Palladium Books® Weekly Update – Sept. 26, 2013

By Kevin Siembieda

We have been so busy, there is barely time to breathe. Everyday since the last Weekly Update we've been working long hours, yet they have flown by in the blink of an eye.

And boy oh boy, are we working on some exciting business deals. At least a couple of them are so awesome that if we told you what they were, you would pee your pants with excitement. Really. No, it’s not the Rifts® movie. It’s all game related opportunities, but amazing stuff. Sorry, I can’t tell you what they are and the staff has been sworn to secrecy, but things are moving forward and looking excellent. Don’t want to jinx any of them before we sign contracts. If we can make them a reality... wow. We've been boiling with excitement all week at the Palladium office, which has given us the energy to work our tails off.

I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to keep this Update short because we have so much yet to do.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Northern Gun^™ One

Not quite done yet, but almost! Wayne is caught up with editing (for the moment) and will be doing typesetting and more layout on Friday. There are 15 or so pages to re-lay out and then typesetting and laying out the rest of the book. While Wayne is doing that, I will be finishing up the final editing and rewrites of the weapon section. That should all be done over the weekend. Then it’s a final proofread on Monday, and send it to the printer on Tuesday! Give or take a day. We’ll be working through the weekend to get it all done.

This World Book is epic. I can hardly wait till you see it all done.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Northern Gun^™ Two

I plan to dive right into NG-2 as soon as I am done with NG-1. Chuck and other artists have been working on the rest of the artwork. Another book that will blow your mind.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Megaverse^® in Flames^™

Artwork continues to come in for this title as well, and I need to assign a bit more. Great stuff. Still shooting for a 2013 release.

UPDATE: Robotech^® UEEF Marines^™ Sourcebook

The sketch for the cover came in this week and was approved. So was a full page of interior art. I still need to assign the rest of the artwork. Another great book. Still shooting for a 2013 December release.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #64

Gaah. We’re working on the The Rifter® too. Not a moment to spare.

The Surprise Release

This title is coming along very well. Art has been assigned for it and the first three Mike Mumah pieces are already in and looking good. More on it later when we know for certain we can squeeze it out as an October or November release.

UPDATE: Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™

Whew, we are getting near the finish line for this project as well. We've had several telephone calls, traded scores of emails, and had one conference call to get Robotech® RPG Tactics™ into full-blown manufacturing. Jeff and Wayne have reviewed and sent feedback on 133 mecha stat cards, a few final sculpts, and preliminary material for the final packaging and text for it. Plus some last minute artwork additions. We are on the job and the game is looking good!

UPDATE: Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ Kickstarter Supporters

We’ll try to keep posting updates here and on the Kickstarter page with updates and progress on Robotech® RPG Tactics™. We appreciate your support and excitement about this product line.

The Alliance Trade Show, First Weekend of October

Wayne, Jeff and I will be at the Alliance Trade Show next weekend, where we’ll be demonstrating Robotech® RPG Tactics™, showing off game pieces, and chatting with Alliance sales reps (they are our biggest distributor) and a few hundred retailers. We have BIG plans for Rifts®, Robotech®, and all our game lines. If you are a retailer planning to attend the show, make sure you swing by the Palladium booth.

UPDATE: Detroit Fanfare

Looks like there will be something like 30 games run by us and Megaversal Ambassadors over that weekend. More next Update.

That’s it for now, gotta run!

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

Detroit Fanfare – October 25, 26 & 27, 2013

Palladium will be running a slew of gaming events at this three day convention. We will have a booth to sell Palladium products, we’ll be running games, demonstrating Robotech® RPG Tactics™, offering some of the Max and Miriya Mecha convention exclusives, and bringing a bunch of Palladium artists and writers to chat with fans, sign books and have fun. Remember, we are organizing many of the gaming events for Detroit Fanfare and there will be a few dozen Palladium RPG events! (Thank you, volunteer G.M.s!)

Palladium Gaming events at Detroit Fanfare: We are beginning to touch base with all the Game Masters and Megaversal Ambassadors who have volunteered to run events to make this convention a mini-Palladium Open House. We have a BIG gaming and marketing opportunity with Detroit Fanfare (in Dearborn, Michigan, October 25-27, 2013) to showcase our games to newcomers as well as fellow gamers. The convention site is only 20 minutes from the Palladium office and we want to make it a fun ANNUAL event starting this year.

Game Masters, Note: If you have not heard back from Palladium, you will be hearing from us soon. Here is what we need from you.

• How many games are you planning to run?
• Which day or days? Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
• What time of day?
• Name of gaming event and the world setting (Rifts®, Robotech®, HU2, Palladium Fantasy®, Dead Reign, and so on).
• Length (3 hours? 4 hours?)
• Number of players; i.e. 4-6, or up to 8, etc.
• Brief description of game.
• Will there be pre-rolled character sheets for players? (We recommend, yes.)

PLEASE have all this info ready when we call and/or email you for details next week. If YOU have questions or want to contact us, PLEASE contact the Megaversal Ambassadors (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or contact Palladium Books directly via telephone (734-721-2903), Private Message or email. And thank you for helping us spread the joy of Palladium role-playing. This could be the start of something big and fun for us all. The rest of you, spread the word and start making plans to attend! Help us make this happen.

Gamers: Come on down to join the fun. Game with Julius Rosenstein, Carmen Bellaire and others, enjoy Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demonstrations, meet and chat with the Palladium crew, get autographs, and game, game, game! Make sure you tell the convention people you are coming to game or to see Palladium Books.

Other highlights include:

• Harmony Gold’s Robotech® tour. Meet Steve Yun, enjoy Robotech® panels, and get autographs. I’ll probably even participate in a few.
• Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Max and Miriya Convention Exclusives. We are trying to get Ninja Division to get us 200 Max and Miriya mecha (same as those at Gen Con) available for sale at Detroit Fanfare. ND says they should be able to do so. We’ll keep you posted.
• Palladium Books will be there with many of our artists and writers. Meet the following Palladium creators:
  - Me, Kevin Siembieda (publisher, writer and game designer)
  - Wayne Smith (editor and Editor-in-Chief of The Rifter®)
  - Julius Rosenstein (contributing writer, proofreader and Game Master)
  - Alex Marciniszyn (editor)
  - Carmen Bellaire (writer and game designer; tentative)
  - Matthew Clements (writer)
  - Mark Dudley (artist)
  - Chuck Walton (artist)
  - Ben Rodriguez (artist)
  - Jeff Burke (artist and Robotech consultant)
  - And more to be added . . .
• Games run by Palladium creators, including Kevin Siembieda (me), Julius Rosenstein, Carmen Bellaire, Chuck Walton and others. I’ll try to get Mark Dudley to run, too. Plus there will be many other Palladium gaming events, demos, and more.
• Palladium Booth in the dealers’ hall plus some surprises if we can swing it.

Detroit Fanfare also offers the following:

• Many comic book guests – writers and artists.
• Dealers’ room.
• Artists’ alley and more!
• Detroit Fanfare is estimating 9,000-11,000 people to attend this October! And growing. It’s held at the Adoba Hotel (formerly the Hyatt Regency and only 20 minutes from the Palladium offices), in Dearborn, Michigan, October 25, 26 & 27, 2013. Join the fun.

Click here for more information about Detroit Fanfare.

BACK IN PRINT: Villains Unlimited^™

More than 80 villains with complete stats, background and motives for trouble. And lots of other epic source material.

• 80+ villains.
• Rules for designing your own super-organization.
• S.C.R.E.T. – Superbeing Control Retrieval and Elimination Team.
• The Jury – are they heroes or villains?
• Fabricators, Inc. – the weapons and armor supplier to the criminal underworld.
• Magic Tattoos and more.
• All of the above serve as catalysts for adventure.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda and Kevin Long.
• 224 pages – $24.95 – Cat. No. 501 – Available now.

BACK IN PRINT: Chi-Town Pencil

Do Not Remove — Property of the Chi-Town Library

They’re fun and silly, and Rifts® gamers love them, so we pressed a new batch of Chi-Town Library pencils. They looks great on the gaming table.

• Printed on each are the words: Do Not Remove — Property of the Chi-Town Library.
• 50 cents each – Cat. No. 2561 – No. 2 pencil. Available now.

Robotech^® Macross^® Saga Sourcebook – Available Now – New size – 8½ x 11 size

All the famous mecha and action of Robotech® starts here with the Macross Saga when an alien armada enters Earth orbit. They have come to reclaim a lost spacecraft that crash-landed on Earth 10 years earlier. A space fortress that Earth’s protectors have rebuilt into their own flagship against alien invasion. The resulting conflict gives birth to heroes and becomes the stuff of legend, but the Earth will never be the same. Robotech® The Macross® Saga Sourcebook now available as an 8½ x 11 inch sourcebook.

Note: This is the setting for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, so if you’re looking for more information about the mecha, Earth’s defenders, the Zentraedi invaders, and the Macross Saga setting, this is the book for you. Epic adventure awaits.

A Robotech® Role-Playing Game Sourcebook:

• Transformable Veritech Fighters known as Valkyries take to the sky to defend the Earth.
• Destroids, giant walking tanks, are among Earth’s front-line defenders.
• The SDF-1 and Earth air, ground and space combat vehicles.
• Zentraedi mecha, powered armor suits, and select spacecraft.
• The Zentraedi warriors, their war machines and culture.
• Notable characters from the TV series statted out.
• Quick Character Creation Tables enable you to make Macross characters in 15 minutes or less.
• New skills and M.O.S. skill bundles.
• The Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG “rule book” is needed to play (Cat. No. 550 or 550HC).
• 128 pages – $16.95 – Cat. No. 551 – standard 8½ x 11 size – Available now.

Rifts^® World Book 33: Northern Gun^™ One – in final production

Bigger. Better. And close to completion! Jam-packed with a ton of background information about Northern Gun and Upper Michigan, combat robots, cargo haulers, drones, weapons, characters and adventure hooks galore. More than 30 new robots including drones.

Northern Gun™ is the largest independent manufacturer of high-tech weapons, robots and vehicles in North America. Outside of the Coalition States, one could argue, no other kingdom is as powerful or influential, at least when it comes to technology and weapons. The manufacture and sale of Northern Gun weapons and vehicles has given virtually every kingdom, town, colony of settlers and adventurer group a chance to survive and prosper. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, NG has been the premier outfitter of mercenaries, adventurers and upstart kingdoms for generations. Now, for the first time ever, learn Northern Gun’s history, goals and plans for the future. Of course, that means new weapons, robots, power armor, vehicles and gear.

• In-depth look at Northern Gun and its business operations.
• Ishpeming, the face and people of Northern Gun.
• Northern Gun weapons and combat gear; new and old.
• Northern Gun robot drones; new and old.
• Northern Gun giant combat robots; new and old.
• Northern Gun freighters and hover trains.
• Northern Gun O.C.C.s and enforcers (the LPO).
• The NG Mercenary army and police.
• The NG Bounty Board, the largest collection of bounties and mercenary contracts anywhere on Rifts® Earth.
• Key locations, people and sales outlets in and around Northern Gun.
• Northern Gun’s relationship with the Coalition States, Triax Industries, the Black Market and others.
• Written by Matthew Clements and Kevin Siembieda.
• Interior Artwork by Chuck Walton, Mark Dudley, Amy Ashbaugh, and others.
• Wraparound cover by Chuck Walton.
• 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 887 – October release.
• Check out the FREE Advance Preview on DriveThruRPG.com! A new sneak preview will be coming in a couple weeks.

Rifts^® World Book 34: Northern Gun^™ Two

More information about the weapons, vehicles and practices of Northern Gun, including the new rage of robot gladiatorial combat.

• Northern Gun body armor; new and old.
• Bionic and cybernetic services.
• Northern Gun power armors; new and old.
• Northern Gun hovercycles & land vehicles; new and old.
• Northern Gun aircraft; new and old.
• Northern Gun boats, ships and submarines; new and old.
• Northern Gun Robot Gladiatorial Arena; new!
• Robot Gladiator O.C.C. and robot gladiators.
• Pirates and more.
• Written by Matthew Clements and Kevin Siembieda.
• Interior Artwork by Chuck Walton, Nick Bradshaw, and others.
• Wraparound cover by John Zeleznik.
• 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 888 – October release.

Rifts^® World Book 35: Megaverse^® in Flames^™

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. Demons, Deevils and supernatural beings run rampant and wreak havoc across the world.

• Demon plagues and mystic blights.
• Soulmancy and Blood Magic revealed.
• Magical and demonic weapons and war machines.
• Demonic armies, strongholds and places of evil.
• Hell Pits and Rune Forges.
• Many Demon Lords, their minions and plans.
• Calgary, the Kingdom of Monsters; in detail.
• Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.
• Lord Doom, Pain and other demonic leaders.
• Horune treachery, Dimension Stormers and other villains.
• Notable demonic generals, mercenaries, people and places.
• Battleground: Earth – as demons and infernals amass their legions.
• Global chaos and the places most dramatically affected by the Demon Plagues.
• Epic battles and adventure ideas galore.
• Written by Carl Gleba. Part of the Minion War “Crossover” series.
• 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 876. November 2013 release.

Robotech^® UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

• New mecha and weapons.
• Aliens and space adventure.
• Written by Irvin Jackson.
• 160 pages – Cat. No. 553 – $20.95 – December, 2013 release.

BACK IN PRINT: Rifts^® Ultimate Edition

Imagine a world setting that is Earth 300 years after an apocalypse that results in the return of magic. Now imagine a world where magic and super-science collide. Where cyborgs and men clad in power armor and giant robots clash with demons, dragons and sorcerers.

Now imagine lines of blue, magic energy rippling across the land. Where two or more of those lines cross, there is a tear in the fabric of space and time. A Rift to infinite worlds and realities that have unleashed an endless cavalcade of aliens, mutants and monsters into our world. Some are adventurers like you, other are invaders, some are slaves or prisoners, and still others are demonic nightmares and gods from ancient myths. All now make Earth their home or hunting ground. Welcome to Rifts®.

Rifts® combines the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror and post-apocalypse (among others) in a plausible setting where adventure is limited only by your imagination and the possibilities are truly infinite.

• 33 O.C.C.s – Bursters, Crazies, Cyber-Knights, Dog Boys, Glitter Boys, Juicers, Ley Line Walkers, Mind Melters, Psi-Stalkers, dragons, mutants & more.
• The Coalition States – heroes or villains?
• Coalition O.C.C.s, gear and States described.
• Psionic powers and characters.
• Magic spells and Techno-Wizardry.
• Techno-Wizard device construction rules.
• World information and background to set the stage for adventure.
• All the info you need to play is contained in this core rule book.
• Color end sheets painted by John Zeleznik. Cover by Scott Johnson.
• 24 pages of color, 75+ color images; great art throughout.
• Created and written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 90+ sourcebooks to expand your Rifts® adventures.
• 376 pages – Cat. No. 800HC – $39.95 – Hardcover.

Robotech^® The Shadow Chronicles^® Role-Playing Game

All the data and details you need to role-play Robotech® are found in the Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG – core rule book. Available in two affordable formats, an 8½ x 11 inch hardcover edition ($30.95) and a pocket-sized “manga” edition (16.95).

• Play Veritech Pilots & Cyclone Riders.
• Play Battloid Aces and other heroes.
• Battle the Haydonites & Invid.
• Play your favorite mecha.
• Fast playing & quick combat.
• Quick Roll creation lets you create characters in under 15 minutes.
• A complete role-playing game.
• $16.95 retail – 336 page Manga Edition – Cat. No. 550 – Manga size, fits in a pocket.
• Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG “Deluxe” Hardcover – space combat rules & select spacecraft, a few additional weapons, vehicles & artwork – $30.95 retail – 8½ x 11 Hardcover – 224 pages – Cat. No. 550HC.
• A signed and numbered, Gold Collector’s limited edition with a signed tip-in color print (nine autographs) is also available for $70.00 retail – 8½ x 11 – 224 pages – Cat. No. 5500HC.

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ – Coming December 2013

Robotech® fans, this is the game you've wanted for decades, with beautifully sculpted, in scale, game pieces and the fast action of Robotech®.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces.

Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ Box Set

• Brought to you by Palladium Books®, created with Ninja Division (the creative minds behind Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios).
• Rules by Alessio Cavatore, David Freeman and Carmen Bellaire.
• Full color, 128 page, softcover rule book; wraparound cover and lots of new, color artwork.
• 24 Battle Dice, 12 UEDF and 12 Zentraedi.
• 40 color game cards (unit cards, etc.).
• 4x VF-1A Valkyries (in Fighter, Guardian, and Battloid modes).
• 1x VF-1J "Officer" in all three modes.
• 4x Destroids: 2 Tomahawks and 2 Defenders.
• 12x Regult Zentraedi Battlepods.
• 1x Glaug Officer's Battlepod.
• 1x Quel-Regult Recon Battlepod.
• 1x Quel-Gulnau Recovery Pod.
• 1/285th scale, high quality, multi-pose plastic game pieces (40mm to 70mm tall). World-class sculpts from sculptors around the world.
• Game rules use D6.
• Turn-based system of play.
• Scalable from small squad skirmishes to mass battles. Can accommodate two to several players.
• Combat is fast and designed to emulate the anime action.
• Measuring tape required to determine targets and distance.
• Small parts and some assembly required. Game pieces come unpainted.
• Release Date: Barring any unexpected delays, the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ box game and initial expansion sets ship December 2013.
• $90 retail price (tentative). The price of the final box set is not yet determined, but we want to hold it around $90.
• Cat. No. 55100 (Main Boxed Game).

The First Six Robotech^® Expansion Packs

The initial expansion packs will also ship in December. All prices listed are likely, but still tentative. We want most packs to fall in the $25-$35 price range.

• UEDF Valkyrie Wing (2x each, Fighter, Guardian, Battloid) – Cat. No. 55201 – $30.00 retail (tentative).
• UEDF Destroid Pack (2x Tomahawks, 2x Defenders) – Cat. No. 55202 – $30.00 (tentative).
• UEDF Spartan Pack (2x Spartans, 2x Phalanxes), Cat. No. 55203 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Regult Battlepod Squadron (6x Regults) – Cat. No. 55401 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Support Battlepods (4x Artillery Battlepods) – Cat. No. 55402 – $30.00 (tentative).
• Zentraedi Command Pack (1x Glaug, 1x Quel-Regult, 1x Quel-Gulnau) – Cat. No. 55403 – $35.00 (tentative).
• Additional expansion packs at intervals throughout 2014. More will follow. Exactly how many, and how fast, will depend on manufacturing considerations, sales and customer demand.
• Palladium plans to release the mecha and settings for ALL eras of Robotech®. Many other details are still in development.
• Tournament play support is planned. Ninja Division will help Palladium to develop and launch the program sometime in 2014.

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

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:

• The Rifter® #49-52 recently added – available now.
• 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 1-52.
• The Best of The Rifter®.
• Deluxe Revised RECON® RPG and Advanced RECON® Sourcebook.
• And more – go to DriveThruRPG.com and check ‘em out.

© Copyright 2013 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

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, 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.

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