Palladium Books® Weekly Update – June 3, 2016

By Kevin Siembieda

We are all back at the office and working hard on a wide variety of projects.

UPDATE: Kevin Siembieda on the mend

I am amazed by the human body as I seem to be healing up lickety split. Every day it seems like I can raise my arm a little higher, a little farther. The pain a little less intense. It is truly amazing to me. I’m still stiff and tight and need physical therapy, but my doctor was very pleased with the mobility I’m already exhibiting. And all my doctors are happy with the healing of my incision as I have heard, “Oh, that’s healing up beautifully,” on several occasions now.

For those of you who have not heard, I was a pedestrian on the sidewalk, when I got hit by a Jeep/SUV style vehicle. The driver was distracted by his children in the back seat and didn’t see me when he backed out of his driveway. Struck me in my left hip and knocked me on my right shoulder, and SNAP, KAPOW, I’m broken. I knew immediately that my right arm was broken clear through, because my arm would not respond, and when I looked down it was waving in the wind like a puppet’s arm on a string. Gross. Frightening. And it hurt like a son of a ... well you get the picture.

I strongly considered having Wayne post the before and after X-rays of my broken humerus bone (the upper arm between the elbow and shoulder), but that one inch space between the broken pieces of my bone and the angle the two pieces are pointing is very disturbing to some people. The same is true of the metal plate and screws. I sure don’t want to gross anyone out. Kathy Simmons, my girlfriend, felt nauseous when she saw it the first time up on the screen at the hospital. It looks like something you would see in a cartoon. I have had fun showing the before and after X-rays around to friends. Even took ‘em to Anime North. Hey, trying to laugh and make the best of a bad situation that could have been much, much worse. Happy to be alive, not crippled and only suffering from a broken bone. Thank you, Guardian Angel. (Btw, it is one metal plate and eight screws. I think I had said two plates and 16 screws in a prior Update. I must have been more out of it than I thought when the doctor first spoke to me about it after surgery.)

The week has been a busy one. Still running back and forth to doctors for follow up visits, more tests, and soon, physical therapy. I cannot drive a car for another couple of weeks or work more than 8 hours a day – Doctor’s orders! And I cannot pick up or push anything weighing more than five pounds (2.25 kg); it was two pounds (0.9 kg) prior to that. That’s a lot trickier than it sounds. A gallon of milk weighs 8.6 pounds. Heck, Rifts® Ultimate Edition weighs almost three pounds! And what’s the weight/psi to push open a car door? Still hurting and my body is ready to go home after 8 hours of work, but I’m feeling better every day.

My thanks to those of you continuing to send get-well cards and kind words. They are very welcomed and often make me laugh. I’m itching to dive back into writing the next several books, and intend to do just that starting Monday! Spent much of this week trying to get caught up with mail, emails, bills and correspondences. Between being literally knocked off my feet and then going to Anime North over the Memorial Day Weekend, I was quite behind. Getting pretty caught up, at least with the most important matters.

UPDATE: Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity™ Sourcebook – Ships June 15

The printer has confirmed that Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ will ship on June 15, 2016. In the meanwhile, take a look at the rather sizeable preview available for FREE at DriveThruRPG.com.

Everyone who saw the photocopy of Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ at Anime North went wild over it. I’m tempted to say they particularly loved the way to upgrade existing characters with Advanced Training, except I think most people loved pretty much everything in the book: the Combat Courier, CS Death Knight, Skelebot Specialist, Operation Hellbender and the Coalition’s unprecedented use of Juicers and Combat Cyborgs, the data about the CS, the information on CS strategies and tactics against the Minions of Hell and vice versa, the involvement of Archie, the Vanguard, the Minions of Splugorth, Lemurians and ... well, pretty much everything. Heroes of Humanity™ really does change the landscape.

CS Heroes of Humanity™ refreshes the Rifts Earth setting and provokes ideas for epic adventure the likes of which you probably have never played. When was the last time Coalition forces worked with D-Bees and mages? Probably never. And certainly not on the scale found in Heroes of Humanity™. Here is a situation where Coalition soldiers (new and old O.C.C.s) can join forces with D-Bees, mages, mercs, Ley Line Walkers, Lazlo mages, Federation mages and Automatons, the Vanguard, Free Quebec Glitter Boys, Cyber-Knights, Juicers, psychics, True Atlanteans, and even the Minions of Splugorth, Lemurians, and Archie Three robots! Talk about epic. But don’t get too cozy with the CS, there is still plenty of tension, hard feelings and hostility between the Coalition and their non-Coalition brothers in arms. And more trouble is brewing. HoH ships June 15, 2016. Have you ordered your copy?

UPDATE: The Rifter® #74

Wayne is making his final selections for The Rifter® #74 and already looking toward material for The Rifter® #75 as well.

UPDATE: CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal Sourcebook

I spent most of this week catching up on business matters and clearing my plate to work on CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal on Monday. This sourcebook presents new Coalition weapons, power armor, robots, combat vehicles, upgrades and other goodies. Time to pre-order! See the description elsewhere.

UPDATE: Rifts® The Disavowed™

Joseph Prosek II is the supreme puppet master working from the shadows. The ambitious heir to throne of the Coalition States has created a web of secrets and agents across the globe (and beyond!) that nobody knows about. Not even the Emperor. The Disavowed are just one tool in his growing network of espionage and power. I’ll be making notes for The Disavowed as I work on CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal, as the ideas come. These books are stand-alone products related by theme, time-line and interlocking events to Heroes of Humanity™, but present their own avenues of adventure. Epic fun is coming this Spring and Summer.

UPDATE: Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™

In final development. John Zeleznik is working on the cover. Assigning interior art in the weeks ahead.

UPDATE: Rifts® Sovietski™

In final development. The cover has been assigned to John Zeleznik. Interior artwork to be assigned.

UPDATE: Savage Rifts® for Savage Worlds®

We continue to approve finished art and designs. All good looking stuff. The Savage Rifts® RPG line is promising to look fabulous.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics™

We are building up for much, much more for Robotech® RPG Tactics™. Starting with materials to be made available on DriveThruRPG.

Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ FREE Preview on DriveThruRPG.com

The Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ FREE Preview is available now, and so are Rifts® Ultimate Edition and more than 40 Rifts® titles! Many other titles are available right now at DriveThruRPG.com, with more Rifts® and other Palladium game titles coming to PDF in the weeks and months ahead. Watch for them.

Recent PDF titles include Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp™, Rifts® World Book 26: Dinosaur Swamp, World Book 25: Rifts® China Two, World Book 24: Rifts® China One, Rifts® World Book 23: Xiticix Invasion, Rifts® World Book 22: Free Quebec, Rifts® World Book 21: Splynn Dimensional Market, Rifts® World Book 20: Canada, Rifts® World Book 19: Australia, Rifts® World Book 18: Mystic Russia, Rifts® World Book 17: Warlords of Russia and Rifts® World Book 16: Federation of Magic from the last few weeks, and a slew of other titles that have gone up over the last couple of months. There are also previews of The Rifter® #73, Northern Gun 1 & 2, Lemuria, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms, Bizantium and many other Palladium titles. Things remain in place to see 2-3 new PDFs of Rifts® World Books and other titles added every week.

In addition to the titles listed above, The Minion War™ series of books, the Rifts® Coalition Wars®/Tolkeen series, Chaos Earth® Resurrection, all of the Dead Reign® (Zombie Apocalypse) titles, Splicers® RPG and most issues of The Rifter® are available NOW! So are first edition rules of the Heroes Unlimited™ RPG and sourcebooks, Palladium Fantasy RPG® and sourcebooks, The Mechanoids®, and much more, available on DriveThruRPG.com.

Available right now:

Palladium Collectibles Available in Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles Store

A wide range of art and collectibles have been selling over the last few weeks. Nice. I hope you enjoy your items, be they out of print books, signed titles, rare hardcovers, original artwork, toys or other goodies. Original art are one-of-a-kind items, so when they are gone (like the TMNT sketches and Rifts® illustrations), they are gone. Many other offerings are signed, limited editions or are items that have been sold out for some time.

I’ll continue to pull things out of my personal collection and Palladium archives. A bunch of toys have been added to my online store with more to come.

More collectibles, artwork and toys are added almost every week. Palladium collectibles, hardcovers, out-of-print titles, original artwork, and toys and items from my personal collection are on my ebay store. We add items on a regular basis and offer sales, so check it out from time to time. Includes one-of-a-kind original artwork, prints, Rifts® and Robotech® artwork by Kevin Long, me and others. There is also a range of limited editions, rare book titles and limited edition hardcovers, toys and more available with frequent new items added. Items include original art, out-of-print titles, redlined proofreader photocopies signed by me and the staff, signed manuscripts with editors’ corrections, some original art, hardcover books (including Rifts® Lemuria, Northern Gun™ One, Northern Gun™ Two, Megaverse® in Flames™, Beyond the Supernatural™ Gold, Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Gold and Rifts® Ultimate Gold), hundreds of toys and action figures, all from my personal archives and collection. Take a look every weekend or two for new items added.

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

Anime North Report

As always, Anime North was a blast. Even in blistering heat with temps in the high 80s and low 90s. Sales were so-so (they’re always weak for us at anime conventions), but it was great to see old friends like Todd Spencley, Rob Siemens and Kent Burles, and hang with Palladium creators like Apollo Okamura, Braden Campbell, Brett Caron, Greg Diaczyk and his family (Hi, Caleb, Joshua, and Noah!), among others. Special thanks to Brett who ran Rifts® games and helped us tear down the booth and pack up the van. With me able to only lift 2-5 pounds, we were a man short. Also a big thank you to Robert Shewring for running Robotech® RPG Tactics demos.

My Lord DeSilca game went great on Friday. So did all three panel talks over the weekend. In fact, the Saturday Creating Mecha and Monsters panel was filled well beyond capacity. It was a small room with 50 people crammed into it, and 40 other people had to be turned away. This was Chuck Walton’s baby. I contributed to the talk but Chuck ran wild with it, including doing sketch examples. Nice. Great crowd. Sorry that so many people had to be turned away.

By Saturday afternoon, I realized I had pushed myself too hard and I had to cancel my other two games and retire to the hotel around 4:00 PM. I hope I didn’t disappoint anyone, but I needed to rest.

I did make it to the Saturday Night Guest Dinner which was yummy and fun, even if Chuck Walton and I were somehow forgotten and left behind with our convention liaison for TWO hours! Chuck had a conversation with a pair of Transformers (really) and gushed as he got photos and autographs from four of the key voice actors behind Sailor Moon, including Linda Ballantyne – Sailor Moon herself! I enjoyed seeing Charles turn all fan-boy. It was great fun seeing that side to Chuck.

We managed to sneak in seeing Captain America: Civil War, in 3D, before the convention opened on Friday and loved it. This is truly a super-fun movie. Do yourself a favor and go see it. Wow. Black Panther, Spider-Man, Ant-Man ... all of it was great. I want to see it again.

The worst part of the whole trip was Customs coming and going. Canadian Customs tagged us for inspection going into Canada, and US Customs tagged us coming back. The latter sucked, because we hit the border just before 11:00 PM and did not get released until three hours later – 2:00 AM. And they did NOT open a single box. I think they may have inspected my suitcase, but that was about it. What a painful waste of time. Wayne dropped me off at home at 2:30 AM, but he and Chuck still had another half an hour to get home. Sorry guys. Thank goodness we all had Memorial Day to sleep in and partially recover. We were all still dragging on Tuesday.

Strategicon: GAMEX

From all reports, Strategicon, in L.A., was a fun weekend. We hope Palladium fans enjoyed the number of Robotech® events that took place.

Upcoming Conventions

Gen Con Indy – Indianapolis, Indiana – August 4-7, 2016 – Palladium Books® – Booth 823

Gen Con is coming up fast and we hope Palladium Books will be a big part of your plans there. There are dozens of scheduled Palladium gaming events including Rifts® and Robotech® RPG Tactics™, a special convention discount coupon you will NOT want to miss in the Gen Con Coupon Book (especially fans of Rifts® and Robotech®), and a bunch of Palladium madmen will be on hand to chat and sign books.

Highlights Include:

  • Meet and chat with Palladium creators, chat and get books signed.
  • Enjoy scheduled Palladium gaming events.
  • Participate in Robotech® RPG Tactics™ demos.
  • Get new game releases (and old).
  • Rifts®, Robotech®, Dead Reign®, Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy®, Splicers®, BTS™, and many other titles. A large selection of RPG products.
  • Original art for sale. Meet artist Charles Walton II.
  • See special convention offer in the Gen Con Coupon Book!
  • Learn more about Savage Rifts® and other games. Have a blast.

Palladium Creators at the 2016 Gen Con:

  • Brandon Aten – writer (Rifts® Madhaven, Triax 2, Sovietski)
  • Carmen Bellaire – writer and game designer
  • Michael Leonard – artist and game master
  • Mark Oberle – writer (Nightbane® Survival Guide, Rifter®)
  • Kevin Siembieda – Palladium founder, writer, artist, game designer
  • Wayne Smith – editor and Editor in Chief of The Rifter®
  • Thomas Roache – Robotech® advisor and demo
  • Jeff Ruiz (NMI) – Megaversal Ambassador
  • Charles Walton II – artist, writer and Splicehead.

And maybe a couple others to be added.

http://www.gencon.com

GrandCon – Grand Rapids, Michigan – September 16, 17 & 18, 2016

Looking for a nice medium-sized convention of around 2,000 gamers? Then consider GrandCon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s only about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Westland, and even closer for folks living in Livonia, Plymouth, Novi, and cities farther west. Ideal for any Michiganders and gamers living in Illinois, Indiana and maybe even Wisconsin and eastern Iowa.

I (Kevin Siembieda) am a guest along with Sean Patrick Fannon, co-author of Savage Rifts® for the Savage Worlds game system, and many other guests. Sean and I will be doing panels about Savage Rifts® and role-playing game design, world building and running gaming events (I’ll probably run Lord DeSilca/Fantasy and/or Beyond the Supernatural), and Palladium Books will have a few tables in the dealers’ room manned by Wayne Smith and Charles Walton II (with artwork for sale). All of us will be present to chat with gamers and sign books. I am thrilled to have a rapidly growing game convention like GrandCon in western Michigan, and they have even bigger plans for 2017. Michiganders, help support this convention. We need and deserve a large gaming convention in our state.

http://www.grand-con.com

Randi Cartier, your departure was too soon and unexpected, you will be missed

As I mentioned in my the May 25th Weekly Update, my dear friend, Randi Cartier, passed away last week. The news was a shock to everyone, especially to her loving husband, Roger. I was so stunned and grief stricken the day we got the news, I could not find the words to talk about Randi. But she deserves to be spoken of.

Randi was a character, as are most gamers. She tended to be a power gamer. Her characters always looking for the big payoff, magic weapon (or armor, or device, etc.), and that big moment of heroics. She was fun and funny. Kind and loveable.

Randi and Roger played in my regular Saturday night fantasy games for more than a decade, and only stopped because I became too busy to run a weekly game. Randi and Roger play-tested the original Robotech® RPG and Beyond the Supernatural™ back in the mid-1980s, play-tested Rifts® in the 1990s and contributed maps, text and ideas to the Palladium Fantasy RPG®. Fantasy was always her favorite to play; mine too. Randi and Roger helped me through my divorce and helped me make improvements to the house. Randi would laugh and condemn my made up “legends of Canada” and hated the “Beaver Stomp” I incorporated into my Robotech® campaign in the 1980s. (Don’t ask what that involved, but Kevin Long and I thought it was hilarious. Randi protested to the contrary.) She was very creative, full of ideas and talented. She had a knack for arts and crafts, cooking, and was a truly skilled, semi-professional miniature painter. I would look forward to Christmas which often included a new painted dragon or other figure as a gift from her.

Randi is also the person who prodded fellow Canadian Carmen Bellaire to submit some of his writing and ideas to Palladium Books. Carmen and I became fast friends and he has been a major contributor to Palladium Books. Carmen has grown into a freakin’ awesome game designer and one hell of a writer, but none of that might have happened if not for Randi. Amazing how our lives touch so many others.

Randi was fun and a good gamer who I enjoyed very much in my games, even at her most outrageous. But more than that, Randi was an awesome human being. Kind and caring, easy to talk to, considerate and someone I could confide in. I think everyone who knew Randi, loved her. I was actually planning a big Christmas surprise for Randi later this year and had intended to visit them at their home in Canada in a few weeks, as I had something I wanted to give her, and we had not seen each other in a while.

I will deeply miss Randi’s exuberance and big, sweet, friendly and generous personalty. I am glad she was part of my life and my gaming experience. My heartfelt condolences to Roger, her family and friends. I will miss you, Randi, but I will never forget you.

My apologies if this Update ended on a bit of a somber note, but Randi Cartier deserves to be recognized for the wonderful person she was. Her sudden passing and my being hit by a car (and could have been crippled or killed) are two painful reminders that any of us can go at any moment. Cherish the people and games that you love while you have them in your lives. Enjoy them to the fullest. Please tell the people you love how much they matter, and enjoy their laughter, friendship and camaraderie while you can. My friends, have a vibrant and wonderful weekend. Game on!

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, Game Designer

Coalition States Heroes of Humanity

NEW! Rifts® Secrets of the Coalition States™ – Heroes of Humanity™ – Ships June 15

Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™ is the next chapter in the epic war for the soul of humanity.

A call to arms! The Minion War has spilled onto Rifts Earth. At the epicenter of the invasion is North America. If either of the two rival demonic forces succeeds in conquering the continent, the rest of the world shall follow and Earth will become an annex of Hell. The demon hordes believe no one can stop them. The Coalition States has something to say about that.

For the first time in history, the Coalition States, Northern Gun, the Manistique Imperium, Lazlo, New Lazlo, Free Quebec, the Cyber-Knights, Lemurians, True Atlanteans, D-Bees, mages, mercs and many, many others stand together against a common enemy. Meanwhile, the Splugorth of Atlantis, Archie Three, the Republicans and the Vanguard engage in their own shadow war against the invading demon hordes, and each other.

  • Heroes of Humanity™ lets unprecedented types of characters gather in mixed groups that would otherwise be ideologically opposed. Together they fight side-by-side for the greater good.
  • Ways to upgrade your existing characters.
  • Coalition Demon Hunter school and advanced training programs.
  • The strategies and tactics of the Minions of Hell against humanity.
  • The strategies and tactics of the Coalition States and its allies.
  • Summary of Demon and Deevil vulnerabilities.
  • How the Coalition is dealing with the Minion War.
  • Coalition military O.C.C.s expanded: CS Juicer, CS Combat Cyborgs, power armor pilots, Fly Boys, Military Specialists and more.
  • Coalition psychics and Psi-Battalion.
  • New CS gear and soldiers like the Hellbuster and Demonknights.
  • One Xiticix battle plan and who really pays the price.
  • Background on the CS, world information and many adventure ideas.
  • Plenty of guidelines, tables and rules to help you run it all.
  • Part of the Minion War™ “Crossover” series.
  • Art by Charles “Chuck” Walton II, Amy L. Ashbaugh, Nick Bradshaw, Mark Dudley, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Mike Mumah, Apollo Okamura, Tanya Ramsey, Benjamin Rodriguez, and Kevin Siembieda.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda, Carl Gleba, Matthew Clements and others.
  • 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 889. Ships June 15.

Heroes of Humanity Arsenal

NEW! Secrets of the Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal Sourcebook – Summer

The name, CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal says it all. New Coalition armor, power armor, robots, combat vehicles, and related material.

  • New CS gear and weapons
  • New CS SAMAS and power armor.
  • New CS robots and combat vehicles.
  • More ways to upgrade and improve your characters.
  • More secrets and information about the Coalition States.
  • Wild adventure opportunities, fun and more.
  • Part of the Minion War™ “Crossover” series.
  • Art by Charles “Chuck” Walton II, Amy L. Ashbaugh, Nick Bradshaw, Mark Dudley, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Apollo Okamura, Benjamin Rodriguez, and others.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda, Carl Gleba, Matthew Clements and others.
  • 96 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 893. June release (Tentative). In final production.

NEW! Rifts® Haunted Tech™ – Summer

The Republicans decide to make their move while Archie Three is waging his own shadow war against the demonic invaders. The result unleashes a menace Archie has kept contained and locked away for 300 years. And he is not happy about it.

  • Haunted Technology.
  • New weapons and gear.
  • More secrets and information about the Republicans.
  • More insane adventure opportunities, strangeness and fun.
  • The new rules, powers and abilities for Haunted Tech will blow your mind.
  • Haunted Tech gives new meaning to “ghost in the machine.” But are they a godsend or a Pandora’s Box of new dangers?
  • The Republicans reveal themselves and take action! Yes, that means Chaos Earth® NEMA O.C.C.s, robots and technology in Rifts® Earth.
  • Archie Three takes action behind the scenes, in a big way.
  • Part of the Minion War™ “Crossover” series.
  • Art by Charles “Chuck” Walton II, Mark Dudley, Allen Manning, Brian Manning, Benjamin Rodriguez, and others.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda with help from Charles Walton II.
  • 96 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 894. Summer release.

Rifts The Disavowed

Rifts® Secrets of the Coalition States: The Disavowed™ – Summer

“Desperate times require desperate measures. War has nothing to do with morality or justice. It’s all about winning or dying. We cannot bind our hands with high ideals, even our own, or worry about the laws of renegade nations or the rights of alien people. We must fight fire with fire. And you are the match.” – Colonel Lyboc addressing a Disavowed team

The Disavowed are so Top Secret that their existence is known only to a handful of the Coalition States’ most elite, top echelon, with Joseph Prosek II the mastermind behind the Disavowed operation, and Colonel Lyboc its shadowy face. Find out who these men and women are. How the Disavowed get away with using magic, traveling to other parts of Rifts Earth and even to other dimensions in pursuit of enemies and strategic information that cannot be had through conventional means. Learn about the secret parameters in which these hard-boiled warriors, secretly hand-picked by Joseph Prosek II, operate, why almost every mission is considered a suicide mission, and why they must forever be the Disavowed.

  • CS operatives so secret that even the top military and political leaders right up to Emperor Prosek know nothing about them. And if they did know, would they condone their activity or condemn it?
  • Are the Disavowed heroes or renegades? Assassins or soldiers? Madmen or super-patriots? Or a little of them all?
  • Unsung heroes who keep the CS safe, or thugs and pawns of a shadow agency within the Coalition government?
  • What role does the Vanguard play in this group?
  • How do they reward their D-Bee “teammates” when the mission is over?
  • What happens to the Disavowed when they have seen or learned too much? Adventure ideas galore and so much more.
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda and Matthew Clements.
  • Final page count and price yet to be determined, but probably 96 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 892.

NEW! The Rifter® #74 – Ships Spring

Half to two-thirds of The Rifter® #74 is “official” source material for Rifts®, Splicers® and more, plus news and coming attractions.

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® #74 – Spring, 2016:

  • Rifts®: The Town of Moorcroft, Wyoming – “official” source material by Julius Rosenstein.
  • Splicers® – “official” source material – by Chris Kluge and Charles Walton II.
  • Rifts® Short Story by S.E. Gibbons.
  • More gaming advice.
  • Optional source material for 2-4 other settings.
  • News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
  • 96 pages – $13.95 retail – Cat. No. 174. Spring issue.

The Rifter #73

NEW! The Rifter® #73 – Available now!

For the first time ever, the entire issue of The Rifter® #73 is “official” source material for Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Splicers® and Dead Reign®, plus news, coming attractions and more. It is a great way to kickoff Palladium’s 35 Year Anniversary.

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.

Rifter® #73 Highlights:

  • Rifts® – Nexus Born, by Julius Rosenstein – “official” source material. Why is it that some children born at a ley line nexus are gifted? Find out, and find out exactly what these gifts are and how they can impact player characters and NPCs. New concepts, NPCs and adventure source material including Hidden Nexus Points. Additional text and ideas by Kevin Siembieda.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG® – Children of the Forest, by Kevin Siembieda – “official” source material. More insight about the Wolfen and Faerie Folk of the Great Northern Wilderness, adventure setting, the Risinor Dragon Stallion war steed, five new Rune Weapons, a madman, a new villain, and adventure ideas that let you use all of this data and new toys in an adventure set in the Palladium Fantasy world. Easily adaptable for Rifts®, Phase World, Heroes Unlimited, etc.
  • Splicers® – I am Legion, Part Two, by Charles Walton II, Chris Kluge and Lance Colley – adventure plus “official” source material. The adventure continues as your heroes must deal with the plight of contending with the new Machine personality known as Legion. In this adventure, the player group is given instructions from the Warlord, himself, to learn more about this enemy, and if possible, use a special weapon to bring it down. But nothing ever works that easy. New War Mounts, O.C.C. upgrades, N.P.C.s, and more, including the very first time a Splicer Warlord is ever statted out.
  • Dead Reign® – Detroit by Thomas Morrison – “official” source material. The title says it all. The city of Detroit in the Zombie Apocalypse. An adventure setting.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG® – the Triumvirate Dragon by Glen Evans and Kevin Siembieda – “official” source material. For the first time, the iconic, three-headed dragon that appeared on the original cover of the Palladium Fantasy RPG® is described and statted out.
  • News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
  • Rifts® cover by Michael Wilson.
  • 96 pages – $13.95 retail – Cat. No. 173. Winter issue. Available now!

NEW! Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ – Summer

True Atlanteans are descendants from Earth’s past. The survivors of the sinking of Atlantis (really a dimensional mishap) and travelers of the Megaverse, wielders of Tattoo Magic and other lost mystic arts. Most people regard them as heroes, but are they? The Sunaj Assassins are mythic villains feared by all, yet they too are True Atlanteans who serve dark forces.

For the first time, much of the story behind True Atlanteans and their secrets are revealed.

  • True Atlanteans revisited.
  • Optional Atlantean character creation tables including clan heritage and other factors.
  • Secrets of the stone pyramids, different types/purposes and powers.
  • Many new magic tattoos, magic spells, weapons and armor.
  • Atlantean hideouts and secret communities across the Megaverse.
  • The Sunaj Assassins, their secrets, history and plans for the future.
  • Atlantean Monster Hunter O.C.C., Atlantean Defender O.C.C. and much more. And this is just the tip of what this book contains.
  • Written by Carl Gleba. Additional text and ideas by Kevin Siembieda.
  • Final page count and price yet to be determined, but probably 160-192 pages – $20.95-$24.95 retail – Cat. No. 890.

The Rifter #73

BACK IN PRINT: Island at the Edge of the World™

A Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook – available now

Island at the Edge of the World™ is back in print as a short run, special printing. This is the original Palladium RPG® sourcebook VI that utilizes First Edition rules. That said, it is very easy to adapt for use with Second Edition rules.

Island at the Edge of the World™ reveals some of the little known history of the Palladium World, the Time of a Thousand Magicks, the Changeling Inquisition, and dark secrets that could threaten the world. Learn about forgotten Crystal Magic (as powerful as Rune Weapons), the Church of Scar, the legendary Circle of Absolute Elemental Power and frightening prophecies about the end of the world.

  • The hidden Crystal Forest and Crystal Palace.
  • The Psychic Science of Magic and Crystals.
  • New magic weapons and items.
  • The Town of a Dozen Fracts, an adventure setting.
  • The Silent Forest adventure.
  • Quest for the Tombs adventure.
  • The Old Kingdom Mountains and adventures.
  • The Valley at the Top of the World, an adventure setting.
  • The Island at the End of the World, an adventure setting.
  • Ancient ruins and additional places, people and secrets of note.
  • Written by Thomas Bartold. Additional text by Kevin Siembieda.
  • First Edition rules. Requires some modification to use with Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Second Edition.
  • 144 pages – $20.95 – Cat. No. 458. Available now.

Garden of the Gods™ – a Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook – Summer

This has been a secret project of Kevin Siembieda’s that he has been plotting and writing in what little spare time he has. The Garden of the Gods is said to be a holy place watched over and even frequented by the avatars of the gods. According to legend, the god may visit heroes and followers in dreams or in person by an avatar of the god, to be given guidance, inspiration, heroic quests, and gifts of knowledge and magic. More details about this title will follow.

  • The Garden of the Gods described in detail.
  • Godly insight and visitations.
  • Gifts of magic and knowledge.
  • Sanctuary and more.
  • The Black Pit, a place of evil and dark secrets. Is it a counterbalance to the good of the Garden or a trick of the Old Ones?
  • Written by Kevin Siembieda.
  • Final page count and price yet to be determined, but probably 96 pages – $16.95 retail. Cat. No. 475. A Summer release.

Hell Followed™ – A Dead Reign® Zombie Apocalypse Sourcebook

At 160 pages, Hell Followed™ is the largest Dead Reign® sourcebook yet. Spring or Summer release. Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Find out by playing Dead Reign®. The results may surprise you.

  • New O.C.C.s and skills.
  • New zombies and other menaces.
  • More world information, new dangers and new adventurers.
  • Written by Taylor White.
  • 160 pages – $20.95 retail – Cat. No. 236. Summer release.

Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: First Responders – Summer

The Great Cataclysm has devastated civilization, but humanity fights for survival. The struggles of civilian law enforcement, fire and rescue, and everyday men and women are some of the most epic tales to be told in a world gone to hell. They fight monsters, aliens, the paranormal, the elements, and each other, all with the hope of reclaiming their lives from the Chaos.

  • New D-Bees and monsters from the Rifts.
  • First Responder O.C.C.s, skills and special equipment.
  • New “average citizen” Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s).
  • New equipment for NEMA “Roscoes” and other emergency personnel.
  • Notable rescue vehicles, robot drones, and technology.
  • Source information and stats for common Golden Age technology (weapons, vehicles, medical tech, etc.).
  • Apocalypse Plagues brought from other worlds to Chaos Earth.
  • Adventure ideas and more.
  • Written by Jason Richards. Additional text by Clements & Siembieda.
  • 96 pages – $16.95 retail – Cat. No. 665. A Summer release.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Wave Two is coming ...

– but you can get started with the core box set and Wave One expansions right now

If you love Robotech®, you want to take a look at this game. Beautifully detailed game pieces of your favorite Robotech® mecha, and fast playing rules that capture the Robotech® experience in a new, exciting way. And this is just the beginning. We have so much more planned for the years ahead.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ "Starter Box" (Main Box Game) – Cat. No. 55100 – $99.95 retail price. 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. Get yours now, so you can build your armies and have them ready when Wave Two is released.

The First Six Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Expansion Packs are available to retail along with the main box game. Here are the SKUs and retail prices:

DriveThruRPG

Palladium PDF Books – download from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made more than 100 PDF products available for digital download from DriveThruRPG.com, as well as Fantasy Paper Miniatures, Game Master resources and other good things with more to come. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include:

Schedule of Upcoming Releases

Also coming:

  • Splicers® Sourcebooks
  • Heroes Unlimited™ Sourcebooks
  • Beyond the Supernatural™ sourcebooks
  • Robotech® RPG sourcebooks
  • Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Wave 2 expansion packs
  • Robotech® RPG Tactics™ source material and events.
  • Rifts® World Books and Sourcebooks, including Rifts® Sovietski, Rifts® Antarctica, Rifts® New Navy, and others.
  • And some surprises ...

Upcoming Palladium Books® Convention Events

Palladium Books does not have to be an exhibitor at a convention or be counted among the guests to support that convention. We are happy to support events running Palladium games with prizes for best players, other swag, and donations to charity auctions. If you are a Game Master running Palladium gaming events, or a convention hosting them, PLEASE contact Palladium Books via the Help Desk or the Megaversal Ambassadors, or call the Palladium offices to get our support. Just give us plenty of advance notice so we can confirm the conventions and the Palladium gaming events, determine the swag and ship it out. Plus we are glad to promote conventions and gaming events right here in the Weekly Updates. Below are just some of the conventions hosting Palladium game events this year.

  • Anime North – May 26-29, 2016 – Toronto, Canada
    Palladium Books® in exhibitor area
    – Kevin Siembieda and Chuck Walton Guests
    Convention Name: Anime North.
    Dates: May 26-29, 2016 (Memorial Day Weekend).
    Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
    Website: http://www.animenorth.com/
    Supporting: Anime, Cosplay, Role-Playing Games and Comic Books. Palladium Books® is in attendance with a booth selling Robotech® RPG Tactics™ main box game, RRT expansion packs, exclusive figures, and role-playing game products, as well as running demos, having display pieces and being available to chat.

Kevin Siembieda and Charles Walton II are guests at the 2016 Anime North. A few other Canadian Palladium creators may also be in attendance at the Palladium booth in the gaming hall. Anime North is one of the largest and longest running anime conventions in North America, with 26,000+ in attendance in 2016. The range of special guests, voice talent and cosplay is amazing. If you are attending Anime North, please drop by the booth to say hello or sit in on any of Kevin’s panel talks about game design, licensing and Hollywood, writing, world building and others. We love this event and highly recommend it. Tickets sell out fast, so order yours and book a hotel room immediately.

  • RAGECon – June 24-26, 2016
     Convention Name: RAGECon 2016.
    Dates: June 24-26, 2016.
    Location: Reno, Nevada.
    Website: http://www.ragecon.com/
     Supporting: Role-playing games, including Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, Ninjas & Superspies™ and Splicers®.
    Contact for Details & Registration: Ask for Jeff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

  • 2016 Gen Con Indy – August 4-7 – Indianapolis, Indiana
    Gen Con is the biggest gaming convention in the country. Palladium Books will be there as usual with products to sell and a gaggle of creators to sign books and chat. And thanks to volunteer Game Masters working through the Palladium Megaversal Ambassador program there should be 40+ Palladium gaming events.
    Convention Name: Gen Con Indy.
    Dates: August 4-7, 2016.
    Location: Indianapolis, Indiana.
    Website: http://www.gencon.com/
    Supporting: ALL types of gaming; role-playing games, board games, miniature games/wargames, card games, videogames and more, plus cosplay and guests by the dozens. We love this event and highly recommend it. Tickets sell out fast, so order yours and book a hotel room immediately.
    Palladium Books will be in attendance in the Exhibit Hall, and there are dozens of Palladium gaming events. Guests at the booth daily include Kevin Siembieda (game designer, author, founder), Wayne Smith (editor), Charles Walton II (artist), Brandon Aten (author) and others.

© Copyright 2016 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Powers Unlimited®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Chaos Earth®, Dead Reign®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. RPG Tactics™, Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Savage Rifts®, 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.

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

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