Palladium Books® Weekly Update – March 15, 2012

By Kevin Siembieda

As always, there is a lot going on and not enough time to talk about it all. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to keep this very brief because . . . Rifts® Lemuria is in final production! And we want to keep working on it.

Rifts® Lemuria in Final Layout

- As I write this, Wayne has begun typesetting and we’ve discussed the layout of Rifts® Lemuria.

- I’m done with the rewrites and additions, except for two final sections: Biomancy War Steeds and Sea Serpents/Sea Monsters, and maybe a few final tweaks to O.C.C.s.

- Page count is almost certain to go to 224 pages and there will be no price increase. Yes, I know fans love big books, so be happy. For us, they are a mixed blessing. They are more costly in art, printing, shipping and in time to create (for example, we have spent at least two weeks longer doing more work on Lemuria and expanding the page count). So why do it? a) Because I’m an idiot. b) Because some books, like this one, deserve it. c) Because I cannot bring myself to not make these books epic and something special. Much of the material and ideas were just too darn good to cut out. Heck, I’ve trimmed some concepts and material to squeeze it all into 224 pages. End result: Rifts® Lemuria is awesome. Personally, I think it’s on par with Rifts® World Book 2: Atlantis.

- To the printer by Monday. All of us will work through the weekend to get it laid out, proofread and to the printer. It should go in first thing Monday morning. Should ship 2-3 weeks later. Megaverse Insider hardcovers and PDFs 2-5 weeks after that. So keep those pre-orders coming (the softcover ships out the day the book arrives in the warehouse), and snag a few other items, like the new set of bookmarks, while you’re at it.

- Check out this week’s Murmurs from the Megaverse® for other details about the goings-on at Palladium and to read a couple of small Rifts® Lemuria “teasers.” I’ve tried to be on Facebook a lot this week, too.

NEXT:

Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™ and The Rifter® #58 are what Wayne and I dive into next. Both books will be April releases. With any luck, the Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook will also be an April Release. We are primed to get these three titles out fast. Then it’s the Palladium Open House (May 4-6). And then it’s back to banging out one new, hot release after another.

Online sales took a terrible tumble and stayed flat all week. As I said in a Murmur, I can’t say as I can blame anyone but ourselves. You’ve been waiting for new books to buy for months. And we’re hard at work to make that happen and soon, so please snap up the new releases coming out in April as fast as you can. Thanks.

Keep the feedback coming. We have gotten an excellent response to our poll about doing Megaverse® Insider crowdsource funding offers. Please keep the voting and feedback coming. We want to know what YOU think and want, because you are appreciated.

Click here to vote in the poll.

Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two is available now. The new bookmarks arrived Wednesday and look every bit as good as Set One. They feature Chaos Earth™, Phase World®, Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™. The entire set is only $5. See the description elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

UPDATE: Sneak Previews on DriveThruRPG.comDriveThruRPG.com for Rifts® Lemuria will go up sometime early next week. Till then I’ve been posting a few small “teasers” in some of my Murmurs from the Megaverse®. The sneak preview for Endless Dead will quickly follow after it. Don’t forget, there are 90+ backstock titles, including back issues of The Rifter®, first edition rule books, other sneak previews and the Rifts® Game Master Kit, all available as PDF downloads at reasonable prices.

Reminder: Gaming at the Westland Library – March 31, 2012 – Saturday from 1-4 PM. This the next library event where Julius and I will be running games. We are already seeing more interest from local gamers so this could turn into something big. Join the fun and this is a great way to introduce a new generation to Palladium role-playing games or to give our games a try. PLEASE REGISTER with the library early, so we can make sure we have enough Game Masters to accommodate everybody who wants to play. Sign up by calling the library at (734) 326-6123 or online at http://www.westlandlibrary.org/node/3089. The gaming is from 1-4 PM, Saturday, March 31, 2012. The library is located on Central City Parkway between Ford Road and Warren.

Palladium Open House is only 7 weeks away!! We’ll be ready to rock your world all weekend long with Palladium gaming events. We still need more G.M.s to send us their event information!! If you have any questions and Wayne isn’t getting back to you, contact Alex or call the office. We need games! Sorry about all those exclamation points, but the POH will be here in no time.

And we need gamers in and around Michigan to join the fun! Take this opportunity to game with the guys and gals who make the games you love.

Palladium Open House Hotel Rooms are going fast! Reserve your hotel rooms as soon as you can. Your credit card does not get charged till the day of the event and you can cancel up to a week before. The hotel is inexpensive and excellent ($69.95 for two double beds or one king) and there will be two conference rooms (one small, one large) for all-night gaming at the hotel. NOTE: It helps Palladium if you reserve your hotel room BEFORE March 31. Thanks.

UPDATE: Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles Store. Alex and I have been adding some Palladium collectibles and new toys and action figures to my online store. We’ll try to add more new items next week as well. Right now they include Palladium gold editions, some artwork, art prints, The Rifter® #20, and various out of print books – most of it signed. We’ll keep them coming if you keep buying them.

http://stores.ebay.com/kevinstoys-artandcollectibles

Other stuff. All kinds of other stuff continues, from research and development of Rifts® and Robotech® Miniatures, The Rifter #0.1 and #0.2 (digital editions), reprinting books, exploring other opportunities, and prepping for the Palladium Open House, which is coming up fast.

More news next week.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

Palladium Books 2012 Product Release Schedule

January 2012 Releases

March 2012 Releases

April 2012 Releases

May 2012 Releases

June 2012 Releases

All of Palladium’s Core Game Lines to be Supported in 2012

The following are in development.

Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two

NEW! Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two

A set of four, 2 x 6 inch bookmarks, each depicting a different Palladium game line: Chaos Earth™, Phase World®, Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™. They are attractive, useful and make a fun collectible. The first set has been so popular, we had to do a second.

Palladium Bookmarks, Set One

Available now! Palladium Bookmarks, Set One

“I love the Palladium bookmarks and use three of the first set all the time.” – Kevin Siembieda

A set of four, 2 x 6 inch bookmarks, each depicting a different Palladium game line: Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™ and Dead Reign™. They are attractive, useful and make a fun collectible.

Rifts Dimension Book 5, Anvil Galaxy

Rifts® Dimension Book 5: Anvil Galaxy

– Available now – Back in print

This popular, fan-favorite Phase World® sourcebook presents a dynamic overview of the Anvil Galaxy™ and its many alien races, technologies, conflicts and secrets. A great resource for any Phase World® fan and valuable addition for campaigns involving the Minion War™.

Rifts Sourcebook 3, Mindwerks

Rifts® Sourcebook Three: Mindwerks

– Available now – Back in print

Rifts® Mindwerks™ is a companion to Triax & The NGR™ and Triax™ 2. It details the techno-horrors of the Mindwerks Corporation and its insane mastermind, the Angel of Death, as well as providing more information on the NGR, the Gargoyle and Brodkil Empires, robots and equipment, plus the Gene-Splicers, a dozen D-Bee races, an evil Millennium Tree, mind-altering cybernetic implants and a few notable kingdoms.

The Rifter #57

The Rifter® #57

– Available now

The Rifter® #57 is an extravaganza of monsters and mayhem to surprise your players and spice up your games.

Rifts World Book: Lemuria

NEW! BIGGER! Rifts® World Book: Lemuria

Ships March

“I think this book is going to amaze people.” – Kevin Siembieda

Dead Reign Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead

NEW! Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™

Ships April

Endless Dead says it all. The zombie hordes grow in number and strangeness. Can humankind survive? Where is the military? What’s next for the survivors of the zombie apocalypse?

This book contains horrifying new zombies to haunt your player characters along with new O.C.C.s and tons of tables for detailing Survivors’ Hideouts, Safe Haven Communities, Death Cults and more. Survival is not enough. Now is the time for the war against the Endless Dead™. This book is epic.

Rifts Vampires Sourcebook

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™

Unknown to most humans, deep within Mexico the vampires have established entire kingdoms. There they live like tyrants and gods, dominating an underclass of cattle people used as slaves and food stock. Learn more about the vampires, their rivals, allies and the humans who willingly serve their supernatural masters for a chance to join the undead. A must-have guide for those who wish to travel deeper into the Vampire Kingdoms or play as vampires and their human minions.

Rifts® Black Market™ – A Rifts® Sourcebook

On Rifts® Earth, the Black Market is the most prevalent trader in weapons, contraband and magic items outlawed by the Coalition. Explore the day to day business of the market along with its smuggling routes, practices, policies and nefarious products. Encounter the five major Black Market factions in North America and foreign groups like the Yakuza, Green Scarf Sect and the Underground Railroads of Atlantis and the Vampire Kingdoms.

Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One

The largest independent manufacturer of weapons, robots and adventure gear in North America is Northern Gun™. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, they have been the premier outfitter of mercenaries and adventurers for decades, and are a major hub for hiring military contractors. With a whole new product line to offer their customers, the future looks bright for Northern Gun™.

Robotech® Genesis Pits™ Sourcebook

An in-depth look at the Invid Genesis Pits, their purpose, function and the creatures they create.

Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction. Their influence shakes things up across the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. More details to follow, but for now, ‘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 90 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include:

© Copyright 2012 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

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