed, he approached Carmen about doing some game designs for him in the future. For years, I’ve been saying that Carmen Bellaire is a genius, a true “natural” at game designs that are fast and fun. I’m so happy that he is finding the success and recognition he so richly deserves. I’m also thrilled that one of the future projects Carmen would like to tackle is a Rifts® miniature game. Go get ‘em Carmen.

This meant Carmen had to split his time between Palladium and other obligations at Gen Con. Not a problem. I was surprised and happy to have Carmen running demos at our booth at all. Jeff Ruiz (a.k.a. NMI, online) stepped up big time to fill the void and ran demo after demo, sometimes for hours on end. I think Jeff had as much fun running demos as the people playing in them and was a huge help. Very cool.

My lunch meeting with Pauline and Meredith from DriveThruRPG.com (and Brian afterward) was also fun, fruitful and exciting. We’ve already been working on things to be made available from this resource, and you will be seeing a lot more coming from DriveThru in the weeks and months ahead. I was particularly pleased to learn that the company now offers Print on Demand “cards” (as well as POD books and PDFs), which means we may be able to make available professional looking Robotech® RPG Tactics™ cards you can drop right into your games, for those of you who might want them. There are some other applications we’re exploring, but let us iron everything out before we start talking about all the things we are looking into.

Visitation by costumed heroes. The appearance of Peter Pidrak and his children, Shannon and Tony, in costume as a Zentraedi soldier in body armor, Lisa Hayes and Scott Bernard, respectively was a pleasant surprise. They looked great. Then on another day, Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Max Sterling, Miriya, and Minmei visited the Palladium booth for a photo op and more fun. See our Facebook album for these pics an array of Gen Con photos.

On another day I got a visit by Brian of KoDT fame. This time it was sorta the real deal – the actor playing Brian in the Knights of the Dinner Table (KoDT) live action series – in full costume, and Jolly Blackburn came by the booth to surprise me, and they did. I was busy talking to someone while signing a book and didn’t notice him until I looked up. That was another cool moment and a good laugh. Regrettably, the booth was busy at the time so I couldn’t talk long. A fun moment to remember.

My thanks to our many fans and friends who always make Gen Con a success and a good time. I always look forward to this convention and enjoyed seeing many old friends and associates and making new friends. My thanks also to our volunteer helpers and friends who pitched in to give us a hand: Matt, Brandon, Sarah, Evelyn, Jeff, Mark, Madman Mike, Dennis, Carmen, Christina, Jake, Shawn, Lisa, CJ, Lesa, Big Jim, the Goddess, Connor, Matt, Robert and everyone else. We enjoyed good eats, laughs and many other moments too numerous (or personal) to describe here.

UPDATE: Rifts® Savage Worlds® and Gen Con

Savage Rifts®, the Rifts® adaptation to the Savage Worlds game system, was another fun, “hot” topic at Gen Con. I enjoyed several conversations with the primary author of this project, Sean Patrick Fannon. I’ve known Sean for a couple of decades now, so it is a blast to see him so excited about this project with Pinnacle Entertainment Group (best known for Deadlands® and Savage Worlds®). Adapting Rifts® to the Savage Worlds system of play has been a dream of Sean’s for many years, something that is obvious from his infectious enthusiasm about the project. I know there were at least one or two Gen Con talks about Savage Rifts® and Sean was talking it up all over the place. Fun.

The game sounds like it most definitely captures the Rifts® setting, look and feel, and blends it smoothly with the Savage World rules. I’m privy to rules and information I’m not sure we can share yet, but it sounds like Sean is hitting on all cylinders. He’s created a number of wonderful rules and applications that sound fantastic.

Savage Rifts® release dates: I’m sure some of this is tentative and subject to possible change, but here’s what the folks at Pinnacle are planning at the moment: Kickstarter in the Fall and release of the Savage Rifts® Core Rule Book, Player’s Guide and a Creatures book in time for Christmas. I expect to be receiving the text for the core rule book in the next week or two for our review and approval, as work writing on the two companion titles continues, both well underway. Exciting. Again, I want to mention here that Palladium will continue to support our own Rifts® game line (we have a few manuscripts finished and several in the works), and all of our titles can serve as background and setting material for Savage Rifts® and vice versa.

Larry Elmore and the SnarfQuest digital game Kickstarter

One of the friends who is great to see at Gen Con is my pal, Larry Elmore. We chatted, got caught up with each other’s lives a bit and enjoyed a few laughs. I got his art book and the newest SnarfQuest book (in color). I was surprised and pleased to see that Larry was working with a gent to create a SnarfQuest digital game. SnarfQuest is, of course, Larry Elmore’s beloved fantasy comic strip.

SnarfQuest Tales is the first digital game to feature Snarf, Larry Elmore's lovable adventurer, who has previously appeared in a comic strip, role-playing game, and table-top game. The new game will be a point and click adventure, featuring Snarf and his faithful companion, Telerie Windyarm. Other SnarfQuest characters, including the robot Aveeare and Willie the Dragon, will also appear in the game.

The first of five episodes of SnarfQuest Tales is tentatively scheduled for release in January 2016. It will be published in mobile and desktop versions for the PC, Mac, iOS and Android. Future episodes will be released every three months after the initial release. The game is suitable for SnarfQuest fans of all ages and combines adventure with humor.

For more information about SnarfQuest Tales or to play a free demo of the first level, please visit snarfquesttales.com.

The SnarfQuest Tales team is also running a Kickstarter right now until September 7. In addition to getting the SnarfQuest Tales game, Kickstarter contributors could also get SnarfQuest Tales T-shirts, SnarfQuest miniatures, original Larry Elmore art, and even appear in the SnarfQuest Tales game.

Check out the SnarfQuest Tales Kickstarter page for more details — https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2054625525/snarfquest-tales

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

Excitement about Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Wave Two items is starting to build here at Palladium as we feel like things are coming together in figuring out ways to reduce the piece count for RRT game pieces.

We understand the frustration, and we feel it every day and 10 times more deeply.

Rules, cards, force organization tables and more should start getting posted in the weeks ahead. We are shooting to release the 20+ Kickstarter Wave Two items at the end of 2015, but don’t know yet. The delay has been in the tooling and engineering end of things, as we continue to explore ways to reduce the piece count of the game pieces. Something we know everyone would like to see. That means there is nothing new to show you because each of the possible solutions will have a different end result and different number of pieces and final construction. Until we nail that all down, I’m afraid there is nothing new to physically show. After all, you have seen all the 3D sculpts from which we and the manufacturer are working.

That does NOT mean, however, that there isn’t progress being made. Quite the contrary, we feel there is progress being made on several fronts. We spoke with our manufacturing rep a week before Gen Con, met with them at Gen Con, and will continue to focus on favorable solutions to the piece count issues in the weeks ahead. On other fronts we have been talking with distributors and others about various aspects of the game and organized play. We’ll also be posting rules, cards and other things very soon.

Please understand that there is a lot going on for Palladium’s small staff, and we have obligations and commitments to more than RRT. But RRT is our top priority and ALWAYS on our minds.

Our goal has never stopped being making an ever expanding, quality game that will please as large an audience as possible. We listen and we care. The entire idea of doing conventional armies came from fans, and after talking with Mike Arnold, we thought we’d pursue the idea, and spoke with GHQ under his recommendation. Items like the Breetai, Grell and Miriya Super Valkyrie in unique poses are intended to help build and keep excitement about this game line.

More in the weeks ahead.

For instructions on how to order the exclusives (sorry, RRT Kickstarter backers only), click here.

UPDATE: Chaos Earth® Resurrection

Art is coming in from Chuck Walton, Mark Dudley, Tanya Ramsey and Apollo Okamura as I get back to work on the manuscript. Had a lot of Gen Con follow-up and catching up to do this week. August release (tentative). With more Rifts® titles to follow!

UPDATE! The Rifter® #71

Working on it. Amy Ashbaugh cover.

UPDATE: Rifts® Heroes of Humanity and Rifts® The Disavowed

These are the two books most likely to come out next. Followed by ...

UPDATE: Chaos Earth® First Responders

I’ll be assigning art for this book (and others) soon.

UPDATE: Splicers® Sourcebooks

There is growing excitement about Splicers® here at Palladium and among our fan base. The number of Spliceheads is growing and we have all kinds of things boiling behind the scenes for Splicers®. Oh, and our thanks to Thaddeus for the awesome Splicers T-shirts. Everyone loved them.

UPDATE: More PDF titles on DriveThruRPG.com

Rifts® World Book 6: South America is now available – many more coming in the weeks ahead!

I had a very productive meeting with the folks at DriveThruRPG.com and will soon be offering much, much more via DriveThru. That’s in addition to the dozens of Rifts® titles and other material we’ll be making available as PDFs over the next several months. Watch for them.

DriveThruRPG.com already offers 100+ Palladium Books products available as PDFs with more coming soon. Plus FREE support for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and other Palladium game lines with supplemental material, FREE previews, Game Master packages, paper miniatures 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 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.

And now for something completely different – Xounts Up Kickstarter

This product is so unique (and cool) that I’m not even really going to try to describe it. Instead, I encourage you to take a look at the Kickstarter (really look at it), and see if it is something you might enjoy.

I know nothing about the manufacturer or the people behind it other than what you see in the Kickstarter, but they and their product have left me intrigued.

Xounts Up is something that gamers, retailers running demos and looking for something unique to amp up the experience, and those of you who are into cutting edge technology and sound systems (or just plain cool weirdness), may find very appealing. If you like new tech, you’ll want to take a hard look at this Kickstarter, and definitely watch all the videos. These guys really seem to know what they are doing. Heck, next year, this may be the new craze in audio systems hitting the United States. Take a look.

I’m telling you about the Xounts Up Kickstarter because the company has reached out to Palladium to help them spread the word. They even sent us one of their prototype units, with no strings attached, for our examination and use. It arrived while we were at Gen Con. I thought that was a pretty bold and generous thing to do, and the product looks cool, so I figured it can’t hurt to point you in their direction.

We’ll try to find time to play around with it and offer our input before their Kickstarter ends. But the idea of a unique and attractive system for light and sound suitable for creating atmosphere during gaming sessions, hosting parties and dances, as well as functioning as a unique and attractive piece of custom furniture, just warrants a shout out. So take a look at this Kickstarter, ask them questions if you are interested, and spread the word to others who might enjoy this product.

Xounts Up is being manufactured by a German company, so those of you in the EU may find this a more affordable and accessible item. Our best wishes to Oliver and all the talented people behind Xounts Up. Good luck and great success.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/xounts/xounts-up-your-thrilling-all-in-one-stereo-sound-s

That’s it for this Update. Have a great weekend.

– Kevin Siembieda, Game Designer, Writer, Publisher

Robotech UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

NEW! Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook – Available Now

Expeditionary Force Marines™ is ready to ship right now! It is a riveting Robotech® sourcebook that carries you to alien worlds. Your characters can pilot the early Cyclones and next generation of Destroids, liberate alien worlds and engage the merciless Invid Regent, his Inorganic shock troopers and Invid swarms. Epic, planet-hopping adventure awaits.

The Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook is set in space with the UEEF (United Earth Expeditionary Force) led by Admiral Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Breetai and Exedore. 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. New alien people are introduced and become part of the Expeditionary Force Marines. In between their ongoing war with the Regent and his Invid and Inorganics, they explore planets, battle space pirates and face treachery on many fronts.

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, Canada, UK, European Union, Australia and New Zealand.

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.

Coming for Robotech® RPG Tactics – Earth Defenders (Micronian Forces!)

The Earth Defenders blister packs expand the scope of combat, strategies and tactics, and are ideal for gamers looking to play the Malcontents faction or who want to bring Micronian troops into play on any battlefield. Stats and rules coming any day now. Note: None of this has any negative impact on Palladium finishing and manufacturing RRT Wave Two, but does plenty to enhance your battlefield options with your current game pieces.

Reminder: Palladium is taking pre-orders from Kickstarter backers for the convention exclusives (with no limit on quantity) and the six Earth Defender Blister Packs online, now through July 15, 2015. When we make these Earth Defenders available at retail in the Fall, they will probably sell at a retail price of around $12 or so per blister pack.

The first six Earth Defenders Blister Packs:

For instructions on how to order the exclusives (sorry, RRT Kickstarter backers only), click here.

What’s next? The Comanchero Helicopter and combat vehicles like the Cat’s Eye Recon and other Macross war machines. We had initially included the Comanchero Helicopter as one of the items our Kickstarter backers could pre-order along with the six listed above. However, after further discussion involving its development we realized we could not, at this time, pinpoint a specific date of release or its true cost, so we have decided to remove it from the schedule until we can verify all the details and get a good handle on a realistic release date. So while the Comanchero Helicopter will be in development, it will no longer be available for pre-order for the time being. Those initial few who were charged for that item will be contacted to arrange the refund of that portion of their orders.

Glitter Boy Mouse Pad

NEW! Glitter Boy Mouse Pad

Full color mouse pad that looks dynamic on any desk. This art is the famous Glitter Boy™ in flames that was made into a poster and is the cover to the Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG.

Fantasy Old Ones Mouse Pad

NEW! Fantasy Old Ones Mouse Pad

Full color mouse pad that looks dynamic on any desk. This is the powerful art depicting a Minotaur and Old One from the cover of the Old Ones™ Fantasy Sourcebook. The claw-like tentacles in the background is an Old One rising. Be afraid.

Zombie Graveyard Mouse Pad

NEW! Zombie Graveyard Mouse Pad

Full color mouse pad that looks dynamic on any desk. This one is a zombie rising from a graveyard to stalk the living. It is from the cover to the Dead Reign® Sourcebook: Graveyard Earth™. Are you a survivor?

Coalition Heroes of Humanity Dog Tag

NEW! Coalition Heroes of Humanity Dog Tag

A sharp-looking, black dog tag, laser etched with the CS skull and lightning bolt, with the words “Coalition States, Hero of Humanity” on one side. The image and words are silver.

Rifts Logo Dog Tag

NEW! Rifts® Logo Dog Tag

A sharp-looking, ley line blue dog tag, laser etched with the full Rifts® logo and the words “Celebrating 25 years” on one side. The image and words are silver.

Living the Fantasy T-Shirt

NEW! Living the Fantasy T-Shirt – available now

Celebrate the Palladium Fantasy RPG® with the red and black image from the original RPG that gave Palladium its start. This is a favorite of Kevin Siembieda. The slogan, “Living the Fantasy” comes from fan and freelance writer, Travis Guerrero. Art by Kevin Siembieda.

Cyber-Knight Game MAster T-Shirt

NEW! Cyber-Knight Game Master T-Shirt – available now

This shirt exudes both power and nobility, and a sense of wonder that captures the spirit of role-playing. Art by Freddie Williams III.

Rifts 25 Years T-Shirt

NEW! Rifts® 25 Years, The Adventure Continues T-Shirt – available now

We wanted an image that said Rifts® and more adventures to come. This Ramon Perez artwork captures that nicely. And we love the grin on that Headhunter and the sparkle in his eyes that seems to say, “Oh yeah, there are adventures to come.” Art by Ramon K. Perez.

2015 Open House Dragon T-Shirt

NEW! 2015 Open House Dragon T-Shirt – Available now.

This was not Kevin’s idea. In fact, he felt a bit embarrassed by it, but people loved it. This commemorative 2015 Open House T-shirt is perfect for those of you who attended the event as well as those of you who were there with us in spirit. It features the infamous Kevin Siembieda signature dragon that graces thousands of books around the world with his signature; complete with Kevin’s signature and the words, “2015 Open House.” It seemed especially appropriate to us if this was, indeed, the last Open House. This shirt is not likely to be reprinted, so available only while supplies last. Art by Kevin Siembieda.

Property of the Coalition T-Shirt

BACK IN PRINT – Property of the Coalition – Available now

New Limited Edition Prints – Available now

Death and Ice Print

NEW! Death and Ice (Bizantium Cover) Print

The cover to the new Bizantium sourcebook.

Winged Fury Print

NEW! Winged Fury (Heroes Unlimited) Print

A hero on her night patrol to protect the innocent.

Chrome and Carnage Print

NEW! Chrome and Carnage Print (Chaos Earth®)

An epic battle as a NEMA Chromium Guardsman (Glitter Boy) battles a legion of bizarre zombies.

SAMAS/Dragon Dogfight Print

NEW! SAMAS/Dragon Dogfight Print

Buckle your seatbelt for this wild ride.

Rifts Red Borg Print

NEW! Rifts® Red ‘Borg Print

The iconic Kevin Long “Red Cyborg” can now hang on your wall.

Rifts Ley Line Walker Print

NEW! Rifts® Ley Line Walker Print

The iconic Kevin Long “Ley Line Walker” can now hang on your wall.

Rifts Heroes of Humanity Print

NEW! Rifts® Heroes of Humanity Print

The aftermath of a skirmish between Coalition forces and the minions of Hell. SAMAS scourer the sky for enemy forces as a Rift closes in the sky.

Coalition Strike Force Print

NEW! Coalition Strike Force (Rifts®) Print $10

The iconic Kevin Long Calendar center-spread can now hang on your wall.

Robotech Dice Bag - Black

NEWish! 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.

Rifts and the Megaverse Art Book, Collector's Masterwork Limited Edition

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® and the Megaverse® – John Zeleznik Collector's Masterwork Limited Edition

Kevin pulled this amazing offer out of mothballs for the Open House and immediately sold a few copies. This is the most unbelievable deal we have ever heard of. In fact, we don't think anybody has EVER done anything like this before, and it's all John Zeleznik's idea.

Each copy of the Collector's Masterwork Limited Edition includes an original piece of artwork by John Zeleznik! Most are concept sketches tipped (glued) into the book itself, by hand, done personally by Kevin Siembieda. That's right, YOU will have an original sketch/drawing/concept artwork from one of John Zeleznik's paintings or illustrations that appears in this very book!

"I've never heard of anything like this,” said Publisher, Kevin Siembieda. "It's remarkable. A true collectible with a piece of original art and Palladium history all rolled into one. This is a deal of a lifetime, NOW more than ever before, because the $125 dollar price is the same low price when this item was first offered back in 2007! Today, this book would sell for $175-$200. Each piece of art has to be worth $50-$100, and is a piece of Palladium history. John Zeleznik is such a great guy, he wants us to keep the price low so Palladium fans can afford one. How cool is that?”

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.

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.

Chaos Earth Resurrection

COMING – Rifts® Chaos Earth® 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.

Coalition States Heroes of Humanity

COMING – 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.

COMING – 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.

COMING – 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.

COMING – 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.

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.

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.

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:

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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.

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