Palladium Books® Weekly Update – August 23, 2014

By Kevin Siembieda

Hey everybody, it is good to be home, but we’re still recovering from Gen Con Indy. Nobody had caught “Con Crud” this year, but we are swamped trying to get caught up on a large range of stuff, from Gen Con follow-ups to finishing and shipping books and products. The Gen Con Report is toward the end of our many updates, below. Enjoy.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Megaverse^® in Flames^™ – Available now

Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ was a big hit at Gen Con Indy among Rifts® gamers. They were loving all the adventure hooks, twists, turns and rivalries presented in this dynamic book. There are new menaces threatening to invade and dominate the planet, new demonic weapons and war machines, new Soulmancy magic, familiar characters, favorite heroes and villains, plenty of new bad guys and lots of fun to be had. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you are missing out on something special.

Author Carl Gleba was present at Gen Con to sign books and chat with fans. He is also a wonderful Game Master and ran four gaming events. I hadn’t had a chance to hang with Carl in several years, so it was nice to have him as part of the Palladium Gen Con crew. Unfortunately, we were all so busy that we didn’t actually get much time to just hang out and talk. Ah, but we did have one big brainstorming session that has Carl working up material for the upcoming Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity sourcebook. POH NOTE: Carl Gleba is planning to be at the Palladium Open House to run games, sign books and schmooze with those of you who attend. And like I said, Carl is a fantastic Game Master, so don’t miss that opportunity.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Megaverse^® in Flames^™ Hardcover – Ships September 8, 2014

On Friday the printer called to let us know the Megaverse® in Flames™ Hardcover Edition will arrive at the Palladium warehouse next week. We’ll need another week to unbox, number and get everyone to sign them all, which means we will start shipping the books out to you starting around September 8th. Order yours today. See the complete description elsewhere in this Update.

UPDATE: Future Visions^™ – The Artistry of Charles Walton II – Available now

Chuck Walton’s art book, Future Visions™, was another Gen Con crowd pleaser. People seemed impressed by the imaginative artwork and enjoyed the many double page spreads. The book looks awesome and is a must for Spliceheads and fans of Charles Walton’s art. See the complete description elsewhere in this Update.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #67 – Ships Next Week

The Rifter® #67 should ship next Wednesday or Thursday. It is another great issue with material for Heroes Unlimited™, Splicers® and more! See the complete description elsewhere in this Update.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #68 – Autumn Issue

Jazzy John Zeleznik has agreed to do the super-hero cover, and Wayne is already considering material for it. We will even include some “official” Megaverse® in Flames source material that was trimmed from the book.

UPDATE: Palladium Fantasy^®: Bizantium and the Northern Islands^™

I’m please with the excitement generated by the announcement of this new and unexpected Palladium Fantasy® release. We met with the author, Glen Evans at Gen Con where he and Matthew Clements discussed changes and additions to the book. Glen Evans is a frequent contributor to The Rifter®, but this is his first official book. I’m sure many more will follow. Chuck Walton is doing the cover and he should be working on a few cover concepts even as you read this. I’ll be assigning the interior artwork next week to Amy, Tanya, and a new artist I think you’ll enjoy. This will be a Fall, 2014 release.

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG^® “Paper Miniatures” – available now on DriveThruRPG.com

People are enjoying “Madman” Mike Leonard’s Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” – an all new, online product for gamers looking for inexpensive (only $5.99 for 20+ figures), yet dynamic and attractive figures to use in their fantasy games. They are full color paper figures available via PDF download that you print on a card stock, cut out and slide into a paper stand (all part of the pack you purchase). A FREE Sample and the first two sets of Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures are available NOW on DriveThruRPG. See the complete description later in this Update.

Mike brought his Great Horned Dragon to display at Gen Con, along with some of the other paper minis. They look sharp. The dragon piece is being fine tuned and should be available in a few weeks. Two more Volumes of Fantasy figures are coming over the next month or two, with many more to come. And for those of you who might want to try the Palladium Fantasy RPG® and several sourcebooks (and 90+ other titles including the Rifts® and Splicers® RPGs), the first edition rules are available as PDFs. This is the RPG that helped to launch Palladium Books.

● FREE Sample – check it out. It’s free!

● Volume One: O.C.C.s – 24 O.C.C.s representing each of the primary character classes – Men-at-Arms, Men of Magic, Clergy and Psychics.

● Volume Two: Monster Races – 28 R.C.C.s representing 4 Trolls, 4 Ogres, 8 Orcs, 8 Goblins and 4 Hob-Goblins. More nonhuman races to come.

● All are 28mm scale figures and designed in full color.

● Much support will follow, provided there is a demand for this PDF product line.

UPDATE: Robotech^®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One

– Formerly titled ‘UEEF Marines’

I hope to start my final edit of this highly anticipated title in the next week or so. Fall 2014 release.

UPDATE: Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™

The reaction to Robotech® RPG Tactics™ at Gen Con was overwhelmingly positive. People liked what they saw, enjoyed the demos, and liked the game play and the size and detail of the game pieces. Some were positively giddy. I have to admit, so are we. We met many Kickstarter backers who expressed their support and appreciation for the game, and we returned the favor by shaking their hands and expressing our appreciation for them. It has been a long, rough journey, but the end product is sweet. Cannot wait till we can start shipping out product.

And speaking of product, I am happy to report that the first container from China has been released by US Customs and we expect to begin shipping by the end of next week. Meanwhile, Wayne Smith has been working with various out-of-house tech people to set up our new shipping hardware and software. We had technicians and IT people in and out of the office all week as they set up the new systems and customize software to suit our needs.

We have been hesitant to offer completion and shipping dates, because they seem to be constantly shifting and changing. I think the completion and ship dates for Container One changed something like four or five times; one day here, three days there, another two day delay later, then the boat left port a day and a half late, made up that day and a half at sea, only to see the container tagged and held up by US Customs for a random inspection. It seems crazy to us at Palladium Books to subject YOU to that kind of frustration and tension. However, many of you have told us that is exactly what you want to know. We aim to please, so we’ll tell you what we know, when we know it, but you need to realize that timetables and dates are almost certain to change. Shifting schedules in China, shipping schedules and intervention by Customs are beyond our control. Wayne is tentatively scheduled to visit the China factories in September to see the manufacturing process and help build strong communications. Things should start to move more quickly now, with a new container of product shipping every week or two. That said, the schedule has already slipped a bit from what we were told before Gen Con. Containers Two and Three were supposed to have shipped together this past week. However, a manufacturing delay has changed that.

At this time, Container Two is now tentatively scheduled to be packed around the middle to end of next week. We do not yet have a definitive date for when the ship will leave China. Probably between August 28 and September 3. Container Three should ship about one week later, and Container Four a week or so after that. This is the data we have at this time, but as noted, it often changes. By the way, these four containers should allow us to fulfill our Kickstarter obligations for Wave One. That’s everything, prints, accessories, etc.

Oh, and we only recently realized that the plastic blast template is not painted, and it is too late to do anything about it now. This detail slipped past all of us – Palladium, Ninja Division, the factory, everyone. Sorry. It still looks great, is a quality piece of plastic and is easy to use.

Meanwhile, we are working with Harmony Gold to be allowed to provide PDFs of the core rules and other key elements of play and other fun stuff.

UPDATE: Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ Wave Two

This Weekly Update, with the Gen Con Report that follows, is already super-long, so we’ll talk more about Robotech® and Wave Two another time. Just know that everything is in motion and Wave Two is coming. We’re also already thinking about the Masters Saga (Southern Cross), New Generation (Invid), and other eras and battle fronts (like the Zentraedi’s interplanetary war with the Invid!). I think you’ll like the things we are kicking around.

2014 Gen Con Report

Without Robotech® RPG Tactics™ to sell, there was no reason to bring our new, special storefront. We went with the usual rolling shelves and tables. We filled space with specialty items, prints and artwork we would not normally have brought along. Having Robotech® RPG Tactics™ at Gen Con was just not meant to be.

We met a large number of Kickstarter backers, and hundreds upon hundreds of gamers enjoyed demos of Robotech® RPG Tactics™. We had three sample boxes of the main game on display (one completely laid out across a six foot table), and people got to examine the actual box contents, sprues, cards, rule book, etc. Most people were thrilled with what they saw and we got many positive comments about the quality.

We had a bunch of professionally painted Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game pieces in two glass display cases, along with some unpainted ones and a few sprues, so people could see them painted and unpainted. On the two small demo tables – one manned by Palladium’s very own Jeff Burke and the other by volunteer and uber Robotech® fan, Thomas Roache – were more game pieces professionally painted by Blue Table Painting. I think Jeff and Tom were surrounded (and I do mean surrounded) by interested fans non-stop throughout Gen Con, from morning till close of the Exhibit Hall. Unfortunately, that meant many of those passing by could not get a clear look at, or the chance to photograph, these superior painted pieces. Many did, however, get to play with them. Thank you, Tom and Jeff, for your hard work and tireless efforts to demonstrate Robotech® RPG Tactics™. And to Jeff Ruiz (NMI on the Palladium boards), who pitched in and did a good job running demos during breaks.

Carmen Bellaire manned the big Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demo table at the booth. Sadly, Carmen was not his usual flamboyant and fun self. His wallet was stolen two days before we were all to leave for Gen Con. As a Canadian, without his Enhanced Driver’s License, Carmen could not cross the border from Canada into the USA. He applied for an Emergency Passport, which seemed an unlikely turn of events. To everyone’s surprise and joy, Carmen was granted an Emergency Passport, and drove all Wednesday night to arrive at Gen Con by Thursday morning. Unfortunately, the stress of the theft (canceling credit cards and such), not knowing if he would get the passport in time, and very, very little sleep took a heavy toll on him. He looked tired, even a bit sickly, and as a result, his demos lacked the energy and zip that people have come to expect from Carmen. People still had fun, but it was not the rollicking Bellaire experience folks have come to expect. Moreover, Carmen had done a quick, basic painting of the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ game pieces with an unconventional color scheme that some people did not think showed them off in their best light, but we had to make due with what we had.

There were only so many advance game pieces from China to paint and use in demos. Despite having Blue Table Painting do nearly 60 game pieces and two other gents painting up another 10 or so, there were only so many for demonstrations. Carmen’s table used a combination of the actual plastic game pieces and our old demo pieces. As the other two, smaller demo tables were in constant use and usually surrounded by players and spectators, the large table with the unconventional painted game pieces was what many people got to see, especially when just walking by.

Pat Jakubowski ran two or three “official” Robotech® RPG Tactics™ games as part of Palladium’s block of 50+ Gen Con gaming events. From all reports, Pat rocked these games and players had a blast. I had several players come to the Palladium booth the next day specifically to tell me how much fun they had in his games. Awesome. I also had several people who played in demos as well as these games tell me they thought Robotech® RPG Tactics™ was fast, fun and a winner destined to be a big hit. (From your mouths to God’s ears.) Many people also commented on the quality and level of detail, and how much they were looking forward to the game’s release. Fantastic.

Palladium’s top selling RPG titles (besides new releases) were a bit of a surprise, with the Dead Reign™ (Zombie) RPG taking the Number One spot. It was followed by Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® RPG, Rifts® Ultimate Edition and Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG. The number one selling product line was, of course, Rifts®, with the newly released Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ and Rifts® Northern Gun™ 2 being the biggest selling individual titles in the game line. Future Visions was the hottest selling “non-game” item. People liked the tumblers featuring Palladium cover art and the negatives from various Palladium books (a rare and fun collectible).

We were busy most the time signing books, chatting with fans and meeting with people. I did three interviews, met with a few distributors and retailers, a printing rep, our China broker, artists, writers, and fellow game manufacturers, and made a number of new contacts. All in addition to meeting many gamers and fans. It was nice getting an hour to hang with Jolly and Barbara Blackburn one morning, and catching up a bit with Larry Elmore, Drew Baker, Tyler Walpole, Amy Ashbaugh, Steve Bond, and seeing many old friends. We made a number of new friends, too. I don’t dare try to list everyone because I’m sure we’ll forget someone and hurt their feelings. I do want to give a shout out to Eric and Rob – thank you for all of your help and insight. Of course, the Palladium crew was awesome and reminded me how fortunate I am have such wonderful employees and friends like Brandon and Sarah Aten, Joe Bergmans, Nick Bradshaw, the Brown family, Jeff Burke, Matthew Clements, Paul Deckert, Glen Evans, Carl Gleba, Madman Mike Leonard, Gary Miller, Tom Roache, Jeff Ruiz, Wayne Smith, Chuck Walton, the Bellaires, and many others.

I also want to thank the 15 or so Game Masters who ran the 50+ “official” Gen Con gaming events for Palladium Books. From what I understand, you guys did a spectacular job running events. Gary Miller ran point for the event coordination on site at Gen Con, with the other Megaversal Ambassador coordinators pitching in as needed to get everything set up before the show. Dare I suggest that we try to have even more “official” gaming events for Gen Con Indy 2015? If so, we need G.M.s to start planning now and submit your games in January 2015. Early registration of events is the secret to a successful event schedule and filled seats.

Regrettably and as usual, I was so busy I saw very little of the Exhibit Hall (about one third) or any of the convention. I bought only a few items. I never even made my way to the Ninja Division booth to say hello and see their latest product releases. Crazier than that, we ALL forgot to take photos of the Palladium booth and crew! What idiots, eh? I had my picture taken with a number of gamers, including a Zentraedi soldier, but somehow none of us thought to take pictures of ourselves. I think we were just so busy and focused on other things, it slipped our collective minds. Thankfully, Madman Mike Leonard took a handful of pics. They can be seen on his DeviantArt page. By the end of the night, we were all pretty beat, so there wasn't too much goofing around or partying after hours.

Here is also a link to one of the interviews I did. This takes place Sunday morning. My portion of the interview starts around 6 minutes into the presentation. I hope you enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osKv1noMvnI#t=373

And here's another one: click here.

I did manage to trade some products with a few other game companies and met some awesome, new gamers and game designers. My sincere thanks to the creators of the Iron and Ale game from Table Forged LLC, who came by the Palladium booth to give me a copy of their sold out game. I was very touched by this kind gesture and I look forward to playing the game. It looks like a lot of fun. Likewise, my thanks to the guys behind Thunderscape: the World of Aden. Best of success to you all.

My sincere thanks to everyone who dropped by the Palladium booth to share their thoughts about the Robotech® game and other Palladium games. I must have shaken a thousand hands and chatted with a few hundred people. And for me and the Palladium crew, that’s what it is all about. To be available to meet and greet our fans and supporters throughout the convention. I hope you ladies and gents at Gen Con had a wonderful time.

Back home in Westland, Michigan

We haven’t slowed down since coming back home. There are Gen Con follow-ups to be done, old business to be handled, new friends and new opportunities to explore, books to finish and product to ship. Friday morning I was so pumped up (and behind on what feels like everything) that I got to work at 5:45 AM. We’re developing new products, new ideas and maybe even a new game system for release over the next year or two.

Our immediate focus is Robotech® RPG Tactics™, getting the first few containers from China and shipping it all out to our Kickstarter backers.

UPDATE: 2015 Palladium Open House (POH) – May 15-17, 2015

Somehow, Gen Con has gotten us excited about the POH (Palladium Open House). It is less than a year away, and we met a few dozen gamers at Gen Con who have already purchased tickets and are planning to attend. Including a couple of gentlemen from Brazil and another from England. Wow. It always amazes me to get so many people arriving from distant lands. Remember, attendance is limited to 300 people, so it may be smart to order sooner rather than later. Also, reserve your hotel room NOW; it will not be charged to your credit card until a few days before the event.

You can now start purchasing your admissions for the weekend or individual days, as well as VIP Thursday (May 14, 2015). Limited to around 300 people. The full description is in the Palladium online store. My apologies for not getting this all posted sooner. We’ve just been buried in work. Remember, VIP Thursday is limited to around 120 gamers (plus Palladium staff and creators) and usually sells out in a matter of days. 70 VIP admissions for that one day only (with dinner) are available now. Another batch will be offered in February 2015. The description at the end of this Update is a very short version. The one in the online store is complete. Hope to see many of you there next year.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

NEW! Future Visions^™

– The Artistry of Charles Walton II – Available now

We call it Future Visions because it very much gives you a glimpse into the future of what is coming from Palladium Books. It is jam-packed with black and white artwork and concept art for several of the upcoming Splicers® sourcebooks and a couple other Palladium projects. Things we are excited about and want you to be, too. People can’t seem to get enough of Chuck Walton artwork, so here is an entire 96 page book filled with it. Some of the art is finished pieces, many others are concept art that may be tweaked and altered, or not used at all. Much of it is material you would never ordinarily see. If you like this book and it sells well, it can be the first of several Charles Walton II art books (and other artists?). We hope you enjoy it. It was a fun, quick and easy project to throw together. It didn't impact our schedule more than a few days.

• A 96 page trip into the future.
• All artwork is by Charles Walton II.
• All interior art is black and white.
• Splicers® art galore.
• Color cover by Charles Walton.
• Introduction by Kevin Siembieda.
• Behind the scenes insight by Siembieda and Walton.
• 96 pages – $13.95 retail – Cat. No. 2562 – Available now.

NEW! Rifts^® World Book 35: Megaverse^® in Flames^™ – Available now

The Minion War is here and the demons seek to conquer Rifts Earth. They are bringing demonic armies by the tens of thousands across the dimensional divide, unleashing plagues, seeking out magic artifacts, recruiting monsters and mortal allies, and testing their strength against Earth’s military powers. Worse, they are building Hell Pits so that they can unleash Hell on Earth! Not to be outdone, the Minions of Dyval are doing all the same things. Clashes between demons and Deevils are increasing every day and turn into titanic free-for-alls when Earth forces join the battle. As demonic supernatural forces ramp up, enslave people and wreak havoc across the globe, the question becomes: Is this the beginning of a new Dark Age?

• Seven Hell Plagues.
• Soulmancer and Blood Warrior O.C.C.s as NPC villains.
• 50+ Soulmancy spells.
• Lord Kreelo and Megaverse Armaments.
• 40+ new weapons, armor and vehicles including the Walking Death, Meat Grinder, Carnage Tank, Flesh Armor, Bone Armor, Chaos Warrior Armor, charms, talismans, guns and more.
• Demonic armies, strongholds and places of evil.
• Calgary, the Kingdom of Monsters.
• Rifts® Cuba/Ciudad de Diablo, Harpies’ Island and other notable Hell holes on Earth.
• Seven Demon Lords, their Hell Pits and armies.
• Seven Deevil Lords, their Hell Pits and plans.
• Lord Doom, Pain and other forces in the Minion War.
• It is battleground Earth! Ideas for adventures galore.
• Written by Carl Gleba. A part of the Minion War™ “Crossover” series.
• 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 876. Available now.

NEW! Megaverse^® in Flames^™ “Gold Edition” – Ships Early September

This book has so much cool stuff in it, we thought it deserved the Gold Hardcover treatment. Imprinted gold foil on black leatherette, signed by the Palladium staff, Matthew Clements and Chuck Walton. (You can get Carl Gleba’s signature at the Palladium Open House next May.)

• Limited to 300 signed and numbered copies.
• Signed and numbered on the credits page by Kevin Siembieda and the Palladium staff. We’ll get Matthew Clements and Chuck Walton to sign as well.
• Black leatherette cover with gold foil imprinting.
• Interior pages are exactly the same as the softcover edition.
• Written by Carl Gleba. Additional text by Kevin Siembieda.
• Gold Edition cover art by Nick Bradshaw.
• 192 pages – $50 while supplies last – Cat. No. 876HC – only available directly from Palladium Books. Sorry, this product is not available in stores.
• Ships early September.

NEW! The Rifter^® #67 – Summer issue ships in August

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. And don’t forget, most of the material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

The Rifter® Number 67 includes:

• Heroes Unlimited™ – Power Behind the Throne – by Alex Tullock. Get a glimpse at some of the true powers pulling the strings of governments and their superhumans. Spice up your Heroes Unlimited™ campaign with some political, spy and espionage elements along with supermen. Plenty of ideas for adventures, and includes NPCs and Hook, Line & Sinker adventure ideas.
• Splicers® – House Pandorum: The Chaos Spreads – by Kris Tipping. House Pandorum is back, with new Gardener Biotic enhancements, unique plant creations, Template Biotics and more. Illustrated by Charles “Splicers” Walton.
• Rifts® – Monsters of Africa – by Jeff Duncan. 14 new monsters to add to your Rifts® campaign. Art by Tanya J. Ramsey.
• Rifts® – Outpost F279™: An Adventure – by Anthony Uyl. Looking for a fun adventure to throw at your Rifts® players? Well, here you go. Enjoy.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ cover by Michael Wilson.
• Art by Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Mike Mumah, Ben Rodriguez, Tanya J. Ramsey and Charles Walton.
• 96 pages – $13.95 retail – Cat. No. 167. Ships in August.

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG^® “Paper Miniatures” – available now on DriveThruRPG.com

Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” is a new digital product line created by artist and writer “Madman” Mike Leonard. They are designed as full color paper game pieces that you print on a card stock, cut out and slide into a paper stand (all part of the package you purchase). A FREE Sample and the first two sets of Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures are available NOW on DriveThruRPG.

In a week or two a Great Horned Dragon will be added, and two more Volumes are coming in the next month or two. And don’t forget, first edition rules of the Palladium Fantasy RPG® and several sourcebooks (and 90+ other titles including the Rifts® and Splicers® RPGs) are also available as PDFs. Have fun.

● Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Paper Miniatures” FREE Sample

● Volume One: O.C.C.s – 24 O.C.C.s representing each of the primary character classes – Men-at-Arms, Men of Magic, Clergy and Psychics.

• 28mm figures with a one inch base.
• All figures are designed in full color and look great.
• $5.99 for the PDF download.

● Volume Two: Monster Races – 28 R.C.C.s representing 4 Trolls, 4 Ogres, 8 Orcs, 8 Goblins and 4 Hob-Goblins. More nonhuman races to come.

• 28mm scale figures.
• All figures are designed in full color and look great.
• $5.99 for the PDF download.

● Coming Soon – Great Horned Dragon

• 28mm scale figure with a 10 inch wingspan.
• Designed in full color and look great.
• $3.99 for the PDF download.

● Coming – Volume Three: Additional O.C.C.s

● Coming – Volume Four: Skeletons and Undead

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

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 have 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 Fall (shooting for September, 2014). In final development; page count and date of release yet to be determined.

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG^®: Bizantium and the Northern Islands^™ – Fall/Winter 2014

Journey to the Island Kingdom of Bizantium, situated at the far northern peak of the Palladium World. Its vast fleets of merchant vessels and warships travel the high seas and bring untold wealth back to the kingdom, as well as exotic goods, people, customs, weapons and foreign magic. With rich, ambitious Merchant-Princes all around him, Bizantium’s colonies on the Shadow Coast in a state of near-revolt, and powers from the Western Empire to the Eastern Territory trying to exert their influence on the throne, the oblivious King Raedaen IV is in troubled waters – and the sharks are starting to gather.

• Full timeline of the history of Bizantium, from its mythical founding to the kings, queens and high priests of the Northern Islands.
• Bizantian society, culture, religion and attitudes towards non-humans and magic.
• The Eoten, the traditional inhabitants of the Northern Islands, their mythology and influence on modern-day Bizantium.
• The Northern Islands described in full, cities, geography and well as threats to sailors in the North Sea and Sea of Despair.
• Bizantium’s many shipyards, possibly the kingdom’s greatest asset.
• Key figures of Bizantium, from King Raedaen IV to the long list of people eager to replace him.
• New O.C.C.s including the Serpent Chaser and Bizantium Marine.
• New weapons and equipment for sailors, mariners, soldiers and adventurers at large.
• New Bizantium ships including the Bireme, Ice Breaker and Battleship.
• The Iceborn, a forgotten race who worships death, uses undead sea serpents as ships, and threatens Bizantium from the North.
• New animals and sea serpents of the North Sea and Sea of Despair.
• Sea serpent generation table for creating your own sea monsters.
• Political intrigue as Noble Houses, Warlocks and foreign powers all try to subvert the king and claim the throne of Bizantium for themselves!
• Written by Glen Evans with additional text by Kevin Siembieda and Matthew Clements.
• 160 pages – $20.95 retail (page count and price are subject to change) – Cat. No. 474 – Fall/Winter release.

NEW! Robotech^®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One

– Formerly titled ‘UEEF Marines’

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines sourcebook is set in space with the UEEF (United Earth Expeditionary Force) led by Admiral Rick Hunter. This valiant force of mecha clad heroes travel across the galaxy liberating planets from the bondage of the Invid Regent, the Robotech Masters and other tyrants and monsters.

• New mecha and weapons of the UEEF Marines.
• New UEEF Marine character classes and background.
• Alien species and allies.
• Planet hopping, adventure and much more.
• Epic battles and adventure ideas galore.
• Written by Irvin Jackson. Additional text by Kevin Siembieda.
• 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 553. Fall release (shooting for October).

Coming BACK IN PRINT – Rise of Magic^™

A Rifts^® Chaos Earth^® Sourcebook – Fall

Rescheduled for a Fall release.

The return of magic has empowered humans with strange and wondrous powers, unlike anything quite yet seen (and different from most conventional types of magic). This only complicates things for Earth’s defenders as the line of distinction between “good guys” and “bad guys” begins to blur.

• Chaos Magic, new magic specific to the Chaos Earth® setting.
• More than 100 unique Chaos Magic spells.
• New magic O.C.C.s like the Blue Zone Wizard and Chaos Wizard.
• New evil magic users like the Chaos Witch and Demon Caller.
• More on NEMA and the Demon Plagues.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 64 pages – $14.95 – Cat. No. 662. Ships Fall.

Robotech^® RPG Tactics^™ – Coming to Stores Fall, 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).
• 112 page, full color, softcover rule book. Includes an index and a comprehensive color guide for all Macross mecha in the series.
• 24 Battle Dice, 12 UEDF and 12 Zentraedi.
• 53 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.
• Retail Release Date: In stores September, 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 require assembly and painting.
• Not a toy. Small parts, not suitable for children under the age of 13.
• Cat. No. 55201 – $36.95 retail.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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.

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® #53-54 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 1-54.
• The Best of The Rifter®.
• Deluxe Revised RECON® RPG and Advanced RECON® Sourcebook.
• And more – go to DriveThruRPG.com and check ‘em out.

2015 Palladium Open House (POH) – May 14-17, 2015

The full description is in the online store and you can start purchasing your admission for the weekend or individual days as well as VIP Thursday (May 14, 2015). This write-up is just the highlights, please read the full description in the store.

Price of admission covers ALL EVENTS, except VIP Thursday. There are no extra fees for gaming events, panel talks or autographs.

$45 per person for the Three Day Weekend (Friday, Saturday & Sunday; May 15, 16 & 17) when ordered in advance per each individual. ($60 at the door and after April 12, 2015, if space is available.)

$25 for Friday, 9:00 AM till Closing (about midnight). Same price at the door, if space is available.

$25 for Saturday, 9:00 AM till Closing (about midnight). Same price at the door, if space is available.

$12 for Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Same price at the door, if space is available.

$87 additional for VIP Night – Thursday – May 14, 2014. The VIP Night always sells out within weeks, so make your reservation as soon as possible. First-come, first-served. VIP Night is a special, one-evening event limited to around 120 gamers – 70 are available right now. VIP Thursday, May 14, 2014: 3:00 P.M. till 12:00 P.M. This event sells out every year in week or two (sometimes in a day or two). NOTE: As has become tradition, we hold a number of VIP slots to be offered at a later date – typically February – so that gamers who decide to attend at a later date have a chance at getting into the coveted VIP Night too. You get the delicious meal catered by Palladium’s very own Kathy Simmons (people rave about her meal), plus you get an extra afternoon and evening of gaming (opens late afternoon), a more intimate chance to talk with Palladium staff, artists and writers, and first crack at rare collectibles, prints and original art.

● 40+ Palladium creators. See the store description for details. In the past, the POH usually has 35-50 creators (writers, artists, editors, staff, Rifter contributors, etc.) attending. More than at any other convention or gathering anywhere, ever! And most are available to you almost the ENTIRE event to chat with you and sign autographs. Some will even run gaming events!

● 100+ gaming events. Game Masters/Megaversal Ambassadors NEEDED!

● Many games run by the people who make them, including Kevin Siembieda, Julius Rosenstein, Carmen Bellaire, Brandon Aten, Taylor White and many others!

● More panel talks than ever!

● Auction and more.

● A family reunion atmosphere.

● And it all happens at the Palladium warehouse and offices, where the magic happens! Okay, not quite “all.” When the gaming stops around 1:00 AM every night, the hotel has a large conference room where you maniacs can continue to game till you drop. There is room for at least 8 games in the room.

2015 Open House Hotel – reserve your rooms NOW!

You should reserve your hotel room now. Your card will not be charged until next May.

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.

$109.00 (plus tax) per night at the Comfort Inn, a.k.a. “Plymouth Clock Tower Hotel.” 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 high-speed wired/wireless Internet and there is a FREE hot breakfast from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. near the lobby.

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. :)

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.

This is the hotel everyone knows and wants. You can start placing hotel reservations for the 2015 Palladium Open House now. Make sure you tell them the Group Code “Palladium Books.” This is a must to get the superior group rate.

© 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.