I have two business goals for these last two months of 2010:
1. Make people happy with Christmas Surprise Packages.
2. Get as many books finished as possible so we can end 2010 and start 2011 with a bang.
I want to build and bring happiness. It’s easy to tear things down and rip people up. Maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be so much negativity, frustration and anger about . . . well just about everything these days. Hey, there are good reasons for some of those feelings, but it seems to me that too often people lose themselves to negative thinking and dark emotions. I don’t want to be part of that thinking.
Over the last several years, Palladium and I have had our share of hardship and heartbreak both professionally and personally. Those of you who have faced losing your house and/or job know what I’m talking about. If you’ve had to let your house go, sell off your belongings, cash out your retirement plan, and stare into the fog of an uncertain future, I’ve been there and understand. Yet through it all, my greatest pain and loss has come from the loss of loved ones. My Aunt Jo and Uncle Skip, Aunt Lottie, Keith Parkinson one short year after he and I had rebuilt our friendship, Erick Wujcik who I loved like a brother, and most recently my Dad.
For me, these trials and losses have reinforced what I’ve known all along, that position and status are illusions and unimportant. Possessions, no matter how precious or important they might seem at the time, are just “things.” Things can be replaced. Things are, well, just things. The people we love — friends and family — they’re what’s really precious.
Since my father’s death, my head and heart have been elevated. It’s weird, because I’m not sad or melancholy. Just the opposite, I feel positive, calm and at peace. My mind is clearer and more focused than it has been in a long time. My heart is happy and I have trouble losing my temper and getting angry at anybody. It’s a great feeling I and I want to hang onto it. I’m not going to sweat the little things that don’t really mean anything. No making mole hills into mountains.
I refuse to be angry. I’m going to cherish the people I love. I’m going to focus on the big picture and do what makes me and those around me content and happy. I’ll be working at making a brighter, more joyful future for myself, the Palladium crew and those of you who enjoy our crazy imaginations. Lucky for you, that means writing and publishing new entertaining games and sourcebooks. ;)
I share my thoughts and feelings with you, because I know exactly how troubling these times can be. I don’t want you to lose hope or lose yourself to despair. I don’t want you to forget about your friends and loved ones. And I especially don’t want you to forget how important YOU are to them. In these difficult times it is easy to feel overwhelmed, beaten up, knocked down and oh so angry. It’s too easy to lose sight of the fact that life is beautiful. Life is good. Life is also what we make it. So make it something triumphant and magnificent. I’ll try, if you do. :)
Best of all, our lives don’t have to be lived on a grand scale to be full of joy and beauty or triumphant. They can be small and intimate and barely noticed by anybody but those we touch. My Dad is proof of that. He lived small and a little bit afraid. Yet he lived a life full of love in as simple and honest a way possible. I’m sure in his own mind he was nobody. At least nobody important. Not important in the way we tend to judge people these days. He wasn’t rich or powerful, brilliant or famous. He was just this honest, loving guy who touched the lives of many more people than he ever realized. So do you. You’re not a loser because you may have lost your job or your house or everything you worked so hard to get. Nor are you stupid or unimportant. You mean the world to the people who love you. Really. Please never forget that. Enjoy it. Revel in it. And give the love back.
The Palladium crew and I spent the week doing a great many things.
Palladium Books® on Facebook. Yep, you heard correctly, Palladium Books® has a Facebook page, so spread the word, tell your friends and join the fun. It’s a work in progress, so you’ll be seeing additions, changes and fun stuff in the weeks and months to come. Like what? It’s too soon to reveal our plans yet, but we think you’ll enjoy them. For now you can count on updates and comments from the likes of Wayne Smith, Alex Marciniszyn, me, Mark Dudley and other freelance artists and writers offering up bits of news, updates, news bits, comments and nonsense. Enjoy.
Palladium Website to get a serious facelift. As I had mentioned earlier this year before health issues with my Dad, the Trademark lawsuit and other stuff hit the fan, the Palladium website will be undergoing some serious changes. Visually as well as content. You may see some small changes and updates here and there, but the big changes aren’t likely till after the first of the New Year sometime.
To license or not to license, that is the question. We spent the first day or two of the week exploring and considering a new, exciting film license with an amazing group of creative people here in Michigan. In the end, we unanimously agreed that the time was not right for Palladium to take on the commitment of another license. We already have one great license in Robotech® that has been languishing, not to mention our own game lines that need support (Nightbane®, Palladium Fantasy®, HU2, etc.). Btw, we hope to release 3-4 new Robotech® sourcebooks in 2011. Not to mention a number of our own projects.
UPDATE: Online sales were not nearly as good as last week, but they weren’t horrible either. The current economy makes week by week sales unpredictable. With Thanksgiving coming up fast in the USA and Christmas and Hanukkah around the corner, Christmas Surprise Packages are the number one selling item. Makes sense, as it is the perfect Christmas gift for a gamer. Heck, list the wants just right and you could get gifts for two or three gamers. Any way you cut it, you get $80-$90+ worth of Palladium products for around $45 plus autographs, making it the best deal in gaming. Heck, it might just be the best Christmas deal anywhere. And no standing in long lines at the store or getting up at 6:00 AM to get the door-buster deal. Order yours today! Ho, ho, ho.
UPDATE: Armageddon Unlimited™. Editing and rewrites are coming along well, the John Zeleznik cover is perfect, the interior art is done, and the book is nearing the layout stage. It will definitely be available before Christmas. As I’ve said before, Armageddon Unlimited™ is jam-packed with new, exciting source material that can be used in Heroes Unlimited™ as well as other game settings. Turns out the Demonic Immortal is really the Heroic Hellion – demons who find enlightenment and turn into good guys. I’ve been bouncing around the book and everything I see, I like.
UPDATE: Thundercloud Galaxy™. Mike Mumah is doing the last few illustrations for this book as well as some epic zombie illustrations for the next Dead Reign™ sourcebook. Cool.
UPDATE: Rifts® Vampires. I can hardly wait to work on these two books. Ideas are spilling out of my head for all kinds of projects.
Had a mini-creative meeting this week with Alex, Wayne and freelancer, Matthew Clements. Ideas are hopping on all fronts. Also spoke with Carmen Bellaire and Mark Dudley, and I need to give Nick Bradshaw, Joseph Lawn and a couple other people a call.
Kathy Simmons wins first place! In addition to having hundreds of people come by to enjoy her wickedly delightful Halloween display, Kathy had entered the local cable provider’s Scariest House Contest. For the second year in a row, Kathy’s sprawling and imaginative display won First Place by popular choice. Congratulations, Kathy!
Kathy also makes life-sized Halloween props of zombies, witches, mad doctors, killer clowns, vampires and monsters galore for sale at queenofghouls.com, her online store. She sells them all year long and does a handful of choice Christmas props (Mr. & Mrs. Claus, happy scarecrows, and others). Her store doesn’t have much in it right now, but there will be Christmas figures and Halloween fiends being added in the next few weeks.
Palladium pal and Megaversal Ambassador, James Brown, swung by the office today. He was in town for U-Con, a local gaming convention in Ann Arbor. It’s always a pleasure to see James.
Something fun. Take a peek at the online game Ray Ardent Science Ninja at armorgames.com. The game is by my pal Shane Neville and is a hoot to play. It’s free and fun.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher
The best bargain of the holiday season for role-playing games and related 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.
B.C. in London, Great Britain, writes: Keep up the good work. It’s been a b!#$@ of a year for all of us one way or another, and the optimism and positivity from Palladium Books is one of the things that keeps us all going. Thanks for a good 2010 and here’s to a prosperous 2011.
A.M. in Palm Bay, Florida, writes: This is a double Surprise Package order. :) The kids loved the first batch of books . . . Autographs greatly appreciated! Thanks to everyone at Palladium and have a very happy Christmas and holiday season!
W.R. in Cranford, New Jersey, writes: Have enjoyed every Grab Bag I’ve ordered and I look forward to this one. And to think, this all started for me with a Christmas gift entitled Rifts® Ultimate Edition. Thanks for creating such an imaginative game.
L.C. in Lancaster, California, writes: I really like your books. They make my imagination think about things I never thought possible. I feel like I’m really a player in the worlds you write about, unlike D&D where I feel like I’m reading a textbook. Keep doing a great job.
K.S. in Ashland, Oregon, writes: Rifts has been my favorite hobby since I was 15. Over the years, I have tried to introduce every friend I have to it, so I am usually the GM. Now, at 28, I have my wife hooked and she has actually been GMing a game once a week for a few friends. You guys provide such a wonderful creative outlet for us.
T.W. in Oakdale, California, writes: This is my second Surprise Package. I loved the first one so much and thought I’d get another. I am new to the whole Megaverse®, but love it. I started out with Palladium Fantasy® and am moving into Rifts® for some games. Thanks so much for all the enjoyment and the awesome (Grab Bag) deal. Who knows, I may have to order a third after this.
C.A. in Applegate, California, writes: Outstanding job Palladium! This is my 5th or 6th year with getting the Grab Bag. Never been disappointed. Keep up the good work.
J.R. in Canada sent comments that made us all laugh and smile. It might be the most entertaining and sweet write up we’ve ever gotten. It was rather personal and we don’t want to ruin the surprise this Surprise Package represents, so we cannot share any of it here. However, we did want to acknowledge it. Thanks J.R. for making our day. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
If you haven’t been catching the new TV show, Walking Dead, on AMC Sunday nights at 10:00 PM, you should. It’s a great show and has been getting rave reviews. Fans of Palladium’s Dead Reign™ RPG – and the zombie genre overall – will find this show a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration for your own zombie RPG campaign. One TV show review I read talked about how it’s the “survival” aspect of the human characters and post-apocalyptic setting that really makes the TV show compelling. Yep, and that’s what Dead Reign™ is all about too. Check it out.
Everything you need to start your campaign and play. Makes an excellent introductory game to RPGs.
This sourcebook explores what happens when civilization is literally gone overnight, and the sole survivors are you and a few billion zombies!
When there is no place to hide and the dead are everywhere, where do you go? Who can you turn to? What happens next? What lurks in dark places?
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.