Stormy weather. Michigan has been beat up by a number of thunderstorms, high winds and even a couple of tornadoes over the last few weeks. We got clobbered yesterday afternoon. Kathy Simmons lost power and is expected to be without power till sometime later this evening or even tomorrow (hope it’s the former and not the latter). 95,000 people are without power around the Palladium office.
We thought Palladium escaped the power outage, but I’m writing this Weekly Update as fast as I can between rolling blackouts. We lost power for about 3-4 hours late this morning till about 3:00 PM. We used that time to discuss some things, straighten our desks, and sort out copies of The Rifter® #51 for shipping.
UPDATE: The Rifter® #51 – arrived 1:20 PM this afternoon, July 16, 2010. It looks great and is another fun-filled issue.
Don’t forget, this issue contains official source material for Rifts® Triax and the NGR™ written by me and Brandon Aten. There is also epic new material for Splicers® by Chris Kluge with gorgeous artwork by Charles Walton II. The whole issue is good stuff. With the recurring losses of electrical power (Kathy Simmons lost power too, and she processes our orders from home), orders probably won’t ship till Monday. Sorry. By the way, you can request a copy in your Christmas in July Grab Bags.
UPDATE: Sales. Online sales remain erratic with one day up and the next day way down. Overall, sales this past week were soft. That surprised me, especially with the Christmas in July Grab Bag offer ending in about one week. But times are tough and scary for a lot of people and others are on vacation having fun as summer starts to wind down. (There’s back to school stuff already hitting the stores!)
UPDATE: This is it, your last week to order your Christmas in July Grab Bags is coming up. Depending on when you read this, you could have one week or a few days to order your Christmas in July Grab Bag! The offer ends July 25, 2010 and will not be extended past July 25.
$28 gets you $55-$65 (sometimes more) worth of Palladium product! Get The Rifter® #51 or back issues of The Rifter®, art prints, posters, books you need to fill your collection, recent releases, the Rifts® anthology book (Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs™), art books, T-shirts, RPGs you’ve meaning to try and other good stuff.
Click here for more information.
UPDATE: Heroes of the Megaverse®. Except for some interruptions by the weather and loss of power, I’ve been writing up a storm. I’m hotter than heck right now. Worked till 9:30 last night and the night before. Ideas are flowing fast and furious and I’m loving what’s coming out. I’d guess that at least 60% of the book is written to various degrees (I’ve been jumping around writing various sections), and I need to start wrapping it up so we can get this bad boy to the printer NEXT WEEK.
UPDATE: Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™. I am dying to dive into the new material for this book as well as doing my retool and updating of the original material.
UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™. Ideas and excitement about this book are filling my head as I consult with freelance writer (and intern) Matthew Clements and artist/writer Mark Dudley on their ideas and contributions to this sourcebook. I have Matthew and Mark working on some very cool stuff that I’ll be expanding upon, plus many of my own ideas. Matthew was blown away by some of the ideas and thinks you will be too. I agree. This book will add a whole new dimension to the Vampire Kingdoms and the threat they represent in North America.
UPDATE: Rifts® Thundercloud Galaxy™. Art is being drawn and the time for rewrites and editing is coming up fast.
UPDATE: Armageddon Unlimited™ (for Heroes Unlimited™ and ties into the Minion War™) is next on my plate. The cover by Mark Evans should be done in a week or two. I approved the tightened, reworked cover sketch this week (nice!). I still need to assign out the interior artwork and had better get to it.
UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. Work on this title continues to move forward. Johnny Z may end up doing the cover after all. I need to assign art for this one too. Yeesh, not enough hours in the day or staff to help.
UPDATE: Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three. Darn it, I have all kinds of ideas for Dead Reign™ (and BTS sourcebooks!) floating around in my head too. I don’t know why I’m so revved up about writing horror/monster based material lately. Anyway, I plan to have a new Dead Reign™ sourcebook out in October, and maybe a bit larger than the last two; I’m thinking 96 pages.
UPDATE: Other game titles. A number of other titles are in development, including at least three secret projects. Exciting.
UPDATE: Non-book products. We have a few non-book products in development that we think you’ll enjoy, too.
One more Summer Auction of Palladium Collectibles: July 25, 2010. We’re going to do one more Summer auction in a week. It will be filled with more out of print books and rare items. More info in the next Weekly Update.
For Kathy Simmons, Halloween is here! The Queen of Ghouls sold 4-5 life-sized Halloween props and four Halloween painted wood signs (each comes with a chain for hanging and a post to mount on the lawn) last weekend and NINE ghouls this week. The latter were all bought by one person. Awesome. And a half dozen others who came to her weekend display and presentation said they’d be placing orders over the next few weeks. As soon as Kathy gets her electricity back, she’ll be in her dungeon building more zombies, witches, mad doctors, and maniacs.
If you are into Halloween decorations, you need to take a look at her creations. They hold up great in the worst weather, dry out absolutely fine, and break down to the size of a king-size pillow for easy storage (and come with a storage bag). People who came to her weekend display and sale marveled at the craftsmanship, high quality and how cool the creatures looked. They are super-impressive in person. Plus, for Palladium fans, you are likely to get a Kevin Siembieda co-creation as I custom paint about 60% of the monsters’ hands and 35% of the masks/faces. If I didn’t live in an apartment, I’d be buying and displaying a dozen of them myself. I couldn’t help myself and purchased one of the signs. Kathy’s thinking about adding capes and some other smaller items to her array of Halloween creations. Go to queenofghouls.com to see photos of her amazing work and what’s currently left available in her store.
UPDATE: Dad. I’m sorry to say Dad was rather down this week. He’s waiting to be scheduled for surgery and was a bit glum about going under the knife to have his bladder and prostate removed. Can’t say as I blame him. I spent extra time with him and got him smiling and laughing a bit. I'll be taking him in for surgery and praying everything goes smoothly.
We remain positive and optimistic. There are many excellent books in the pipeline coming your way.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher and Writer
$28 gets you $55-$65 (sometimes more) worth of Palladium product! Get The Rifter® #51 or back issues of The Rifter®, art prints, posters, books you need to fill your collection, recent releases, the Rifts® anthology book (Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs™), art books, T-shirts, RPGs you’ve meaning to try and other good stuff.
Get a Grab Bag or two as gifts or to treat yourself. Remember, a $28 investment could give you months and months of gaming enjoyment (and hold you over till the real Christmas Grab Bags).
Have your books autographed. We are happy to sign each and every book in your Grab Bag. For some of you, this is the only way to get signed books.
Please take advantage of this great offer for yourself and your friends. This offer helps you and Palladium, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Spread the word – there’s only one last week to order. I suspect a lot role-players haven’t heard about Christmas in July yet. Tell everyone and order yours today! ;)
Click here to order your Christmas in July Grab Bag.
- The Rifter® #49 – Now available.
- The Rifter® #50 (special anniversary issue) – Now available.
- The Rifter® #51 (official Triax source material & more) – Now available.
- Rifts® Dimension Book™ 12: Dimensional Outbreak™ – Now available.
- Rifts® Logo Hoodies (2 styles, zipper and pullover) – Now available.
- Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ Two – Now available.
- Rifts® 20 Year Celebration T-Shirt – Now available.
- Rifts® 20 Year Celebration Color Print – Now available. Suitable for framing.
- Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms – “Death is for the Weak” T-Shirt – Now available.
- Palladium Books® – Game Master T-Shirt – Now available.
- Palladium Open House “Checklist” T-Shirt – Now available.
- Rifts®/Phase World®: Heroes of the Megaverse® – August
- Armageddon Unlimited™
- Rifts® World Book One: Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded/Updated
- Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™
- Rifts® World Book: Lemuria
- Rifts® Dimension Book™: Thundercloud Galaxy™
- Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames
- Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook
- Rifts® Chaos Earth™ – First Responders Sourcebook
- Plus more Robotech® sourcebooks, more Mysteries of Magic™ sourcebooks, more Nightbane® sourcebooks, more Dead Reign™ sourcebooks, Warpath™ and other good stuff. Note: Order of release, as listed, may be altered.
The Rifter® #51 is in our warehouse and waiting to be shipped to you. Official Rifts® Triax™ weapons, cyborgs and other source material, strange and amazing O.C.C.s, powers and abilities for Splicers®, and much more.
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.
In final production and looking good. Final editting and layout are expected next week.
Heroes of the Megaverse® presents numerous NPC heroes, new details about the Cosmo-Knights and all kinds of fun with a magic artifact known as the Book of Heroes. This magic artifact is said to bestow incredible power upon those who use it. It can also guide and empower current day heroes and unleash forces that could have a profound impact on the Minion War. Only one copy is known to exist, and everyone wants to get their hands on it – good guys and bad (demons, Deevils, the Splugorth, the Dominators, the Kreeghor, etc.). According to legend, he who controls the Book of Heroes and wields the “Power of the 2000,” can rule the universe. Once protected by the Cosmo-Knights, the book has gone missing for millennia. 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.
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™.
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 will be accompanied by the Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook that will also come out this summer.
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. Tons of new data, adventure ideas and revelations.
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 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.
At last, the underwater realm of Lemuria. The people and history of Lemuria, new magic, sea herbs and healing, sea monsters, and more.
Data about the chaos and madness of the early days of the Great Cataclysm, and the brave men and women who tried to stem the tide of destruction and save lives, the First Responders.
Palladium has 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.
- Splicers® RPG
- Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, First Edition Rules.
- Boxed Nightmares™ for BTS, First Edition Rules.
- Nightbane® Book Four: Shadows of Light™.
- The Mechanoids® RPG and The Mechanoid Invasion® RPG Trilogy.
- Palladium Fantasy RPG®, First Edition Rules and select 1st edition sourcebooks.
- After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks.
- The Rifter® issues 1-40.
- The Best of The Rifter®
- Deluxe Revised RECON® RPG and Advanced RECON® Sourcebook.
- And more – go to DriveThruRPG.com and check ‘em out.
Kathy has sold 13 of her creations in just the last week, and if the sales follow last year’s pattern, she’ll be selling like hot cakes in the months of July and August. If you see something you want, you’d better buy sooner than later. Remember, these are one-of-a-kind works of art.
Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons makes and sells all-weather, life-sized Halloween props. Each is a one-of-a-kind work of art. Each looks frighteningly “real.” All come apart for easy storage. All come with the lawn stake to stand them up in your front yard. Indoor stand sold separately.
Types of “Ghouls” include: a wild-eye butcher, a ghoulish butler, killer clowns, wizards, witches, devils, grave ghouls, scarecrows, crawling zombies, staggering zombies, all kinds of zombies, executioners, mad doctors, vampires, werewolves, monsters, grave ghouls, and more. Kathy’s also now offering an array of hand-painted Halloween signs, signs with heads and bodies hanging from them, witch’s brewing pots and more. Best of all, her high quality creations are much more affordable and imaginative than most competitors or mass produced items in a store, making them affordable Halloween fun.
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 at her Queen of Ghouls™ Ebay store – queenofghouls.com.
Palladium’s next auction should start July 25, 2010. All items sold in “as is” condition. Most are typically very good to mint condition. Items for Rifts®, Robotech®, and other game lines will be offered along with original art and other goodies.
© 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.