Palladium Books® Weekly Update – May 30, 2019

By Kevin Siembieda

One game system – every genre – countless worlds – endless adventure

I hope those of you who had a long weekend enjoyed yourselves. I worked through most of it figuring I’d have three days of quiet to move along Rifts® Bestiary™ and I did. Email problems and computer issues plagued us since the last Weekly Update, devouring Wayne’s time, so we are only now getting into the laying out phase of Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One. I took that time to go back into the manuscript and do additional embellishments on some of the beasts. I really want this book to be a crowd-pleaser and wow people. I also wrote what I thought might be a Foreword to the book, but I’m not sure I’m going to use it, so I’ll include it here in this Weekly Update as my Closing Thoughts.

Those difficulties we had sending out mass emails meant we were unable to email the May 23rd Weekly Update, and we apologize for any inconvenience that may have caused you. We hope you didn’t miss out on the mind-blowing Rifts® sale that ran from last Thursday through yesterday. We were able to send out a couple “sale ends soon” emails that should have reached most of you.

NEW Sale: All Dead Reign® and most Nightbane®, and select other titles featuring the undead and darkness, are on sale now through next Wednesday at prices to send chills down your spine. The sale takes place here in Palladium Books’ online store PLUS a similar sale is taking place on DriveThruRPG for PDF titles. We figured with the new season of Fear the Walking Dead returning this weekend, we’d put Dead Reign® and other dark settings on sale. But it is only for a short time, so please spread the word!

Otherwise, we continue to push forward with work on several titles. While our main focus is getting Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One to the printer and into your hands, other books are coming along too. At this stage, that’s mostly writing, editing and artwork by others. The next book release will be The Rifter® #83, filled with truly great adventure source material. Then Dead Reign®: In the Face of Death™ sourcebook and Garden of the Gods™ sourcebook for Palladium Fantasy. As I mentioned last Update, I may flip the release order of those two and do Garden of the Gods™ then In the Face of Death™. I still haven’t decided yet, but fantasy is calling me. Then with a little luck and hard work, Chaos Earth® Psychic Scream™ and/or The Rifter® #84 will quickly follow and all four of five titles will be available by the end of July. On top of that, we have people working on Rifts® Antarctica and Rifts® Titan Robotics™, along with a number of other titles, including books for Palladium Fantasy.

NEW SALE – Dead Reign^®, Nightbane^® and other books – at PDF prices – now thru June 5, 2019

Are you are aching to destroy zombies and battle the forces of darkness? Yes! Then this sale is for you. ALL Dead Reign®, Nightbane® and other select physical books are on sale (except for those that are extremely low or out of stock) at prices to wake the dead! Palladium Books – today thru Wednesday night, June 5, 2019. A similar sale for PDF titles is also happening at DriveThruRPG; see details below.

• Dead Reign® rule book
• Dead Reign® Sourcebooks – ALL
• Nightbane® rule book
• Nightbane® sourcebooks, most, including Dark Designs™
• Fantasy: Dragons and Gods™
• Fantasy: Old Ones™ (adventure source book)
• Fantasy: Land of the Damned™ Two: Eternal Torment™ (undead and monsters)
• The Rifter® #78 (the Modern Necromancer)
• Rifts® Vampire Sourcebook
• Rifts® Africa (4 Horsemen of Apocalypse)
• Rifts® Madhaven™ (haunted New York City)
• Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ (demon invasion)
• Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™ (CS fighting demon invasion)
• Rifts® Dark Conversions™ (undead and monsters)
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ adventure sourcebook
• On sale now thru June 5, 2019. Enjoy and please spread the word.

A Kickstarter you may want to support: The World Between Novel (Fantasy) by Sarah Orr Aten – 7 days left

Many of you know Sarah Aten from Gen Con, the Palladium Open House and her activities online. Sarah is a dear friend and a great helper. And she is writing a Fantasy time travel novel that she is funding via Kickstarter, now thru June 6, 2019. Get all the information you need from the Kickstarter, and if it sounds good or you want to support our friend Sarah, then please do so. For more details, here is the link to The World Between Kickstarter. Sarah, unleash your imagination! I look forward to getting my book.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1825805433/the-world-between

UPDATE: Rifts^® Bestiary^™, Volume One – June release

It has taken a while but this monster of a book is entering the final stage of production, and nobody is happier about it than we are. Next stop, the printer.

Don’t forget, we are not just collecting monsters and animals from Rifts® books and reprinting them. I am updating each and every one of them, making every creature feel like something new and expanded. Each one a comprehensive description filled with fun surprises and ideas for adventure and various uses by players and G.M.s alike. Beasts from across the Megaverse and ranging from delightful and helpful to monstrous and alien. Roughly 100 monsters and animals in the Rifts® Bestiary Vol. One, alone. Plus words from Erin Tarn about the wilderness of North America. June release.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #83 – June release

The artwork has been coming in all week. Another book soon to go into final layout.

• Treasures of the Megaverse® by Carl Gleba.
• Operation Minotaur for Beyond the Supernatural™ by Hendrik Härterich.
• Half-Ogre race for Palladium Fantasy RPG® by Ian Herbert.
• Prophet O.C.C. for Palladium Fantasy RPG® by Ian Herbert.
• Hunter/Vigilante for Heroes Unlimited™ by Matt Reed.
• The Superspy/Secret Operative for Heroes Unlimited™ by Matt Reed.
• News and Coming Attractions.
• 96 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 183 – June release.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #84 – End of June or early July release

Wayne has made his selections and I will be assigning artwork soon. Another great issue full of fun and ideas.

• Source material for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural™, and more!
• John Zeleznik cover.
• 96 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 184 – end of June or July release.

UPDATE: In the Face of Death^™, a sourcebook for Dead Reign^®

The next book on my schedule. I expect this one to go quickly. Artwork is done. As soon as I am finished with Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One, I dive into finishing In the Face of Death™. A June/July release.

UPDATE: Garden of the Gods™ – Summer release

The cover is being painted and the interior artwork that is already coming in is looking great. This Palladium Fantasy sourcebook should be fuel for countless adventures and will be followed by the Lopan world book which explores the rest of the island nation, its people, and more adventure.

Garden of the Gods™ is a unique adventure engine that should give players and Game Masters plenty of fuel for their characters and games. The Raw Preview Edition gives you a great idea of what you can expect when the finished book is released later this summer. We cannot wait to get all these books into your hands. I am shooting for an end of July/Gen Con release, but August is probably more realistic.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Chaos Earth^® – Psychic Scream^™ – Summer release

The interior artwork is being worked on even as you read this. Another epic sourcebook by Taylor White with additional material by Kevin Siembieda. Shooting for a July release, but no promises. I am pumped about this title.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Titan Robotics^™

Finished artwork and concept sketches are already starting to come in and looking fabulous. Half the art has been assigned and I will be assigning the rest very soon. As those of you who have purchased the Titan Robotics™ Raw Edition already know, there is a lot of new tech, power armor, robots, etc., in this book that needs to be illustrated. I now have a trio of artists working on the book, and will be assigning others. A summer or fall release, which depends on how quickly some other projects come together.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Bestiary^™, Volume Two – Fall release

Nothing new on this front, but we all want it to be released as quickly as possible. Looking at a fall release.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Antarctica^™

Nothing new to report. I think Rifts® Antarctica™ is going to surprise and delight a lot of people. It is also a great example of the fun you can have with the Raw Editions. The sold out Rifts® Antarctica Raw Edition is a far cry from what the finished book is going to be. Those of you who bought the Raw Edition get a glimpse at Palladium’s creative process. When you compare the two, you’ll see what we kept, what we eliminated, what we added, and how we embellished the material to reach the creative finale of the finished book coming this fall or winter. Fun and educational for those of you who aspire to be writers yourself or just like to have the inside track at Palladium. And true of all Raw Editions vs the finished book. Probably a fall or winter release.

UPDATE: The Disavowed^™, Living Nowhere^™, Beyond the Supernatural^™ sourcebooks, and other titles

These titles and several others are NOT forgotten and are in various stages of active production or waiting for production. As always, just because a book is not specifically listed in every Weekly Update, it does not mean it is discontinued or in limbo, it means there are more immediate things to talk about or there’s no substantive news to report. We are anxious to put as many of the books you’ve been waiting for into your hands as possible over the next 18 months. That includes Chaos Earth® First Responders™, Rifts® Antarctica, Rifts® CS Arsenal™, Rifts® Living Nowhere™, Beyond the Supernatural™ sourcebooks, more Fantasy sourcebooks and other titles. So if a book you are waiting for is not mentioned in an Update, it means there is nothing new to report, but it should still be in the pipeline and news for it will be coming in the weeks or months ahead. Right now, we are focused on releases for the next six months, which by our count is 6-7 titles. And many of them are in various stages of production or development.

New on DriveThruRPG.com – Stop the Darkness SALE – ALL PDFs for Dead Reign^®, Nightbane^® and select other titles on sale – now thru June 5

Are you are aching to destroy zombies and battle the forces of darkness? Yes! Then this sale is for you. ALL Dead Reign®, Nightbane® and more PDF titles are on sale! Starting today thru Wednesday night, June 5, 2019. A similar sale for book titles is also happening at PalladiumBooks.com.

• Dead Reign® rule book
• ALL Dead Reign® Sourcebooks
• ALL Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures
• Nightbane® rule book
• ALL Nightbane® sourcebooks
• Fantasy: Dragons and Gods™
• Fantasy: Old Ones™ (adventure source book)
• Fantasy: Land of the Damned™ Two: Eternal Torment™ (undead and monsters)
• The Rifter® #78 (the Modern Necromancer)
• Rifts® Vampire Sourcebook
• Rifts® Africa (4 Horsemen of Apocalypse)
• Rifts® Madhaven™ (haunted New York City)
• Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ (demon invasion)
• Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™ (CS fighting demon invasion)
• Rifts® Dark Conversions™ (undead and monsters)
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ adventure sourcebook
• On sale now thru June 5, 2019. Enjoy and please spread the word.

Recent PDF additions include the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet: a Microsoft Excel-based character management system. Packed with features and data collected from every official Palladium Fantasy sourcebook to enable you to create Fantasy characters quickly (25 minutes!) and help you to update and manage them for years to come. The Rifter® #79 (Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™, Gaming through History, G.M., and more), The Rifter® #78 (the Modern Necromancer, Palladium Fantasy®, Rifts®, Splicers®, more); Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™, the Coalition’s response to the escalating Minion War™ crisis, Psi-Battalion, CS Demon Hunter, special training and more).

Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Three: Zombies, Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Two: Civilians and Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume One: Survivors. There are also paper miniatures for Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy® and Rifts®. A new, up-to-date, PDF Palladium Books Catalog. Nightbane® Dark Designs™ sourcebook with 60 new Common Talents, 38 new Elite Talents, 18 new Morphus Tables, all other Morphus Tables collected and more. Systems Failure™ RPG, a 160 page RPG that deals with alien invasion and a post-apocalypse setting that is fun and dynamic. Civilization is on the verge of collapse when the so-called "bugs" invade and turn humans into zombie-like slaves. Monsters, heroes and fun. A complete RPG and setting. Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun™ Two: 256 pages of technology and fun. 30+ power armors, 30+ body armors, 15 combat vehicles, 45 vehicles (hovercycles, etc.), 10 robot haulers, the Robodome and more. Bizantium and the Northern Islands™: the northernmost part of the Known World, the Cold Born, Necromancy ships made from dead sea serpents, 15 creatures, Random Sea Monster Generator, and more. Rifts® Northern Gun™ One. This fan favorite might be thought of as the big book of giant robots – an in-depth look at Northern Gun, 70+ weapons, 27 robots, NG O.C.C.s, key people and places, and much more. Mysteries of Magic™ Book One: The Heart of Magic™ with Wizards, their Apprentices, nearly 60 new magic spells and remember, magic and monsters in the Fantasy RPG are easily adapted to Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, HU2 and other settings. Wolfen Empire™ Fantasy sourcebook, the Great Northern Wilderness and Killer Winters, 12 Wolfen Tribes, Wolfen military and society, 15+ creatures, 5 full adventures, 101 adventure ideas, random encounter tables, notable people, places, plus FREE Sneak Previews of The Rifter® #80, The Rifter® #81, The Rifter® #82, and more on DriveThruRPG.com.

• Rifts® is a genre-bending setting that combines science fiction, fantasy, horror, post-apocalypse survival, magic, and endless possibilities for adventure. Imagine a near perfect world of advanced technology 100 years in the future. Then imagine that world crashing down overnight in an apocalyptic upheaval not seen since the formation of the planet. A Great Cataclysm caused by the explosive return of magic. Now fast forward 300 years into the future where magic, dragons, and mythic gods coexist with cyborgs, giant robots and super-science rediscovered from humanity's Golden Age as humans rise from a lengthy Dark Age. But they must contend with countless alien life forms, monsters, and supernatural horrors from beyond the Rifts.
• Rifts® core titles we would suggest: Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® Game Master Guide, Rifts® Book of Magic, Rifts® Adventure Guide, D-Bees of North America™, Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign and Rifts® Sourcebook One. Note: The Rifts® RPG, 1st Edition and Rifts® Ultimate, 2nd Edition are both available.
• 80+ Rifts® supplements, most of them available as PDFs with more coming. Where to start? Wherever sounds fun.
• Rifts® Dimension Books™: Travel to alien worlds and dimensions via the Rifts for off-world adventure and intrigue.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG and sourcebook series (all). Live through the Great Cataclysm and the Coming of the Rifts. Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG, Creatures of Chaos™, Rise of Magic™, and Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ are all available.
• FREE Sneak Previews for Nightbane® Dark Designs™, Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™, Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity, and many other previews as well as free and low cost items that we make available. All of it adds to the growing list of Rifts and other Palladium RPG game titles available as PDF books, cards and support. A new title should be added every week or two, so keep watching for them.
• The Rifter® #1-77. Each issue is a wealth of source material and ideas for several game lines, but most material can be easily adapted to ANY Palladium game world. Each issue a gem.
• Splicers® RPG is like Iron Man meets Game of Thrones with elements of Terminator – except this army of Iron Men are clad in living body armor and wield living, organic weapons and devices. Created in 2004 by writer and game designer Carmen Bellaire, Splicers® was nominated for an Inquest Gamer Magazine Fan Awards Game of the Year, and has since developed a rabid fan base. Science fiction and horror where humans are forced to use genetically engineered, living weapons and organic war machines to battle an insane Artificial Intelligence and her robot legions. Unlike anything you have ever played before!
• Splicers®: I Am Legion™ Adventure Sourcebook: 6 new Great Houses, 4 new Host Armors, 6 new War Mounts, 19 new Bio-Weapons, 15 new killer machines, new Bio-Enhancements, Amalgam creation tables, Legion and a series of adventures that build into a small campaign, and more.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 1st Edition Rules and sourcebooks. A unique world of magic, monsters and heroes. Dozens of nonhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and more. 100,000 years of history.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Rules and many sourcebooks. The expanded world of high fantasy, magic, mystery and heroes of every variety. Includes the Mind Mage and psychic abilities, mages and spells, magic circles and symbols, men-at-arms, scoundrels and a wide range of inhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and many more. 100,000 years of history.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG first edition rule book and sourcebooks.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Second Edition rule book and sourcebooks. Create any type of superhuman you can desire and bring comic book adventures to life.
• Dead Reign® RPG (Zombie Apocalypse). The dead have risen. It is the battle for survival in the zombie apocalypse, but this setting is much more than your typical zombie game. Play ordinary people or special characters better equipped to survive and hunt zombies. Many unusual types of zombies.
• Dead Reign® Sourcebooks: 6 sourcebooks from Civilization Gone™ to Hell Followed™ (the latter features stats for 23 disasters, masked lunatics, 11 new zombies, 7 apocalyptic character classes, and more) are available.
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 1st Edition Rules. Supernatural horror in the modern world. Play ordinary people, psychics, paranormal investigators or for something different: Victim Characters!
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition: The complete, revised core game, 14 character classes and 42 occupations for "ordinary people," 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, the Lazlo Agency, world setting and rules.
• Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks. An RPG setting we call superhero horror. Dark conspiracy, a secret, demon invasion starting with world leaders and law enforcement, and it is spreading. The player characters are the Nightbane®, reluctant superhumans who must turn into monsters themselves to unleash their powers and battle the evil that is clear only to them. A dark, sinister and challenging world of horror.
• After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Planet of the Apes meets the X-Men! Animal creations, powers and more. Create any type of intelligent mutant animal you can imagine as friend or foe.
• Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook. James Bond meets Enter the Dragon. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, and super-spies with gadgets, gizmos and advanced weapons.
• The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy RPG is a long time, cult favorite with a fatalistic world-view of humans vs aliens with superior technology.
• The Palladium Weapon Series of real world weapons, armor and castles throughout history. Designed for use with ANY game system.
• 200+ Palladium titles in all, plus G.M. kits, paper miniatures and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ Paper Miniatures – Two sets are now available!
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures – Volumes #1-6 are available now. More are coming in the weeks ahead.
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Men at Arms – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Coalition Dead Boys – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Adventurers – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Practitioners of Magic (new) – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Extras (new) – $2.99
• And more to come in the weeks ahead.

Artwork by Charles Walton II, Kevin Long and others, Negatives, Toys and Collectibles always available in Kevin's Online Toy & Collectibles eBay Store along with other good things

My eBay store is one of the few places where you can find original artwork by Charles "Chuck" Walton, Kevin Long, and others, as well as one-of-a-kind negatives from classic Rifts® and other Palladium RPG books (they look awesome framed!), rare Palladium collector hardcovers, signed books, other Palladium memorabilia, toys from my personal collection and other collectibles. Check every couple of weeks because we often post new stuff or offer a new sale. There is a sale on negatives starting today, in fact.

Other one-of-a-kind original artwork available by me (Kevin Siembieda), Kevin Long, Charles Walton II (money goes to the artist), other artists, as well as collectible negatives, prints, limited edition hardcovers, proofreader copies, out of print items, Star Wars toys, Marvel toys and many other toys and collectibles from my personal collection. Alex and I will keep adding items as our busy schedules allow, but we have a lot of fun collectibles available now and coming soon. Hundreds of items. Take a look every weekend for new additions.

Available now: One-of-a-kind book negatives. Negatives were very popular items at the Palladium Open House and people went crazy over them at Gen Con – including actor Joe Manganiello who scooped up a pile of TMNT negatives, while Palladium's own Mark Oberle, Carmen Bellaire, Brandon Aten and a whole lot of Palladium gamers went for negatives from Rifts® New West, Lone Star and Free Quebec. Fun.

Negatives are unique and attractive, one-of-a-kind (on rare occasions two-of-a-kind if a page was replaced or a second edition was made) works of art that resemble woodcut art and are very dynamic conversation pieces. Before digital printing, pages of a book were laid out by hand on a board, and each page was photographed. The plastic film negatives were then "ganged" on a massive sheet of Mylar 16 pages per big sheet, and the printing plates were made from the negatives – everything white, printing black.

When our printer, McNaughton and Gunn, went completely digital, they asked if Palladium Books wanted the negs, otherwise they would be destroyed. Regrettably, I let a few dozen be destroyed, but the negatives of many books were sent to Palladium. They have sat in our warehouse for years until I started to offer them for sale. I have also started signing the negatives in silver and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Each negative comes on a white board inside a plastic magazine bag and looks fabulous framed! Fits in an 8x10 inch matt opening in a frame (each neg is roughly 8½ x 11 inches).

http://stores.ebay.com/kevinstoys-artandcollectibles

See you at 2019 Gen Con – Booth 1317 – Palladium Books^®

We expect to have a half-dozen recent/new releases at Gen Con, plus novelty products like baseball caps, coffee mugs, pens, prints, collector items, etc. Gen Con is always fun for all of us and we look forward to seeing many of you at Gen Con to chat, pick up the latest books or merch you’ve missed, get books signed, snag some art prints and original art, and have some fun. Our booth #1317 is located behind Upper Deck and near Fantasy Flight. Oh, and please take advantage of the special offer in the Gen Con Coupon book. The following Palladium creators will be at the Palladium Books booth:

• Kevin Siembieda – writer, game designer, Publisher
• Charles Walton – artist and concept man
• Glen Evans – writer
• Brandon Aten – writer
• Mark Oberle – writer
• Wayne Smith – editor, The Rifter®
• Thomas Roache – writer and game designer
• Madman Mike Leonard – artist
• Jeff “NMI” Ruiz – game events organizer
• And possibly a few others.

UPDATE: 2021 Palladium Open House (POH)

This event is coming in April or May 2021, so start planning and saving for it. We’ll be looking into securing hotel dates and posting information in a few months. This will be Palladium’s 40th Anniversary, so we are looking to pull out all the stops to make it extra amazing. As usual, we’ll be looking for Game Masters to run events at the POH.

Closing Thoughts about the Rifts^® Bestiary^™

As the Rifts® Bestiary™ Vol. One is in the process of being laid out, I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts about this big, fun resource.

When we first conceived the Rifts® Bestiary™ series, it was supposed to be a quick, simple collection of monsters and animals gathered up from numerous Rifts® titles and put into two or three easy reference books. We figured we’d make sure the stat blocks were uniform, add helpful reference maps for each beast, and do a little updating. But as is so often the case, as I started to work on it, ideas began to flow and the project took on epic proportions. We wanted to give you something beyond the norm. A book with more than just snarling, nameless monsters. We wanted to give you monsters with attitude and unique behavior. Creatures that made sense while at the same time wowing you and presenting new adventure opportunities. After all, thanks to the Rifts®, we have a Megaverse® of weird beasts to draw upon.

The end result is unlike any RPG monster book any of us have ever seen. Each creature description, new and old, has been approached as if the creature exists in the real world. Well, the “real” world of Rifts®. That means the creatures are presented with a depth of information and detail you seldom see in most games. Each conceived and written to provide you with more than just, “Monster X leaps out from the bushes, roars and attacks.” Each beast has a purposeful way of life and its own unique place in the world. Each makes sense in the ecosystem of Rifts Earth. Each is designed to present ideas for adventures and opportunities for the player characters that go beyond, “Look out. Monster! Kill it!”

You’ll find some beasts are strictly creatures of the wilderness. Others have adapted to live and hunt in urban environments, or are found in both. As you might expect, many have developed a taste for human and D-Bee flesh, while still others can be hunted for their meat or hide, or can be tamed and used as guard animals, bloodhounds, riding animals or pets. Some are insects, others dinosaurs, and many are alien nightmares from another world. Wherever they originate, all of them breathe more life and color into the Rifts® setting.

I like to think big and I like books that have a wide range of applications. The Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One is not limited to adventures in Rifts North America. These creatures span the Megaverse®, which means they are also suitable for use in Phase World® and the Three Galaxies™, and almost any setting where monsters roam, like Rifts® Chaos Earth® and Splicers®. Thanks to magic, the Rifts, and dimensional travel, these beasts may have adapted to life in North America, but any of them can be encountered anywhere on Rifts Earth and well beyond. Including other game settings like Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited™, After the Bomb®, The Mechanoids®, and if you want to get really crazy, perhaps even Nightbane® and Beyond the Supernatural™! For those of you who would like to use the creatures in S.D.C. game settings, we have included S.D.C. stats and notes, making them easy to adapt to such settings. I love to give gaming resources like the Rifts® Bestiary™ as wide-ranging use as possible. But make no mistake, this is very much a Rifts® bestiary.

All of the above meant new wild beasts and substantial rewrites of many of the existing creatures. Turning a project that should have taken a couple of months into one that took many months for just the first, expansive volume as we found the tone and approach that made the most sense and is the most fun for everyone. I hope you will find it was well worth the wait and as exhilarating to read, and fun to incorporate into your games, as it was for us to create it for you. And it was created with you in mind every step of the way. Designed to ignite your imaginations and provide fuel for adventure. Designed for Wow Factor, functionality, and fun. I knew we were knocking this book out of the park when my editors could not pick even a handful of favorites, because there were too many unique and mind-blowing beasts to pick from. Perfect. That was our goal for this book. And it’s our intention for every book we release this year – to wow and blow minds.

I’m happy to say this is just the first of at least a few more mind-blowing Bestiaries and a lot of other books coming your way. Thank you for your patience and support.

– Kevin Siembieda, Delirious Game Designer, Writer & Fan Boy

Rifts^® Bestiary, Volume One – June release (softcover edition)

Could the monsters known as Caterpillar Things be the larval form of the Mothman Monster, appearing in Bestiary, Volume Two? Is the Battling Corrival as aggressive and murderous as adventurers claim? Are Darkhounds really magically mutated Dog Boys? Is that why they see Coalition soldiers as friends and allies? Ee-Bee Gee-Bees are kinda cute, so how dangerous can they be? Is it true the animals and people slain by the Death Springer rise as zombies!? What on Rifts Earth is a Field Reaper or a Glitcher? You’ll be finding out soon.

This is the first big “Monster Book” reference ever done for Rifts®, and it is epic. Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One collects nearly 100 animals and monsters found across North America. But this is much more than a collection of reprinted creatures pulled from a dozen World Books. Twenty are brand new and as uniquely “Rifts” as you can imagine, and ALL the old creatures are updated, expanded, sometimes have new artwork, are presented in alphabetical order, and their location shown at a glance on a map for each beast. The first volume will be 224-256 pages. So will Volume Two. Actually, we may need a Volume Three because there are so many monsters and exotic animals in Rifts North America alone, and the detailed and expanded information requires more pages. Most animals should also offer adventure ideas for Game Masters and opportunities for players.

All upcoming Rifts® Bestiary™ books will be great resources for players and G.M.s alike, with creatures that can be used as familiars, pets, riding animals, guard animals, and in some cases, even unlikely allies. Others are slobbering monsters or ravenous predators that include humans and D-Bees among their prey. All provide plenty of spice to add to your characters and adventures.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized into two (maybe three) big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• 90+ monsters described in detail.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Easily adapted to any Palladium setting; basic S.D.C. stats included for each creature description.
• Fully illustrated, with art by Charles Walton II, Perez, Bradshaw, Atkins, and others. Written by Kevin Siembieda with others.
• 224-256 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 896 (Volume One) – in final production. June release.

Rifts^® Bestiary^™ Vol. One “Gold Edition” Hardcover – Signed and Numbered

A deluxe Gold Edition hardcover, signed and numbered by Palladium staff and maybe a few freelancers. A great resource for players and G.M.s alike, with creatures that can be used as familiars, pets, riding animals, guard animals, and in some cases, even unlikely allies. Others are slobbering monsters or ravenous predators that include humans and D-Bees among their prey. All provide plenty of spice to add to your characters and adventures.

• Gold foil on a black leatherette hardcover.
• Sewn and glued for long-lasting durability.
• Limited to 400 or 500 signed and numbered copies.
• Signed by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium staff.
• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America.
• 90+ monsters described in detail.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Easily adapted to any Palladium setting; basic S.D.C. stats included for each creature description.
• 224-256 pages – $50.00 retail – Cat. No. 896HC (Volume One) – in final production. An end of June release for the Gold Edition hardcover.

SMASH HIT! Palladium Fantasy RPG^® Interactive Character Sheet – available now

Gamers are going bonkers over the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet. And why not? What’s not to love? Prysus did a wonderful job, and will continue to tweak and upgrade it. All of us at Palladium are thrilled so many of you are enjoying this helpful and fun product. A real bargain for what you get. Continue to enjoy.

The Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet is a Microsoft Excel-based character management system. Packed with features and data collected from every official Palladium Fantasy sourcebook, this sheet saves you time and hassle with each character you create.

Features & Benefits:

• The Main Character Sheet Page collects the important data from across multiple tabs and puts it in one place for quick and easy reference.
• Separate sheets examine character construction (worktable), Skills, Magic, Psionics, and Combat in greater detail.
• Built-in leveling system that calculates skill advancement for you!
• Experience Tables for over 80 O.C.C.s already programmed.
• Recognizes the percentages for nearly 150 skills, plus combat bonuses for over 20 Weapon Proficiencies and 7 Hand to Hand styles.
• Calculates the speed and distance a character can run and jump based on character Attributes.
• Also calculates how much a character can lift, carry, and throw for humanoids, Giants, and Supernatural Beings.
• Add in your own Hand to Hand style, custom Skills, unique Weapon Proficiencies, and Experience Tables.
• Estimated time to build a character reduced by 20% or more.
• Instructions on how to use the sheet included, as well as a video walkthrough below.
• Important Note: This character sheet is built to be used with Microsoft Excel 2010+ and it comes in .XLSX format. Opening this file in other spreadsheet programs is NOT guaranteed to work as intended.
• Only $3.00 – available now!
• Watch the Overview video here: https://vimeo.com/322271758

NEW! Rifts^® LOGO Coffee Mug – available now

Back due to popular demand, but bigger and better than ever. The new mug is larger (16 ounce) than past coffee mugs, the artwork is larger and appears on both sides of the mug, and the mug has a color interior, adding a nice splash of color to your morning or game time beverage. Please note these new mugs have a different (we think nicer) style and shape than the coffee mugs we sold in years past.

• The famous Rifts® logo in white on a black mug.
• Art is located on the front and back of the mug.
• Glossy black exterior with a bright blue interior.
• 16 ounce ceramic mug.
• Dishwasher and microwave safe.
• $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2587 – available now.

NEW! Rifts^® Property of the Coalition States^™ Coffee Mug – available now

Back due to popular demand, but bigger and better than ever. The new mug is larger (16 ounce) than past coffee mugs, the artwork is larger and appears on both sides of the mug, and the mug has a color interior, adding a nice splash of color to your morning or game time beverage. Please note these new mugs have a different (we think nicer) style and shape than the coffee mugs we sold in years past.

• The “Property of the Coalition States®” logo with CS Skull and Lightning Bolt in white on a black mug. Very dynamic.
• Art is located on the front and back of the mug.
• Glossy black exterior with a bright red interior.
• 16 ounce ceramic mug.
• Dishwasher and microwave safe.
• $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2588 – available now.

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG^® “Dragon” Coffee Mug – available now

Back due to popular demand. The new mug is larger (16 ounce) than past coffee mugs, the artwork is larger and appears on both sides of the mug, and the mug has a color interior, adding a nice splash of color to your morning or game time beverage. Please note these new mugs have a different (we think nicer) style and shape than the coffee mugs we sold in years past.

• The fan favorite “3-Headed Hydra” battling a knight from the iconic, original Palladium Fantasy RPG® cover. Red art on a black mug.
• Art appears on the front and back of the mug.
• Glossy black exterior with an attractive orange interior.
• 16 ounce ceramic mug.
• Dishwasher and microwave safe.
• $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2589 – available now.

NEW! Rifts^® Screen Printed Twill Baseball Cap – available now

Back due to popular demand are three different Rifts® baseball caps. This affordable, black baseball cap has a vibrant, red “Rifts®” logo screen printed on a lightweight, unstructured twill baseball cap with Velcro closure. Looks great.

• The word “Rifts” in red on a black baseball cap.
• Lightweight, 100% cotton twill cap.
• Adjustable self-material strap with Velcro® closure.
• Five panel, medium profile with unstructured crown and pre-curved visor.
• One size fits most.
• $11.99 retail – Cat. No. 2590 – available now.

NEW! Red Rifts^® Embroidered Baseball Cap – available now

Back due to popular demand are three different Rifts® baseball caps. This particular one is a black, soft, brushed cotton twill baseball cap with a rich, red “Rifts®” logo embroidered on it. Adjustable metal buckle. Looks fabulous.

• The word “Rifts” embroidered in red on a black baseball cap.
• Soft, brushed cotton twill baseball cap. 100% cotton.
• Adjustable strap with metal buckle.
• One size fits most. Hand wash only.
• $21.99 retail – Cat. No. 2591 – available now.

NEW! White Rifts^® Embroidered Baseball Cap – available now

Back due to popular demand are three different Rifts® baseball caps. This particular cap is a navy blue, soft, brushed twill cotton baseball cap with a silvery white “Rifts®” embroidered on it. Adjustable metal buckle. Looks fabulous.

• The word “Rifts” embroidered in white on a navy blue baseball cap.
• Soft, brushed cotton twill baseball cap. 100% cotton.
• Adjustable strap with metal buckle.
• One size fits most. Hand wash only.
• $21.99 retail – Cat. No. 2592 – available now.

NEW! Rifts^® Titan Robotics^™ Raw Preview Limited Edition – Available now

It is back from the printer, looks great, and is shipping now. The "Raw Preview Edition" of Rifts® Titan Robotics™ is an advance copy of the unedited, unillustrated, working manuscript of a new Rifts® sourcebook coming later this year. You get to see the unfinished book months before the final title is released. A rare look at the raw manuscript before final edit, rewrites and publication. Limited to a total of 150 copies.

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ is one of Palladium’s secret projects and something of a companion to Rifts® Northern Gun™ One and Two. It contains information about Titan Robotics, ARCHIE Three, how the company operates, its secrets, its plans, and a selection of new robot vehicles, power armor, body armor, weapons, gear, and dozens and dozens of adventure hooks and ideas.

Note: The finished book is anticipated to ship in the summer or fall 2019, but you can see what it’s all about right now and even start playing with this special Preview Edition!

• Limited collector’s edition – only 150 total copies.
• Sold on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
• A rare glimpse at the virgin manuscript and a work in progress.
• Written by Matthew Clements.
• 112 pages – Limited Edition – $20.99 – Cat. No. 899-RAW.
• The Raw Edition is shipping now. Do not miss out.

NEW! Garden of the Gods^™ – Raw Preview Limited Edition – available now

It is back from the printer, looks great, and is shipping now. The "Raw Preview Edition" of Garden of the Gods™, for Palladium Fantasy RPG®, is an advance copy of the unedited, unillustrated, working manuscript for this new Fantasy sourcebook. You get to see the unfinished book months before the final title is released. A rare look at the raw manuscript before final edit, rewrites and publication. Limited to a total of 150 copies.

This epic sourcebook presents the mysterious Garden of the Gods, a place of quiet miracles and wonders, its guardians, its many secrets, its many dozens of statues of unknown and forgotten gods, visions, omens, and the blessings available at the garden. As well as lurking darkness, the ominous Black Pit, and countless adventure hooks and ideas. The perfect prelude to the upcoming Lopan Fantasy World Book.

Note: The finished book is anticipated to ship in the summer of 2019, but you can see what it’s all about right now and even start playing with this special Preview Edition!

• Limited collector’s edition – only 150 total copies.
• Sold on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
• A rare glimpse at the virgin manuscript and a work in progress.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda and Matthew Clements.
• 96 pages – Limited Edition – $20.99 – Cat. No. 475-RAW.
• The Raw Edition is shipping right now. Do not miss out.

NEW: Rifts^® Pen – available now

A high quality, soft touch Rifts® pen with stylus is now available. The pen fits very comfortably in the hand, has a nice, black ink and writes smooth and evenly every time. I have been using the sample pen for a month and love it. Everyone here loves this pen and you will too. Will be considered as a Surprise Package request.

• Rifts® Soft Touch Pen with Stylus.
• Comfortable, "soft touch" finish.
• Dark blue exterior with silver tip and clip.
• Black ink.
• Capacitive stylus for use with smartphones and tablets.
• $5.00 retail – Cat. No. 2586 – Available now.

Palladium Gift Certificates now available

You asked for them, so due to popular request, you can now purchase Palladium Gift Certificates for your gaming friends and loved ones. The prompts should be pretty self-explanatory. You purchase the desired amount, fill out the email info of that person along with an optional gift message, and that individual gets an email with info on how to redeem the Gift Certificate and you get a confirmation email. Simple.

The Rifter^® #82 – Available now

The Rifter® #82 is all about discovery and unleashing the power inside of you. That's true whether you are playing a Chaos Earth® Pyromancer™ learning to survive and save lives after the Great Cataclysm; or a newly awakened Nightbane® seeking his or her purpose in a dark world of conspiracy and demons; or a Heroes Unlimited™ vigilante trained to the height of physical perfection in a war against evil; or an RPG gamer like you and me, unleashing our imaginations to create wonderful new characters and epic adventures. This issue of The Rifter® also lovingly celebrates a master of unleashed imagination and big thinking, Erick Wujcik, ten years after his untimely passing. Bits of Palladium history and heartfelt sentiments revealed along the way. Enjoy.

Rifter® #82 Highlights:

• Rifts® Chaos Earth® – Pyromancy, Nebraska Part Three – by Daniel Frederick, Matthew Clements & Kevin Siembieda. 50+ Pyromancy spells, the Pyromancer O.C.C., Zone Twisters, notable characters, and more. "Official" source material.
• Rifts® Bestiary Sneak Preview – by Kevin Siembieda and Charles Walton II. A few choice new monsters to whet your appetite for the Rifts® Bestiary, Volumes One and Two, and the books to follow. "Official" source material.
• Heroes Unlimited – by Matt Reed. An expanded look at the unique heroes who do not possess super abilities, but rather turn their bodies into fighting machines via physical training and dedicated force of will.
• Nightbane® – Age Modifiers and Education Rules – by Mark Oberle. Tables and stats for determining an occupation and skills based on the age of the character. Plus more insight to being a Nightbane and a few new skills. "Official" source material.
• Gaming Advice from Erick Wujcik – Thinking Big and The Name Giver, sage advice reprinted from The Rifter® #1 & #2.
• Erick Wujcik Remembered – Erick touched countless lives with his big personality, inspiring mind, and body of work. Ten years after his death, Erick continues to inspire everyone who met him. Friends and fans remember this unique individual and his work. Insight to the man and Palladium Books, the company he loved. Written by Kevin Siembieda and many, many others. A celebration of life.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• 112 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 182. Available now.

COMING! Rifts^® Bestiary Volume Two

More notorious Rifts® monsters and animals, old and new, everything updated and expanded.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• Updated descriptions and information for existing monsters.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Fully illustrated, much of the art by Charles Walton II, along with Siembieda and many others.
• 192-224 pages each volume – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 897 (Volume Two). In production.

COMING: In the Face of Death^™ – A Dead Reign^® Sourcebook

"People will tell you no one can survive in the big cities. They are wrong." – Brad Ashley, Leader of the Road Reapers in the Zombie Apocalypse.

This sourcebook is all about inner city survival. Survivor colonies finding a way to live and prosper in the big city. The conventional wisdom is that living in the big population centers is impossible. These survivors prove otherwise.

• Inner city survival.
• Living on the rooftops.
• Surviving in big cities crawling with zombies.
• Death Cults, a different type of danger.
• Gangs, street runners, the new underground, and more.
• Heroic Masked Lunatics as player characters.
• Take your zombie campaign to new heights!
• Cover by E.M. Gist. Interior art by Nick Bradshaw.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda. Adaptable to other settings.
• 96-128 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 237.

COMING: Garden of the Gods^™ – A Palladium Fantasy^® Sourcebook

The Garden of the Gods is said to be a holy place watched over and even frequented by the avatars of the gods. According to legend, the god may visit heroes and followers in dreams or in person by an avatar of the god, to be given guidance, inspiration, heroic quests, and gifts of knowledge and magic. More details about this title will follow.

• The Garden of the Gods described in detail.
• Godly insight and visitations.
• Gifts of magic and knowledge.
• Sanctuary and more.
• The Black Pit, a place of evil and dark secrets. Is it a counterbalance to the good of the Garden or a trick of the Old Ones?
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• Final page count and price yet to be determined, but probably 96 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 475.

Other core Rifts^® titles to remember:

• Rifts® Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG, Hardcover – core rules, epic setting of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in a future Earth post-apocalyptic setting. 30+ player characters – play a Dragon Hatchling, Cyborg, Juicer, Crazy, Cyber-Knight, Power Armor Pilot, Psi-Stalker, Dog Boy and others! Magic, psionics, weapons, bionics, and more. If you can imagine it, it can happen in Rifts®. 376 page hardcover – $41.99 retail – Cat. No. 800HC – available now.
• Rifts® Book of Magic™ – 900+ magic spells, plus Techno-Wizard devices, Magic Tattoos, Nazca Lines, Whale Songs, Herbs, Symbiotes, Bio-Wizard Weapons, Rune Weapons, magic items and more! 352 pages – still $26.95 retail – Cat. No. 848 – available now.
• Rifts® Adventure Guide™ – 150+ adventure ideas, Random Rifts, making towns, cities, merc companies, and traveling shows, gaming tips and much more. 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 849 – available now.
• Rifts Conversion Books 1, 2 & 3.
• Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook.

Fun and Notable Podcasts and Sites that feature Palladium Books

• Savage Rifts® Voice of Hope Podcast: An in-character world building podcast for Rifts® and Rifts® Savage Worlds® intended to provide players and Game Masters with world background, adventure hooks, and NPCs. All of which are excellent resources. And don't miss the interview with Sean Masters (the host), Cameron Cleveland (G.M. and mastermind behind the Rifts® Living Campaign Club), Sean Patrick Fannon (writer and game designer, Rifts® Savage Worlds, etc.), and Kevin Siembieda at the end of Episode 19 (it's time stamped). You can check it out for yourself at https://voiceofhopepodcast.podbean.com and on itunes.
• Questwise and the Rifts® Explorer's Guide – See product reviews and videos about Rifts® and other Palladium Books games as well as fun contests and gaming insight. New videos post regularly. Check it out for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_3MGRJW9QooUXF29F5tF-A
  The Questwise Rifts® Explorer's Guide series travels the Megaverse® to reveal information about notable locations in Rifts®. The video about Northern Gun and Michigan's Upper Peninsula can be found it here: https://youtu.be/0lU9byK5G4g
• The Guides to the Megaverse® podcast consists of a Palladium group with a collective total of over 100 years of gaming! The crew's Actual Play format consists of long term campaigns in Heroes Unlimited™, Robotech®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Beyond the Supernatural™, with occasional games in other settings. There are more than 90 episodes available for download. Check them out here: https://guidesmegaverse.podbean.com/
• Through Gamer Goggles – Matt Lemke's podcasts and YouTube videos cover the gaming industry. In fact if you haven't seen them yet, check out his many Gen Con interviews: http://gamer-goggles.com/blog/category/conventions/gen-con-2018/
• HippoTV on Twitch.tv. The good folks at HippoTV (https://www.twitch.tv/HippoTV/) host a wide variety of games most days of the week. For fans of Palladium Books® they feature a Heroes Unlimited™ and an After the Bomb® space game. The gamers playing these games come from all over the world, are very enthusiastic, and represent a wide variety of experience with Palladium's games.

If you are doing a Palladium fan-based website, podcasts, YouTube programming, etc., please let us know so we can take a look at what you are doing and so we can give you a shout out. We do not have the staff and resources to do everything we want to do, so we appreciate the fan sites that feature Palladium Books' games and settings and promote the RPG hobby. Awesome. We are happy to support you when we can.

What's Coming (in production or development):

• The Rifter® #83 – source material for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited, etc.
• Rifts® Bestiary™, Volume One – Coming soon.
• Rifts® Bestiary™, Volume Two – Coming soon.
• In the Face of Death™, Dead Reign® Sourcebook – Coming soon.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth®: Psychic Scream
• Rifts® Antarctica
• Garden of the Gods™ (Fantasy)
• The Rifter® #84 – Coming.
• Rifts® The Disavowed™
• Rifts® Chaos Earth®: First Responders
• Rifts® CS Arsenal™

And much more in development for Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited™, Dead Reign®, Beyond the Supernatural™, Splicers® and more!

Copyright 2019 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Powers Unlimited®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Chaos Earth®, Dead Reign®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc.; Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

This press release may be reprinted, reposted, linked and shared for the sole purpose of advertising, promotion and sales solicitation.