Sales were incredible last weekend. With the last chance of getting the 2009 Christmas Surprise Package last Friday, more than 55 Grab Bag orders came in. In addition, we saw a fair number of regular book sales and Rifter subscriptions come in. The rest of the week we saw the usual sharp drop from the Holiday season. Sales were not great, but they were far from terrible. We hope The Rifter subscription drive and new book releases will keep Palladium’s sales strong and keep cash flow even during these slow winter and spring months.
The Rifter® #49 shipped today. The January issue was supposed to ship on Monday or Tuesday, but there was a delay at the printer so it shipped out TODAY. A copy of The Rifter® #49 went out to all current subscribers and we encourage folks to take advantage of the current subscription drive. Many subscriptions ended with issue #48, so this is your chance to renew, save money, and get a FREE gift. And don’t forget, The Rifter® #50 will have more pages, a bunch of “official” source material and loads of fun packed into it. Keep those renewed subscriptions coming, and if you’ve never gotten The Rifter®, give it some serious thought.
Dimensional Outbreak™ is in final production with typesetting and layout starting any day now. It is a fun, fun book.
Heroes of the Megaverse® and Robotech® UEEF Marines are next on my schedule.
Meanwhile, I’ve been coordinating work on Triax 2, the updated and expanded Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms (World Book One), the Rifts® Vampire Sourcebook, The Rifter® #50, Rifts® Lemuria, the 2010 Palladium Open House and other efforts and business. Whew. Talk about a crazy schedule.
The Rifter® #50 (April issue) marks 12.5 years of The Rifter® and this issue is going to be something special.
My Dad continues to do great. I couldn’t see him this week, but we spoke on the phone a few times and he sounded really good. Arlene still has a few health concerns, but everyone was in good spirits.
Carmen Bellaire is insane! Okay, maybe not insane, but close to it! No, um . . . I mean . . . he’s over the top enthusiastic and dedicated to making the 2010 Palladium Open House an event to remember. Carmen has gone all out creating an entire and amazing cityscape for the Robotech® games he’ll be running all weekend. He’s already spent hundreds of hours building the city and a small fortune acquiring old Robotech action figures to use as miniatures in the game. Your mission: To free a strategically important facility from the hands of renegade Zentraedi and human rebels with as few civilian casualties as possible!
Carmen blew us away when he paid us a visit on Monday and set up just half of his city. The photos here and in the 2010 Palladium Open House Updates thread will give you a glimpse of what Carmen has in store for those of you who will be playing in his action-packed Robotech® game.
And Carmen is not the only one. Julius Rosenstein has spent months prepping for his 5-6 gaming events, as have a large number of Palladium Game Masters and creators such as Carl Gleba, Greg Diazcyk, Brandon Aten, James Brown, and others. Meanwhile, Kathy Simmons and I are doing everything in our power to make the 2010 Palladium Open House run smoother than ever and be our most memorable yet.
Note: Please remember that the Palladium Open House is NOT an annual event. We don’t know if we’ll host it again next year (or ever). We love doing them, but the Open Houses are a lot of work and some years, like 2008, things happen that prevent us from doing it. We just want to mention that for some of you who may be thinking you’ll come next year or the following year, we have no current plans to host the Open House in 2011. Also, don’t forget that we must limit the number of people who can attend to around 300 or so. The point is: Come on down and join the fun this year, if you can. The good news about this is that we run each Open House as if it were our last, which means we go all out.
We are entertaining all kinds of things to celebrate Rifts® 20th Birthday, including special events at the Palladium Open House, a bunch of new Rifts® books, online events, contests, and more. The first idea (originally suggested by Brandon Aten) is an art contest.
There will be two categories: color cover art and black and white interior art.
The winner in the color art category will see his/her art used as the cover of the next issue of The Rifter® or a future Rifts® supplement. The winner of the black and white (grey tones okay) category will see his/her art appear inside the next issue of The Rifter® or a future Rifts® supplement.
Furthermore, the art from ALL contestants will be considered for possible use in future issues of The Rifter® and Rifts® sourcebooks. This contest will be open to professional artists, semi-professional artists and non-professional (previously unpublished) artists. So if you are a Rifts fan and an artist with a dream, you WILL want to submit your work. Start thinking up ideas. Multiple entries or entries in both categories “is” allowed.
More details are likely to come, but here are some of the basics:
- Two categories: 1. Color Cover art. 2. Full Page Black and White Illustration.
- Subject Matter: RIFTS®. We want artwork that screams Rifts® to celebrate the Rifts® RPG turning 20 years old.
- Deadline: All entries must be submitted to Palladium Books NO LATER than March 28, 2010; sooner is better.
- What to send: Submit a digital file and quality proof of the “finished” art - or - the original artwork (please insure originals) to: Palladium Books, Contest A, 39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185.
- Determining the Winners: The art of all contestants will be displayed at the 2010 Palladium Open House, where a winner and two runners up will be selected. Those in attendance will vote for their favorites. Fan votes will count for 50% in picking a winner, 30% will come from Palladium artists and staff, and 20% of the vote will come from me, Kevin Siembieda, Publisher.
- Art submissions are copyrighted and owned by Palladium Books: All submission are “derivative” of Palladium’s copyrighted intellectual properties. Any art we publish will get the artist paid.
- Agreement: The artists entering will need to sign and return an agreement sent to them to be considered.
What the Winners Get: The winning artwork will get published in either the next issue of The Rifter® - or - an upcoming Rifts supplement! And get paid for. There are going to be at least two categories: Rifts® Color Cover (leave space at the top for a title/logo) and Black and White Full Page Illustration, but we might add more once we see the artwork submitted. Furthermore, we may consider using OTHER contestants’ artwork in future issues of The Rifter® and/or Rifts® sourcebooks. For any art we publish from this contest, the artist will get paid, and get full credit inside the book, plus several free copies of the book his art appears in. (All winners of this contest will get paid the low end of Palladium’s payment scale.)
It ain’t American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance, but this could be your shot at breaking in to the RPG business at Palladium Books. Start drawing this weekend.
- Rifts® 20th Anniversary T-Shirt.
- A Rifts® limited edition portfolio with art by 4-8 artists. Probably black and white art. Each signed by the artist.
- Rifts® Artists jam poster, 4-8 Palladium artists all draw part of a Rifts illustration that is sold as a print or poster. Signed by the artists or comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by each artist. Or maybe a couple of poster by a few different artists.
- A Rifts® character sheet contest.
- A Rifts® adventure contest.
Actually, we’re open to reasonable suggestions. Remember, we have limited resources and time so things like model kits, miniature games, action figures, etc. are NOT possible.
That’s it from me, for now. Keep those imaginations burning bright and game on!
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher & Writer
As usual, Palladium’s Christmas Surprise Packages were a big hit. We hope we helped to brighten the lives of a lot of good little (and not so little) gamers all over the world. Thank you for your support. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people saying they enjoy reading the fan comments and testimonials that come with many of the Surprise Package orders, so here are a few last parting comments. Till next year.
P.O. in Walnut Grove, Missouri, writes: I wish that I had known about Palladium’s recent problems, I would have found a way to have bought something sooner, but I haven’t thought about Rifts® until your [Press Release] emails started arriving. I stopped buying because the place that sold Rifts® went out of business a couple years ago . . .
Kevin’s comment: We hear about store closings or product not being available all too often. It’s a shame so many stores have gone out of business or been forced to reduce the range of product they carry. Please support your favorite stores, but also remember that if you can’t find Palladium products in the store, you can order online.
J.P. in North Lauderdale, Florida, writes: A friend got me hooked 7 years ago, and since then I haven’t stopped. I love the Palladium system with its limitless possibilities. Fellow gamers are always surprised when I tell them that any character they want can be made in a Palladium game. Definitely something for everyone. And the best part – Palladium hasn’t forgotten their fans!
Kevin’s comment: We could never forget our fans. You guys and gals are the best on the planet, bar none. Game on!
H.A. in Bridgeport, Connecticut, writes: This is my second time ordering the Surprise Package. It has become a special treat around the holidays and my birthday. Thank you, guys, for introducing me to role-playing games, and for putting out quality affordable products year after year even when times are hard.
Kevin’s comment: Thanks for the kind words. I hope you enjoyed this year’s Surprise Package as much as your last one.
D.L. in Salt Lake City, Utah, writes: Please keep up all the good work! I have played and loved your games for over 25 years now. I recently got to start playing again after a long hiatus, and Palladium was where I landed. Cheers to you for helping form thousands of memorable characters through the ages.
Kevin’s comment: You are very welcome, but now I feel old . . . ancient even. I plan to continue to create new games through more ages to come. :)
N.C. in Parede, Portugal, writes: I’ve been a big fan since the ‘80s when I lived in Canada. When I moved to Portugal in 1992, I turned my gaming friends onto paper and dice RPGs, and especially Palladium’s games. We have been playing on and off for years. My gaming group continues to revere Palladium to this day. I’m buying this Surprise Package as a show of support and also because I love the books. Thank you and much success to Palladium.
Kevin’s comment: Thanks for the support. Keep that imagination burning bright and keep spreading the word about Palladium and role-playing games.
The Rifter® shipped today, January 22, 2010, with books going out to our distributors and subscribers. Most subscribers should get the latest issue early next week, before it hits store shelves. We couldn’t help noticing a lot of you haven’t gotten around to renewing your subscriptions yet. Take advantage of the super-subscription deal going on right now!
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.
Has your subscription recently lapsed?
Have you been thinking about getting a subscription to The Rifter®, but haven’t gotten around to it or made that final choice?
Is your subscription ending later this year?
Then it’s time to subscribe or re-subscribe, right now. Why now? Because Palladium has the best subscription offer ever.
Each issue of The Rifter® presents unofficial and/or official adventures, characters, powers, weapons, equipment and fiction for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Chaos Earth™, Splicers®, Nightbane®, Beyond the Supernatural™, Dead Reign™, and/or any variety of other Palladium games and world settings. It’s also a place to get the latest news, product release info, and see new games, like Warpath: Urban Jungle™, showcased. The Rifter® is more than a magazine or sourcebook, it is a forum for new talent.
In short, if you’re into one or more of Palladium’s role-playing games and like to explore new realms of possibility, then The Rifter® is for you. Check it out and order yours today. And tell a friend! Tell lots and lots of friends!!
In final production. Will go to the printer next week.
Author Carl Gleba has created another masterpiece brimming with ideas, new demons, new Deevils, new whacked out spaceships, new magic spells, more about Phase World, Center, the escalating Minion War and much more. Dimensional Outbreak™ is another exciting and surprise filled book in the Minion War™ series as 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.
The Book of Heroes is said to be one of the greatest magic artifacts in the Megaverse. Only one copy is known to exist, and everyone wants to get their hands on it – Demons, Deevils, the Splugorth, the Dominators, the Kreeghor, the United Worlds of Warlock and everyone in between. For it is said that he who wields the “Power of the 2000" can rule the universe.
Once protected by the Cosmo-Knights, the book has gone missing. No one knows its fate or the true power contained within its List of Heroes. No one except YOU – the new keepers of this legendary Rune book.
This book is exactly what you’d imagine it would be. In short:
An in-depth look at the Expeditionary Force Marines, their history, strategies and tactics, M.O.S. skill packages, operations and missions.
Kevin Siembieda is reorganizing, tweaking, expanding and updating one of the most popular Rifts® World Books ever published: Vampire Kingdoms™. This will include some new artwork and an expanded page count. The book will be updated and expanded in much the same way as Kevin did with Rifts® Sourcebook One a couple years ago. Best of all, it’s just the prelude to a Rifts® Vampire Sourcebook that will follow a month or two later.
Why wait? A special printing of the original Rifts® World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms™ is available exclusively from Palladium Books.
Palladium intends to support all of its game lines and that includes the setting of the Three Galaxies. The Thundercloud Galaxy™ is just the second of several books crafted by the talented Braden Campbell to expand your gaming Megaverse in the Three Galaxies. History, aliens, weapons, spacecraft, and adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
To celebrate The Rifter® turning 12 years old this year and reaching issue number fifty, we present an issue filled with official source material and adventures from a list of guest freelance writers that you all know and love. Plus an expanded page count.
Trouble is stirring in the Vampire Kingdoms as ambitious vampire lords, ladies and misanthropes seek to expand their power to dominate more mortal life forms.
Written by Kevin Siembieda and a handpicked selection of other writers, this sourcebook explores the vampires of Mexico and their kingdoms in ways you never imagined. Much new data, adventure ideas and revelations.
At last, the underwater realm of Lemuria. The people and history of Lemuria, new magic, sea herbs and healing, monsters, the New Navy, and much, much more.
Demons and Deevils are trying to turn Earth into one of their playgrounds. It’s worse than you think. The plan is to bring about Armageddon to unleash a powerful force that could change the tide of the Minion War™. Only Earth’s greatest superheroes (that’s your characters) stand in their way. Can be played as a Minion War™ crossover bringing in heroes from across the Megaverse, or as a stand-alone adventure setting for Heroes Unlimited™.
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.
The Robotech® core sourcebook you’ve been waiting for . . . only it’s going to be more than you imagine.
Data about the chaos and madness of the early days of the Great Apocalypse, and the brave men and women who tried to stem the tide of destruction and save lives, the First Responders.
The following are in the pipeline, but are not yet scheduled. Most are likely to be released after those previously described, but a couple might get slotted into release sooner.
Robotech® New Generation™ Freedom Fighters Sourcebook (and others)
More Rifts® Chaos Earth™ sourcebooks
More Rifts® sourcebooks
More Phase World®/Three Galaxies™ sourcebooks
Nightbane® Sourcebook Six
Mysteries of Magic™ Three
Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three
The Rifter® Number 51 & 52
Warpath™ Urban Jungle™
and more . . .
Aliens Unlimited™, Revised is back as a special printing currently available exclusively via Palladium’s online store. We are making it available to meet the demand of our fans who have been requesting this fan-favorite sourcebook for a long while now. It is ideal for space based campaigns, and alien invasion scenarios, and can be easily adapted to Rifts® and Phase World®/The Three Galaxies™.
Old Ones™ is back in print as a special printing currently available exclusively via Palladium’s online store. Old Ones™ is an epic sourcebook packed full of information, people, places and ideas. Details about the Old Ones, the Minotaur R.C.C. (an ancient minion of the Old Ones), the Monk Scholar and Illusionist, 50 cities and towns mapped and described, adventure ideas and the epic Place of Magic adventure.
Dead Reign™: Dark Places™ presents four new, gruesome zombies that will make your skin crawl, plus more survivor secrets, using railroad tracks and the urban underground – sewers, storm drains, steam tunnels and other subterranean labyrinths – to travel unseen and undetected by the walking dead. Of course, these “secret highways” of the human survivors have their own dangers and problems.
The Heart of Magic™ is packed with new information, details and new insight about magic, P.P.E., the Palladium World, Men of Magic, Wizards, Warlocks, Priests, Familiars, true names, apprenticeship, scroll conversion, learning magic, new and different magic O.C.C.s, new Wizard and Warlock spells, and data that expands, defines and clarifies a number of aspects about the practice of magic in the Palladium Fantasy setting. Easy to adapt to Rifts® (just change S.D.C. damage to M.D. and you are ready to go).
All release dates are tentative, but these are the dates Palladium is shooting for. All titles listed either have been turned in as final manuscripts or are in various stages of final development.
- The Rifter® #49 – Available now
- Rifts® Dimension Book™ 12: Dimensional Outbreak™ – February
- Rifts®/Phase World® Sourcebook: Heroes of the Megaverse® – February or March.
- Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ Two – March
- Robotech® UEEF Marines – March
- Rifts® World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded & Updated – March
- Rifts® Dimension Book™: Thundercloud Galaxy™ – March or April
- The Rifter® #50 (expanded, anniversary issue) – April
- Rifts® Vampire Sourcebook™ – April
- Rifts® World Book: Lemuria™ – April
- 2010 Palladium Open House Event – April 29 thru May 2.
- Armageddon Unlimited™ – May
- Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames – June
- Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook – June
- Plus more Robotech® sourcebooks, more Mysteries of Magic™ sourcebooks (hoping to slot one in before June), more Nightbane® sourcebooks, more Dead Reign™ sourcebooks, Warpath™ and other good stuff.
Palladium has made several out of print titles and the first 40 issues of The Rifter® available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. We are regularly asked if out of print titles such as Nightbane® Book Four: Shadows of Light™, the original Mechanoids® RPGs, Boxed Nightmares™, BTS First Edition, etc. are available, and they are, at DriveThruRPG.com. Check ‘em out. And sometime in 2010, DriveThruRPG.com expects to be able to offer complete print on demand features so you can get a pdf of the game or an actual, printed book. Cool, eh?
Kathy Simmons has added a Mad Doctor, a trio of witches, and a killer clown to her listing of life-sized Halloween props at the Queen of Ghouls™ Ebay store. We understand a Leprechaun, more witches and other things that go bump in the night will be added over the weekend.
Kathy makes and sells one of a kind, life-sized Halloween props. You know, vampires, werewolves, witches, wizards, zombies and monsters for display on your front lawn. She hit a couple of speed bumps due to the economy, but word of mouth spreads, and her sales have started to pick up. Her work is imaginative, original and the craftsmanship is impressive. If you think the photos online look good you should see them in person. Wow. A typical “ghoul,” as she calls her creations, costs $89-$150. You can see some of her work (available off-season at lower prices) at her Queen of Ghouls™ Ebay store – queenofghouls.com.
Note: Limited to only 300 people. Make sure you are one of them.
The Palladium Open House is always something special, and this year we plan to make it more special than ever. We have a lot to celebrate and the fun will reign all weekend long. Join us, won’t you?
For more information and to pre-register, click here.
Note: POH Game Masters and games needed. Please let us know, the sooner the better, so we can put together and post a schedule online by the end of February. Thanks.
Palladium Freelancers, please let us know as soon as possible if you are planning on attending. Thanks.
It helps Palladium plan and organize when we know how many gamers are coming to the 2010 Palladium Open House (POH), so please pre-register as soon as possible. We want to make sure to schedule enough games for EVERYONE. Thank you.
© Copyright 2010 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
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.
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. Beyond the Supernatural™, Dead Reign, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, The Three Galaxies, Warpath, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.