Palladium Books® Weekly Update – April 11, 2013

By Kevin Siembieda

It has been another fast-paced and productive week. Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook has arrived, looks fantastic, and is being shipped, The Rifter® #62 is incredible, and Chuck Walton has been coming to the Palladium office every day to finish his work on the two Rifts® Northern Gun books. Meanwhile, NG artwork from other artists has been coming in all week and looking marvelous, and with any luck, the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter launches NEXT WEEK! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so I’m going to jump right into it.

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook – Available now!

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook has arrived at the Palladium warehouse. Copies are already on their way to most of you who have pre-ordered the book. The rest are being packed up even as you read this. Distributor orders and the new mail orders ship out on Friday. At this time, Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook is on track to have the highest mail order for its first week of release (counting pre-orders, of course) of all time. Please, keep those orders coming.

As I have already reported, Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook was expanded from its original 128 page size to 160 and finally capped out as a BIG 176 pages ($20.95 plus shipping). The book is rich in a wide range of source material that advances the Vampire Kingdoms story line, updates key people and places, expands on existing material and offers a lot of brand new stuff that will make gamers giddy like a little child on Christmas morning. Everyone who has seen it has been wowed. Get a free sneak preview of it on DriveThruRPG.com – and place your orders.

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook Sneak Preview – available now on DriveThruRPG.com

The FREE Sneak Preview of Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook is up and available for your enjoyment. WARNING: Reading this sneak preview is likely to get your heart pounding and imagination whirling. There are Sneak Previews available for a growing number of popular Palladium titles including Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™ Revised, Rifts® Black Market, Rifts® Lemuria, Dead Reign™ RPG, Endless Dead™ sourcebook and others.

The original Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms World Book is now available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG, for those of you who may be interested.

DriveThruRPG.com is your place to get PDFs of older Palladium Books product, special G.M. Kits and sneak previews of past and upcoming book titles. Many back issues of The Rifter® are available on DriveThruRPG.com (issues #1-52), as are more than 90 out of print titles such as Rifts®, BTS™ and Palladium Fantasy® first edition rule books and sourcebooks. A sneak preview of Rifts® Northern Gun™ One should also be coming in a few weeks. We have not forgotten about the PDF only editions of The Rifter® #0.1 and The Rifter® #0.2 – both are big, juicy digital editions of new, fan created material for the Palladium Megaverse® of games.

DriveThruRPG.com also offers the Rifts® and Palladium Fantasy® Game Master Kits ($5 each; both written by Carl Gleba and complete with maps, combat matrix, character sheets, spell list, and 20 pre-rolled characters created by Julius Rosenstein). Of course, there are FREE Sneak Previews of Endless Dead™, Rifts® Black Market, Rifts® Lemuria, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™ Revised, and Thundercloud Galaxy™, as well as 90+ out of print titles, including back issues of The Rifter®, and first edition rule books for Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited™, The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy, and lots of other good things. ALL available as PDF downloads at reasonable prices. And there is MORE to come.

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® Free Quebec™ – Available Now

This ever popular World Book has been out of print for the last couple of months. It is back in print as a special, short run printing. Rifts® Free Quebec™ is packed with all kinds of different types of Glitter Boys, Glitter Girls, weapons and equipment, as well as background and setting data for Free Quebec. Written by Kevin Siembieda and Francois DesRochers. 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 837. Available now.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #62 – Ships April 29, 2013

This issue of The Rifter is soooo good that it should almost be a separate sourcebook all by itself. Wayne, Alex, the contributors and I, have been working overtime to make this issue truly spectacular. There are 20 pages of “official” Rifts® Vampires source material, new Necromancy spells that may also be official, a Northern Gun sneak peek, some Heroes Unlimited material and a castle with dozens of maps and detailed floor plans for your Palladium Fantasy® campaign (use it anywhere) or adapt it for use in any setting where a castle is appropriate. Plus the usual news and information. See the more complete description later is this update.

Why is this issue so special and so full of “official” source material? Because we are on fire when it comes to ideas and creativity. The ideas won’t stop coming and we want to share them with YOU. We had actually considered taking the vampire material and turning it into an additional adventure sourcebook for the Vampire Kingdoms, but that would have meant either putting it aside for 6-12 months or further delay a number of books that you have already been waiting for much too long (Northern Gun 1 & 2, Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames, and Robotech® UEEF Marines, to name just a few). Rather than make you wait, or delay books further, we thought we’d drop them into The Rifter® #62 so you can get the material NOW, should you want it. We thought the timing was perfect as The Rifter® #62 will be released only a few weeks after Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook and before Northern Gun One. And remember, The Rifter® costs less than most sourcebooks ($11.95, 96 pages), so it’s a good deal. That’s our logic, anyway. I hope you enjoy this issue.

UPDATE: Rifts® Northern Gun™ One and Two

Impressive artwork continues to roll in for Rifts® Northern Gun™ One. In between everything else I’ve been working on, I have done some NG writing and concept development as well as working at clearing my schedule so I can spend the next couple of weeks working on little else than Northern Gun™ One and Two.

Robotech RPG Tactics

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics™

A massive undertaking like Robotech® RPG Tactics™ takes a lot of time and a lot of work by a lot of people, both at Palladium Books and at Ninja Division – not to mention Harmony Gold to review and approve art, writing, packaging and sculptures, as well as present notes about any changes. EVERYONE is putting in a great amount of time and energy to make this product line rewarding, fun and epic.

* The rules for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ have been play-tested like crazy by what I believe is 80-100 people (thank you everyone!). They have been reworked, tweaked and fine tuned to the point that they are pretty much done to everyone’s satisfaction. There are still some minor tweaks and adjustments to be made, but Ninja Division and all of us believe we have a solid set of rules that captures the action and capabilities of the TV show combined with fast game play and scalability from skirmish battles to mass combat. Fun, fun, fun.

* Palladium has its first draft written for most of the color text going into the 96+ page Robotech® RPG Tactics™ rule book.

* Box cover art is looking nothing short of awesome. You will see it in the Kickstarter.

* Interior rule book art and design elements are coming in at a rapid pace and looking excellent. You’ll see some of them in the Kickstarter.

* Final sculpts for UEDF and Zentraedi forces are also coming in and getting approved. How do they look? Mouth-watering. As die-hard Robotech® fans ourselves, the game pieces have to pass muster with us as well as Harmony Gold. Dedicated to quality, the Ninja Division crew of sculptors have been working diligently to make final 1/285th scale game pieces that Robotech fans will adore. You’ll see many of these in the Kickstarter.

* The Kickstarter is tentatively slated to launch next week sometime, but no promises. We want to do it right, and Ninja Division been has pounding away at it for a while now. Like I said, the scope of this undertaking is massive. Creating dynamic quality on every front takes time and a lot of hard work. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of people involved. Ultimately, we want an end result that makes you as excited and happy as we are about it.

* The ultimate scope of Robotech® RPG Tactics. What is revealed in the Kickstarter next week is just the beginning, and focuses only on the Macross Saga. If this Kickstarter and the full launch of the game to the retail market is the success we all expect it to be, this is very much only the beginning. Palladium Books plans to do game pieces and expansions for ALL the Robotech Wars and eras: Macross Saga, Masters Saga, New Generation and Shadow Chronicles. We would even like to produce a space combat game focusing on battles between spaceships. With the right resources and support, we plan to expand Robotech® to the heights of adventure us Robotech® fans have always wanted. Game on!

This and that

Like I have been saying, we've been on fire in the creativity department and focused on getting the RPG products you have been waiting for finished and released. That includes launching the Kickstarter and getting Robotech® RPG Tactics™ finished and sent into manufacturing. To that end, more long days are ahead of us. Wayne and I were at the office past 10:30 PM Tuesday night, and continue to put in long hours and work weekends.

It is nice having the creative energy of Chuck Walton, who has been working at the office every day this week and plans to continue to do so in the weeks ahead. Ben Rodriguez has also being coming to the office to draw, and Matthew Clements may also be using Palladium’s facilities. Meanwhile, Palladium’s freelance artists and writers continue to work on a number of projects. We have a ton of new books and projects in development, but we aren't going to talk about them until many of the long-awaited titles are in your hands.

Friday evening, the Palladium crew is taking the evening off to celebrate Julius’ and my birthday. I’m looking forward to a little break with friends. On Saturday, Wayne, Alex and I will be back at work to finish up editing and layout of The Rifter® #62.

We’ll be giving you plenty to keep those imaginations burning bright in the weeks ahead.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Gamer

Rifts Vampires Sourcebook

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ – Available Now

Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ is in the Palladium warehouse. At least 100 pre-orders have already shipped. It is time to place your order.

New secrets, new monsters and danger, new places to explore, new magic to wield, dark magic and forces to fear, new trouble and adventure in Mexico and the Yucatan. New conflicts between rival forces are brewing as Doc Reid prepares to take his private war with the vampires to a whole new level. Meanwhile, the vampires live like smug tyrants and gods, dominating an underclass of slaves and people used as cattle to feed upon. Learn more about the vampires, their rivals, allies and the humans who willingly serve them. A must-have guide for those who wish to travel deeper into the Vampire Kingdoms or play as vampires and their human minions.

Rifts Free Quebec

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® World Book 22: Free Quebec™

This World Book contains a wealth of information about Free Quebec, Glitter Boys and notable people and places.

The Rifter® #62 – Ships April 29

This issue of The Rifter® is truly going to be spectacular with as many as 48 pages of “official” source material for Rifts® (20 pages of “official” Rifts® Vampires source material, new Necromancy spells, a Northern Gun mech, and the missing Rifts® Black Market experience tables!), plus detailed castle floor plans and descriptions that can be dropped into any Palladium Fantasy® campaign anywhere you need one, plus some epic Heroes Unlimited source material I may expand into a complete sourcebook in the future, news and information.

Since 2013 is the Palladium Fantasy RPG’s 30 Year Anniversary, we are trying to include something special for the Fantasy RPG line in every issue. This issue has that detailed castle and many maps/floor plans and the cover reprints the popular Kevin Long Palladium Fantasy RPG® cover from the 1980s. In fact, EVERY cover of The Rifter® in 2013 will be a fantasy illustration. Last issue was Amy L. Ashbaugh, this issue a classic Kevin Long, next issue’s cover will be by Chuck Walton. Still trying to decide who will do the October issue. Note: Writers & Game Masters, if you have some awesome Fantasy material (large or small) you’ve been thinking about sending in for The Rifter®, this is the time to do so. Thanks!

And The Rifter® is a bargain. Since this publication is a special product, it only costs $11.95 for a 96 page book. That’s less than what we charge for a 64 page sourcebook!

Each and every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory that helps players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and keep their games fresh. It provides useful, ready to go, source material gamers can just drop into their ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new monsters, villains, characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, adventure and ideas for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least two or three other Palladium game lines.

The Rifter® Number 62 includes:

Rifts Northern Gun One

Rifts® World Book 33: Northern Gun™ One

Northern Gun™ is the largest independent manufacturer of high-tech weapons, robots and vehicles in North America. Outside of the Coalition States, one could argue, no other kingdom is as powerful or influential, at least when it comes to technology and weapons. The manufacture and sale of Northern Gun weapons and vehicles has given virtually every kingdom, town, colony of settlers and adventurer group a chance to survive and prosper. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, NG has been the premier outfitter of mercenaries, adventurers and upstart kingdoms for generations. Now, for the first time ever, learn Northern Gun’s history, goals and plans for the future. Of course, that means new weapons, robots, power armor, vehicles and gear.

Rifts Northern Gun Two

Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun™ Two

More information about the weapons, vehicles and practices of Northern Gun, including the new rage of robot gladiatorial combat.

Rifts Megaverse in Flames

Rifts® World Book 35: 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. Demons, Deevils and supernatural beings run rampant and wreak havoc across the world.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics™

Prepare for invasion! Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, strategy battle game that expands on the popular Palladium role-playing system to enter new realms of adventure.

Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.

● Collect your favorites from an expanding range of world-class game pieces and relive the massive battles on your tabletop at home to enhance your Robotech® RPG adventures or as a stand-alone tactical game.

● 1/285th scale game pieces with detail and power.

● Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is designed in partnership with Ninja Division. Ninja Division brings together the design talents of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios, makers of Super Dungeon™ Explore, Relic Knights™, Helldorado™ and Anima Tactics™, to bring you the best quality game pieces, design and rules for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and all of your Robotech® adventures.

● Stay tuned for news about the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter Campaign! Support our goals to bring you this exciting product and an expansive range of quality game pieces.

● Palladium Books and Ninja Division will showcase the game pieces and reveal all with the upcoming Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter Campaign. This is a product line Robotech® fans have wanted for decades! And we aim to deliver. If you are one of those people, please spread the word and support this upcoming Kickstarter.

● The final details and cost of the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ box set and expansion kits are still morphing and changing at this time. They will conform to industry standards for pricing and packaging.

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:

Back in Print

Adventures on the High Seas

Palladium Fantasy RPG® Book 3: High Seas – Second Edition

– Back in print and available now

Adventures on the High Seas is one of those books packed with material that makes players and G.M.s salivate. It has something for everyone: Magic and monsters, pirates and jungles, exotic ports and ship combat rules, and lots and lots of people and places for adventure.

Rifts China 2

Rifts® World Book 25: Rifts® China 2™ – Available now

Back in print and available now. This book has it all! Martial arts, wondrous mystic martial art powers, Chi channeling, Chi powers, Chi weapons, magic items, and a lot of special abilities and powers that will blow your mind! Plus, great warriors, demon hunters and their tricks of the trade, blind mystics, fortune tellers, Spirit Hosts (half-man and half-animal spirit), Enlightened Demons (as player characters!), and heroes, powers and special abilities galore.

And for you high-tech junkies, there are wonders from Geofront with things like Demon Skin body armor, the Gun Dragon, Black Tiger power armor, high-powered weapons, select vehicles, the Demon Eater and Assault Geo-Borgs, and the incomparable Gun Master. Rifts® China One set the stage and presented the nefarious Yama Kings and their demonic henchmen. Rifts® China Two presents the heroes out to stop them.

Rifts Aftermath

Rifts® Aftermath – Back in Print – Available now

This world-spanning sourcebook examines the changing landscape of North America and the rest of the planet in the aftermath of the Coalition’s Siege on Tolkeen. Somehow, North America seems to be more dangerous than ever before, and things are about to get worse.

The Coalition Army continues its occupation of Tolkeen, the fallen Kingdom of Magic, bulldozing the cities, flushing out resistance fighters and capturing its secrets. The CS intends to wipe the Kingdom of Tolkeen from existence, and use its secrets of magic as bait to lure out other enemy forces and destroy other enemies of the CS. However, the Coalition’s war has stretched the nation thin, and the CS must worry about other rivals and adversaries.

Rifts Lone Star

Rifts® Lone Star – Back in Print – Available now

Rifts® Lone Star is part of the Coalition State’s dark underbelly. Though the entire state of Texas is claimed by the CS, it mainly controls one small corner. That corner includes the pre-Rifts Lone Star Genetics Complex. The birthplace of the Psi-Hounds better known as Dog Boys. The rest of Texas is a wild badland claimed by bandits and D-Bees known as the Pecos Empire.

Dead Reign RPG

Dead Reign™ RPG – Back in print, and hot, hot, hot

Can you survive the zombie apocalypse?

Yes, you may think so. But there is only one way to find out for sure: Play the Dead Reign™ RPG. The core rule book is all you need to start playing. Rules are easy. Character creation is fast and fun. Combat, quick and deadly. Survival? Harder than you might think. Good luck.

Dead Reign™ RPG is the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Civilization is gone, the dead reign, and the living fight to survive against impossible odds. Battle zombies, mad men and death cultists in a post-apocalyptic world where the last of humanity struggles to survive. Think you know zombies? Think again.

Civilization Gone Dark Places Endless Dead

Dead Reign™ Sourcebooks

Civilization Gone™: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook One. There is no army, no government, no help coming. You are on your own and things are only getting worse. Villains include madmen and pychopaths, bandits and raiders. Many random tables for encounters, houses, and survivor camp creation, and more. $12.95 – 64 pages. Cat. No. 231.

Dark Places™: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Two. Using railroad tracks and subways, sewer tunnels, steam tunnels and other dark places to travel undetected by zombies. Many tables for random encounters, boxcar contents, zombies and more. Survival tips, new zombies like the Bug Boy, Sewer Crawler and Impersonator. $12.95 – 64 pages. Cat. No. 232.

Endless Dead™: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three. Zombie hordes grow in number and strangeness. Where is the military? What’s next for the living survivors? Many new types of zombies, new O.C.C.s like the Wheelman and Zombie Hunter, the military and random tables for military bases, police and other places. Plus weaponizing vehicles, vehicle combat, Survivor caravans, and more. $16.95 – 96 pages. Cat. No. 233.

The Rifter #50

The Rifter® #50, Anniversary Special – back in print due to popular demand

You might think of The Rifter® #50 as a special “all-star” anniversary issue with official source material for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, Nightbane® and many other Palladium RPG settings.

The Rifter® #50 includes:

Rifts Logo T-Shirt

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® Logo T-Shirts in most sizes

We’ve been asked over and over again to re-issue the popular Rifts® Logo T-shirt in sizes other than XL. We heard your requests, and here you go. Order yours today.

● The full Rifts® logo as created by artist Kevin Long, printed in white on a black T-shirt.

● Sizes Small to 5XL.

● 100% cotton – our usual quality T-shirt.

● Prices vary according to size:
Small: $18.95
Medium: $18.95
Large: $18.95
X-Large: $18.95
2XL: $20.95
3XL: $22.95
4XL: $24.95
5XL: $26.95

● Cat. No. TS804

● And don’t forget other fun T-shirt designs like . . .

Upcoming Appearances

Anime North – May 24-26, 2013 – Toronto, Canada – www.animenorth.com

I am one of the guests at Anime North in Toronto, Canada. The event takes place Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26, 2013. Wayne Smith and one or two other Palladium creators will also be present to chat and sign autographs. We also hope to bring a pile of books, prints and other goodies to sell in the dealers’ room. www.animenorth.com

Gen Con® Indy – August 15-18, 2013 – Indianapolis, Indiana

We can hardly wait for Gen Con this year as we hope to have advance copies of Robotech® RPG Tactics™: Defense of Macross Island™ there. Not to mention a stock of new releases from throughout the year. We may even need to expand the size of our booth. Hope to see many of you there.

Game Masters, submit your events by tomorrow, March 15 to get into the Gen Con program book! See http://www.gencon.com/host/eo-gm for more details.

Note: There will be no Palladium Open House in 2013 or 2014.

© Copyright 2013 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, 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.