Palladium Books® Weekly Update – Oct. 24, 2013

By Kevin Siembieda

Another crazy week, so we’re going to keep this Update short, as we’ll be spending the weekend at Detroit Fanfare in Dearborn, Michigan, Friday through Sunday, running games, doing Robotech® game demos, selling books and, I hope, signing autographs and chatting with a lot of gamers. The convention sounds big and fun. We’ll have more news and scheduling updates next week.

UPDATE: Rifts® Northern Gun One – Shipping now!

Rifts® Northern Gun™ One has shipped from the Palladium warehouse. NG-1 arrived at the Palladium warehouse Wednesday afternoon and we spent the rest of the day prepping books for shipping. ALL pre-orders have shipped as of today, Thursday, October 24, and a few dozen shipped on Wednesday. The book looks fabulous.

Copies of Rifts® Northern Gun™ One will be available at Detroit Fanfare in Dearborn, Michigan, October 25-27. The following creators: Matthew Clements, Chuck Walton, Wayne Smith, Alex Marciniszyn, Julius Rosenstein, Mark Dudley, Carmen Bellaire (Saturday only), Ben Rodriguez and I (Kevin Siembieda), will all be available to sign the book. Note: We’ll also have the Max and Miriya convention special game pieces for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ available for sale, and Julius, me and others will be running gaming events at Detroit Fanfare over the weekend. I also have a panel talk on Saturday at noon about Hollywood and Licensing. Join the fun.

The NG-1 Hardcover editions (one with a color cover and one with a foil cover) should be done and ready to ship 2-4 weeks later, so early to mid-November. That’s when all the Megaverse Insider packages will ship.

NEW – Rifts® Northern Gun One Sneak Preview – available now on DriveThruRPG.com

Wayne has posted a new, FREE Sneak Preview of Rifts® Northern Gun™ One available on DriveThruRPG.com right now for your enjoyment. There are also previews available for the Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms (Revised Edition), Rifts® Black Market, Rifts® Lemuria, Dead Reign™ RPG, Endless Dead™ sourcebook and others. The original Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms World Book is also available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG, for those of you who may be interested.

More than 90 other Palladium titles can be found on DriveThruRPG.com as PDFs, including Splicers®, Rifts® RPG (the edition before RUE), The Rifter® #1-52, and first edition rule books and sourcebooks for Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited™, The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy, Beyond the Supernatural™ and lots of other good titles. 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). Check it all out.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #64 – November 12 Release

Wayne and I tried, but we couldn’t get The Rifter® #64 done before Detroit Fanfare this weekend. It is deep into final production and will be finished next week. Articles have been selected, artwork assigned and editing underway. It has material for Rifts®, Dead Reign™, Nightbane®, Palladium Fantasy® and other good stuff. See the expanded description elsewhere in this Update. Should go into final typesetting and layout any day.

UPDATE: Dead Reign Sourcebook 4: Fear the Reaper – November 12 Release

Fear the Reaper™ is an awesome book. As with The Rifter® #64, the book is nearly done, but with Detroit Fanfare this weekend, it will not get finished and sent to the printer till next week. Fun, fun book, in that gruesome and grisly sort of way. It is deep into final production and will be finished next week. Author Matthew Clements has outdone himself, creating a heroic new sourcebook for the Dead Reign™ series. So have the artists: Amy Ashbaugh, Nick Bradshaw, Jeff Burke, Brian and Allen Manning and Mike Mumah. See the complete description for it elsewhere in this Update. Should go into final typesetting and layout any day.

UPDATE: Rifts® Northern Gun Two – December Release

When I’m not working on the above, I’m working on this puppy. Chuck and other artists are also plugging away on Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two. NG-2 is even more of a toy chest than NG-1. See the full description for it later in this Update.

UPDATE: Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames

Another epic book. Carl Gleba’s Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ seems more likely to be an early 2014 release (January/February) than a December release, though we remain working toward that goal.

UPDATE: Robotech® UEEF Marines Sourcebook

The cover is done and looks fantastic. We’ll show it to you next week.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

Everything is moving toward completion. Almost there. We’ll provide all the latest news next Weekly Update. If you’re in Michigan, come to Detroit Fanfare (Dearborn, MI, October 25-27) to preview actual Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game pieces, play in demos, chat with the co-author of the rules, Carmen Bellaire, and have some fun. The Harmony Gold Robotech Tour is also part of this convention event.

Palladium Books will be demonstrating the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game all weekend as well as selling the Robotech RPG game line and offering a limited number of Robotech® Convention Exclusive figures of Max and Miriya’s mecha (both in metal). Available for sale at Detroit Fanfare on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last. (We have 100 of each.) These are the same Convention Exclusives sold at Gen Con, only Miriya’s mecha is in white metal, not resin.

Palladium Books running games and demos at Detroit Fanfare – Dearborn, Michigan – October 25-27, 2013

ALL GAMERS and ROBOTECH® FANS in and around Michigan, you are invited to join Palladium Books, Harmony Gold, and the convention organizers for a weekend of gaming, demos, good conversation, comic books and meeting all sorts of gaming, comic book and Robotech® creators at Detroit Fanfare – THIS WEEKEND! Please spread the word and join the fun. Detroit Fanfare is a combination gaming, comic books, and media convention that draws more than 8,000 people every year.

This year the convention has invited Palladium Books to host a variety of games. There will be 20 specific Palladium role-playing game events plus Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demos ALL weekend long. Saturday from 9-4:30 those demos will be run by one of the main game designers, Carmen Bellaire. See the schedule below.

Palladium Books® will also have a nice-sized booth in the dealers’ area where we’ll be selling Robotech® RPG books, the Max and Miriya convention special mecha pieces, Rifts® Northern Gun One (hot off the presses), and we will be bringing nearly a dozen Palladium creators (see the list below).

Palladium Convention Highlights:

Detroit Fanfare also offers the following:

Click here for more information about Detroit Fanfare.

Palladium Gaming Schedule at Detroit Fanfare

Friday 6 PM – Robotech® RPG
Friday 7 PM – Dead Reign RPG
Note: Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demos take place at the Palladium booth in the dealers’ hall all weekend.

Saturday: Robotech® RPG Tactics™ “full scale” demos every half hour from 10:00 AM till 4:30 PM with game designer Carmen Bellaire who co-authored the rules. Note: Demos also take place at the Palladium booth all weekend.
Saturday 10:00 AM – Palladium Fantasy RPG
Saturday 11:00 AM – Dead Reign RPG
Saturday Noon – Panel talk with Kevin Siembieda
Saturday 1:00 PM – Palladium Fantasy RPG
Saturday 2:00 PM – Palladium Fantasy RPG: Lord DeSilca – G.M. Kevin Siembieda
Saturday 2:00 PM – Late addition: Rifts
Saturday 3:00 PM – Dead Reign RPG
Saturday 3:00 PM – Robotech® RPG
Saturday 4:00 PM – Beyond the Supernatural RPG
Saturday 7:00 PM – Dead Reign RPG
Note: Palladium founder and Lead Game Designer, Kevin Siembieda, may add another Palladium Fantasy RPG: Lord DeSilca game, if there is enough demand.

Sunday: 11:00 AM – Robotech® RPG
Sunday: 11:00 AM – Dead Reign RPG
Sunday: 11:00 AM – Beyond the Supernatural RPG
Sunday: Noon – Heroes Unlimited RPG
Sunday: 2:00 PM – Palladium Fantasy RPG
Sunday: 3 PM – Palladium Fantasy RPG
Note: Palladium founder and Lead Game Designer, Kevin Siembieda, may add a Palladium Fantasy RPG: Lord DeSilca game, if there is enough demand.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demos take place at the Palladium booth in the dealers’ room all weekend.

Sad News

You may remember that I mentioned my dear friend, Kathryn Kozora was battling cancer. I’ve known Kay or ‘Kate’ as she was known to her friends, as long as I knew Eric Wujcik. Somehow, Kay put up with Erick (and all of his gaming pals like me) for something like 35 years. She was the love of Erick’s life and a good friend to Palladium, my family and me.

I just spoke with Kay three weeks ago and got an email from her last week. She sounded great when we spoke and we had a really nice and lengthy telephone conversation filled with a lot of laughs. As a result, I was stunned by the news from her granddaughter Sarah, earlier today, that Kay had slipped into a coma and it was only a matter of days.

We knew our beautiful friend’s time was coming to an end, but nobody, not even her doctors, expected her condition to deteriorate so quickly. I think most of us thought – or perhaps hoped – Kay still had weeks, maybe months. That’s the way it is when you love somebody, you’ll take every last second you can get.

One of the last things Kay and I talked about was keeping Erick Wujcik’s legacy alive. That’s our beloved Kate; even facing her own mortality, she’s worried about keeping Erick’s work in print. So you may be seeing Palladium printing some of Erick’s out of print titles and works inspired by Erick Wujcik (i.e. concepts he never had a chance to develop or finish) over the next year or two.

Kathryn Kozora is a dear friend who will be missed, but remembered with love and great fondness. She and Erick were among that rare group of people who made our all too often dingy world, a happier, brighter and better place. Safe travels, Kate. You’ll be with Erick soon.

Other stuff

Man oh, man, we’re juggling and working on all sorts of books, projects and things to make your enjoyment of the Palladium Megaverse® so much more exhilarating. That means getting RPG books out and making changes to the Palladium website. Again, we’ll talk more about it and Christmas Surprise Packages next Update. Have a great weekend.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

Rifts Northern Gun One

Rifts® World Book 33: Northern Gun One – Available Now!

Rifts® Northern Gun™ One is the most tech-filled World Book Palladium has ever produced. In addition to world information, background and O.C.C.s for the Northern Gun corporation and Ishpeming, there are 27 robots, 70+ weapons and all kinds of dynamic information and gaming resources. Courtesy of the largest arms dealer and independent manufacturer on the continent: Northern Gun™.

Northern Gun™ is the most famous arms manufacture 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.

The Rifter® #64 – Ships November 12

The Rifter® #64 presents optional source material for Rifts®, Dead Reign™ (zombies), Nightbane®, Palladium Fantasy RPG® and more. Each and every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory that provides useful, ready to use, source material gamers can just drop into their ongoing games.

The Rifter® Number 64 includes:

Fear the Reaper

NEW! Dead Reign Sourcebook 4: Fear the Reaper – Ships November 12

Join the legendary Road Reapers as the struggle for survival pits bikers against zombies out on the highways and streets of a world stalked by the walking dead. Like knights mounted on motorcycles, they travel the wasteland that Earth has become, searching for survivors, fighting zombies and waging war against the Death Cults that threaten all mankind.

Rifts Northern Gun Two

Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun Two

In production! Expanded to 192-224 pages and filled with all kinds of adventuring gear: New environmental body armor, power armor, hovercycles, robot drones, robot haulers, combat vehicles, other vehicles, robot gladiators and much more. More information about the weapons, vehicles and practices of Northern Gun, including the new rage of robot gladiatorial combat. Expanded page count. Epic adventure.

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® UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

This is another book that is guaranteed to wow and please Robotech® fans.

Robotech RPG Tactics

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

The only product people are more excited about than the two Rifts® Northern Gun releases is Robotech® RPG Tactics™. Momentum is building to a fever pitch. Fans will not be disappointed. Demos at the Alliance Trade Show got nothing but big, toothy smiles and positive reviews. (You can demo it yourself at Detroit Fanfare, October 25-27, in Dearborn, Michigan). Here are some of the latest developments . . .

Flexible Date of Release: We are still hopeful for December, but its release may slip into January, 2014. Ninja Division’s original projections had product delivery at October or November. I fear we were all a bit too optimistic. In order to make this game line everything it can be, there have been delays. As a result, the game has yet to begin manufacturing. That said, 98% of the work is completed, the game pieces look incredible, and Ninja Division is wrapping up on final packaging, layout and tweaks. We expect to get final approval from licensor Harmony Gold in two or three weeks. At which point, Robotech® RPG Tactics™ goes into manufacturing. Factoring in manufacturing time, shipping from China and other factors, it is looking more and like a January 2014 release. We’ll see. Note: As stated in the past, we will ship product to the Kickstarter supporters before we ship to distributors.

Plastic game pieces. All of the 1/285th scale game pieces in the box set and expansion packs are plastic. (Special editions and limited releases for conventions and the Kickstarter may be in resin and/or metal.)

Expansions released in waves. Palladium plans to release Robotech® RPG Tactics™ products in waves. The core box game and first six expansion packs will be the initial release. 4-6 additional expansion packs of mecha game pieces will ship approximately every three months thereafter.

Robotech® RPG products – available now. Don’t forget that Robotech® RPG products are available now. They include the Robotech® Shadow Chronicles® core rule book available as a $30.95 hardcover (Cat. No. 550HC) and as a $16.95 manga-sized RPG paperback (Cat. No. 550), and the Macross® Saga Sourcebook (Cat. No. 551) which is the same setting as the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game. Each book is a wealth of background information about Robotech® and fun to read and play. With excitement growing for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, there is renewed interest in the Robotech® role-playing game line.

New Robotech® RPG products coming in 2014. Palladium has three new Robotech® sourcebooks in development. UEEF Marines Sourcebook One, UEEF Marines Sourcebook Two and The Zentraedi Protectorate Sourcebook are all slated for release before Summer 2014. Additional Robotech® sourcebooks are on the drawing board.

● Palladium is working with Harmony Gold to expand the scope of its license to provide you with an even greater range of Robotech® products.

Robotech® RPG Tactics – Game Description

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.

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.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics Box Set

The First Six Robotech® Expansion Packs

The initial expansion packs will also ship in January. All prices listed are likely, but still tentative. We want most packs to fall in the $25-$35 price range.

Robotech Macross Saga Sourcebook

Robotech® Macross® Saga Sourcebook – New Size

Available now – 8½ x 11 size

All the famous mecha and action of Robotech® starts here with the Macross® Saga when an alien armada enters Earth orbit. They have come to reclaim a lost spacecraft that crash-landed on Earth 10 years earlier. A space fortress that Earth’s protectors have rebuilt into their own flagship against alien invasion. The resulting conflict gives birth to heroes and becomes the stuff of legend, but the Earth will never be the same. Robotech® The Macross® Saga Sourcebook is now available as an 8½ x 11 inch sourcebook.

Note: This is the setting for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, so if you’re looking for more information about the mecha, Earth’s defenders, the Zentraedi invaders, and the Macross Saga setting, this is the book for you. Epic adventure awaits.

A Robotech® Role-Playing Game Sourcebook:

Rifts Ultimate Edition

BACK IN PRINT

Rifts® Ultimate Edition

Imagine a world setting that is Earth 300 years after an apocalypse that results in the return of magic. Now imagine a world where magic and super-science collide. Where cyborgs and men clad in power armor and giant robots clash with demons, dragons and sorcerers.

Now imagine lines of blue, magic energy rippling across the land. Where two or more of those lines cross, there is a tear in the fabric of space and time. A Rift to infinite worlds and realities that have unleashed an endless cavalcade of aliens, mutants and monsters into our world. Some are adventurers like you, others are invaders, some are slaves or prisoners, and still others are demonic nightmares and gods from ancient myths. All now make Earth their home or hunting ground. Welcome to Rifts®.

Rifts® combines the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror and post-apocalypse (among others) in a plausible setting where adventure is limited only by your imagination and the possibilities are truly infinite.

Chi-Town Library Pencil

BACK IN PRINT: Chi-Town Pencil

Do Not Remove — Property of the Chi-Town Library

They’re fun and silly, and Rifts® gamers love them, so we pressed a new batch of Chi-Town Library pencils. They look great on the gaming table.

Villains Unlimited

BACK IN PRINT: Villains Unlimited

More than 80 villains with complete stats, background and motives for trouble. And lots of other epic source material.

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 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. RPG Tactics™, 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.