Halloween was fun. I swung by Kathy Simmons’ house to watch people gasp and marvel at her amazing yard display while she and her neighbors (who also have a nice display) passed out candy and toys to trick-or-treaters. There was good food to eat and a number of other old friends swung by, including Phil and his wife Belinda, Tina (Kathy’s daughter), Brandon, Joy, Gary and others. It was a cool, crisp night, but dry. Trick-or-treaters loved Kathy’s Mad Doctor’s laboratory, graveyard and other new additions, as well as beloved favorites like the Wizard of Oz scene, shipwrecked skeleton pirates, Bug Guy, Snake Guy, Chucky and killer clowns, witches and more. I only hung around for a couple hours and went home to watch the Walking Dead TV show on AMC. The perfect end to a Halloween night.
Click here to see photographs of Kathy’s 2010 Halloween display.
This has been another eventful week that just seemed to zoom by at lightning speed. I spoke with the Aradio brothers, Braden Campbell, Mark Dudley, Chuck Walton, Mike Leonard, Johnny Z and a few others, as well as some folks via email. My agent called to touch base and see how I was doing.
I did a Gateway to the Megaverse® podcast on Monday, November 1. I’ve been told it went very well. We talked about my Dad a bit and how I was doing, upcoming books, some plans for the future and I answered listeners questions. I had meant to promote the podcast in last week’s Update, but I forgot. Sorry. Remember, that podcast is recorded and can be downloaded for your listening pleasure anytime. I will definitely try to do one or two more podcasts before the end of the year.
UPDATE: Me. I continue to do okay, though the past couple of days I’ve felt less energetic and a little washed out. I think that has to do more with a cold than with feeling down about my Dad’s passing, though I’m sure that’s part of it. It’s been three weeks since he passed away. All in all, I still feel motivated and positive. Thank you for the cards, notes and well wishes that continue to come in.
UPDATE: Online sales were very good this week. If this week sets the trend, then Holiday sales and Christmas Surprise Packages are starting to come in at a steady pace. I certainly encourage everyone to take advantage of the steep discount and chance to get autographs that the Surprise Package provides.
UPDATE: Armageddon Unlimited™. John Zeleznik has finished the cover and it fits the bill perfectly. I think I’ll have Wayne post it next week. I’ve found my rhythm with the editing and tweaking of the book and work on it is starting to pick up speed. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, Armageddon Unlimited™ is jam-packed with new, exciting source material that can be used in Heroes Unlimited and other game settings. Yesterday I finished the new Power Category of Demon Hunter and today I’ve been working on the Demonic Immortal. Next is the Demonic Mystically Bestowed and a bunch of new magic weapons. I’m having a blast going through this sourcebook and know you’ll go bonkers for it too.
UPDATE: Thundercloud Galaxy™. It’s my understanding that Mike Mumah is doing the last few illustrations for this book as well as zombies for the next Dead Reign™ sourcebook. All that remains is the final edit, reworking and layout.
UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires. I spoke to Braden Campbell about his contributions to the Vampire Kingdoms™ upgrade and the Rifts® Vampires sourcebook. I loved his ideas and can hardly wait to see the finished material. Both of these books are going to please the fans. I guarantee it.
There are other things boiling below the surface, but I can’t talk about them just yet. Besides, right now we are focused on getting out the next 4-5 books as fast as possible.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher and Game Designer
Your best bargain of the holiday for role-playing games and product.
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.
D.S. in Chillicothe, Ohio, writes: I’ve been in the hobby for a long while now. This year has been particularly bad for me . . . I don’t have a great deal of money to spend, and this (Grab Bag) is a good way for me to not only get some items for myself, but also have some good gifts to give out to my buddies, all in one nice convenient package. I respect Palladium for making something like the Grab Bag available for gamers who are in a money crunch. Keep up the good work with the lines.
T.M.C. in Carter, Kentucky, writes: Thank you for the last batch. I really like the Palladium Fantasy rules. Monsters & Animals has become one of my favorite pick up books to browse through.
R.C. in Victoria, Texas, writes: I would just like to say thank you for everything Palladium. I first got introduced to the games in school on GUAM by miliary kids that were in my class. It was a great tool to bridge cultural gaps and entertain and delight the imagination. Now a Military Service member myself, I still find the Palladium Universe as exciting and entertaining now as it was then. It does bring people from different places together, using the power of the imagination. You are all GREAT!
J.M.H. in Watertown, Massachusetts, writes: Thank you very much for all the hard work you have all put in to making the best gaming system there is! I hope to be playing it still in another 25 years! I joined the Air Force after high school, and to this day, one of my fondest memories is thinking back to all the great times a group of us had getting together in the barracks and playing Rifts®. I play all kinds of games, always have, from card games to console and PC, to physical ones requiring actual movement! However, no other game has been as influential and important to me – let alone remain as fun, exciting and downright awesome so many years later. Thanks again Santa Kev, and all the elves at Palladium!
J.H. in Dorchester, Dorset, Great Britain, writes: Hey guys, what a roller-coaster of a year! I hope you all know that there’s a metric butt-load of support for you out there, and I can’t wait for next year and Palladium’s uber comeback! Movies, books and more . . . My family also wants to extend our condolences to Kevin for the recent loss . . . Keep up the great work guys, better times are just over the horizon! All the best from over the pond.
F.L. in Pinellas Park, Florida, writes: I always love your Christmas Surprise Packages. I’m never disappointed! This year I’m hoping to beef up my Palladium Fantasy RPG collection.
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.