My dear friends, a few things have happened in the last week or two that shook me a bit and bummed me out a little. It was nothing bad for the company, it just made me feel bad. You know, one of those moments where you wonder what’s wrong with people and businesses in the world and you feel disappointed, frustrated and sad. Then I thought about you, the Palladium fans, the outpouring of support you have always given me, how you are there for us in good times and bad, and it helped buoy my spirits and restore my faith in humankind again. Thanks for being so awesome. Thanks for being there for me even when you don’t realize it.
The Rifter® Super-Subscription offer was scheduled to end Monday. We had a great weekend of sales as a lot of people rushed to place their subscription order before the offer ended on Monday. A good number of people also ordered a lot of other books while they were at it, so I was absolutely thrilled with the sales. Of course, there has been a sharp decline in the days after, but that’s to be expected.
FYI: You can subscribe to The Rifter® any time. And it is always a money saving proposition. The Winter Super-Offer is just our annual “push” and offers an additional “gift.” So please, subscribe when that moment strikes and you realize you need a subscription to The Rifter®. And you know you need one. You need it. You know you do. You’re missing out if you don’t have one . . .
(Hmmm, I wonder if my power to hypnotize you into ordering a subscription is working? No! Not even a little? Shucks. What if I told you we will extend the subscription offer for just ONE MORE WEEKEND? Yeah, you can still get the subscription and the free gift this one last weekend. Offer ends Monday morning, March 7, 2011.)
Click here for all the details and order info.
A strange week for me. This past week has been a little strange for me. I’ve gone from high energy to feeling tired, back up to high energy, then a bit blue. I think the long hours of the past few weeks wore me out and catching a cold didn’t help any. An “alleged friend” suggested that with my birthday sneaking up on me, it was old age (I turn 55 on April 2nd). He tried to make nice by saying I actually sounded more energized and positive than he’s heard from me in a long while, but he is not forgiven. ;)
I spent much of the week catching up on a number of business related matters, planning for the Creators Conference, talking to people on the phone and taking care of this and that. On many fronts it has been a productive week. Though I’ve not put in as much time as I would like on the writing of Thundercloud Galaxy™, I have spent some time doing writing for some other projects, including the Creators Conference which is coming up fast.
UPDATE: Creators Conference. I had someone suggest to me that I should not talk about the Creators Conference since it is not open to the general public. I considered that for a moment, and I hope I’m not frustrating fans, but here’s why I mention it a bit: The Conference should have a tremendous impact on Palladium Books and future projects. Therefore, it is important to fans interested about such things. I want to discuss with Palladium’s core freelance writers and artists the plans I have to take Palladium to the next level and their role in it. I want to talk about our crafts of game design, writing and illustration. There will round table discussions, workshops, brainstorming and plans for the future. Not just Palladium’s future, but their futures as creators as well. There should also be plenty of hugs, friendly chats, laughter and gaming. I think it will be good for all of us and great for Palladium. Note to Freelancers: I think next week is your last chance to get rooms at the discounted Palladium rate, so place your reservations now. I’ve talked with two people this week who have not done so yet!
UPDATE: Rifts® Dimension Book 14: Thundercloud Galaxy™. We continue to work on Rifts® Thundercloud Galaxy™. I apologize for the delay, but we are working to make this book the best it can be. Though Palladium is known for its high quality, part of my new agenda is to push the envelope even further and try to knock your socks off with each and every new book. I think we did that with Rifts® Triax™ 2, Rifts® Dimensional Outbreak™, Heroes of the Megaverse® and Armageddon Unlimited™. Now we want to do it again with Thundercloud Galaxy™, Robotech® sourcebooks, the Rifts® Vampire books, Rifts® Lemuria, Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames and all the rest.
As for offering a FREE Sneak Preview of Thundercloud Galaxy™ from DriveThruRPG.comDriveThruRPG.com at some point, we’re trying to decide what part of the book we should select. We’ll try to remember to do the same with most upcoming releases (may not be allowed with licensed properties, we’ll have to look into it).
See Secrets of the Thundercloud Galaxy™ later in this Update.
UPDATE: The Rifter® #54. This is destined to be a landmark issue: The final chapter of The Hammer of the Forge! This story started with issue number ONE. Thanks for a great run James M.G. Cannon.
UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. Jazzy Johnny Z is busy working away on the cover, but I’ve yet to assign the interior artwork for it.
UPDATE: Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook. Apollo Okamura should be working on the cover for this book and I hope to be working away on the manuscript in a few weeks.
UPDATE: Alex Marciniszyn. There has been some turmoil and issues within the family, but overall, everybody continues to press forward.
UPDATE: Kathy Simmons. As you may know, Kathy is one of the forces behind the scenes at Palladium. She processes online and distributor orders, handles payroll and bookkeeping and does other business related work. She is also working at getting her own fledgling business (queenofghouls.com) off the ground. Well, she hadn’t been feeling well for about a week, then the pain started. She and all of us (which is why we are not doctors) thought she must be passing a kidney stone. Turns out the poor girl has shingles. I’ve never had them, and never want to get them. My grandfather and Erick Wujcik had shingles and both of them said it was an awful and painful experience. She’s going through the worst of it now and has another 10-14 days to deal with, ouch. Plus it has prevented her from working on her newest and coolest ghoul creations. Get well soon, Queen of Ghouls.
UPDATE: New Palladium Website. There has been an increased level of work with the Palladium Website these past two weeks and excitement is running high. I spoke with the main fan/freelancer who is the mover and shaker behind this project at great length and I love his ideas and enthusiasm. Of course, nothing goes easy, so now that work on it is really picking up, they’ve hit a few glitches and snags. Grrrr. Fear not, it is coming and you will like it.
Snow is gone but it’s been cold. Lower Michigan has had one of the snowiest winters on record. As of this date, we’ve seen approximately two feet more than an average winter. I am soooo ready for spring weather.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher
- The Rifter® #53 – New – Available now!
- Rifts® World Book 20: Canada – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® Dark Conversions – Back in print – Available now
- Palladium Fantasy RPG® – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® Game Master Guide – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® World Book 5: Triax & The NGR – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® China One – Back in print – Available now
- Rifts® Megaverse® Builder – Back in print – Available now
- Armageddon Unlimited™ – New – Available now!
- Rifts® Dimension Book™ 14: Thundercloud Galaxy™ – New – late March
- The Rifter® #54 – April 12.
- Rifts® Book of Magic (back in print)
- Rifts® WB One: Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded & Updated – end of April
- Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook (tentative)
- Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ (April or May)
- Rifts® World Book™: Lemuria (May; tentative)
- Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames (Minion War™ crossover; May or June)
- Rifts® Chaos Earth™: First Responders Sourcebook (as soon as we can slot it in).
- The Rifter® #55 (July)
- Dead Reign™ Sourcebook Three
- Robotech® UEEF Marines and other Robotech® sourcebooks.
- Rifts® sourcebooks
- Rifts® Chaos Earth™ sourcebooks
- Palladium Fantasy®: Mysteries of Magic™ Two & Three
- Palladium Fantasy® other sourcebooks
- Warpath™ Urban Jungle RPG
- And other good stuff. Lots of other good stuff!
By now you know the drill. We’ve made the Super-Subscription offer available this one last weekend for those of you who might have missed out or are kicking yourselves for not subscribing before the offer ended last Monday. This is really your last chance at this subscription deal of the year.
For all the details and to place an order click here.
I wrote this in one of my recent Murmurs from the Megaverse® and thought I’d drop it in here (with a few tweaks) for everyone to see.
Thundercloud Galaxy™ is going to be epic. I was struggling with it a bit at first, but now that I have my rhythm, I’m picking up speed, getting excited and really starting to rock. The book is coming along well, and there are some very, very cool ideas, information, adventure avenues, mysteries, monsters, aliens and other cool stuff, as well as political intrigue and outright butt kicking action.
The Thundercloud Galaxy is completely unlike the other two of the Three Galaxies. Virtually all of it is untamed wilderness sprinkled with danger and secrets. Even the civilized planets in the Thundercloud are dangerous places under Splugorth domination or liberated and controlled by the tyrannical Kreeghor of the TGE. You’ll learn more about the Bushi Federation, the Dominators and the disturbing past of the Thundercloud that makes some people wonder if it is cursed or if the Cosmic Forge has gone haywire.
There are something like 20 new alien races, plus monsters and a monster creation table. There are rules and tables for designing your own colony and there are ideas for every kind of space adventure you can imagine.
I think what I like most about this Dimension Book is the feeling that there is something more behind the Thundercloud Galaxy. Perhaps something sinister or deific, or out of control. Only nobody knows what it could be. In fact, there are lots and lots of secrets, mysteries and deific influence in the Thundercloud.
As if all that weren’t enough, there are the enigmatic Exiles and the covert goings-on of the demons and Deevils.
Oh yeah, the art by Mike Mumah in this book rocks!
Yep, great stuff. You’re going to want this book for the all the new aliens and monsters alone. Not to mention the opportunities for adventure and the chance to unravel some of the secrets in your own campaigns. So you, better start saving your money for this bad boy. It goes to the printer as soon as we can wrap it up.
The Thundercloud Galaxy™ is a place of unparalleled adventure. It is where the Dominators once thrived and where the godlike beings were (mostly) destroyed. The people of the Thundercloud have suffered great adversity and more than one mass extinction, yet somehow the galaxy seems to have more habitable planets and diverse life forms than anywhere else in the Three Galaxies. Strange beings like the feline Shing, insectoid CheDive, and Whetu, who defy description, and monsters like the devouring Yboor are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to life in this galaxy. It is also home to the Bushi Federation and the Splugorth Kingdom of Desslyth, and is a playground for space pirates, raiders, the mysterious Exiles and the dark forces of the Minion War.
As the civilizations of the Anvil and Corkscrew Galaxies scramble to colonize the Thundercloud Galaxy in a mad rush to grab as much as they can, they are beginning to realize the galaxy holds more riches, beauty, horrors and secrets than anyone has ever imagined, making it a place of exploration, discovery, adventure and treachery like no other.
Thundercloud Galaxy™ is a perfect companion to the rest of the Phase World®/Three Galaxies™ based Dimension Books as well as the Minion War™ series. Players can be pirates, raiders, brigands or hired guns, or they may be explorers, adventurers, Spacers, or any number of heroes trying to protect the colonists or the indigenous people of countless worlds and colonies. The possibilities are truly limited only by your imagination.
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 as demons and Deevils fight for control of the Earth and bringing about the end of life as we know it.
Armageddon Unlimited™ is more than an epic world-saving adventure, it is also a sourcebook jam-packed with new powers, magic, weapons and Power Categories that can be incorporated into any Heroes Unlimited™ campaign. This book can be used as a standalone adventure sourcebook for Heroes Unlimited™ or as a pivotal plot in an expansive Minion War™ campaign. Get a free sneak preview of the book from DriveThruRPG.com.
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.
The Rifter® #53 includes:
This is going to be another landmark issue of The Rifter®. Here’s what we can tell you right now.
The Rifter® #54 includes:
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.
This Robotech® sourcebook 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.
A comprehensive overview of Canada, including notable places, cities, towns, people, O.C.C.s, monsters and conflicts. Much of Canada has reverted to wilderness, but there are pockets of civilization and technology, though not all of them human.
The focus of Dark Conversions™ is on creatures of darkness and other monsters such as Alien Intelligences, Elementals, were-beasts, vampires, weird supernatural beings, the Nightbane and others. If you are looking for practitioners of dark magic, villains, monsters and vile horrors to pit against your heroes, this is the sourcebook for you. Many creatures also have notes on how they fit into the Rifts Earth setting and where they may be encountered.
A complete role-playing game set in a unique realm of high fantasy and epic adventure that has thrilled fans for 27 years. All the fantasy elements you’d expect are there, but spun in ways that you may not expect. Magic has replaced science. The elder races of Dwarves, Elves and Titans have given way to the rise of humanity and the Wolfen Empire. While the monster races – Goblins, Orcs, Ogres and Trolls – lay claim to the Old Kingdom, from which they launch their pillaging raids. And that’s just the beginning.
The ultimate Rifts® reference and sourcebook, it contains all the weapons, equipment, body armor, power armor, robots, vehicles, skills and psionics from Rifts® World Books 1-23, Sourcebooks 1-4, and Siege on Tolkeen 1-6, collected into one big reference. Plus, maps, lists and indexes of O.C.C.s, R.C.C.s, experience tables and more.
A compendium of bionic and cybernetic systems in the Rifts North America setting, with information about partial and full conversion cyborgs, Headhunters, City Rats, the Cyber-Doc and more. A must-have resource for fans of cyborgs.
The New German Republic (NGR) is surrounded and besieged by the hostile Gargoyle Empire – an empire of giant monsters. Only the superior robotics and weapons technology of Triax keeps the monsters at bay, but for how long? This epic World Book presents the Triax robots, power armor, cyborgs, and world setting that is Rifts Germany and the surrounding region. More than 100,000 copies sold!
Note: For dozens of new weapons, armor, robots, drones, power armor suits, cyborgs, vehicles and updated information about the NGR, Triax and the war, see Rifts® World Book 31: Triax™ 2 – 192 pages – $24.95 – Cat. No. 881.
There is no place on Rifts Earth more exotic, magical and dangerous than China, especially since the Hell of the Yama Kings has bled into the mortal plane.
Note: For 18 new O.C.C.s, heroes of the Celestial Court, Geofront, secret technology, mystical powers, Demon Wrestling, Demon Quelling, Chi Weapons, martial arts and more, see Rifts® World Book 25: Rifts® China 2 – 160 pages – $20.95 – Cat. No. 858.
Your guide to creating your own corner of the infinite Megaverse®. The big picture of how the Megaverse® works, plus rules and suggestions for creating your own dimension.
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 1-48.
- The Best of The Rifter®
- Deluxe Revised RECON® RPG and Advanced RECON® Sourcebook.
- And more – go to DriveThruRPG.com and check ‘em out.
Start planning for Halloween early as Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons will start to offer her 2011 selection of life-sized Halloween props (most are 6 feet or taller) that are to die for.
Each is an all-weather, life-sized Halloween prop that can handle rain and snow, and is a one-of-a-kind work of art (no two are exactly the same). Each looks frighteningly “real.” All come apart and fold down to slightly larger than a king-size pillow for easy storage. Comes with easy instructions, a plastic storage bag, and the lawn stake to stand it 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 $129-$259. You can see some of her work at her Queen of Ghouls™ Ebay store – queenofghouls.com.
© Copyright 2011 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.