Palladium Books® – Press Release – March 5, 2010
By Kevin Siembieda
Online Sales: Sales were much stronger than last week and while up and down a bit, we didn’t see any of the sharp declines that we sometimes see. In fact, the week ended up 35% higher than the same week last year, and down from the previous, strong week by only 15%. This does not include pre-orders for Rifts® Dimensional Outbreak™ which have been outstanding. I’d like to send a special thanks to customers Lowell Van Wagener and Dan Nagle for their humongous orders this week. Lowell’s helped get the week off to a good start and Dan helped keep sales rolling.
UPDATE: Rifts® Dimensional Outbreak™ ships Monday (March 8). Get your orders in, because you are going to enjoy this book. If you’re fans of Phase World® and the Three Galaxies™ you’ll love it. And if you are not a fan of the Minion War™ yet, Outbreak will make you one. In my opinion, this metaplot series is the best we’ve ever done.
UPDATE: Rifts® Heroes of the Megaverse® is going to be another fun book. The art coming in is looking great (about 75% is done). The writing is coming along well too. We plan to send the book to the printer next week and it is on schedule.
I’m happy to say, Heroes of the Megaverse® is shaping up to be everything I want it to be. I also suspect it’s going to be very different from what you are expecting. It sure blew Alex’s mind. It was nothing like what he was thinking it would be. And once he got the idea, Alex has been contributing to it’s development with questions, suggestions and ideas that have helped me plumb the depth of my imagination. My goal is to make this sourcebook surprise you, enthrall you and push your imaginations to the limits, as well as provide ideas for countless adventures. It is also designed for use beyond the Minion War. My imagination is working overtime on this one, and I think you will love the end result. Plus don’t forget, it contain the names of 2,000 fans and friends who, when the call went out for heroes, answered the call and helped Palladium survive the greatest act of treachery imaginable. This one is for you.
UPDATE: The Rifter® #50. Alex and Wayne have been editing all week and artwork has been assigned. It will go to the printer in a couple weeks and is on schedule for its April 8 release date. This special issue is going to be sweet.
UPDATE: Triax™ Two. The artwork coming in is fantastic. Work is progressing well. Ninety percent of the artwork has been assigned. Mike Wilson is doing a fantastic job.
REVIEW: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook: Dark Places™. Steven Dawes wrote an excellent review of Dark Places™. I don’t say it’s excellent just because it’s a glowing review (though it was nice to see), but because it is detailed for those of you wondering what’s in the book, and he understood exactly what I was trying to achieve with the sourcebook. You can read it here: http://www.flamesrising.com/dark-places-rpg-review/
UPDATE: Dad. I took my father out to our weekly Wednesday breakfast and had a nice visit with him and Arlene. Both were in good spirits. Arlene’s condition is unchanged but under control, at least for the time being.
UPDATE: Queen of Ghouls. Kathy Simmons’ business of selling life-sized Halloween ghouls (gueenofghouls.com) seemed stalled during the Christmas season (which makes sense), but all of a sudden sales and special custom orders have been streaming in. She’s sold two “ghouls” over the weekend and she received 12 custom orders for ghouls! Congratulations Kathy. May the orders and sales continue.
UPDATE: Palladium Open House. The Open House is only 8 weeks away. I’m staring to get nervous and stressed about it. That’s nothing new. I always stress over it, because I always want it to be as much fun as possible. I talked about my POH butterflies in my Thursday Murmur. Julius has been busy prepping and rearranging the warehouse for the Open House and the place is looking good. Deep breath. We’ll be fine. People will come. People will have a blast as always. Okay . . . I’m good (for the moment). :)
Please don’t feel bad if you can’t make it to the 2010 Palladium Open House. I’ve been getting a lot of apologies from fans and freelancers who cannot afford to come to the 2010 Open House. That’s okay, and please do not feel bad. Times are tough for everyone and a number of gamers and freelancers can’t make it this year. Big or small, we’ll have fun. We do the Open House for you, our fans, as much as anything, so we don’t want people feeling bad because they couldn’t join the fun.
That being said, we are pulling out all the stops for those who can make it. We’ll be celebrating Rifts® turning 20 years old and just having fun with everyone who attends.
Something you may not know is that Palladium’s freelancers pay their own way to the Open House. They pay for their own travel expenses, hotel, food and even buy admission to the POH to help Palladium and to be there to game and spend time with you. I wanted our fans to know that, because it shows how much they care. Just one more reason why the event is so special.
You might wonder, why do they do that? First and foremost, Palladium has some of the most wonderful (as well as talented) people on the planet working for us. Second, they care about Palladium Books and our fans, specifically, and role-playing, in general, so they do what they can to spread the joy of the Palladium role-playing game experience. Third, they’re gamers and they love to role-play. Fourth, as crazy and exhausting as attending the Open House can be, it is a fun experience that revitalizes all of us. It is an adrenaline rush. We get revved up seeing how much all of you enjoy our games, sourcebooks and the POH. It gets our imaginations fired up and jump-starts our enthusiasm. It is incredibly fun seeing all of your smiling faces and exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, gaming, talking and laughing with you – the people we do this for. The Open House is as much a thrill for us as it is for you, and it renews our spirit in ways you can’t imagine. That’s why we always try to make the event special, and this year, during these hard times, we hope to make it the most fun and memorable ever. Whether we have 120 or 320 people attending, it’s going to be something you, I and all of us will remember with fondness.
So if you can make it, great! Order your tickets, reserve your hotel room or make plans to sleep on the couch at a friend’s house, pack a lunch and come on down. Remember, the price of admission covers ALL events. Hopefully, we will be able to do the Open House again in a year or two (we’re thinking of skipping next year), and you can attend a POH in the future. But know that whether you can make it or not, you’d are still part of the Palladium Books family and you’ll be there in spirit.
POH Game Masters, please get us your game descriptions, days and times you are available to run, by March 15, and join us in striving to make the 2010 Palladium Open House three days of non-stop fun. Three days where we can all forget our troubles for a weekend and have a blast among friends.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Gamer
Time is running out –
The Rifter® Super-Subscription Offer ENDS in 3 weeks!
Only three weeks left before this offer ends.
Savings off the retail price ($8.95 an issue).
Free shipping in the USA.
Delivered right to your door.
A Megaverse® of Adventure and Fun.
Make sure you get the special issue #50.
And a FREE gift worth $13-$40.
Offer ends in March.
We only offer the subscription special once a year, and it ends March 31, so time is running out. This is also an especially great offer with cash savings, free shipping (in the USA) and a special gift. You'd better subscribe or re-subscribe soon to take advantage of this stellar deal.
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!!
Rifts® Dimension Book™ 12: Dimensional Outbreak™
– Ships Monday – March 8
Dimensional Outbreak™ is done and at the printer and ships Monday.
Space opera at its best, Dimensional Outbreak™ is full of new weapons, new spacecraft, new demons and aliens, new magic, and a wealth of information about Phase World, the Prometheans, the Three Galaxies, the Minion War, deception and betrayal. There are enough adventure ideas, turmoil and information to run a campaign in the Three Galaxies for years! The eruption of the Minion War in the Three Galaxies is more mind boggling than anyone has imagined. Virtually every civilization gets caught up in the demons’ scheme and the Deevils’ revenge in one way or another. Can’t say more without giving away too many plot elements, but you will be surprised.
Dimensional Outbreak™ is an 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 United Worlds of Warlock, the Splugorth and Naruni Enterprises are reeling from it. The story hooks are endless.
An overview of Phase World’s Center Levels 1-20. Have you always wondered about Center? Many of your questions are likely to be answered.
Four levels of Center mapped with descriptions of notable locations, shops and people, including Center Defenses, Center Security, Gateland, SpaceTown, Central Station, the Spaceports, Free Trade Zone/Naruni Enterprises, the Warlock Market, Splugorth Trading Post, Wonder World, The Manors, notable merchants and places of business, and much more. It is a nice overview.
60+ Demon Magic spells and rituals.
New Demons include: Demon Knights, Phase Demons, Plasma Demons, Star Slayers, demonic legions and more.
“Living” demonic spaceships, magic weapons and new horrors.
The demons’ plans for conquest, their bases and troops.
Deevil spaceships, bases and defenses.
New minion races serving Deevils and demons.
Historical time-line of Center leading up to the Minion War.
The Battle for Center and the Demons’ Invasion of the Three Galaxies.
Maps of Center Levels 1-4, and key people.
Chaos and war across the Three Galaxies, a campaign of conquest, adventure ideas and more.
A stand-alone Dimension Book that is also the third step in an epic, six book crossover series that races across the Palladium Megaverse®, including Heroes of the Megaverse® (any setting), Heroes Unlimited™ (Armageddon Unlimited™), and Rifts® (Megaverse® in Flames).
Artwork by Bradshaw, Burles, Dudley, Majestic, Maradin & Mumah.
John Zeleznik cover painting.
Written by Carl Gleba.
192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 875. Ships around March 5.
Rifts®/Phase World® Sourcebook:
Heroes of the Megaverse® – ships March 31
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.
The Book of Heroes described.
The incredible magic powers the Book contains.
Notable heroes and the powers bestowed when their names are invoked.
The dangers of the Book of Heroes, and why it must never fall into the hands of any Lord of Hell.
The protectors of the Book of Heroes, and the adventure setting around keeping it safe. Has the book chosen you to defend it?
Minion War tie-in adventure sourcebook or stand-alone sourcebook for Rifts® or Phase World®/The Three Galaxies.
Contains the names of 2000 real life gamers who purchased the special print during Palladium’s Crisis of Treachery (and other heroes).
Cover by Apollo Okamura. Art by Mumah, Dudley and others.
Written by Kevin Siembieda.
96 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 877. Ships end of March. In final production.
The Rifter® #50
Special Anniversary Issue – Ships April 8
Note: Increased cover price of $14.95 and increased page count to 128 pages for this special issue only.
The Rifter® Number 50 celebrates twelve and a half years of publication as well as the Rifts® RPG’s Twentieth Anniversary, by presenting an issue filled with official and unofficial source material and adventures from a list of Palladium guest writers that fans know and love.
Loaded with official source material.
Contributors include Brandon K. Aten, Braden Campbell, Greg Diaczyk, Carl Gleba, Irvin Jackson, Jason Richards, Kevin Siembieda, Taylor White and others.
The latest chapter of Hammer of the Forge™, fiction.
News, coming attractions and more.
Cover by Charles Walton II.
$14.95 retail (higher price due to increased page count and official source material) – 128 pages – Cat. No. 150. In final production. Ships April 8.
Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ Two
– Ships April 23
On schedule and looking fantastic!
Triax™ Two is the long awaited and hotly anticipated sequel to the hugely popular Rifts® World Book 5: Triax™ & The NGR (more than 100,000 copies sold). Fans want this book badly, and it is going to be a hot selling item. A ton of new weapons, vehicles, power armor, giant robots and much more makes this a toy box Rifts fans will not be able to resist.
New information about the New German Republic and its society.
New information about the New German Republic’s military.
New Triax weapons and equipment.
New Triax vehicles, war machines and artillery.
New Triax power armor and robots.
New Triax robot drones and cyborgs.
Update on the Gargoyle Empire and surrounding region.
More ideas for battles and adventure.
Cover by Scott Johnson.
Interior art by Michael Wilson and others.
Written by Taylor White and Brandon Aten.
192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 881. Ships April 23. In final production.
Rifts® Dimension Book™: Thundercloud Galaxy™
The Thundercloud Galaxy™ is the perfect companion to Rifts® Dimensional Outbreak™ to expand one’s gaming Megaverse in the Three Galaxies. History, aliens, weapons, spacecraft, and adventure in a galaxy far, far away.
The galaxy described; history and time-line.
16 new alien R.C.C.s, plus notes on the Exiles and Dominators.
6 new O.C.C.s.
Monster and Animal Creation Tables.
Guidelines for Magic Weapon Making.
Notable weapons and technology.
Notable organizations and secret societies.
The Trensik Mercenaries.
The Vortex Region.
The Splugorth Kingdom of Desslyth and many other notable worlds.
New worlds of adventure.
Written by Braden Campbell.
160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 883. Ships in April or May, 2010.
Robotech®
Expeditionary Force Marines™
An in-depth look at the Expeditionary Force Marines, their history, strategies and tactics, M.O.S. skill packages, operations and missions.
UEEF Marine Corps O.C.C. and M.O.S. skills.
New weapons.
New Mecha.
New Marine ground vehicles.
New Marine aircraft.
New Marine specific spacecraft.
History, training, and organization of the UEEF Marines.
Written by Jason Marker. Additional text by Kevin Siembieda.
Cat. No. 553, manga size & format – final page count not yet determined, but we are thinking 128-192 pages, $14.95 retail.
Vampire Kingdoms™ – The Original – Available now
Why wait? A special printing of the original Rifts® World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms™ is available exclusively from Palladium Books.
Rifts Vampires described in detail, including their origins, strengths, weaknesses and powers.
The Vampire Kingdoms of Mexico.
The City of El Paso described.
Ciudad Juarez, a vampire haven, mapped and described.
Reid’s Rangers, Vampire Hunters (and madmen).
Techno-Wizard vampire slaying devices and other weapons.
Freak Shows, Circuses, and Traveling Shows.
The mystery of the Yucatan Peninsula and were-beasts.
Monsters, D-Bees, and adventure ideas galore.
Art by Tim Truman, Kevin Long, Siembieda and others.
Written by Kevin Siembieda.
176 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 802. Available now.
Rifts® World Book One:
Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded & Updated
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.
Vampires: Their strengths, weaknesses and powers.
The Vampire Kingdoms expanded.
Vampire strategies and plans for conquest.
Vampire hunters and Techno-Wizard slayer devices (new and old).
Key locations including Juarez and El Paso.
The mystery of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Traveling Shows, Freak Shows and Circuses.
Monsters, D-Bees, and adventure ideas galore.
Updated and revised to 110 P.A.
Cover by E.M. Gist.
Written by Kevin Siembieda.
192 to 224 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 802-E.
Also Coming in 2010
Rifts® World Book: Lemuria™: 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. Written by Greg Diaczyk. 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 885.
Armageddon Unlimited™ – for Heroes Unlimited™: Demons and Deevils are trying to turn Earth into one of their playgrounds, only it’s worse than you think. The plan is to bring about Armageddon. A stand-alone adventure setting for Heroes Unlimited™, new super abilities, hero categories, demonic weapons, adventure and more. Cover by Mark Evans. Written by Carl Gleba. 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 527.
Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™: Battlefield Earth. The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, plus Soulmancer and Blood Magic, and Demon Plagues across the globe. Rifts Calgary and much, much more. Written by Carl Gleba. 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 876.
Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook: The Robotech® core sourcebook you’ve been waiting for . . . only it’s going to be more than you imagine. Written by Kevin Siembieda and Irvin Jackson. 224+ pages – manga size – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 554.
Rifts® Chaos Earth™ Sourcebook: First Responders™: 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. Written by Jason Richards & Kevin Siembieda. 96 to 128 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 665.
Other books in development:
- 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™ Two & Three
- Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three
- The Rifter® Number 51 & 52
- Warpath™ Urban Jungle™ and more . . .
Out of print titles
available as PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com
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.
Who knew Halloween starts in February?
Kathy Simmons sold a couple of her Halloween ghouls this week, including a brightly colored and friendly wizard that will be used as a display prop in a magic shop in Tennessee, plus, she received 12 custom orders! One for a Mad Doctor’s Assistant and Nurse, one for seven zombies (maybe more) and one for three Witches bent over a creepy stewing pot.
Apparently, Halloween people start planning and buying in the early part of the year through Summer. In addition, Kathy . . . um, I mean the Queen of Ghouls™ has plans for her own creations for resale, including killer clowns, zombies, half zombies, witches, devils, vampires, werebeasts and more!
Palladium’s own Kathy Simmons 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. If you think the photos online look good, you should see them in person. 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.
She is also offering scary, Halloween signs, creepy witches’ stewing pots and other delightfully wicked items.
2010 Palladium Open House
Make your reservations today – Only 8 weeks away
Okay, the countdown is on. If you are planning on coming to the Palladium Open House, please pre-order in the next few weeks. People are welcome to show up at the door, but it helps us plan and make the event the best it can be if we have advance notice.
Join us from morning to midnight in losing yourself in fun and games. Play games till you drop, meet and chat with Palladium staff, writers, and artists. The crew and I are there ALL day long. Enjoy panel talks, ask questions, and enjoy the Saturday Costume Contest; better yet, come in costume and participate in the contest. Meet fellow gamers from around the world and have a blast.
Come for one day or the whole weekend, but do it. Do it because you, and all of us, need to forget our troubles and remember what life is all about: friends, laughter and gaming.
POH Friday is gaming and panel talks all day long, from 9:00 AM to midnight (with more gaming going on at the hotel).
POH Saturday is more gaming and panel talks, plus the live auction and the Costume Contest (it was awesome last year). 9:00 AM to midnight.
POH Sunday is more gaming, but it is a short day; 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM or so.
ALL EVENTS are covered under the cost of admission.
3 Day Weekend: $40 per person (Friday thru Sunday).
Friday Only: $16 per person.
Saturday Only: $16 per person.
Sunday Only: $12 per person.
VIP Night: Sold out.
Online: Click the links above.
By Telephone: Call (734) 721-2903 – have your credit card information ready.
Remember, the Palladium Open House is not an annual event. We host it when we can. There are no current plans to host one next year (just as there wasn’t one in 2008), and we are limited to about 300 or so people. If we max out, we may have to turn people away, so pre-register as soon as possible to secure your place at the party.
Rifts® 20th Birthday celebration.
100+ gaming events!
Open gaming area.
Panel talks. Many this year, all weekend.
Meet 40+ Palladium creators – the largest gathering of Palladium creators in the world!
Chat and get autographs from all the Palladium creators.
Open access to the writers, artists and creators all three days.
Costume Contest (Saturday evening) – Come as a Palladium character and maybe you will win.
Live auction (Saturday evening) with rare out of print books, books from the Erick Wujcik collection, original artwork, proofreader copies of manuscripts, collectibles and more.
And much, much, more.
ALL EVENTS are covered by the cost of admission.
2010 Palladium Open House – April 29, 30, May 1 & 2, 2010.
For more information and to pre-register, click here.
POH Game Masters and games needed. Please let us know if you are running, how many games you are running, etc. – the sooner the better, so we can put together and post online a schedule of events by the end of February. Thanks.
Palladium Creators who will be at the 2010 POH: The Palladium Staff: Kevin Siembieda, Wayne Smith, Kathy Simmons, Julius Rosenstein, Alex Marciniszyn. Plus, Amy Ashbaugh, Brandon Aten, Carmen Bellaire, Nick Bradshaw, Kent Burles, Braden Campbell (tentative), Randi Cartier, Roger Cartier, Stephen Dawes, Matthew Daye, Greg Diazyck, Mark Dudley, Carl Gleba, Jeffry Scott Hansen, Mike Leonard, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Mike Mumah, Apollo Okamura, Mark Oberle, Charles Walton, and other artists, writers and creators.
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.
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.
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.