Happy Halloween!
Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. Christmas is my fave, but Halloween is a close second. Not sure why. Fond memories of Halloween as a child is a big part of it. As a kid there was the allure of dressing up in costume and running around the neighborhood. Part of it was getting candy from strangers. Part of it was wandering around at night and getting a little scared imagining werewolves, vampires and monsters hiding in every shadow. A big part, however, was having fun with Mom and my little brother (who grew up to be 6 feet, 2 inches tall!). Sometimes Grandma or Aunt Geri would join the fun. It was just cool family event and scary at the same time. Of course, I was a big fan of horror movies and grew up during the era of the wonderful, but all too often forgotten, Hammer Horror movies starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Cutting edge cinema for horror fans of the day. I hope your Halloween is full of fun and good memories too.
Kathy Simmons’ Halloween. Kathy celebrates Halloween by bringing joy to thousands of people with her incredible yard display. Seriously, people come by the carload from all over Michigan to see her display. She has 50+ full sized ghouls and about a dozen half-ghouls set up in displays that include the Wizard of Oz, shipwrecked pirates, a cadre of witches, vampires, killer clowns, the Fly, Chucky, the Crypt Keeper, characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas, an improved zombie-filled graveyard, and a host of other monsters and creatures of the night. This year, her new Mad Doctor’s Laboratory and Body Chop Shop is the hit of the season. It is amazing. I designed and set up 95% of the refrigerator and lab shelves, but the figures and whole concept is Kathy’s.
Click here to see more photographs of Kathy’s 2010 Halloween display.
UPDATE: Me and you. It’s less than three weeks since my father died, so I still have good days and bad days. Thursday was the worst for me so far. Not a good day. Things just got to me and took their toll. I’m doing mostly okay, overall, and feeling positive about Palladium, upcoming book releases and the future in general. Again I want to thank everyone for the many beautiful condolence cards that now line the selves in my office. Freelance artist Amy Ashbaugh sent me a gorgeous, hand-drawn and painted card that made me tear up. Thank you everyone. I’m sorry that I’ve been so slow to respond to the nearly 100 Private Messages I received (plus dozens of emails). I try to answer about a dozen a day. I’m afraid there’s just too much emotion for me to do more than that. Please know I’ve read them all, printed them out to save forever, and appreciate every kind word, warm thought and heartfelt sentiment.
UPDATE: Online sales started out strong but petered out the last part of the week. Too bad, because I’ve been loading up on the Grab Bags.
Getting back in print. We are lining up a number of out of print titles for reprinting. By the end of November you should start seeing books like Rifts® Canada, Dark Conversions™, Rifts® G.M. Guide, Mutant Underground™, Chaos Earth™: Rise of Magic™ and others back in print.
UPDATE: Christmsas Surprise Package (aka Grab Bags) are going out as fast as we get them. Mark Dudley, Carmen and others have dropped by to autograph select titles, and Mark is coming by this weekend to sign some more.
Zombies, zombies everywhere. With this being Halloween and with a couple of new TV shows about zombies this week (Dead Set and Walking Dead), I want to write Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three more than ever! Fear not, I’ll finish Armageddon Unlimited™ first and then Thundercloud Galaxy™, followed by the Rifts® Vampire books before I do the zombie book. Sheesh.
That’s it for now. Have a frighteningly fun and safe Halloween weekend.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher and Walking Dead
Your best bargain of the holiday for role-playing games and products.
PLEASE make sure you provide a “wish list” of 8-12 currently available items (RPGs, sourcebooks, T-shirts, coffee mugs, prints, original artwork, and other stuff) or you may be disappointed.
A Palladium tradition! We’ve been doing the Christmas Surprise Package for 12 or 13 years now. It’s our way of saying thank you to our fans and making gamers around the world smile. Offer ends December 23, 2010. Spread the word. Let your gaming buddies know, and take advantage of this great deal. Word of mouth is the main source of advertising for this great holiday gift offer.
Click here for more information and to place an order.
M.H. in Crystal Lake, Illinois, writes: Thanks again for doing this – opening the gift bags always makes me feel like a kid on Christmas!
R.B. in Franklin, Tennesse, writes: This is my second Grab Bag this season! I have fallen in love with Phase World® and the Minion War™, which is why those books are the only ones on my list. If it wasn’t for the X-Mas Surprise Package, I really wouldn’t have been able to afford to buy any role-playing books all year. Thank you so much.
T.M. in Carter, Kentucky, writes: I’d like to thank you all for the products and fun I’ve had over the years. Hope the spark of imagination never dulls. That it kindles a new flame that is the harbinger of good things to come.
T.G. in Chicago, Illinois, writes: I own every Palladium Book, even out of print and most of the hard covers . . . I bought this package as a small Tribute to Henry Siembieda, not for a gift. . . As odd as it may sound: Thanks to Palladium, I’ve met some of the most important people, goals and dreams in my life (though I continue to aim higher). Farewell and safe journeys for now.
M.B. in Roswell, Georgia, writes: Super-interested in the Nightbane® Survival Guide™; I love Nightbane®!
S.B. in Kansas City, Kansas, writes: Thanks for doing the Grab Bags once again. As a lapsed Palladium Gamer for many years, I’m glad to see Palladium Books still around and still spreading the holiday joy. An early Merry Christmas to all of you.
It’s Autumn and time for a warm hoodie on cool a day. A white imprint of the Rifts® Logo on a black zipper hoodie. The famous, full Rifts® Logo appears front and back; a small logo over the left breast on the front and a large logo printed on the back.
Type: 50/50 cotton polyester blend; full zipper.
Sizes: Medium to 3XL.
Color: White logo on a black zipper hoodie.
Cost: $32.95 for Medium, Large and XL, $34.95 for 2XL, and $36.95 for 3XL; plus shipping (approximately $6 to most places in the USA).
Cat. No. 2546. Available now.
A white imprint of a large Rifts® Logo on the front of a black pullover hoodie.
Type: 50/50 cotton polyester blend; pullover.
Sizes: Medium to 3XL.
Color: White logo on a black pullover hoodie.
Cost: $28.95 for Medium, Large and XL, $30.95 for 2XL, and $32.95 for 3XL, plus shipping (approximately $6 to most places in the USA).
Cat. No. 2547. Available now.
White art on a black T-shirt featuring a classic Kevin Long SAMAS, blue Rifts® logo, and a snappy saying, “Accept No Imitations.” This is a dynamic and powerful shirt.
Type: 50/50 cotton polyester blend.
Sizes: Medium to 5XL.
Color: White art, blue Rifts® logo on a black T-shirt.
Art by: Kevin Long.
Cost: $18.95 for Medium, Large and XL, $20.95 for 2XL, $22.95 for 3XL, $24.95 for 4XL and $26.95 for 5XL. Plus shipping (approximately $5 to most places in the USA).
Cat. No. 2552. Available now.
White on black T-shirt featuring a gathering of Rifts characters, from a Glitter Boy and Juicer to a Rogue Scholar.
Type: 50/50 cotton polyester blend.
Sizes: Small to 5XL.
Color: White art and text on a black T-shirt.
Art by: Mike Mumah.
Cost: $18.95 for Small, Medium, Large and XL, $20.95 for 2XL, $22.95 for 3XL, $24.95 for 4XL and $26.95 for 5XL. Plus shipping (approximately $5 to most places in the USA).
Cat. No. 2550. Available now.
White on black T-shirt featuring a snarling vampire and the slogan: Death is for the weak™.
Type: 50/50 cotton polyester blend.
Sizes: Small to 5XL.
Color: White art and text on a black T-shirt.
Art by: Mike Mumah.
Cost: $18.95 for Small, Medium, Large and XL, $20.95 for 2XL, $22.95 for 3XL, $24.95 for 4XL and $26.95 for 5XL. Plus shipping (approximately $5 to most places in the USA).
Cat. No. 2548. Available now.
Only you can save the world!
Armageddon Unlimited™ is the ultimate good vs evil setting and adventure. The fate of the world hangs in the balance and only you can stop its destruction.
The bad guys? Super-villain maniacs being manipulated by supernatural evil straight from Hell.
If evil triumphs, the world is destroyed and your heroes and billions of innocent people die.
The world-saving scenario in this book can be repeated in any setting and game environment from Nightbane® or Ninjas & Superspies™ to Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Rifts® and Phase World®. Only the details of the location, the heroes and their powers change. The villains remain the Deevils (or alternately, the demons) as they continue their bloodthirsty war to destroy each other. The worlds of mortals are their battlefields and mortals little more than pawns, henchmen and collateral damage.
Stop the madness before it is too late! If you can.
But that’s not all. Armageddon Unlimited™ is an epic sourcebook with tons of new powers, magic, weapons and Power Categories that can be incorporated into any Heroes Unlimited campaign.
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 few 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.
The Rifter® #53 will contain more fan-generated optional source material, adventure and fun.
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.
We’re hoping to squeak this Robotech® sourcebook out in time for Christmas, otherwise it will be an early 2011 release.
At last, the underwater realm of Lemuria. The people and history of Lemuria, new magic, sea herbs and healing, sea monsters, and more.
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.
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.
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?
The New German Republic splinters the Gargoyle Empire and battles to crush them once and for all.
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.
Are all these zombie TV shows and comic books giving you a taste for a zombie role-playing game experience? If so, play the Dead Reign™ RPG.
Dead Reign™ captures the fun and horror of the zombie apocalypse exactly the way you love it. The dead have risen, civilization has crumbled, and brave human survivors refuse to lie down and die! They battle the walking dead on all fronts, watch each other’s backs, struggle to forge safe havens away from the zombie infested cities, rescue other survivors, and fight without respite.
We will be adding issues 41-47 of The Rifter® to the list of available titles from DriveThruRPG.com and maybe a few other books over the next couple of months.
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.