Palladium Books® – Press Release – November 16, 2007

Selling the clothes off Kevin Siembieda’s back

That’s right, the latest Palladium Collectibles Auction (which ends tomorrow, Saturday, November 17) is offering two Palladium Staff Jackets owned by Kevin Siembieda. Kevin is 5 ft, 10 inches and about 200 lbs and the jackets fit him comfortably so anyone of comparable size should have no problems. The red jacket was a spare, never worn, and the other was only worn a few times (Kev prefers his 16 year old Rifts jacket to the newer, black jacket). So yep, you can own the clothes off Kevin’s back.

Palladium Collectibles Auction

The auctions have helped raise operating capital while Palladium is in-between new product releases, and clear out the storage rooms in preparation for Palladium’s move to newer, smaller offices and warehouse in the Spring.

There are still good deals to be had on a large number of cool collectibles, one-of-a-kind items, rarities, books and artwork, but the auction ENDS tomorrow, Saturday, November 17, 2007. Only two auctions left after this!

Some other auction items:

- The Rifts® Licensing Bible – this is exactly what we sent Jerry Bruckheimer, Nokia, and a number of other prospective licensees. Only something like 16 were created. This is probably the last time the Rifts® Bible will be offered.

- Another beautiful, handmade, Palladium leather book jacket and a Rifts® leather book jacket, both created by Roger Cartier. So far, he’s made a total of six of each, four are being offered in auction. Each of the Palladium book jackets features a different dragon.

- A couple of proofreader copies of books and more.

- Shadows of Light™, Nightbane® Sourcebook Four, a Nightspawn poster, and two “test sheet” cover variations. All signed.

- Trans-Dimensional Ninja Turtles® sourcebook (ulta-rare; found two copies tucked away in a box with convention stuff, go figure).

- A set of TMNT® sourcebooks, signed by Erick Wujcik, Siembieda and others.

- A proof sheet for the Valley of the Pharaohs™ box cover (1984).

- “Last” complete set of Robotech uncut covers from the original RPGs.

- A few other uncut cover sets.

- Beyond the Supernatural™ Gold “Printer Proof.”

- Rifts® Ultimate Gold “Printer Proof.”

- Rifts® Ultimate Gold #607 signed by more than 25 Palladium creators.

- Rifts® “Silver” Hardcover (only have around 20 copies left).

- Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Gold HC “Printer Proof.”

- First printings of Rifts® RPG, Rifts® Underseas & Conversion Book One, Revised.

- A set of The Rifter® #1-14; missing #2 and 8.

- Select out of print issues of The Rifter® (down to the last few file copies).

- Artwork by Breaux, Perez and Siembieda.

- Rare prints and posters, including Cybertron Now, a 1981 Techno-Music poster designed for Rick Davis by Kevin Siembieda.

This auction ends Saturday, November 17.

Where are the new releases?

It always worries Kevin Siembieda when we are so late on books, and this year, late on big releases that fans are dying for, namely, Dyval™, Dimensional Outbreak™, Heroes of the Megaverse® sourcebook and perhaps the hottest anticipated release of them all, Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG.

We apologize for the delays, but promise these books, and others, will be coming soon.

As you know, Palladium is still recovering from the damage done to us by the Crisis of Treachery. We’re doing very well on that front, but we remain shorthanded, buried in work and tired out. Please know we are working hard to get the above books to press and to make them the best they can be. These delays hurt Palladium’s cash flow, so they are even more important to us than they are for those of you anxiously awaiting your favorite titles. Even under crumbling deadlines, Kevin and crew simply refuse to bang out garbage. They continue to strive to produce the high quality books you have come to expect from Palladium Books. And you will not be disappointed.

Dyval™ is almost finished and it is spectacular. Every bit as good as Hades. Dimensional Outbreak™ will follow after the release of the first new Robotech RPG book, and Outbreak is another amazing book by Carl Gleba. Meanwhile, we have gotten a handful of books back into print.

Robotech® the Shadow Chronicles® RPG is coming along well too. Most of the artwork is nearly completed, and the Palladium crew have been doing research, making notes and doing bits of writing.

Meanwhile, Kevin and crew have been working on other projects and ideas for later this year and next. That includes leaning on artists and writers to finish various projects.

Upcoming projects include getting therifter.com in place, offering The Rifter® Zero as our first downloadable product, tweaking our website a bit, some new prints, posters and T-shirts, publishing the aforementioned books, releasing a Rifts® Chaos Earth novel, a Rifts® anthology book set in the Chi-Town ‘Burbs (with stories by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium’s top new talent), the Dead Reign “zombie” RPG, 3-5 additional Robotech® sourcebooks, the Warpath™: Urban Jungle RPG, at least one Nightbane® sourcebook, at least three Palladium Fantasy sourcebooks, 2-3 Heroes Unlimited™ sourcebooks, the rest of the Minion War™ series, and 5-6 new Rifts® sourcebooks (including Triax™ 2, Rifts® Lemuria, and a couple of Phase World® books), among others. Many of these titles are finished in manuscript form or in the final phases of their initial writing. And that’s not all.

We have big plans for Palladium’s future and we think you are going to love the books and products coming out. We ask that you remain patient. Great things are coming. Keep the faith.

Kevin Siembieda to do Live Podcast Monday, November 19

Monday’s Gateway to the Megaverse® podcast is with Kevin Siembieda. He’ll be talking more about the craft of writing, production and publishing. Those of you with dreams of starting your own game company will want to listen and ask questions, but even those of you with no such aspirations are sure to enjoy a glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes. The live discussion should be lively, full of ideas, stories, fun and open to questions. Yes, Kevin should probably be using that hour and a half writing, but he promised to be on the show and enjoys doing them very much.

And remember, all podcasts are downloadable so you can listen to them anytime.

Christmas Surprise Packages ship out daily

Christmas Grab Bags continue to ship every couple of days to put smiles on the faces of fans around the world. This week we had a lot of orders from all the Southern United States. On Monday we thought it was just one of those strange batches where the majority of orders seem to come from one particular part of the world, but the trend continued throughout the week. Orders came in from Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, and Arizona (we have a lot of fans in Arizona, Texas, and Kansas), as well as a few elsewhere, including a couple more from Great Britain and a few from Canada. Keep ‘em coming.

Rifts® World Book 10: Juicer Uprising
– Ships November 26, 2007 – at the printer

One of the most popular and requested Rifts® World Books, Juicer Uprising is back in print. It remains the definitive guide to Juicers and has been updated to be 100% compatible with RUE.

  • 10 different types of Juicers, and different abilities.
  • Juicer O.C.C.s and Wannabes.
  • Juicer culture, Juicer sports, and organizations.
  • Juicer special weapons, armor, vehicles and equipment.
  • Juicer detox and death/last call.
  • Juicer groups and Julian the First.
  • Fort El Dorado, Los Alamo and Kingsdale described.
  • Full adventure about the Juicer Uprising.
  • Coalition conspiracies, aliens, treachery and adventure galore.
  • Written by C.J. Carella, additional text by Siembieda.
  • Updated to be 100% compatible with Rifts® Ultimate Edition.
  • Ideal for any campaign set in North America.
  • $18.95 – 160 pages – Cat. No. 820. Available as a special, limited run printing directly from Palladium Books. Ships Nov. 26, 2007. At the printer.

    Rifts® World Book 24: China One
    – Available now – Back in print

    An overview of China and the Hell of the Yama Kings brought to Rifts Earth, tons of Chinese demons, ghosts and spirits, adventure ideas and fun.

  • 22 Lesser Demons including the Fox Spirit, Monkey-Wolf, Pig Demon, Water Devils, Living Statues and more!
  • 11 Greater Demons, including the Naga, Red Child, White Monkey and others.
  • 20 curses and the Terra Cotta Warriors.
  • The Yama Kings and their domains in China.
  • The eleven Hells on Earth, plus conflicts and people.
  • Written by Erick Wujcik and Kevin Siembieda.
  • Updated to be 100% compatible with Rifts® Ultimate Edition.
  • A perfect companion to the Minion War series.
  • $18.95 – 160 pages – Cat. No. 857. Available as a special, limited run printing directly from Palladium Books. Available now.

    Coalition Wars® Book 4: Cyber-Knights
    – Available now – Back in print

    The secrets of the Cyber-Knights revealed: Summon Psi-Sword, Psionic Powers, Cyber-Armor, Cyber-Knight Zen Combat, Dream Visions, Squires and Mentoring, their Code of Chivalry, variant Knights, and more. Also learn about the fractured fellowship – the schism within the knighthood caused by the Coalition’s Siege on Tolkeen, as well as Fallen Knights. More detailed information, background and equipment than what is touched upon in Rifts® Ultimate Edition.

  • The Cyber-Knight O.C.C. and new abilities explored in detail.
  • In-depth examination of the Code of Chivalry.
  • Cyber-Knight factions and rules of conduct.
  • Fallen Cyber-Knights, Robber Knights and Despoilers.
  • The Cyber-Knights' role at Tolkeen.
  • Lord Coake and stats for other key Cyber-Knights.
  • Adventure outlines and ideas.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda and Bill Coffin.
  • Updated to be 100% compatible with Rifts® Ultimate Edition.
  • $14.95 – 112 pages – Cat. No. 842. Available as a special, limited run printing directly from Palladium Books.
  • Available now.

    Rifts® Dimension Book 8: Naruni Wave 2
    – Available now – Back in print

    Naruni Enterprises is a famous, trans-dimensional weapons dealer from the Three Galaxies. Despite their weapons, armor and vehicles being blacklisted by the CS, and Naruni Arms Dealers being the target of CS bounties and assassins, Naruni Enterprises has returned to Rifts Earth.

    This time it’s personal, as the Naruni are looking to stick it to the Coalition States, Northern Gun and others who helped the CS oust them from the planet before the Siege on Tolkeen. And they’re doing it by selling weapons and armor to all of the Coalition’s enemies.

  • A sourcebook filled with alien, high-tech weapons, body armor, power armor, robots, and vehicles.
  • More than 20 new weapons – pistols, rifles, rail guns, and more.
  • Six new types of body armor, and seven new power armors – some with innovations that will blow you away.
  • Five different robots, plus hovercycles, tanks and aircraft.
  • Thermo-Kinetic Armor, Ripper Vibro-Swords, robot combat drones, the Sun Chariot and much more are part of this dynamic sourcebook.
  • More background on the Naruni.
  • Written by Siembieda, Bellaire and others.
  • Updated to be 100% compatible with Rifts® Ultimate Edition.
  • A perfect companion to the Rifts® mercenaries sourcebooks.
  • $14.95 – 96 pages – Cat. No. 860. Available now as a special, limited run printing directly from Palladium Books.

    Rifts® Dimension Book 11:
    Dyval, Hell Unleashed – In final production.

    Dyval™ is another dimension of Hell, the next book in the Minion War™ series, and is every bit as fantastic as Hades. Deevils as you have never imagined them before. A hellish dimension different from Hades, but just as horrible. The Deevil Host, evil monsters and minions, Deevil society, monstrous War Steeds, magic and more. Much, much more. Should go to the printer soon. Maybe we’ll toss out a teaser online in the next week or two.

  • The hellish dimension of Dyval mapped and described.
  • New Lesser and Greater Deevils along with all your old faves.
  • Inhuman minions who serve as the Host.
  • Magic weapons and horrific war beasts.
  • World information and adventure ideas.
  • A stand-alone Dimension Book that is also the second step in an epic, five book adventure that spills across the Palladium Megaverse®.
  • Companion to Hades and the next chapter in the Minion War™.
  • Artwork by Nick Bradshaw, Mike Wilson, Mike Mumah, and others.
  • Cover painting by John Zeleznik.
  • Written by Carl Gleba.
  • 192 pages – Cat. No. 873 – $22.95 retail.
  • Ships in late November or early December. In final production.

    Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG
    – Christmas 2007 or January 2008

    The artwork is assigned and being created, the cover is being tweaked, the research and note making continues, and bits of first draft writing are finished. Can we get this new RPG out before Christmas? We’ll try. If not, it will be soon after.

    The role-playing game will pick up where the DVD movie begins. The return of the Robotech Expeditionary Force, the separation of the SDF-3 from the rest of the fleet, and everything else that is part of Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles®.

  • Mecha pilots and other fleet personnel O.C.C.s.
  • Key REF Mecha statted out and illustrated.
  • Invid statted out and illustrated.
  • Select spacecraft statted out and illustrated.
  • Other info and details (depending on space).
  • Fast playing RPG rules. Mega-Damage setting.
  • Earth post-Invid occupation, adventure ideas, new character sheets and more.
  • Cover by Apollo Okamura. Great art throughout.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda.
  • Manga size; easy portability. (An 8½ x 11 deluxe edition may follow in the Spring or Summer of 2008. Additional Robotech sourcebooks to quickly follow.)
  • 224 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 550.
  • Looking more and more like a late-December or early January release. We will try our best to get it out in time for Christmas (remains tentative).

    Rifts® and the Megaverse®
    The Art of John Zeleznik – “Softcover” & “Hardcover” Edition

    The softcover edition of Rifts® and the Megaverse® is just as gorgeous as the two hardcover editions, and a steal at only $22.95 for the quality and amount of material. Bring back memories of your favorite games, get ideas from page after page of artwork, including concept art and designs, and enjoy the commentaries.

    The fifty dollar hardcover edition is limited to 300 copies signed by John Zeleznik and Kevin Siembieda. It is the same quality as the Masterwork edition, but does NOT include original artwork and is not numbered.

  • 15 years of artwork for Rifts® and other Palladium titles.
  • More than 50 Zeleznik paintings, plus dozens of color preliminary paintings.
  • More than 200 concept drawings and alternative color sketches.
  • High quality reproduction, and excellent paper quality.
  • Paintings, artwork, design and layout, all by John Zeleznik.
  • Foreword by Kevin Siembieda. Introduction by Zeleznik.
  • 8 ½ x 11 inches, 128 pages of full color. Color cover, glossy paper stock.
  • Softcover is Cat. No. 2510 – $22.95 retail.
  • Hardcover is Cat. No. 2510-HC – $50.00 retail; limited to 300 copies and includes a tip-in signature sheet signed by Zeleznik and Siembieda.
  • Available now.

    Rifts® and the Megaverse®: The Art of John Zeleznik
    – Collector’s “Masterwork” Edition comes with original art

    Each of the 199 copies of the “Masterwork” edition comes with a one-of-a-kind, original concept drawing (pencil sketch, inked rough, etc.) that was originally created by renowned artist, John Zeleznik, specifically for one of the paintings or illustrations that appears in the book! To our knowledge, NO publisher has ever offered any of the original sketches and drawings used to create the artwork depicted in the art book. This unprecedented collector’s item makes a great gift for that, “I own everything Palladium,” collector, as well as serious fans of Palladium Books or John Zeleznik.

  • Each piece of art is tipped into the book itself, numbered, and signed by John Zeleznik and Kevin Siembieda.
  • Each piece of art is an original made over the last 15 years during the creation process of the work that appears in this very book.
  • A truly one-of-a-kind collectible. A perfect birthday or Christmas gift for any Palladium fan.
  • A must for Palladium/Rifts® super-fans and collectors.
  • Limited to approximately 199 copies – only 93 copies are left.
  • Color cover, different than the soft cover.
  • Numbered and signed by John Zeleznik and Kevin Siembieda.
  • 128 pages – quality color – Cat. No. 2510-CML – available only from Palladium Books and only while supplies last.
  • $125.00 each, plus $15 for shipping in the USA, $20 to Canada, and $35 to all other countries for shipping. MUST be sent UPS, Priority Mail/Certified or some other way it can be tracked and is insured to arrive. Available now. Makes a great Christmas gift.

    Coming Soon

    - The Rifter® #40 – Available now!
    - $50 Zeleznik HC Art Book, signed by Zeleznik & Siembieda – available now.
    - Coalition Wars® Book 4: Cyber-Knights™ – back in print.
    - Dimension Book 8: Naruni™ Wave 2 – back in print.
    - Rifts® China One – back in print.
    - Rifts® World Book 10: Juicer Uprising™ – back in print end of November.
    - Wolfen Empire™ – back in print December.
    - Dimension Book 11: Dyval™, Hell Unleashed – November.
    - Robotech®: The Shadow Chronicles® RPG – December.
    - Heroes of the Megaverse® – December (or January).
    - Dimension Book 12: Dimensional Outbreak™ – December (or January).
    - And we will still try to squeeze in one or two other titles, but no promises.
    - Plus downloadable material, therifter.com, and a few surprises up our sleeves in the way of special items available only online.
    - Palladium Art and Collectibles Auction ends Saturday, November 17.

    Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.

    © Copyright 2007 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved. Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, and Coalition Wars® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Dyval, Minion War, Dead Reign, Naruni, Cyber-Knights and other titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc.

    This press release may be reprinted, reposted, linked and shared for the sole purpose of advertising, promotion and sales solicitation.