UPDATE: Henry Siembieda, 1930-2010. For the many of you who have probably not yet heard, my beloved father passed away at 1:45 AM, Monday morning. He will be missed greatly.
I had been struggling for the right words to memorialize my Dad. In some ways he was a very simple man, and in others, quite complex. He only graduated 8th Grade, worked hard most of his life, and missed my mother every day over the 21 years since her death, also from cancer. He enjoyed art and was a decent artist himself, though it frustrated him that he could only draw in a “cartoon style.” He was great at sports, especially baseball and ping pong. He declined being recruited by the Air Force for the Air Force National Baseball Team because it would take him away from his new bride, Florence, too many days of the year. I often wondered how different my father’s life might have been had he taken that semi-professional position, but he never wondered about it at all. According to him, he was good, but not that good. He claimed he just happened to be in “the zone” and had a great game when the Air Force recruiting scout saw him play. His teammates used to call him “Unconscious,” because Hank would make these amazing “reflex” catches and diving plays in the outfield that seemed to be made without thinking about them. The real reason my Dad was so content with his decision: He had found the love of his life and he was happy to be with her.
Dad was an excellent ping pong player, and playing him made me pretty darn good too. We were roughly equal, and he and I had epic battles and hours of fun at the ping pong table. For those of you reading this and thinking, “Ping pong? That ain’t no sport.” You’ve obviously never played the game so hard that you were covered in sweat and had to take a short break between sets. Actually, no matter how tired we were, we rarely took a break. One of my favorite moments with ping pong took place when John Zinser of AEG came for a visit. I challenged John to a match of ping pong. He informed me that he had been a tennis instructor and semi-pro tennis player, and, well, this was “table tennis” so be prepared to be crushed. Poor John. Someone got crushed, but it wasn’t me. He played very well, but he was no Henry Siembieda. :)
In conversations with other people about my Dad these past several days, folks kept saying how my Dad was “a great man.” It made me proud to hear that over and over. He was certainly a great Dad. I think Hank would be surprised to hear so many people say he was “great.” My Dad was humble, non-assuming and down to earth. He could be moody and, for a variety of reasons, had bit of an inferiority complex, but he was pretty great to me and a lot of other people. He lived a hard, simple and honest life. He didn’t judge others and tried to treat everyone with respect and fairness. He was usually considerate of others, funny, playful and sometimes outright sweet, yet at the same time he said what he felt. People appreciated that, and liked him for being so genuine, even if they didn’t like what he might have to say. Most importantly, he was never afraid to show people he loved them. That’s a pretty good legacy, if you ask me. The funny part is, my Dad could be curmudgeon. Hmm, let me rephrase that. I think my Dad wanted to be a curmudgeon, and tried to be one on numerous occasions. Only he could not pull it off. His kind spirit, sense of fun and good nature leaked out no matter what he did. I actually think that bugged him sometimes. Funny, eh?
My father would be surprised to find so many people thought he was a great man. I think people forget that you don’t have to be rich, powerful or famous to be “great.” You can be “great” by living a simple, good and honest life, and affecting others in ways you might not even realize. That was my father.
Yep, my Dad, Henry Dominic Siembieda, was a great man. I have countless fond memories of him, and I will never forget him. Heck, I see him standing there with me every time I look in the mirror.
– Kevin Siembieda, Son
UPDATE: Me. All in all, I’m doing okay. As I stated in a recent Murmur From the Megaverse, I know I “think” I’m doing better than I really am, but I’m okay. There are moments when I’m sad. Moments when I feel like I’m in a fog. Moments when I feel normal, and moments when I feel happy or comforted by fond memories of Dad and/or the kindness of friends. However, I know I’m off my game. I keep forgetting and misplacing things. I feel worn out, I get frustrated easily (especially when I misplace things!), and time seems to be going by at a much too rapid pace (or maybe it’s that I’m going too slow).
As I wrote in a Murmur, I haven’t spent a lot of time at work this week, about 3-5 hours a day compared to my usual 12+ hour days. I’ve been busy talking with friends and family, and settling my father’s affairs. Last night I zonked out and fell asleep quite early. A caring person with some experience in grief management approached Wayne Smith at the Alliance Trade Show and recommended I take 2-4 weeks off from work. I appreciate the sentiment and wish I could, but that’s not possible. I am, however, taking it easy and getting home by 7:00 or 8:00 PM every day, which is early for me. Today was my first full day at work.
I appreciate all the emails, private messages, calls and cards from friends and fans. Even one of my Dad's doctors called to see how I was doing and to express his condolences. My thanks to everyone. Like I’ve said many times before, Palladium fans are the greatest.
I think finding those cards from my father when I did (I talk about this in a Murmur entitled Dad sent me a nice message), has helped me deal with his passing in a profound and positive way. Rather than grieving and feeling sad, there has been a lot of laughter and I think I've been celebrating his life rather than mourning his passing. It feels good and like the right thing to do. I’m glad some of you got to meet my father at the 2006 Palladium Open House. He loved meeting all of you.
The first 40 Christmas Surprise Packages shipped out Wednesday and Thursday. Another dozen were pulled today and will ship Monday. With everything going on, I wasn’t able to select and sign all the books necessary for Grab Bags until the last few days, so my apologies for the slight delay (Surprise Packages were supposed to start shipping Monday, but with my father’s passing early that morning, Grab Bags were the last thing on my mind). I hope everybody enjoys what we sent out. Keep those Surprise Package orders coming, as we are now shipping them out as fast as they come in, and there isn't a better bargain to be found anywhere.
UPDATE: The Rifter® #52 shipped today – Friday, October 15. It’s another great issue filled with a ton of mouth-watering and unique types of magic, magic weapons and magic source material. Since this is our annual “Horror Issue,” the focus is on dark, lost or forbidden magic, of course. The cover is by one of this past Summer’s Rifts® Art Contest runners-up. The sword wielding Elf fit the article about Rune Swords and the art was one of my favorite submissions.
UPDATE: Armageddon Unlimited™. I had hoped to throw myself into work, but I’ve only been able to spend 4-5 hours a day at the office. The rest of the time I’ve been dealing with the many aspects of my father’s death. I’ve also had some trouble focusing on editing and rewrites this week. I expect to be back to work on this cool crossover sourcebook by Monday, and have already done a little bit here and there as I can.
I think Armageddon Unlimited™ is epic. Typical of a Carl Gleba book, it is jam-packed with all kinds of new source material, weapons, magic, super power categories, NPC villains, adventure and ideas. While it is designed specifically as a Heroes Unlimited™ sourcebook, it is a Minion War™ crossover book which means the characters, heroes, weapons, magic, powers and adventure are suitable for use in many settings, from HU2™, Nightbane® and Ninjas & Superspies™ to Rifts®, Phase World® and the Three Galaxies™. It is a perfect companion to Heroes of the Megaverse® and with a little work, could even be adapted to the Palladium Fantasy RPG®.
New cover artist for the book. It is with a heavy heart that I report the mother of freelance artist and pal, Mark Evans, is facing her own struggles with health. As a consequence, Mark was unable to finish the awesome cover he had planned for Armageddon Unlimited™. Fear not, John Zeleznik has, in heroic fashion, stepped in to do the cover in Mark’s stead. I approved Johnny Z’s tight pencil drawing of the cover and color sketch a couple days ago. It’s a dynamic piece and I’m enjoying working with John again on these recent covers. Our prayers and warmest regards go out to Mark, his mother and family in this difficult and trying time. Be strong Mark, and know that you have friends at Palladium Books and among its many fans.
UPDATE: Thundercloud Galaxy™ is what I plan on diving into next. The cover and the interior artwork is all done, and I had done a little editing and rewriting a couple months ago, so we should be able to get this bad boy out soon.
UPDATE: Online sales. Sales have been up and down the last few weeks, suggesting uncertainty in the economy lingers or worsens. We’ve seen worse, and hope with the Christmas Surprise Packages shipping out (a deal NOBODY should pass up) and new releases coming out at a good pace, that sales will soon improve.
UPDATE: New Book Releases for the last quarter. In addition to the new books above, we hope to also release Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™ Revised and Expanded and the Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ by the end of the year, followed by Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three, Rifts® Chaos Earth™: First Responders, Rifts® Lemuria and a bunch of other good stuff.
Furthermore, we are looking into ways to get a large number of out of print titles back in stock over the next 10-12 weeks.
UPDATE: Robotech®. Palladium plans to support the Robotech® RPG line with a number of new sourcebooks next year.
Kathy Simmons – Queen of Halloween. Kathy’s Halloween display is more spectacular than ever, and I helped. She went all out this season with a massive, Mad Doctor’s laboratory, zombie-filled graveyard, insane clowns led by Chucky driving a fire truck(!!), the Land of Oz and many other fun and ghastly Halloween displays across her large front yard. Fantastic. We’ll post more photos next week.
Don’t forget, you can buy Kathy’s life-sized Halloween props from queenofghouls.com, her Ebay store. If you want something truly unique and scary, check out her monstrous props. You will not be disappointed. Zombies, Dark Jester, Mad Doctor and his Nurse Assistant, witches, wizards, and more continue to roll out of Kathy Simmons’ garage. Kathy makes one of a kind, life-sized Halloween props for sale in her online store at queenofghouls.com. If you are looking for scary and fun, life-size Halloween props for your Halloween party or yard display, take a look at queenofghouls.com. They are awesome.
Keep those imaginations burning bright and game on.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher & Writer
Early 2011: Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook and Rifts® Lemuria.
What is a Christmas Surprise Package? $80-$90 (sometimes or more!) worth of Palladium products – autographs and surprises – for $37 (plus shipping and handling).
Santa Kevin: Kevin Siembieda loves doing Christmas Surprise Packages. He hand selects each and every item, and if you request autographs, he, available Palladium staff members, and any freelance writers, artists and helpers who happen by, are pleased to sign your books. For many fans, especially those outside the USA, this is the only way they can get autographs.
It’s a fun surprise. Each package is a surprise, because YOU don’t know exactly what’s in it. We accomplish this by having you send a Wish List indicating 8-12 (or more) items you know are in stock and you’d like to have. Kevin makes his selections from the list and is likely to include an item or two not on your list. As a result, you don’t know what you are getting until you open the box, just like a real Christmas present. Which makes getting one, even for yourself, all the more fun. Items may include game books, back issues of The Rifter®, new releases, RPGs you’ve been meaning to try, T-shirts, prints, original artwork (though this item is never a sure thing), coffee mugs and other good stuff.
It’s tradition! This is the 12th or 13th year we’ve done our annual Christmas Surprise Package. It is Palladium’s way of giving back to our fans, saying thank you, and, hopefully, making your holiday season a little more fun and special. So please, take advantage of this special annual offer. Offer ends December 23, 2010.
Please be sure to list 8-12 or more currently available products in your wish list and check that your mailing address is correct. Make sure we have your correct and complete address, including your apartment number. UPS is a fast and reliable way to ship, and can be tracked. Priority Mail is a good alternative. Media Mail is the slowest (can take 2-4 weeks!), cannot be tracked and is unreliable; you assume the FULL risk of it getting lost in the mail when sent via Media Mail.
It’s the holiday season and Palladium wants to spread joy, friendship and role-playing game fun around the world. All you have to do is place that order.
Folks always seem to enjoy reading excerpted comments from Surprise Packages, so we’ll start presenting some starting next week.
Click here for more information and to place an order.
The Rifter® #52 is our annual horror issue. It is packed with dark, forgotten magic, Tattoo Magic, Rune Weapons and 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.
Issue #52 Presents:
The Book of Heroes is an ancient magic tome that empowers those with the potential for greatness. (Your player character?) In times of fear and darkness the Book is said to appear to make sure the forces of evil don’t get the upper hand. The Minion War™ is such a dark time as the forces of Hell ripple across the Megaverse bringing death and destruction. Are the legends true? Is there a magic book that inspires and empowers new heroes to rise up and make a difference when they are needed most?
Heroes of the Megaverse™ presents the Book of Heroes, its powers and influence. It also lists the names of 2,000 of the greatest champions the Megaverse has ever known and offers rules for turning them into legendary Heroes of the Megaverse. This magic artifact is said to be a hero maker able to find beings with the spirit of a hero and bestow upon them incredible power to do battle against evil. Only one copy of the book 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 Two Thousand” can rule the universe. The book has been missing for millennia. No one knows its fate or the true power contained within its List of Heroes. No one except YOU – the current 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™.
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.
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.
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.
At last, the underwater realm of Lemuria. The people and history of Lemuria, new magic, sea herbs and healing, sea monsters, and more.
We’re hoping to squeak this Robotech® sourcebook out in time for Christmas, otherwise it will be an early 2011 release.
This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve 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.
Scary. Life sized (most are 6 feet or taller). Unique. 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.” Can survive all types of weather. All come apart and fold down to slightly larger than a king-size pillow for easy storage. Come with easy instructions, a storage bag, and the lawn stake to stand them up in your front yard. Indoor stand sold separately.
Types of “Ghouls” include: Zombies (all kinds!), killer clowns, wizards, witches, devils, grave ghouls, scarecrows, executioners, mad doctors, deadly nurses, vampires, werewolves, 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, Halloween centerpieces 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.
© 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®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Beyond the Supernatural™, Chaos Earth, Coalition States, Dead Reign, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, Warpath, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.