We’ve been riding the whirlwind all week.
Wayne keeps muttering, “Too much going on,” and he’s right. I think Wayne and I have been at the office till 10:00 PM every day working like mad on multiple projects and dealing with the demands of the business. That means I’ve been coordinating and directing efforts on several fronts. Everything from day to day stuff, to filing copyright forms, preparing contracts, sending out art assignments for The Rifter® #54, lining up artists for upcoming and future books, talking to freelancers, talking to my attorney, prepping for the Creators Conference, working on Thundercloud Galaxy™, getting the next batch of out of print books lined up for reprinting, as well as putting into motion a number of still secret projects and dealing with things behind the scenes. It is all very exciting, but holy moley!
UPDATE: Palladium Web Site. The new Palladium web site has been a big part of what we’ve been working on this week. There are a lot of decisions to be made, from program choices and costs, to design features and a thousand little details (ease of use, legibility of text, font styles, titles for buttons and pull downs, choice of artwork, and a zillion other things). And that’s just our end of things, our web designer Rex Barkdoll is doing most of the heavy lifting. Emails and telephone discussions between me, Wayne Smith, Thom Bartold, and Rex have been flying fast and furious (with additional input from Alex, Julius, Kathy, Matthew and a few fans). There are also all kinds of content changes and updates to be made.
So what do I think of the new Palladium web site design? Personally, I love it, and think most of you will too. It is a vast improvement over the current site: cleaner, easier to use, slick and fun. Everyone working on it is putting their heart and soul into the project. Of course, our funds and time are limited, so we can only do so much, but we’re definitely working hard to make it as cool as we can.
When will it launch? We’re hoping by the end of March, but it might be April. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it. ;)
UPDATE: Creators Conference. I have been locked in numerous meetings and discussions about the Creators Conference. It should be exciting, but it’s not just fun and games. There has been a lot of planning and thought about various topics to be discussed and workshops to be considered. I’ve also been talking with some key people about a number of the projects and plans I intend to reveal at the Conference. I’ve been in frequent discussion with Mark Dudley as he’ll be heading up a new division within Palladium Books. Freelancer Note: Reserve your hotel room. You have till March 16, 2011 before the Palladium rate is invalid and the price for a room goes up $20 a night.
UPDATE: Secrets. Movies, television, videogame development, comic books, and a range of other projects based on Palladium’s intellectual properties (IPs) are being explored. There have been rumblings on several fronts, but when you are dealing with third parties and potential licensees (especially those in big business like Hollywood), you are pretty much a leaf at the mercy of the wind. That’s one reason we have not been revealing any details on these fronts, as we don’t want to get your hopes up. We’ll see a flurry of interest or activity about a Palladium IP, then nothing, or the interest wanes, or you are on hold for weeks or months, and even years. Case in point, it has been 9 years since we signed the Rifts movie option. Will there ever be a Rifts movie? Maybe, maybe not. Will it be produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films? Maybe, maybe not, but I do remain hopeful. It’s maddening sometimes even when you understand and appreciate the reason for the delay or hesitation to move forward. Of course, it’s not a simple decision like, “lets make a movie.” I wish. Meanwhile, we’ve been trying to make moves in some of these areas ourselves.
UPDATE: Colt the Outlander™/Rifts® Crossover Part Two. After an unexpected delay, the Colt/Rifts® comic crossover in Heavy Metal® Magazine is finished and approved. It’s a pulse pounding finish with great art and strong story. We’ll let you know what issue it will appear in as soon as we know, but it should be soon. The Rifts® story will also appear in an upcoming Colt the Outlander™ Collection from Heavy Metal.
Back in Stock: Rifts® Baseball Cap. Spring and baseball season fast approach, so I figured Palladium better stock up on the popular Rifts® Baseball Cap. A khaki color hat with black trim and a black Rifts® logo. Should be back in stock and ready to ship by March 24, 2011.
UPDATE: The Rifter® #54. As reported in the last Weekly Update, this is the landmark final chapter of the long running, Hammer of the Forge™ by James M.G. Cannon. Thus, it only seemed fitting that we dedicate the cover to the series. Mike Leonard is working on the cover even as you read this. Other articles include the weapons and gizmos of the Fortress City of New Chillicothe in Rifts®, creatures from across the Megaverse®, superheroes, Nightbane® fiction and more.
Question: Should we collect the Hammer of the Forge™ and present it as a novelization with a game section that presents the stats for key characters, aliens, weapons, and other elements from the Forge series? It’s an idea Wayne Smith and some fans have suggested and I’m thinking about. Is this a product you would buy?
UPDATE: Rifts® Dimension Book 14: Thundercloud Galaxy™. I’ve done a minimal amount of work on the book this week, but I vow it will go to press before the end of March and it will be another great book. I expect to dive back into it full force this weekend.
UPDATE: Rifts® Lemuria. John Zeleznik is fast at work on the cover and I need to assign interior artwork. Nick Bradshaw and a few others keep asking to work on this book, so I need to get cracking.
UPDATE: Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook. Apollo Okamura should be working on the cover, and I need to get author, Irvin Jackson working on the next Robotech® sourcebook.
UPDATE: Kathy Simmons is feeling better and hopes to be working on her ghouls for queenofghouls.com this weekend.
UPDATE: Alex Marciniszyn. Alex and family are hanging tough.
UPDATE: Online Sales. This week’s sales have been poor. Between winter doldrums and the delay of Thundercloud Galaxy™, sales have dropped off significantly. In fact, we went from an incredible week of sales with people subscribing to The Rifter® to a dismal week. It’s to be expected.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher
- Armageddon Unlimited™ – New – Available now!
- 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
Note: All items listed below should be available by March 24.
BACK IN STOCK – Rifts® Baseball Cap (Khaki cap with black Rifts® logo and trim).
BACK IN PRINT – Rifts® Dimension Book™ 6: Three Galaxies™
BACK IN PRINT – Rifts® Black Vault™
BACK IN PRINT – Rifts® Mercenaries™
BACK IN PRINT – Aliens Unlimited™ – A Heroes Unlimited™ sourcebook
- Rifts® Dimension Book™ 14: Thundercloud Galaxy™ – New – April 12
- The Rifter® #54 – New – April 12.
– Additional titles back in print.
- Robotech® New Generation™ Sourcebook (tentative)
- Rifts® WB One: Vampire Kingdoms™, Expanded & Updated
- Rifts® Book of Magic (back in print)
- Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook™ – New
- Rifts® World Book™: Lemuria – New
- The Rifter® #55 – New
- Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames (Minion War™ crossover) – New
- Rifts® Chaos Earth™: First Responders Sourcebook (as soon as we can slot it in)
- 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!
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.
Publisher Kevin Siembieda vows the book will go to the printer by the end of March, which means a mid-April ship date. We apologize for the delay, but as is Palladium’s policy, we will not release a book until we think it is worthy of our audience, and that means epic source material, adventure and fun.
This is going to be another landmark issue of The Rifter® filled with epic source material, exotic places, strange critters, adventure settings and ideas.
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® #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.
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.
Back by popular demand. A black Rifts® Logo on a khaki baseball cap with black trim. Looks great and fans love it! Makes a great gift.
Gold print on a rich black, faux velvet material. Looks gorgeous, a sturdy and well made, drawstring bag. A big 7x9 inches, can hold a lot of dice.
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.