Palladium Books® Weekly Update – March 8, 2012

By Kevin Siembieda

The excitement continues.

IMPORTANT QUESTION. I need your feedback about doing future Megaverse® Insider offers. As I already stated in last week’s Update, I’m thinking we should do crowdsource funding via the Megaverse® Insider for major releases like Rifts® Northern Gun™ One and Two, Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™, the two Beyond the Supernatural™ sourcebooks and similar. HOWEVER, I have gotten a surprising number of inquiries, suggestions and outright requests to do crowdsource funding for ALL new releases. As one gamer put it, he loved the excitement it generated. That’s cool, and we loved the excitement too, but doesn’t “all” new releases seem like too much?

Or is it?

PLEASE let us know your thoughts on this matter. As always, we like to know what you think, like and want. If you would like to see us do the same crowdsource funding for ALL (most?) new releases with the same types of offered products, we need to know that. I can’t imagine that being the case, but you guys and gals are dedicated, wonderful and, like the Palladium staff, a little bit crazy (in a good way), so tell us what you’d like to see. This is the time to speak up and let us know. Send emails, Private Messages, call the office, chat about it online and fill out our poll. Note: We would not do a Megaverse® Insider for future products until we were getting close to releasing that new book or item.

UPDATE: Online sales. Sales have, of course, dropped, but remained decent for the week. I think at this point, people are waiting for Rifts® Lemuria and our many other new releases. Hey, we had outstanding sales for four weeks running, so we were bound to see sales soften up as people wait for new stuff. Rifts® Mindwerks™ and Phase World®: Anvil Galaxy™ coming back into print helped sales this week and more out of stock titles will be coming back in the weeks to come.

UPDATE: Me and the staff. I remain energized and focused on completing books and getting them in your hands pronto. Alex, Wayne and company are all working hard to do just that.

UPDATE: Exciting times. These are exciting times, so I will be doing more Murmurs from the Megaverse® and Facebook posts on a frequent basis. The last week or so, I had been so busy working on Rifts® Lemuria and getting a dozen other projects moving forward, that I did not post many Murmurs or comment much on Facebook until earlier this week. Since then, I’ve been posting regularly and will continue to post a Murmur or two and pop in on Facebook every day or two. There are several new Murmurs for this week already. There is so much excitement at Palladium Books, I want to keep you abreast of everything! Plus, I need your input and enjoy your insight.

UPDATE: BACK IN PRINT: Rifts® Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks™. The book arrived on Tuesday and is ready for you to purchase. So is Rifts® Dimension Book 5: Anvil Galaxy™. See the description for these two titles elsewhere in this Weekly Update. Additional titles will be sent to the printer for short-run printings over the next few weeks, and include Wolfen Empire™ (for Palladium Fantasy®), Mutant Underground™ (HU2), Rifts® Mercenaries and Rifts® Splynn Dimensional Market™.

UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. I hope I’m not over-hyping this book, but I’m in love with it and it just seems to keep getting better and better. The ideas never stop. Work is progressing well and I expect Wayne to start typesetting and laying out this weekend. Nick Bradshaw’s additional art came in and looks sweet.

UPDATE: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook 3: Endless Dead™. I can’t wait to get to work on this book and Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook. Writing, editing and product for both should go quickly.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: The Black Market. The cover for Rifts® Black Market is almost finished. I think it really captures the mood and feel of the Black Market. I hope you like it. I need to assign the interior artwork next. This sourcebook is written by Matthew Clements with additional material by Taylor White.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book: Northern Gun™ One. Met with Chuck Walton yesterday to approve new sketches for Northern Gun robot and vehicle designs. Hey, it’s Chuck, so they look fantastic. An April or May release, to be quickly followed by Northern Gun™ Two a month or two later.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #58. More exciting fan-created material for the Palladium Megaverse. Wayne’s behind on this issue, but it remains an April release.

UPDATE: New! Palladium Bookmarks, Set Two. No word yet as to when this new item will be ready to ship, but I don’t think it should be more than another week or two. They look awesome and feature Chaos Earth™, Phase World®, Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™. See the description elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

UPDATE: Rifts® Miniatures. We should be able to start offering releases of fan favorite Rifts® minis – the Glitter Boy, Splugorth Overlord, Coalition Soldiers, etc. – in a week or two. They will be quickly followed by a dozen awesome figures never before released by Palladium Books, including a Shadow Beast, Magi and new style CS soldier, among others. We’ll be selling them as individual figures for a range of prices depending on size. We already have some from Carmen and they look great! But I want to finish Rifts® Lemuria before we take a break to work on minis (even if it will only chew up a day or two).

UPDATE: Robotech® Miniatures. The debate over whether or not Robotech® fans and Palladium fans would like to see Palladium release Robotech® miniatures is heating up. Excellent, because we want to know what you think on this front.

One of the gents who wants to work with Palladium to make this happen has posted a few photos on the Palladium Facebook Page of his Robotech miniature sculpts. I have seen many more of his minis and they are impressive. But is there enough interest to warrant Palladium to do Robotech® miniatures? Do you want to buy Robotech® minis? That’s the question we need you to help us answer. Does there have to be a miniatures game to go with the minis? And the minis probably would NOT be pre-painted. Does that change your mind? Let us know. Depending on the response, we’ll take a long, hard look at the possibilities for this Robotech® line.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #0.1 and #0.2 (both to be PDFs like Rifter Zero). We got word back from the main coordinator of this long developing project, and it is moving forward. There’s some impressive looking stuff in it, though we’ve yet to read most of it, and they should make fun digital products for our fans. There is literally hundreds of pages of material so it will take us a while to go through it all, but we’re on the job. This project was created by a band of awesome Palladium fans as a means to share their ideas and to help Palladium generate some revenue with PDF sales on DriveThruRPG.com. All donated their time and hard work. Thanks guys, your hard work will pay off.

UPDATE: Sneak Previews on DriveThruRPG.com for Rifts® Lemuria should go up sometime next week (thought we’d have it this week, but things didn’t pan out). 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.

Be like Bill. Become a Palladium Megaversal Ambassador or just G.M. and spread the joy of Palladium’s role-playing games. Bill Korsak is a local Game Master who has helped Palladium run games at the Westland Library, he’s running games at the Palladium Open House (May 3-6, 2012) and he’s running games at other local gaming events, stores and venues. Bill’s favorite games to run, at the moment, are Beyond the Supernatural™ and Dead Reign™, so those are the games he generally plays. I’ve been running Palladium Fantasy; Julius, Rifts® and Palladium Fantasy®. You can do likewise. Run the games you love or feel like playing and have fun.

UPDATE: 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 accomodate 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.

The Palladium Open House is only 8 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 recently added some Palladium collectibles and new toys and action figures into 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

When I started writing this Update I thought it would be a short one. Guess not. Like I said, there is a lot of activity and excitement. Have a great weekend, keep those imaginations burning bright and buy Palladium.

– 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

– Back in print – Ships Tuesday, March 6

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 February

“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 March

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.