By Kevin Siembieda

As usual, the Palladium Open House was full of fun, gaming and friends.

I had a vast number of people tell me how wonderful the Palladium staff and freelancers were to chat with. I heard how delicious the food was, and what a great job Kathy Simmons did. I heard how nice the warehouse was and that it looked just as big or bigger than the old one (it is not, but thank you). I heard how much people loved Palladium’s role-playing games, writing and artwork, and how much they appreciate the work the Palladium crew and I put into every book. I was relieved to hear from the gentlemen who flew in from Europe and from gamers who traveled considerable distances, that the trip “was worth every penny.” And as always, I heard how the Open House was unlike any gaming event many had ever attended. That they felt welcomed. They felt like family.

Thank you for the warm words, and thank you for making the 2009 Open House a wonderful experience for all of us at Palladium Books as well. Palladium fans are, without a doubt, the greatest.

V.I.P. Thursday

A few friends and volunteers arrived Thursday morning – big Nick Bradshaw being one of the first. Nick is one of Palladium’s artists, but he didn’t hesitate to help us do grunt work, shoveling dirt to fill in holes and scrubbing the warehouse floors. (Thanks, buddy.)

Most folks started rolling in between 3:30 and 5:00 P.M.

V.I.P. night included a delicious hot meal, good conversation, a presentation talk by me and a question and answer session. The evening was capped off by a night of gaming and chatting.

Kathy Simmons catered the event for the third time in a row providing a popular selection of delicious food: Three salads (tossed salad, Italian noodle and potato salad), turkey, tuna and ham croissant sandwiches, fried chicken, mostaccioli, meatballs, sauerkraut and kielbasa, rolls, coffee, soda and assorted desserts (chocolate cake, carrot cake, white cake, cookies). Those in attendance were quite tickled.

When I introduced the Palladium staff and explained how Kathy Simmons had done 80-90% of the prep-work for the Open House so we could continue to grind out books, she got a two-minute standing ovation that brought tears to her eyes.

I got tongue tied trying to say Jason Marker’s name and called him Jason Richards something like four times in a row. That caused a lot of laughs.

Near disaster and the greatest fans on Earth! Freelance writer, Mark Oberle called to report he and writer/artist Mike Leonard had been in a moderately serious accident. In fact, their car had to be towed about 50 miles to the Open House! They were not sure if the car could be made driveable or how they’d get home. The tow-truck mechanic estimated damage at $2000-$3000.

During my V.I.P. talk, I explained what happened and asked everyone in attendance to donate $5-$10 toward getting these boys back home and/or repair the vehicle. Palladium’s very own Julius Rosenstein started the collection off by tossing a twenty dollar bill into the jug, the next thing we knew, people were tossing money in the bucket one after another. Proving, once again, thatPalladium gamers are the greatest in the world! Thank you EVERYONE who offered a few dollars toward the cause.

We raised $843 plus a number of people gave Mark money directly, for a total in the neighborhood of $1100. By the way, Jason Marker, Shawn Hall and the tow truck mechanic were able to get the vehicle back into mostly running condition. They were not completely sure the vehicle could make the trip back home to Missouri, but it did, and Mark has enough cash to effect the necessary mechanical repairs thanks to those of you who helped. You guys and gals are the best!

V.I.P. Night Talk & Gaming

I always give a talk, introduce the staff and allow questions and answers. One of the funniest moments came when freelance writer Brandon Aten asked, “What property does Palladium intend to license next?” Licenses can be fun and profitable, but they are also a pain in the neck. The running joke at the office was, the next person to ask about a new license is taken out back and shot. When I explained this, it elicited plenty of laughter. The laughter grew when Mark Hall (another freelance writer and burly gent) took Brandon Aten – head hung low – toward the back, around a corner out of sight, followed by what sounded like a gunshot! Mark then slowly sauntered back, smiling, without Brandon Aten. The crowd erupted with laughter. Note: No freelancers were actually injured or killed in this spontaneous display of fun. The gunshot was really a folding chair being dropped and Brandon resurfaced a minute later.

“Madman” Mike Leonard surprised me by presenting me with a plaque that read: Our Fearless Leader – Founder, Palladium Books – For undaunted, inspirational leadership. It was both touching and hilarious.

Hilarious because the top plate on the plaque is a color picture by Mike depicting me in a heroic pose, clutching a copy of Dead Reign in one hand, firing a pistol at three zombies with the other, and Wayne Smith, clad in his Red Wings hockey jersey and clutching a hockey stick, cowering behind me. As if that wasn’t hilarious enough, the plaque has an audio piece. When activated you hear the sound of zombies moaning and my actual voice (pieced together from podcasts) saying, “I’ve got your back, I’ll protect you,” followed by three gunshots. Wow. I love it. Thanks, Mike. It’s hanging on the wall in my office.

There were nine game events that evening plus Palladium staff, creators and I sat around chatting with anyone who wanted to sit and talk. I also gave several tours of the Palladium inner sanctum: our office area. It was fun and the evening ended shortly after midnight.

Friday

Gamers started lining up at 7:15 A.M. – even though we weren’t supposed to open up until 9:30 A.M. Always resourceful, we let them in early but made them help us collect and haul out garbage, rearrange tables and chairs, and other things.

The rest of the day was filled with lots and lots of gaming. I ran five games (three Dead Reign and two Fantasy), gave a few more tours of the office, signed autographs and chatted with people. I closed out the place at 1:30 A.M. The last game started a half hour late and ended explosively an hour longer than scheduled. One of the Palladium Fantasy games was the Palladium of Desire (as requested by Evan Cooney), and the other one was my Lord DeSilca two-hour countdown to Hell game. All were fun, three were epic.

95 games were scheduled for the weekend. Julius Rosenstein ran 7 games. I ran 6 games (five of ‘em on Friday), Carmen Bellaire, Jason Marker, Carl Gleba, James Brown, Steve Dawes, Jason Richards, and a host of others all ran games. I think Friday was the only day we saw two games canceled because there were not enough players, and another 3-4 games had about half the total number of players (3-5 people playing) that they could have accommodated. The rest of the weekend the game slots were filled. I know Julius, myself and others added more people than originally intended (I averaged 13) to make sure people got to game with us. It was a blast.

Saturday

More gaming till we dropped.

Julius Rosenstein’s Golden Age Heroes game was epic and Julius is convinced Evan Cooney was born to play Weasel Man. The Curse of the Alchemist was a period game set in 1787 forBeyond the Supernatural™, also run by Julius that I heard a lot of buzz about.

People also raved about Carl Gleba’s Mechanoids® Space game, a sneak peek at the upcoming RPG tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release.

Carmen’s Rifts^® Board Game

Carmen Bellaire surprised us with a Rifts® board game he created during the three months he was out of work. I did not get a chance to play (had waaaaay too many other things to do and people to see), but I look forward to playing it. Carmen ran it a dozen times and I had a ZILLION people come up to me afterward to tell me it was awesome and Palladium “had to make it.” We’ve never done a board game, but we will give it serious consideration. From what we can tell it is a great game. It certainly looks fantastic. Carmen did a great job on it. Since play tests at the Open House, Carmen wants to perfect the game with some small changes and additions. I’ll look into the cost and . . . well, time will tell.

On a humorous note, Carmen couldn’t win his own game! Admittedly, the other players were gunning for him. You see, there are two ways to win, get to the center of the board and kill Emperor Prosek or destroy all the other players. So far, players have gone with the idea of exterminating the other players. Carmen finally won the final game of the weekend when he rigged the game by grabbing a specific character and won by killing Emperor Prosek.

Saturday Costume Contest

The costume contest was fantastic. We had 21 contestants, 11 in the Rifts/science fiction category. The costumes were clever, funny and extremely well made. For example, though you couldn’t see it under the armor, Carl Gleba created a complete “Juicer Bio-Comp and Drug Harness” as part of his Juicer costume. It was awesome and he won First Place in the Rifts/Science Fiction category. Mike Leonard made his impressive costume (Honorable Mention) using plastic laundry detergent bottles as the primary building component. The Ley Line Walker costume took Best of Show. A simple, but fun and clever costume was Greg Diaczyk posing as Wayne Smith (who was portrayed as Palladium character in The Rifter® #9 1/2). We also presented Joseph Bergmansthe 2007 Best of Show, with a special trophy.

Chris Guertin brought his motorcycle into the building, partly as his costume (he was a Reaper) and as to give Palladium artists an opportunity to take photographs for future reference (which was greatly appreciated).

The costume competition was fun and impressive, but incredibly difficult to choose the winners. The audience was half the vote and us judges made the final decision after much debate. Wow, I can hardly wait till next year’s costume competition.

Winners got “Palladium Bucks” (Palladium currency revived from the 1990s with my face on the money; funny) and a plaque with their photo (in costume). Very personal and very classy.

Saturday Night “Live” Auction

The live auction was another hit, with some outstanding bargains, surprisingly expensive items (a Palladium Crimson went for $260, and a Rifts® license plate made by Erick Wujcik for Palladium staff one Christmas years ago, so there were only 12 made, went for $150). We also sold proofreader photocopies, a couple T-shirts, posters, prints, and lots of “first printing” books, many of which were used by Erick Wujcik or me to run our games. Fun and funny.

Long time friend, Paul Deckert, came by unexpectedly with a box of books from Erick Wujcik’s personal collection, so we put 15 or so in the auction as well. Very appropriate since the “live” auction hosted by me was Erick Wujcik’s suggestion after the last Open House.

Erick Wujcik Memorial

The memorial for Erick Wujcik I put up was appreciated and well received. I also said a few words about Erick on V.I.P. night. I didn’t want to bring the exuberant party atmosphere down, so I kept it very short. Erick is sorely missed, but his joyful presence was felt the entire weekend. I was happy to see dozens and dozens of people sign his Book of Memories and write a little about him and his work, or draw a little picture. I appreciated it immensely and I’m sure his loved ones will appreciate the book when we send it to them.

Hot Product

The best selling items of the Open House were our game books.

We only had 100 advance copies of the Dead Reign™: Civilization Gone™ sourcebook and it sold out by Sunday afternoon. Shemarrian Nation™ and Dyval™ were also hot, as were theDead Reign™ RPG, the Robotech® books, Rifts® Ultimate Edition, and the entire Rifts® line, but it seemed like we sold a lot of everything.

Non-book products. The hottest non-book items had to be the following:

- Rifts® pin-on badges/buttons for a dollar flew off the table. 67 out of 70 vanished within an hour after Kathy put them out. Fans descended upon them like locusts! Thank you Kathy for making them, and Badge-A-Minute and Erick Wujcik who gave us the badge making device years ago.

- Rifts® and Gamer™ Coffee Mugs. Folks seemed most excited about the two coffee mugs, and were pleased with the big, 15 ounce size.

- Rifts® Dice Bags were also hot, selling on par with the coffee mugs.

- Gamer™ and Gamer Zombie™ T-shirts were strong sellers as were the Dead Reign™ and Property of the Coalition States T-shirts (the latter two both back in stock).

– Rifts® pocket calculators were a surprise hit. We didn’t know how people would respond, but folks were snapping them up.

- Hell was full so I came back™, full color T-shirts sold well, but did not get the big reception we expected.

- The gorgeous, full color Magnets and Rifts sticky-note pads (great for making and passing notes during a game) did only so-so.

- Rifts® baseball caps! Everyone one wanted one, but we didn’t have any. We had three samples from one of our printers on display. Now that we know you want them, we will look into getting them made.

On a Personal Note

I had a great time. It was nice seeing many friends and freelancers, though I barely got to talk to many of them! It was cool to put a face to the voice of Matthew Daye, and I had fun hanging withNick Bradshaw, Amy Ashbaugh, Steve Dawes (one of our Thursday early arriving friends and contributors) and making friends with his super-helpful pal, Ted, who was a big help throughout the event.

I am not even going to begin to attempt to list everyone by name, because I will certainly forget some people. However, I do want to give a shout out to helpers: Joe Bergmans, Chris Guertin, Eric Campion, Shawn and Lisa Hall, Nick Bradshaw, James Brown, Megan Owens, Nick, Steve, Ted, Doug, and Becky for their help.

We made our share of new friends too, including Andreas and Daniel from Germany, and Pedro from Spain, as well as countless others.

I wish I had more time to hang with and get to know Mark Hall and Greg Diaczyk, among many, many others, but it was not meant to be.

I was surprised many times by a number of gifts given to me throughout the Open House. I always feel a little funny when folks give me stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and enjoy such tokens of affection and appreciation, but it is most definitely not necessary.

I was given the Fearless Leader plaque (a total surprise, fun, funny and touching all at the same time), a Texas shot glass, a NEMA embroidered patch, a custom-made big-head/chibi Coalition Soldier, six bottles of homemade orange soda packaged as Psi-Cola(!!), a trio of different T-shirts, a cool, framed photo of gamer dice, a beautiful hand etched Rifts logo and stand, some actual dice, a photo of A.R.C.H.I.E. Three’s great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, a tiny alien, an “I (bloody heart) zombies” button, a zombie T-shirt, a Darth Vader photo with “Detroit Gaming Center” stamped on the back (it belonged to Erick), and a few other things. Wow, it was like it was my birthday or something. Thank you all very, very, much, but you shouldn’t have. We do the Open House for you, and get plenty of satisfaction from your kind words and smiling faces.

The Hotel only had wonderful things to say about everyone. We had 81 of the 112 rooms, so we dominated the facility. There were no complaints or problems, and the hotel manager told us they had never seen such a large group of nice, friendly and appreciative people. The hotel staff loved you! In fact, you all made such a great impression, that the manager pleaded that we come back and offered to reserve the ENTIRE hotel for us in 2010. An offer we have accepted.

Problems and suggestions

As always, we welcome suggestions on how to improve.

The Open House pretty much went off without a hitch. Our one trouble spot was the Game Schedule and how to present sign up sheets.

Being so busy up to the last minute getting out new product did not leave Wayne much time to figure out and present the schedule in advance.

Furthermore, we struggled with how to post and offer gaming events. Since they are free, we went with first come, first served. There were plenty of games for everyone to play in, but signing up was a problem. We put sign up sheets on the tables, because last time, having sign-up sheets at ONE central location created a huge line and some people waited for an hour or longer before getting to sign up only to find most games filled.

Game blocks and time periods have also been an issue. We wanted to offer games early, but many Game Masters did not want to run till late morning or afternoon or evening. That left early morning (10:00 A.M.) light. Note: We need Game Masters willing and able to run at 10:00 A.M. for next year’s event.

G.M.s were also supposed to get a Game Master T-shirt, but only about 15 out of 60+ G.M.s picked them up. We’ll end up mailing them out which is an added expense and a disappointment for the G.M. who might want to have worn the shirt at the event. Grrrr.

Little space for pick up games. There were only two tables for pick up games. While we might be able to add another 2-3, that’s probably the best we can do. Likewise, a few people said they would like to have seen gaming tables spread out farther apart a bit. The problem: While the new warehouse may appear to be just as big as the old place, it is not. It is smaller by about 3500 square feet, which is a considerable amount of space. Our office space is one third what it was in the old building. Without the large (2500 square foot) area we had upstairs for panel talks and meetings, we chew up space with the panel talk/auction/costume competition area which we need. Regrettably, we are limited by available space in a smaller building.

2010 Palladium Open House – April 29-30, May 1-2

So many people expressed how they loved every minute and were already planning to come next year, that we have decided to do the Palladium Open House again! This could be that last one, as we may not have the space to do more after that (new books take up space, you know).

We will have the entire hotel and two gaming rooms there, plus more new product, new costume competition, the same wonderful atmosphere, events and people. Start planning and saving your money NOW and we will see you next year!

Thank you for making the 2009 Palladium Open House another heartwarming experience for us all. Keep those imaginations burning bright and game on!

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher

2009 Palladium Open House – May 1, 2 & 3, 2009 
February 2009 Progress report

Three days to game!

In addition to VIP Thursday (starts 4:00 PM for those of you attending), there is a full day of gaming Friday from 9:30 AM to Midnight. Saturday from 9:30 AM to Midnight, and Sunday 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. All role-playing. All Palladium games. Many Game Mastered by Palladium staff, Palladium writers and artists, Megaversal Ambassadors and friends of Palladium Books. Most are outstanding Game Masters. Plus there are two game rooms at the hotel where you night owls can game.

More games run by Kevin Siembieda

A large number of people requested Kevin run more games so more people have the opportunity to game with him. He has agreed and will run 8-12 gaming events over the weekend (limited to 2 hour time slots), plus he will be hosting a panel talk or two, the live auction and costume competition. In between, he will be available to chat and sign autographs.

New! Live Auction hosted by Kevin Siembieda

Items include out of print books, gold editions, original artwork, including some Kevin Long and other art from Erick Wujcik’s personal collection, books signed by Erick, proofreader copies of books, and other unique and collectible items.

Improved! Costume Contest on Saturday

Come as your favorite character from any Palladium role-playing game. Several categories to win: Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Modern, Best of Show.

Real Prizes! We have not decided what yet, but this year we want to present real prizes to make the competition more fun, exciting and worth your while. Also have your photo taken, be adored by thousands (including people who will see photos of you posted online), become immortalized and have a blast!

We want the costume competition to have more contestants, so it will be part of the scheduled events, gaming will stop, the Palladium store will close, and EVERYBODY can experience it.

Special! Erick Wujcik Tribute

We plan to have a blank book in which we want those of you who attend to write your warm memories and thoughts about Erick, or draw a little picture of a mutant animal or ninja, or share a funny story about him, or a gaming experience, etc., and then we will send that book to Erick’s love of his life, Kathryn Kozora, as a truly special keepsake.

We also plan other things to celebrate Erick Wujcik’s life and work.

Surprises

We may have a special guest appearance or two. And we may have one or two special announcements, as well as product updates and info. And those in attendance will be the first to know.

Palladium Store

An area where you can purchase currently available Palladium role-playing games and sourcebooks, gold editions, back issues of The Rifter®, miniatures, T-shirts, prints, artwork, toys, special items made for the Open House and more.

All Events are FREE

All games, panel talks and events are FREE; available on a first come, first served basis. They are ALL covered under the price of admission.

60+ Gaming Events

There will be events for the following Palladium Game Settings . . . 
After the Bomb®
Beyond the Supernatural™
Dead Reign™
Heroes Unlimited™
Palladium Fantasy®
Minion War™
Nightbane®
Ninjas & Superspies™
Rifts®
Rifts® Chaos Earth
Robotech®
Splicers®
The Mechanoids™
And more, including special events and mixed multi-settings! 
Many of these games will be run by Kevin Siembieda, Julius Rosenstein, Jason Marker, Carmen Bellaire, and many, many other Palladium creators, Game Masters, and friends of Palladium.

Note: We are looking for Game Masters, read on for details.

Other Events

 

Panel Talks.

Erick Wujcik Tribute.

Live Auction.

Costume Competition.

Meet many Palladium Creators.

Open Gaming.

Stuff to purchase.

And maybe a surprise or two.

- Events run from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM (possibly longer).
- No fees for individual games, panel talks or other events.
- A family friendly environment.

50+ Palladium Creators

We may have more than 50 Palladium creators – including writers, artists, Rifter® contributors, Defilers and consultants – in attendance. Many have already “confirmed” they will be there, othersmay be added and we hope to have a surprise or two! No other gaming event ever has so many Palladium creators at one event.

The Palladium Crew
- Kevin Siembieda (Founder, President, Writer, Artist, Game Designer) 
- Wayne Smith (Editor, Typesetter, Editor-in-Chief of The Rifter®) 
- Julius Rosenstein (Proofreader, G.M. Supreme, Defiler) 
- Alex Marciniszyn (Editor, Researcher, Online Mod, and Defiler) 
- Jason Marker (Author of Robotech® sourcebooks and more) 
- Megan Marker (Honorary staff member/helper) 
- Kathy Simmons (Customer relations and mail order) 
- Thomas Bartold (Online Mod, Troubleshooter and Defiler) 
- Joseph Bergmans (Honorary staff member/helper & consultant) 
- James Brown (Game Master Supreme) 
- Chris Guertin (Honorary staff member/helper) 
- Shawn & Lisa Hall (Honorary staff members/helpers) 
- Doug Lamberson (Honorary staff member & Robotech consultant) 
- Becky Rudell (Honorary staff member/helper) 
- Lonnie Langston (G.M. and Megaversal Ambassador)

Other Palladium Creators & Contributors
- Amy L. Ashbaugh (artist) 
- Brandon Aten (writer & G.M.) 
- Carmen Bellaire (writer & G.M.) 
- Kent Burles (artist) 
- Nick Bradshaw (artist) 
- Randi Cartier (G.M. & writer) 
- Roger Cartier (G.M. & map maker) 
- Greg Diacyzk (writer) 
- Matthew Daye (podcaster) 
– Steven Dawes (writer & G.M.) 
- Mark Dudley (artist) 
- Stephen L. Fox (artist) 
- Carl Gleba (writer & G.M.; tentative) 
- Mark Hall (writer) 
- Josh Hilden (writer) 
- Jeffry Scott Hansen (writer & author) 
- Irvin Jackson (writer; tentative) 
- Levi Johnstone (G.M. & writer) 
- Mike Leonard (writer and artist) 
- Chris Kluge (writer) 
- Alan Manning (artist) 
- Brian Manning (artist) 
- Mike Mumah (artist) 
- Mark Oberle (writer; tentative) 
- Chris Perrin (podcaster; tentative) 
- Apollo Okamura (artist) 
- Ramon Perez (artist; tentative) 
- John Philpott (writer; tentative) 
- Jason Richards (writer; tentative) 
- Jeff “NMI” Ruiz (Palladium Online Administrator) 
- Josh Sinsapaugh (writer) 
- Joshua Sanford (co-author of Dead Reign and Rifter contributor) 
- Charles Walton II (artist) 
- Taylor White (writer and film-maker; tentative) 
- Todd Yoho (writer; tentative)

Other guests may be added. While many listed are “tentative,” more than half are already committed to coming.

Total access to Palladium creators

Unlike most “conventions” where the writers, artists, and game designers make a special appearance for an hour here and there, most of Palladium’s creators are right there on the floor ALL DAY LONG. (Except when they are running games, on a panel discussion or out to lunch or dinner.)

That means you have total access to get creators to sign your books, talk with you and clown around. And that includes Kevin Siembieda and the Palladium staff. All in the intimate surroundings of the Palladium warehouse and offices.

Meet Palladium fans from around the world

This year we have people coming from across the USA – so far, that includes Alaska(!), Oregon, California, Nebraska, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and Washington, as well as Canada – Windsor, Ottawa, Calgary – and as far away as Germany!

The POH is the ONLY gaming event Palladium will attend in 2009!

As noted in Kevin Siembieda’s first Murmur of the New Year, he and the Palladium Books staff will only attend the 2009 Palladium Open House – no other conventions, not even Gen Con. The rest of our time will be devoted to getting the new product YOU WANT finished and onto store shelves.

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When, Where & How to Attend 
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2009 Palladium Open House 
– April 30 (VIP Night) – May 1, 2 & 3, 2009

Dates: Thursday through Sunday, April 30, May 1, 2 & 3. 
Location: The Palladium warehouse at 39074 Webb Court, Westland, Michigan, 48185-7606. (734) 271-2903 order line only. 
Attendance: Limited to around 320. Available on a first come, first served basis.

Hours:
Thursday VIP ONLY Hours: 4:00 PM doors open. 5:30 PM dinner. 7:00 PM Kevin Siembieda talks. 8:00 PM (or so) VIPs can play in various gaming events or gather and talk with Kevin Siembieda, Palladium staff members and other Palladium creators. Note: Sorry, VIP night is sold out. 
Friday Hours: 9:30 AM doors open. 10:00 AM till midnight gaming and other events. Gaming hours may be extended; plus all-night gaming rooms at the hotel. 
Saturday Hours: 9:30 AM doors open. 10:00 AM till midnight gaming and other events. Live auction and costume competition are part of Saturday’s events. Gaming hours may be extended; plus all-night gaming rooms at the hotel. 
Sunday Hours: 9:30 AM doors open. 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM gaming.

Cost:
3 Day Weekend: $40 per person (Friday thru Sunday). 
Friday Only: $16 per person. 
Saturday Only: $16 per person. 
Sunday Only: $12 per person. 
VIP Thursday: Sorry, sold out in 13 hours.

Placing Your Order:
Online: Click here.
By Telephone: Call (734) 721-2903 – have your credit card information ready. 
By Mail: Send check or money order to: 
Palladium Books 
Dept. POH 
39074 Webb Court 
Westland, MI 48185-7606 
Please include your FULL address and apartment number. Also include the complete NAME of EACH person you are ordering a ticket for, as well as your telephone number in case there is a problem and we need to contact you.

Methods of Payment:
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard and most credit cards are accepted. All Credit Card orders must include: Credit Card No. – Name on the card – Address of the Credit Cardholder – Expiration Date – Telephone Number of the cardholder. Click here.
Check or Money Order: Sent via the USPS or other delivery service.

Certificate of Admission & Special Name Badge. Everyone who places their admission order before April 13, gets an 8½ x 11 inch certificate of admission with their name and badge number, suitable for framing or as a collector’s item. A color name badge will be waiting for you when you arrive. Each is numbered, and some people have Kevin Siembieda sign their badge before they leave.

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Open House Hotel 
$69.95 per night – Reserve your room as soon as possible 
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Two-Thirds of the rooms are ALREADY GONE as of January 30th!

Space is limited and Palladium may need to book rooms in a second hotel, so book your room NOW to get this great price and location. Your credit card will NOT be charged till the date of the event.

Hotel information:

$69.95 plus tax per Double or King room.

Clean, comfortable rooms – Double beds or a single king-size bed.

Free continental breakfast from 5:30 AM to 9:30 AM.

Exercise room open 24 hours.

Executive meeting room for all-night gaming; provided a Palladium agent is present in the room.

Large meeting room with tables and chairs for six additional games for all-night gaming; provided a Palladium agent is present in the room.

Plenty of places to eat just down the road (Denny’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Bennigan’s, and many others).

TO MAKE A RESERVATION at the $69.95 price you MUST tell them you want a room in the Block Reserved for Palladium Books. 734-455-8100 tel.

Comfort Inn Plymouth Clock Tower

40455 Ann Arbor Road (right off of I-275) 
Plymouth, MI 48170 
Call 734-455-8100 to make hotel reservations.

Palladium Open House Dates: V.I.P. Thursday is April 30. Open House for all is May 1, 2 & 3, 2009.

2009 Palladium Open House – May 1, 2 & 3 
– 39074 Webb Court – Westland, MI 48185

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POH Game Masters Needed!!!! 
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If you are a quality Game Master with experience, you are coming to the Palladium Open House, and would like to run one or more gaming events at the POH, please contact us as soon as possible.

We especially want our “creators” – freelance writers and artists – and Megaversal Ambassadors to run several events throughout the Open House. I’ll be running 3-6 a day, depending on the day.

G.M.s who are scheduled, in advance (no later than March 31, 2009), to run 3 or more events will get a special T-shirt and a 30% discount on all Palladium product purchases (does NOT apply to auction items, concessions, toys, prints or artwork).

What we will need from G.M.s for each game you’d like to run:

- RPG/World setting (Rifts®, Robotech®, HU2, Fantasy, BTS, Ninjas & Superspies, etc.) 
- A brief, but dynamic description of the game. 
- Maximum Number of Players: 6-10 is typical, run what YOU feel comfortable with running. 
- Running Time: 3-4 hours is typical, and best for these kinds of events, longer can be a problem. 
- What days you can run: VIP Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday? 
- When: Do you have a preferred time of day you want to run? If so, what it is (10 AM, noon, 8:00 PM, what)? If we can not give you that time slot, will you run earlier or later? 
- Multiple games: If you are running multiple times, is it the same game? If different games provide all this information for EACH. 
– Please bring pre-rolled “player” character sheets: Pre-rolled character sheets/descriptions for each player is strongly advised. Why waste time rolling up characters? Let’s game! 
- Minimum age of the players: Especially if the game has mature content or extreme violence. Please indicate if it is not suitable for players under the age of 17. 
- YOUR T-shirt size. You will want this shirt. 
- I.D. & Contact Info: 
Your real name 
Street address 
Telephone/Cell number (an alternative number optional) 
Email address 
T-shirt size!

NOTE: If you commit to running games at the POH, you must be serious and MUST be available to run your games. Do not disappoint gamers from around the globe by being unprepared or absent. You also have to purchase your own admission ticket.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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POH Volunteers Needed! 
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We will need volunteers to help us set up, and handle admissions (confirming I.D., handing out badges), store/sales assistance/restocking shelves, gopher, general assistance, parking lot, etc.

You’ll get a volunteer’s badge and select perks that may include a product discount percentage commensurate with the amount of work and hours put in. NOTE: If you volunteer, please show up. Volunteers have to purchase their own admission ticket.

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More about the 2009 POH 
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2009 Palladium Open House (POH) 
is going to be something special

Every Open House is special in its own way.

The 2006 Open House helped give us all the courage and strength to press on and fight in the face of the Crisis of Treachery. It felt like the rallying point of defiant Palladium creators and fans refusing to let Palladium go under. It was awesome. All who attended made us know that Palladium was loved and appreciated.

The 2007 Open House was fun, a bit bigger, and people got to meet more Palladium creators than ever, including John Zeleznik (who seldom travels out east) and the late, great, Erick Wujcik.Nobody could have imagined the 2007 Open House would be the last convention anyone would have a chance to meet Erick. I’m so glad those in attendance had that opportunity. Erick Wujcikwas a genius, one of my dearest friends, and he is deeply missed.

We skipped 2008 because of Palladium’s Big Move. Wisely, we knew we could not move and host the Open House within a month of each other. We are so glad we did, because dealing with the tragic illness and loss of Erick Wujcik made 2008 an awful year for us.

The 2009 Palladium Open House – May 1, 2 & 3, 2009 – is going be another fun and highly memorable event for those who attend. That’s one of the cool things about the POH, each is special, different and fun in its own way. Something many who attend will remember with fondness for years to come. This year we have more guests, more games, more events, and hope to be even more organized, prepared, and efficient. We may also have a few surprises. It will definitely be memorable.

Why is the Palladium Open House so special?

By Kevin Siembieda

Since the first Palladium Open House in 2006, I have often asked myself what makes this event so special. Why do the majority of those who attend go completely gah gah over it and come back from all around the world?

All they can seem to say is they had a great time, loved meeting scores of Palladium creators, and they’ll be back.

Hmm, well there is non-stop gaming. No, not just gaming – role-playing games. I always figured the game events had a lot to do with it. But there’s something else. Something that deeply affects those who attend. Something almost magical.

Then I finally figured it out! The Palladium Open House is special because it is a complete, unapologetic, immersion into role-playing.

The Palladium Open House is Role-Playing Heaven for fans of Palladium Books. A non-stop celebration of role-playing. Not just any type of role-playing games, but Palladium role-playing games all day and all night long, with gaming events run by the CREATORS of the games.

Kevin Siembieda. The Palladium staff. The writers. The artists. The Game Masters and play testers. They are all there. All the time. Accessible. Friendly. Happy to chat. Happy to tell insider stories. Happy to run games. Happy to sign autographs. Happy to be with YOU.

It’s the total experience. Deep immersion into the Palladium Megaverse®. Right there, at the offices and warehouse of Palladium Books. The place where the games you love are created. And you are knee deep with the very people who created them!

You have total access to Palladium creators. Total access the entire time. You are not going find that at any other gaming event, anywhere.

From me, Kevin Siembieda, and the Palladium staff to freelance writers, artists, contributors, consultants, Game Masters, friends and fans, it is one big, friendly gathering in an intimate setting. Good games, good conversation, friendly faces and non-stop fun. Palladium gamer heaven.

The Palladium Open House is also where you discover Palladium’s greatest secret: We are all gaming geeks just like you. That’s why you have total access to us, because we enjoy gaming and clowning around with fellow gamers.

Oh yeah, all the games and events are FREE. They are all covered in the price of admission (sign up on a first come, first served basis). There is a Costume Contest on Saturday and we encourage YOU to dress up and participate in it, a live auction, panel talks, stuff to buy (games, books, original art, limited edition prints, minis, T-shirts, toys, etc.), people to meet, dozens of Palladium creators, books to get signed, and a bunch of other events and stuff that adds to the fun and excitement.

If you want to lose yourself in one or more days of Palladium nirvana, then you’d better reserve your admission NOW! The Palladium Open House starts in only THREE MONTHS and the number of people we can accommodate is limited.

To attend, click here.

© Copyright 2009 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Dead Reign, Heroes Unlimited, Beyond the Supernatural, ‘Burbs, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.