Palladium Books® Weekly Update – April 25, 2014

By Kevin Siembieda

Yeow, has it ever been busy the last six weeks, and pretty much without a break for any of us. We’re all feeling quite worn out, so I’m going to get right to the meat of this week’s Update.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Northern Gun^™ Two is DONE

Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two is done! The printer will give us a ship date next week, but I’m guessing May 23 for the mass market softcover and June 10 for the Megaverse Insider hardcover. After six weeks of seemingly endless additions (the equivalent of an entire, second 160 page book!), I’m quite convinced I am, indeed, a crazy gaming geek. That said, I think Rifts® gamers will go wild over the fun vehicles and information in this massive 256 page toy box. The biggest book of fully described “vehicles and equipment” we have ever done! Gear heads and technophiles rejoice.

We may do a Second Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two Sneak Preview, for free, of course. If so, it will go up around this time next week. There is already an advance Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two Sneak Preview – available free on DriveThruRPG.com. There are also FREE previews on DriveThruRPG.com for Rifts® Northern Gun™ One, Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™ (Revised Edition), Rifts® Black Market, Rifts® Lemuria, The Rifter® #65, Dragons and Gods™, Dead Reign™ RPG, Endless Dead™ sourcebook and others, too. Plus we plan to add other sneak previews. Btw, the original Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms World Book is also available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG, for those of you who may be interested. More are coming.

Meet Kevin Siembieda at Penguicon, Southfield, Michigan – May 2-4, 2014

Before I forget, I want to remind folks that I am one of the featured guests at Penquicon next weekend, May 2-4, at the Westin Hotel in Southfield, Michigan. Palladium will be there with a small booth with select goodies and original art for sale. Chuck Walton is our featured guest at the event, and some of the other Palladium crew will be there, too. We’ll also be showing off Robotech® RPG Tactics™ prototype game pieces and rules.

My four panel events are:

• Hollywood and Licensing (Friday, 9:00 PM) – an insider’s perspective.
• How to Be the Best G.M. (Saturday 3:00 PM) – tips on how to make your gaming sessions fast paced and memorable.
• World Building (Saturday at 7:00 PM) – the best tips on making a unique and sensational game setting.
• Pen and Paper Game Design (Sunday at 3:00 PM) – tap my mind on ways to design your own games for publication or just for fun.

The rest of the time I’ll be hanging at the Palladium booth and participating in a few other panel talks and convention events, most of the day and into the evening. These small conventions are always fun because we are able to spend more time chatting with our fans. So come on down and hang for a while with the Palladium crew.

Penguicon is a not-for-profit, community-run convention for diverse tastes – open source software, science fiction, music, gaming, DIY, and more. There will a masquerade contest, music, lots of fun panels and seminars, a dealers’ room and other good stuff. Check out the website and come on over to join the fun.

For more details about Penguicon, go to: http://2014.penguicon.org/

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #66 – Ships May 19

With Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two finally done, we have jumped into finishing The Rifter® #66. Our apologizes for the delay, but it is another great issue; worth it for the Splicers® article alone. Estimated ship date is May 19, maybe a few days sooner.

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

As soon as I’m done with my contributions to The Rifter® #66 I jump into Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™, and I can hardly wait. This will be a quick edit with minor writing, so it should be a fast turnover. Artwork is all done. Early June release.

UPDATE: Dead Reign^™: Graveyard Earth^™

The manuscript is in. Art is being done. It will be coming in June.

UPDATE: Robotech^® Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook

This 160 page sourcebook will be a summer release. Count on it. Art will be assigned very soon. Then it’s approval time from Harmony Gold on text and art. We should start by the end of May. Anticipating a June or July release.

UPDATE: Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™

All kinds of movement is being made with Robotech® RPG Tactics™. Since we’ve been waiting for what feels like FOREVER on the mold making and manufacturing end of things, we’ve been tweaking and adding material to the rule book, including a 15 page color guide with more than 200 images. Meanwhile, we’ve been approving all aspects of the game and game components: the dice, blast template, markers, final box designs, and sprue layouts. We are STILL waiting on the prototypes for the Valkyries, but should get them any day now (or so we are led to believe). We are getting very close to manufacturing. When we have definitive information and release dates, so will YOU. We’re getting there.

UPDATE: 2015 Palladium Open House – May 14-17, 2015

We've been so buried in work trying to get books to the printer that we have NOT had time to do a full description or update on this event. Even so, gamers have already been reserving their hotel rooms for the event, and one big-time fan has already notified us he will be attending the event, and he’s flying in from South America! He’ll be our first South American to attend. We’ve had guys come in from Australia, Germany, Spain, Sweden and England (which amazes me), but this is our first gamer from South America, Uruguay to be exact.

What is the Palladium Open House? Three days (Friday through Sunday, and Thursday for those who lucky handful who get VIP Thursday admissions) of NON-STOP gaming of ALL Palladium game settings. The last Open House had nearly 100 gaming events, plus auction, plus costume contest, panel talks, and all kinds of fun. I, Kevin Siembieda, will be present ALL day from the time the doors open till about 11:00 PM. So will most of the Palladium staff. Plus 30-50 Palladium creators are present EVERY day for most of the day. And we are all there for YOU. Writers, artists, editors, contributors to The Rifter®, and others are there to chat and spend time with you. Many run gaming events, which means you get to play in games run by the very people who make them! There is no other gaming event that we know of that gives you access to so many creators for such a massive amount of time!

The atmosphere is also unprecedented. This doesn’t feel like a game convention, it feels like a giant family reunion where everyone is glad to see you and treats you like a friend.

We only host the Palladium Open House (POH) every two or three years. The last one was in 2012. This upcoming event is May 2015. We don’t know if or when we’ll hold the next one. I will try to put the event up in the Palladium Online store with complete pre-registration details in a few weeks.

You can reserve your hotel room now, if you like. $109.00 (plus tax) per room at the Comfort Inn, aka “Plymouth Clock Tower Hotel.” This is the hotel everyone knows and wants. On Monday, I formally signed the contract with the hotel, so it is “official.” You can start placing hotel reservations for the 2015 Palladium Open House as of this weekend. Make sure you tell them the Group Code “Palladium Books.” This is a must to get the superior group rate.

That’s $109 (plus tax) for a room with two queen beds or one king with a sofa that has a pull-out sleeper. ALL rooms have a micro-fridge, FREE hi-speed wired/wireless Internet and there is a FREE hot breakfast from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. near the lobby. The hotel also offers a heated indoor swimming pool, a fitness center (24 hours), and a coin operated laundry. And the large conference room is ours to use, around the clock for open gaming.

Comfort Inn

40455 Ann Arbor Road
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: 734-455-8100

Group Code: Palladium Books – you MUST request the Group Code “Palladium Books” at the time of booking to ensure the correct rate will be quoted and billed to you.

Dates of the 2015 Palladium Open House (POH): May 15-17 (May 14 is VIP Thursday), 2015.

Reserve using Group Code Palladium Books sooner than later. The hotel has been remodeled, resulting in a smaller number of rooms. If you know you are coming to the 2015 Palladium Open House, we recommend you reserve your room as soon as possible to get this superior rate. Important Note: You MUST give them the Group Code: Palladium Books to get this rate. Call 734-455-8100 to make your reservation. The hotel does NOT charge your credit card until a few days before the event (next year!) and you can cancel up until May 10, 2015. So there is no reason to wait. Get your room(s) reserved right away. Besides, I suspect POH attendees could take EVERY room in the hotel next year, so the sooner they know that, the sooner they can put MORE rooms aside for us. They don’t believe we’ll sell out the hotel. Silly, new management. :)

POH Volunteer G.M.s to run games, helpers and Palladium Creators NEEDED! G.M.s who run three or more events get a 30% discount on product and a special T-shirt at the Open House. Please, start plotting your games now. And get back to us at your convenience. The awesome Mr. James Brown has already committed to running four games at the 2015 Open House. Cool. We’ll also need volunteer helpers and we’ll need to know which Palladium Creators like Allen and Brian Manning, Irvin Jackson, Carl Gleba, Nick Bradshaw, Carmen Bellaire, Brandon Aten, Amy L. Ashbaugh and others are planning to attend the POH next May.

More POH details will follow in a few weeks. I just wanted to let you know that Palladium has secured the hotel everyone wanted. And that you can start making reservations NOW to secure your room. I will post more details about the 2015 POH in the weeks to come. I’m already looking forward to seeing many of you next year!

What’s burning in my brain!

Here is good news for fans of the Palladium Fantasy RPG®, I have five books for it in my head screaming to come out. Land of the Damned Three, two Old Kingdom books (one focusing on the Dwarven Kingdoms), a magic book and what would probably be a series of Land of the South Winds books (each designed to stand on its own). A bunch of other ideas are floating around too. I will try to squeak out one or two of these books this year, the rest will be 2015 releases. I guess those Palladium Fantasy®, 2nd Edition Hardcovers will come int handy. ;)

Beyond the Supernatural^™ Sourcebooks

Beyond Arcanum™, the magic sourcebook for BTS, and Tomes Grotesque™ are also burning a hole in my brain begging to be written and released. I’m going to get Chuck Walton and maybe a few other artists working on some concept art. Speaking of Chuck, he has been working at dividing up the giant Splicers® manuscript written by Chris Kluge and himself, into several smaller, more manageable Splicers® sourcebooks.

I don’t know what’s in the air, but despite being exhausted, I have ideas for new World Books, sourcebooks and games coming out of my ears. And so do many of our freelancers. Cool.

Closing Thoughts

Easter was nice. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. I took my daily walk along a nature trail near the house and enjoyed some good food and a quiet evening with Kathy and Alex. Wayne, Alex and I took Easter Sunday off, but we all worked on Saturday, and into the night. Okay, I worked for three hours on Sunday too, but that’s like not working at all for a guy who is used to putting in 12-14 hours a day these past several weeks. Things continue to be a bit of a juggling act for you small band of six full-time staff, but we’re managing.

New releases are finally starting to flow. I will make a point of not expanding books no matter how many new ideas surface or inspirational artwork is sent in from Palladium’s spectacularly talented artists. We have a zillion great books we want to put into your hands. Good things are coming. Keep those imaginations burning bright.

– Kevin Siembieda and the Palladium Staff

NEW! Rifts^® World Book 34: Northern Gun^™ Two – May 2014

DONE and coming your way in May. Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two is the biggest book of fully described vehicles and equipment Palladium has ever produced. It is officially 256 pages, but it is the equivalent of 300 pages! We were able to squeeze more pages in using some typesetting and layout tricks and a slightly smaller font size than our normal 10 point type.

Technophiles rejoice! You get power armor galore, plus hovercycles, body armor, robot drones, amphibious vehicles, combat vehicles, ground vehicles, and other gear, plus gladiators of the Robodome and hints about things to come and NG’s relationship with the Coalition States. EXPANDED from 160 pages to 256 pages. Epic adventure. Order yours today. Ships around May 23. Waiting to get a date from the printer.

• 10 robot drones and haulers.
• 30+ NG power armor suits; an expansive range.
• 30+ suits of M.D.C. body armor.
• 20+ types of “armored clothing.”
• 15 vehicles.
• 14 hovercycles and 8 motorcycles.
• 9 amphibious vehicles and watercraft.
• 6 military, armored combat vehicles.
• 4 aircraft and 4 jet packs.
• Miscellaneous combat gear and other equipment.
• Robot Gladiator O.C.C. and robot gladiators.
• The Robodome – Robot Gladiatorial Arena.
• Pirates and more.
• Written by Matthew Clements and Kevin Siembieda.
• Interior artwork by Walton, Bradshaw, Manning, Mumah and others.
• Wraparound cover by John Zeleznik.
• 256 pages – $26.95 retail – Cat. No. 888. Softcover ships around May 23. Special Megaverse Insider hardcover edition ships around June 10. Both dates are estimates. We’ll let you know when the printer gives us an actual date, but these are probably within a couple days of what they’ll tell us.
• Check out the FREE Sneak Preview on DriveThruRPG.com!

HOT! Rifts^® World Book 33: Northern Gun^™ One – Available Now!

If you are getting NG-2 you’ll want NG-1, even though both titles stand alone. Rifts® Northern Gun™ One is the most tech-filled World Book Palladium has ever produced, and gamers are loving every page of new weapons, robots, power armor, vehicles and NG background.

• In-depth look at Northern Gun, its robots, stores, politics and operations.
• 70+ NG weapons; old and new.
• 27 NG giant combat and exploration robots. Described in detail.
• Many new robot weapon systems and features.
• Notable cities and people of the Ishpeming Republic/Northern Gun and much, much more.
• Wraparound cover by Chuck Walton.
• Written by Matthew Clements, Kevin Siembieda and others.
• 224 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 887 – Available NOW!
• Check out the new FREE Sneak Preview on DriveThruRPG.com!

NEW! The Rifter^® #66 – Ships May

The Rifter® #66 offers a variety of source material, monsters, baddies and information. All wonderful fodder for weaving your own adventures regardless of the setting. Plus great art, news, coming attractions, and more.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas, and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready to go, source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines.

The Rifter® Number 66 includes:

• Heroes Unlimited™ – Bite of the Snake-Men – by Glen Evans. An HU2 adventure and a new batch of bad guys to battle.
• Splicers® – Bestiary – by Edward Sauerland. A selection of strange creatures, monster creation tables and rules, the Ranger O.C.C. and more. Art by Chuck Walton.
• Rifts® – Black Market: Rise to Power, Part Two – by Max Kautsch. Source material on the Black Market town of Singer, plus notable characters and some Black Market TW weapons.
• Rifts® Phase World®/Three Galaxies™: Space Pirates – by Braden Campbell. The title pretty much says it all: Space Pirates. What more do you need?
• Rifts® Short Story – Skipping Stones – by Brett Caron.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• Heroes Unlimited cover by Amy L. Ashbaugh.
• Art by Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Mike Mumah, Ben Rodriguez, Tanya J. Ramsey and Charles Walton.
• 96 pages – $13.95 retail – Cat. No. 166. Ships in May, 2014. Please note the increased cover price.

The “Collected” Mechanoid Invasion^® Trilogy – available now

This is the original three Mechanoid Invasion® books published in 1981 and 1982 and first collected in one volume in 1998. The collection is back due to popular demand from YOU. It contains all the material that appeared in the original three Mechanoid Invasion® books plus some background history. This is the game and sourcebooks that launched Palladium Books.

The story of the Mechanoid Invasion® is a tragic one that spans the galaxy and generations of people. The Mechanoid Invasion® starts on a distant planet being colonized by humans, until the Mechanoids arrive. The seemingly alien mechanized monsters intend to strip the planet of all its resources and literally carve it up into pieces and haul it away. The loss of human lives mean nothing to them. Indeed, the Mechanoids seem to delight in capturing, torturing and slaughtering what humans they can find. Can nothing stop the destruction?

The Journey follows the story of human colonists from the doomed planet surviving by living between the walls and tunnels like rats on a ship.

Homeworld carries our story to the Mechnoids’ homeworld in search of answers, but only more mystery, carnage and alien menaces await.

All of the above are contained in this one, 208 page volume. Back in print because YOU demanded it. But this volume is also unique as it gives you a glimpse of Palladium Books from its very beginning. Enjoy.

• 29 Mechanoids and their robot minions.
• 18 human O.C.C.s including combat troops, psychics and others.
• 7 alien races including the insectoid Mechanoid allies, the Dionii.
• All kinds of energy weapons, combat armor, vehicles, spaceships and more.
• Suitable for other Palladium world settings. ALL characters, aliens, ships and gear can be dropped into Rifts®, Phase World®, The Three Galaxies™, Heroes Unlimited™ and other Palladium RPG settings with minimal conversions (i.e. turn S.D.C. for armor and weapons into M.D.C.).
• An S.D.C. setting that is easily converted to M.D.C. environments.
• An 8½x11 softcover edition of the “collected” Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy.
• Classic recreation of the original white and blue cover by Kevin Siembieda.
• Written and illustrated by Kevin Siembieda.
• Some additional art by William Messner Loebs, Michael Gustovich, and James A. Osten. Maps by Erick Wujcik (as well as some additional text).
• 208 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 400. The first new printing in over a decade. Available now!

NEW! Rifts^® World Book 35: Megaverse^® in Flames^™ – June, 2014

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. As soon as NG-2 is finished, we dive into the fast-tracked production of Megaverse® in Flames™ for an April release.

• 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. June, 2014.

NEW! Dead Reign^™ Sourcebook 5: Graveyard Earth^™ – Ships in June

When the dead rise and communications and power grids collapse, nothing matters except your own survival. But what about the rest of the world? What’s happening in other places? Has any government survived? Is anyplace safe?

Dead Reign™ Graveyard Earth™ tries to answer those questions and others. And in doing so, provides gamers and G.M.s with more fuel for adventure.

• Zombie World Tour – How the Wave and the Zombie Apocalypse has played out across the globe.
• A Thousand Miles of Dead – Getting home from abroad in a world of zombies.
• American military forces overseas and their journey home.
• Alternative campaign settings and Random Campaign Setting tables.
• Random Encounters by Region and Random Survivor Leaders.
• Level of Zombie Threat table. Zombies and exposure to the elements.
• Walled cities and other Alternative Safe Havens.
• Car problems, aircraft landing conditions and encounters on the road and by sea.
• Written by Matthew Clements. Cover by E.M. Gist.
• 48-64 pages – $12.95 retail (tentative) – Cat. No. 235. Ships in June 2014. In final development. Final page count and date of release yet to be determined.

NEW! Heroes Unlimited^™ 30th Anniversary Hardcover Edition – only $40 while supplies last – available now

The Heroes Unlimited™ RPG turns 30 years old this year. To celebrate, Palladium is releasing a special, commemorative, Heroes Unlimited™ 30th Anniversary Hardcover, for only $40. Available now. The original HU2 hardcover sold for $50 and has since become a collector’s item that sells for $200-$350 on the secondary market.

To preserve the value of the “original” Heroes Unlimited™ Gold Hardcover Edition, we have made the HU2 30th Anniversary Edition as visibly different (and cool) looking on the outside as possible. The material used for the cover is different (not leatherette), the color is a lighter shade of blue, and although the cover is imprinted in gold foil, it features artwork depicting a superhero and the words “Special 30th Anniversary Edition.” Even the spine is different looking, and the end sheets are red and without art. The red, white and blue combination represents the United States of America, the birthplace of superhero comic books, and the colors of costumed heroes.

All the elements described above should make the Heroes Unlimited™ 30th Anniversary Hardcover impossible to mistake for the original HU2 signed and numbered HC edition. We have kept the price an unprecedented, low $40 for a hardcover Gold Edition of this size. We want to give Heroes Unlimited™ fans a crack at purchasing one before the price skyrockets on the secondary collectors’ market. Enjoy and game on!

• Limited to 400 signed and numbered copies.
• Signed and numbered on the credits page by Kevin Siembieda and the Palladium staff. We’ll try to get an artist or two to sign as well.
• Blue fabric cover with gold foil imprinting. A completely new and different cover than the original HU2 Gold Edition.
• Interior pages are exactly the same as the original HU2 HC and the current softcover edition.
• Create any type of hero and superhuman – aliens and mutants to super-soldiers, martial artists, mages and Mega-Heroes.
• 100+ super abilities, plus scores of sub-powers.
• 100+ magic spells plus Enchanted (Magical) Weapons and Objects.
• 40+ psionic abilities.
• Super-Vehicles, high-tech hardware, in-depth characters and more.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda. Cover art by Michael Wilson.
• 352 pages – ONLY $40 retail from Palladium Books only – Cat. No. 5000HC. Available NOW! Order yours today. Note: The price is only $40 to celebrate the proud event of HU2's 30th Anniversary and make sure the hardcover is accessible to our core fan base. Enjoy.
• A complete role-playing game with many sourcebooks.
• Heroes Unlimited™ – celebrating 30 years of heroic adventure.

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG^®, 2nd Edition, 30th Anniversary Hardcover Edition – only $40 while supplies last – Available now – Second Edition Rules

It didn't seem fair to offer a Heroes Unlimited™ Hardcover Edition and not one for Palladium Fantasy®, has released a Palladium Fantasy® Special 30th Anniversary Hardcover. The Palladium Fantasy RPG® was released in June of 1983, so technically, the Fantasy Game is still 30 years old until June.

The original Crimson Edition hardcover sold for $50 and has since become a collector’s item that sells for $250-$400 on the secondary market. The special, commemorative, 30th Anniversary Hardcover sells for only $40.

To preserve the value of the “original” Palladium Fantasy RPG® Crimson Edition Hardcover, we have made the 30th Anniversary Edition as visibly different looking on the outside as possible. The material used for the cover is a brown leatherette imprinted with “Elemental Green” foil, different art on the cover, and the words “Special 30th Anniversary Edition.” Even the spine is different looking and the end sheets are without artwork.

All the elements described above should make the Palladium Fantasy RPG® 30th Anniversary Hardcover impossible to mistake for the original signed and numbered HC edition. The price is $40 (while supplies last), low for a limited edition of its size. We want to give Fantasy fans a crack at purchasing one before the price skyrockets on the secondary collectors’ market.

Second Edition rules. There has been some confusion among fans as to whether this hardcover edition is First or Second Edition rules. It is SECOND Edition rules, exactly the same as the current material in the softcover book.

• Limited to 450 signed and numbered copies.
• Signed and numbered by Kevin Siembieda and the Palladium staff.
• Brown leatherette cover with Elemental Green foil imprinting. A completely different cover than the original Crimson Edition.
• Interior pages are exactly the same as the current softcover.
• 30+ different Fantasy O.C.C.s – Mind Mage, Diabolist, Druid, Wizard, Palladin, Ranger, Thief, Assassin, and more.
• 300+ magic spells.
• 60+ magic wards and 50 magic circles.
• Psionic abilities and psychic characters.
• Demons, magic items, weapons, world background and more.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• The Palladium Fantasy hardcover is exactly the same as the ‘current’ printing of the softcover edition; Second Edition rules.
• 336 pages – ONLY $40 retail from Palladium Books only – Cat. No. 4500HC – available now. Sorry, this product is not available in stores. Note: The price is only $40 to celebrate the proud event of Palladium Fantasy’s 30 years of continuous publication and make sure the hardcover is accessible to our core fan base. Enjoy.
• A complete role-playing game with many sourcebooks.
• Palladium Fantasy® – celebrating 30 years of wonder.

RECENT RELEASE: The Rifter^® #65 – Available now

The Rifter® #65 is all about the secrets of power. In some cases, dark secrets: 60 new Necromancy spells and magic for Rifts® and other settings, the power of the Soul Merchant for BTS™, rising to power within the Black Market for Rifts®, a Chaos Earth® short story, and for Heroes Unlimited™, a band of superhumans, robotics and gadgets. Plus news, coming attractions, and more.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas, and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready to go, source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines.

The Rifter® Number 65 includes:

• Heroes Unlimited™ – Contemporary High-Tech Robotics and Gadgets – by David F. Smith. Bionics, robots and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ – Once More unto the Breach – by Alex Tulloch. A band of super-beings and their motives.
• Beyond the Supernatural™ – Hollow Road Adventure – by Anthony Uyl. Evil takes unexpected forms in the pursuit of power. An adventure in which the players will discover that the local townsfolk can be just as evil as the Supernatural in their pursuit of power.
• Rifts® – Black Market – Rise to Power, Part One – by Max Kautsch. Source material on the Black Market and one Faction’s bid for power.
• Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy® and other settings – Necromancy – 60 Spells – by Eric Siems. 60 spells plus Necromantic magic items, the Dread Knight O.C.C., Spirit Caller O.C.C., and Bone Merchant NPC.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® Short Story – Chaos Eve – by Shawn Merrow.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• Heroes Unlimited cover by Charles Walton.
• 96 pages – $11.95 retail – Cat. No. 165. Available now.

RECENT RELEASE: Dead Reign^™ Sourcebook 4: Fear the Reaper^™ – Available now!

Like knights mounted on motorcycles, the Road Reapers travel the wasteland that Earth has become, searching for survivors, fighting zombies and waging war against the Death Cults that threaten all mankind.

This epic sourcebook explores the nature of heroes and heroism in the Zombie Apocalypse. It contains the secrets of the fabled Road Reapers, their structure, leadership, missions and purpose, as well as gear and combat notes. Plus a horrifying new zombie known as the Terror Zombie, plus Floaters (zombies in water) and which zombies can swim. Survival is one thing. Can you keep your humanity and be a hero?

• Comprehensive background on the legendary Road Reapers™ – zombie hunters and heroes of the Zombie Apocalypse.
• The Road Reaper Way of Life: Living and fighting on the road.
• Road Reaper missions, strategies and tactics.
• The Road Reapers’ Code – a guide to being a Road Reaper and hero.
• Structure and organization of Road Reaper units.
• Road Reaper areas of specialty and bonus skills.
• Road Reaper Specializations like the Ex-Con, Road Captain, Scout and Fix-It Man.
• More zombie-killing advice from Brad Ashley, the notorious leader of the Road Reapers and author of the Road Reapers’ Survival Guide.
• Notable weapons and gear used by the Road Reapers.
• Stats for snowmobiles and boats.
• Combat notes and optional character tables.
• Terror Zombie, an amalgamation of horror fused to a Mock Zombie.
• Zombies in water and which ones can swim!
• Many adventure ideas and random tables.
• Written by Matthew Clements.
• 48 pages – $12.95 retail – Cat. No. 234. Available now!

NEW! Robotech^®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One

– Formerly titled ‘UEEF Marines’

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines is a sourcebook that we know will wow and please Robotech® fans.

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

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ – Coming Summer 2014

This is the game Robotech® fans have wanted for decades.

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 – Cat. No. 55100

• Brought to you by Palladium Books®, created with Ninja Division (the creative minds behind Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios).
• Full color, 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: An exact date is yet to be determined; Summer 2014.
• $99.95 retail price – Cat. No. 55100 (Main Box Game).

The First Six Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ Expansion Packs

The first six expansion packs will be available to retail at the same time as the main box game. Here are the “official” SKUs and retail prices.

UEDF Valkyrie Wing

Build your fleet of Earth defenders with the Valkyrie Veritech Fighter; six figures total.

• 2 Valkyries in Fighter mode.
• 2 Valkyries in Guardian mode.
• 2 Valkyries in Battloid mode.
• Multiple heads for making the VF-1A and VF-1J.
• Plastic game pieces. Assembly and painting required.
• Not a toy. Small parts, not suitable for children under the age of 13.
• Cat. No. 55201 – $36.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated.

UEDF Tomahawk/Defender Destroids

Expand your Destroid squad with these formidable walking tanks; four figures total.

• 2 Tomahawk Destroids – the main battle tank of Destroids, brimming with powerful particle beam cannons for arms, and wielding a battery of missiles and an array of other weapons.
• 2 Defender Destroids – a long-range, anti-aircraft juggernaut capable of shooting down incoming Zentraedi Battlepods and Gnerl Fighters.
• Plastic game pieces. Models require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, choking hazard. Not recommended for children under the age of 13. Adult supervision advised.
• Cat. No. 55202 – $32.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated.

UEDF Spartan/Phalanx Destroids

Add some long range power and up-close punch to your army with these valuable Destroids; four figures total.

• 2 Spartan Destroids – civil defense, riot control and deadly in hand to hand combat.
• 2 Phalanx Destroids – a walking, long-range missile artillery unit.
• Plastic game pieces. Models require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, choking hazard. Not recommended for children under the age of 13. Adult supervision advised.
• Cat. No. 55203 – $32.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated.

Zentraedi Regult Battlepods

Expand your Zentraedi forces with their main infantry battle mecha; six figures total.

• 6 Regult Tactical Battlepods – the lightning quick Regults, armed with a pair of particle cannons and auto-cannons, attack in wave after wave.
• Plastic game pieces. Models require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, choking hazard. Not recommended for children under the age of 13. Adult supervision advised.
• Cat. No. 55401 – $36.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated.

Zentraedi Artillery Battlepods

Give your Zentraedi legion greater firepower with these artillery and support Battlepods; four figures total.

• 4 Zentraedi Support Battlepods, each of which can be made into any of the following:
  Gluuhaug-Regult – Light Artillery Battlepod
  Serauhaug-Regult – Heavy Artillery Battlepod
  Telnesta-Regult – Experimental Particle Beam Battlepod
  Four figures total.
• Plastic game pieces. Models require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, choking hazard. Not recommended for children under the age of 13. Adult supervision advised.
• Cat. No. 55402 – $36.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated.

Zentraedi Glaug Command Pack

This diverse pack provides your Zentraedi forces with greater tactical capabilities; three figures total.

• 1 Glaug Officer’s Battlepod – the fast and deadly mecha of Zentraedi field leaders.
• 1 Quel-Regult Scout Battlepod – the stealthy eyes and ears of your Zentraedi battle force; electronic warfare capabilities.
• 1 Quel-Gulnau Recovery Pod – enhances the Glaug’s ability to bring in Battlepod reinforcements. Note: This figure has NEVER before been offered by any company.
• Plastic game pieces. Models require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, choking hazard. Not suitable for children under the age of 13. Adult supervision advised.
• Cat. No. 55403 – $36.95 retail. Note: Pricing and content may be subject to some minor changes, but that is NOT anticipated at this time.

Robotech^® Macross^® Saga Sourcebook – New Size

Available now – 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 is 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 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.

BACK IN PRINT! Heroes Unlimited^™ RPG, 2nd Edition

If you love playing smart games with heroic super beings in possession of strange and wondrous powers or technology, then Heroes Unlimited™ is the role-playing game for you. This RPG has unleashed the superheroes inside gamers for three decades and counting.

Heroes Unlimited™ RPG is probably most famous for rules and abilities that enable you to play ALL types of heroes while capturing the feel of comic books, and for being a thinking-gamer’s setting. All of this adds up to super-fun and epic comic book-style adventure.

• 11 Archetypes or Categories of Heroes, and another dozen subcategories including Crazy Heroes, those empowered by magical artifacts, Immortals, geniuses, and heroes without any super abilities whatsoever.
• 100+ super abilities, plus scores of sub-powers.
• 100+ magic spells plus Enchanted (Magical) Weapons and Objects.
• 40+ Psionic abilities.
• Super-Vehicles, high-tech hardware, in-depth characters and more.
• Create any type of hero and superhuman – aliens and mutants to super-soldiers, martial artists, mages and Mega-Heroes.
• Cover by comic book legendary artist, Jim Steranko.
• Interior Artwork by Ramon Perez, Scott Johnson, Mark Dudley, Paulo Parente, Kevin Long, Mike Gustovich and others.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• A complete role-playing game with many sourcebooks.
• Heroes Unlimited™ – celebrating 30 years of heroic adventure.
• 352 pages – $26.95 retail – Cat. No. 500 – Available now!

Just a few notable Heroes Unlimited^™ Sourcebooks:

Instantly expand your playing experience with these and other HU2 sourcebooks.

• Villains Unlimited™ – 80+ villains, rules for creating secret organizations, gadgets, adventure ideas and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ G.M.’s Guide – with 10 complete adventures, additional and optional rules, many random tables, 70 more magic spells, new vehicles and equipment, the law, G.M. tips and more.
• Powers Unlimited™ One – New powers galore! 120+ Minor Super Abilities, 45+ Major Abilities, 20 more psionic powers and more.
• Powers Unlimited™ Two – 11 new power categories and many sub-set types of heroes, symbiotes, weaknesses, and more.
• Powers Unlimited™ Three – 130 more new powers. ‘Nuff said.
• Heroes of the Megaverse® – A sourcebook that enables you to bring your heroes and supermen (and any of the HU2 sourcebook characters, powers and material) into the Rifts® and/or Phase World®/Three Galaxies™ settings, plus new powers, heroes, superhuman creation tables, and more.
• And other sourcebooks.

BACK IN PRINT – Dragons & Gods^™ – for Rifts^® & Palladium Fantasy^® – Available now

We sold out during the Christmas season, but this fun book, suitable for use in Rifts® (complete with M.D.C. stat notes) as well as the Palladium Fantasy RPG®, is so popular that we did a full reprint of it.

This is the 3rd printing of a dynamic sourcebook filled with big ideas and insightful rules for creating gods and their followers as well as presenting an array of deities and dragons. The dragon section provides insight to how Palladium Dragons think and function. Great artwork, too. Co-written with Erick Wujcik. With the Minion War™ soon to erupt on Rifts® Earth via Megaverse® in Flames™, you may find a book about dragons and gods to be a very useful sourcebook.

This expansive sourcebook presents detailed information about the mythical dragons and gods common to the Palladium Fantasy® world, but contains notes for use in Rifts® and is easily adapted to the Rifts® setting. It includes sections about Dragonwright, the Gods of Taut, Elementals, Demon Lords, dragons, and the forces of light and dark. Suitable for use with the Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, and Beyond the Supernatural™, or any fantasy game.

• 14 dragons, including the Hydra, Lo-Dox and others.
• 40+ Gods complete with minions, magic weapons & worshipers.
• 20 Demonic Lords, their goals, enemies and powers.
• Elementals and Creatures of Light.
• Deific powers of the gods and how they use them.
• Rune and Holy Weapons. Magic items made from dragons.
• Information on Alien Intelligences and other god-like beings.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda and Erick Wujcik.
• $24.95 retail – 232 pages – Cat. No. 451. Available now.

BACK IN PRINT – Rifts^® World Book 18: Mystic Russia^™ – Available now

This book is rich in monsters and magic based on Russian mythology and superstition. Rifts Russia is a land unlike anywhere else. The wilderness abounds with mischievous spirits, shape-changers and demons unique to Russia (including a comprehensive look at Necromancy).

• 28 Russian demons & spirits.
• Nature and Spoiling Magic. Over 100 new spells.
• Living Fire Magic, Bone Magic & Necromancy.
• Russian Gypsies, their secrets and magic weapon maker.
• Sovietski tanks, war machines and more world info.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda. Cover by Zeleznik.
• $20.95 – 176 pages – Cat. No. 833. Available now.

BACK IN PRINT – The Rifter^® #50 – Special Anniversary Issue – Available now

The Rifter® #50 remains in high demand because it contains all kinds of official source material from many of Palladium’s most popular writers. Back in print because you demand it.

• Official Phase World/Three Galaxies source material – The Free World Council by Braden Campbell.
• Official Rifts® Comic Strip by Madman Mike Leonard. It is a short, but memorable four page comic.
• Official Heroes Unlimited™ source material by Mark Oberle. A look at fame, glory and heroic legacies.
• Official Nightbane® source material by Irvin Jackson. The Mortificants O.C.C., also known as the Death Caller. A sort of modern-day Necromancer.
• Official Chaos Earth® source material – Psychics by Jason Richards. Includes three new Chaos Earth® psychic O.C.C.s.
• Official Splicers® source material by Brandon Aten and Matthew Orr. Includes three new Splicer O.C.C.s (the Gardener, the Tormentor and the Geneticist) and their Bio-Armor and Bio-Enhancments. Art by Chuck Walton.
• Official Palladium Fantasy RPG® – Zodiac rules and a type of Elven magic for it, by Carl Gleba.
• Rifts® Treasure Trove Logic Problem by Julius Rosenstein.
• Rifts® – Optional Construction and Vehicle Rules by Greg Diaczyk.
• Ninja & Superspies™ – Expanded Combat Rules by Taylor White.
• FINAL CHAPTER of the Hammer of the Forge! By M.G. Cannon.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• Cover by Charles Walton.
• 128 pages – $14.95 retail – Cat. No. 150 – Available now!

Gen Con Indy – August 14-17, 2014

Gen Con Indy is going to be the premier convention event for Palladium Books this year. A large booth, special display, a ton of product including Robotech® RPG Tactics™, and all our role-playing games and sourcebooks, art prints, original art, and all kinds of good stuff. There will also be many Palladium creators available at the booth throughout the convention to chat and sign autographs, including writers Brandon Aten, Matthew Clements, Carl Gleba, Carmen Bellaire, Mark Oberle (tentative), me (Kevin Siembieda), Palladium staffers like Wayne Smith and Jeff Burke, and artists including Nick Bradshaw, Mike Leonard, Chuck Walton, and others. And it looks like there will be 70+ Palladium Books RPG events in the official Gen Con program. My heartfelt thanks to the Megaversal Ambassadors spearheading this project, as well as the Game Masters volunteering to run so many events for our many game lines. Awesome.

Palladium Books Gen Con Highlights:

• 70+ RPG gaming events in a dedicated area. More than 3x the number of games ever at a Gen Con. Sign up when you can and make us look good.
• Large exhibitor booth and special display.
• Robotech® RPG Tactics™ products and demos.
• Role-playing game products galore: Rifts®, Robotech®, Splicers®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™, Nightbane®, Dead Reign™, Beyond the Supernatural™, Ninjas and Superspies™, After the Bomb® and all the rest.
• Special edition books, prints and original artwork.
• Get autographs, chat and have a blast.
• Palladium creators already committed to appear: Kevin Siembieda, Wayne Smith (editor), Jeff Burke (artist & staffer), Chuck Walton (artist), Nick Bradshaw (artist), Mike Leonard (artist), Brandon Aten (writer), Matthew Clements (writer), Carl Gleba (writer), NMI (online admin and MA), Gary Miller (MA Coordinator and the Palladium Onsite Gaming Event Coordinator at Gen Con), and others are likely to be added; subject to changes and addition.

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 2014 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®, Chaos Earth®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. RPG Tactics™, Beyond the Supernatural, 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.