On March 28, 29 and 30, a small army of fan volunteers (about 50 of them) gathered from around the country to help Palladium Books move. It was awesome and I again want to thank everyone who came to help.
As of April 21, the warehouse is 95% in place and so are most of the offices (even my own) and library. Yep, looking good.
Our new home is . . .
Palladium Books Inc.
39074 Webb Court
Westland, MI 48185
Online: www.palladiumbooks.com
Help/Order Line: (734) 721-2903
Getting the new offices up and running at 100% as quickly as possible has been our top priority. Getting unpacked was a lot of work. Many folks thought it would take us 5-8 weeks, so we are pretty pleased with ourselves to be settled in after about three.
A portent of good luck? The guys and gals at the office have taken the visitation of a fawn to the Palladium offices last week as an omen of good fortune. The young deer, still covered in spots, camped out at Palladium’s doorstep for about an hour and a half. And we don’t mean on the front lawn. She sat right down on the mat in front of the door, as calm as could be, to stay a while. Jokes about our “guard deer” and “Perytons” were rampant. It was fun and exciting for us city boys.
Now that we are settled in, we are diving into work to release the many books we have promised. The Rifter® #42 ships later this week, and I, Kevin Siembieda, am back to finishing Dyval, while Jason Marker is finishing his work on Carl Gleba’s third Minion War title, Dimensional Outbreak, interrupted only by his work on the Robotech Masters sourcebook.
On a more somber note, our wonderful friend, Erick Wujcik, is resting comfortably in hospice. Sadly, it appears the end is near; he may not make it to May. For those of you who may not have yet heard, Erick is dying of pancreatic cancer that has spread to his liver and other organs.
Our heartfelt prayers go out to Erick, Kathryn Kozora (his beloved sweetheart of 28 years), Sara, David, and all his family and friends around the world.
If you have been meaning to post your thoughts about Erick or wish him well before he passes from this mortal coil, NOW is the time to do so at erickwujcik.com – log in and post away.
Wow. I knew the return of Robotech® to role-playing games would be welcomed, but it is a thrill to see just how welcomed. Palladium’s number one distributor has placed a restock order every week since the book shipped March 21, 2008, and the last one had the biggest numbers yet! Most of our other distributors have also placed restock orders, and online sales continue to come in daily.
It is rewarding to see everyone’s hard work on Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® Role-Playing Game to have been worth the effort. You can count on more of the same in the upcoming sourcebooks.
Most fans love the material and enjoy the manga-size. Freelance writer, Carl Gleba, has been running a campaign since he got his copy and is loving it. So are many other Palladium and Robotech fans. Excellent.
The RPG picks up where the DVD movie begins, with the return of the United Earth Expeditionary Force (UEEF), the separation of the SDF-3 from the rest of the fleet, the battle of Reflex Point, space combat, treachery and everything else that is part of Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles®.
Deluxe, 8½ x 11 inch, Hardcover Edition of Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG is in development and should make its debut at Gen Con this August.
This version of the RPG will be our usual sized book, probably hardcover, probably a limited press run (we’re thinking 6,000-10,000 copies). It will offer artwork at a larger size, some additional artwork (maybe some interior color pages), additional game data, and other fun stuff. We may also do a signed and numbered Collector’s Edition limited to 600-1000 copies. HOWEVER, the Deluxe and Collector’s Editions will both be predominantly the same as the manga-sized RPG, just in the traditional 8½ x 11 inch book format.
Southern Cross fans will be happy to know we plan to give the Robotech Masters sourcebook the royal treatment: in-depth coverage, new and updated information, and all new artwork. Writer, Jason Marker, is already doing research and preliminary development for this sourcebook.
The Macross Saga will be my baby (Kevin Siembieda), because Macross is my absolute favorite chapter of Robotech® and has great sentimental value to me. You can expect new, quality artwork by the dynamic Manning brothers (could they be Zor clones?) and the same bold approach to the writing as presented in the Shadow Chronicles® RPG.
We are thrilled to be working on Robotech® again, and are having a blast making it even better the second time around. Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® is only the beginning of a bold new era.
There are only 10-12 sheets of the 41 cent Rifts® stamps left in inventory. Each sheet of stamps features the famous image of the Glitter Boy in flames. Only 130 sheets were printed (half of those used for mailings) and Palladium has no plans, at least at this time, to reprint/reissue these stamps. If anything we might do a new, different stamp in the future, though there are no plans for that either.
The Rifter® is your doorway to unlimited imagination and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. It offers new heroes, powers, weapons, magic and adventure for your games. It presents new villains, monsters and dangers to battle, and new ideas to consider. It helps you unlock your imagination by showing you what other gamers, just like you, have created. That’s right, many of the articles and source material are written by ordinary gamers and fans like you.
Everyone loves it, so Palladium is doing another Summer swimsuit issue. Similar to last year, I’d like to see femme fatales – sexy heroines and villains from across the Megaverse®. Each statted out for one of Palladium’s many world settings by one of Palladium’s many writers.
A Tribute to Erick Wujcik – I’d like to see an emphasis on RPG characters and realms in which Erick Wujcik contributed. That’s easy because he contributed to Rifts® (China 1 & 2, not to mention helping me come up with the name “Rifts”), Palladium Fantasy RPG® (Wolfen, Dragons & Gods, Monsters and Animals), the original Beyond the Supernatural™ (victim characters), and Heroes Unlimited™ (various ideas), and created Ninjas and Superspies™, Mystic China™, and After the Bomb® (mutant animals).
Palladium Artists, get to work! We’ll need the art in by the end of May so we have time for the writers to, um, write the stats!
Open invitation to other artists. If you’ve always considered submitting something to Palladium Books® or you love Erick Wujcik and his work, you can send us ONE full page illustration based on his work. All work is submitted on speculation (which means we are under no obligation to publish it or pay you for your trouble), Palladium only pays $50 for the art that appears in the Swimsuit Issue (this is more for fun than profit), and Palladium purchases ALL rights. You must include an Unsolicited Manuscript Form and if we like your work, we’ll send you a contract.
Ever wonder what life is like in the Chi-Town ‘Burbs? Ever wonder what passes for entertainment in the ‘Burbs? How dangerous it is to be a Rogue Scholar or illegal dealer in books? Ever want a glimpse into the dark soul of a Cyber-Snatcher? Ever wonder how a well intentioned Coalition Soldier assigned to the ‘Burbs handles the stress of his job?
Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs™ answers these questions and more. It is an anthology book of short stories all set in the shadowy Chi-Town ‘Burbs.
Dyval™ is a dimension of Hell that is a deadly rival of the Demons of Hades. It is also the second book in the Minion War™ series, and is every bit as fantastic as Hades.
Dyval™ is a hellish dimension very different from Hades, but just as exotic, dangerous and horrible. The Deevil Host, evil monsters and minions, Deevil society, monstrous War Steeds, magic, adventure settings and more. Interest among Palladium fans is high.
The Minion War™ spills into Phase World®, the city of Center and the Three Galaxies™. The epic scale of the Minion War just got bigger and even the Worlds of Warlock, the Splugorth and Naruni are involved.
War factions from the Hells, Hades and Dyval, have discovered the existence of a great mystic artifact that has been hidden and protected by the Cosmo-Knights of the Three Galaxies. And both sides want it.
The artifact is an ancient Rune Book that contains the names of the 2000 greatest heroes the Megaverse® has ever known. But it is more than a historical document, it is a magic item of unparalleled power.
According to legend, the tome has many great powers. One such power is that reading the name of any one person inscribed, while evoking the proper magic, will give the reader the knowledge and power of that great hero. And many are the powers of the 2000.
The artifact also has its dangers. It is said if the List of Heroes™ is wrested from the Cosmo-Knights and kept locked in the pits of Hell, then the Knights and all heroes of the Three Galaxies will lose hope and flounder. If the book is destroyed, it is said, the Cosmo-Knights will cease to exist within a generation and the forces of Chaos shall reign. Needless to say, the Lords of Hell, the Splugorth and many others who serve Chaos would do anything to get their hands on the List of Heroes.
Rumor also suggests that the artifact may hold clues to the location of the Cosmic Forge, perhaps in some sort of code or the memories of the heroes who can be evoked. And there are many other tales of cosmic power, healing and knowledge all associated with the book and the ghosts of the heroes named on its pages.
As circumstance would have it, the List of Heroes has fallen into the possession of the Player Characters. The question is, can they keep it safe from the forces of two Hells until it can be returned to the safekeeping of the Cosmo-Knights? Or will they misuse it for their own, personal gain? How will this scenario unfold? Who is on that list? Buy a copy, play out the scenario and find out.
Note: This is the Adventure Sourcebook that prints the names of everyone who purchased the A Megaverse United™ limited edition print. It is also likely to include the names of some winners from the Heroes of the Megaverse® character contest as fully statted out characters (heroes and villains).
You got your first glimpse of Dead Reign™ in The Rifter® #40 – that’s only a glimpse of what’s to come. Bear in mind that this article was just a look at part of the proposed story and setting, with suggestions for using existing rules to play now. The final RPG will provide a rich, detailed post-apocalyptic world and the heroes who have managed to survive.
Dead Reign™ is a game of survival, rescue and revenge. Player characters are both the hunted and the hunters as they battle the creeping doom and pray for salvation.
The Minion War has rolled into countless dimensions with a roar, but not on Heroes Unlimited™ Earth. Here, the monsters of Dyval are working covertly behind the scenes, causing chaos and mayhem, and have brought Earth to the brink of global war. However, the demons’ dimensional incursions have alerted super-heroes around the globe to their sinister presence and the heroes are mounting their own response. Can the heroes of Earth stop the demons’ plans to plunge our world into Armageddon?!
Fear not. We have not forgotten about The Rifter® Zero or rifter.com – they are coming soon to Palladium’s ever expanding online community.
Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.
© Copyright 2008 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
This press release may be reprinted, reposted, linked and shared for the sole purpose of advertising, promotion and sales solicitation.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited, Beyond the Supernatural, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.