By Kevin Siembieda

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

Wow, people really loved our Black Friday and Cyber-Monday sales (ended Tuesday) as well as the Christmas Surprise Packages which continue to pour in. Awesome. And why not? They really are one of the best deals of the holidays and the most fun. A genuine “surprise” package with a lot of personal touches. So, please, keep ‘em coming because Christmas is just around the corner. What, 3 weeks and a couple days? And when you factor in shipping time, you really only have just TWO weeks to order and know you’ll get the package in time for Christmas. So don’t delay! And remember, these Grab Bags are great for any type of gift, not just the holidays. I have been loading them up and packing them full of holiday joy. Also see our Rifter® Celebration Sale starting today.

We had so many orders that we spent most of last weekend (yeah, Julius, Alex and I were here in the Palladium warehouse on Saturday and Sunday) and much of this week signing books, packing and shipping. Which is okay, because it is a joy. We love bringing holiday cheer to gamers around the world. And we all enjoy reading your comments. This has played havoc with our work on books, but I have still managed to slip in time to work on the Rifts® Bestiary and guide along a few other projects. All of which are coming along nicely. I think Chuck Walton is even more excited about the Rifts® Bestiary than I am, and that’s saying a lot. His art and ideas for “beasts” are top notch. Every time we talk about it he grins and says “Kev, the Bestiary is epic. It’s taking the concept of a Bestiary to another level. I don’t know if people realize how packed it is with ideas for adventures and encounters. A good G.M. is going to have a field day with this.” Players too. He’s right. We are putting so much into the Bestiary books. Heck, Chuck and I were brainstorming and exchanging ideas just yesterday and getting as giddy as two children on Christmas morning. Like you, I just wish it wasn’t taking so long (as usual, right, grrr). But we think you’ll go wild over the Bestiary titles when they are released. Volume One soon.

Folks are enjoying the release of Systems Failure™ RPG (alien invasion fun), Boxed Nightmares™ for BTS, 1st Edition rules (6 adventures easily adapted to BTS, 2nd Ed.), and Nightbane® Shadows of Light™ sourcebook – all available NOW and may be requested in Surprise Packages.

The Rifter® #82 should begin shipping tomorrow. The book was delayed at the printer due to a glitch, but we have just received word that we will get them Friday. See the free Sneak Preview of The Rifter® #82 on DriveThruRPG.com for a glimpse of this great issue. Be warned, I’ve had more than one person tell me that the preview only made them more anxious to get the book now! Thank goodness it will be shipping in a day or so. Glad to hear it as this issue is very special to us.

Rifter^® Celebration Sale

We thought it would be nice to celebrate 20 years of The Rifter® by offering a sale on most back issues. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to pick them up at a discount. The Rifter® is also available for consideration in Surprise Packages. Sale runs from now through next Tuesday, December 4, 2018.

Only 3 Weeks till Christmas – 2 weeks to ship – Order your Palladium Christmas Surprise Package NOW!

What is a Palladium Christmas Surprise Package? A way to get $95-$100 or more worth of gaming product for ONLY $46 (plus shipping and handling) as gifts for others or for yourself. And each book signed if you should want autographs. It is our way of saying thank you to our many fans for their support. You are appreciated more than you may realize.

The best deal of the holidays! You are likely to pay $50 or more for a for just a single core rule book, but for $45 plus shipping, you can get 4-6 books in a Palladium Surprise Package, depending on their retail value. Or you can get that core rule book and 2-4 sourcebooks. And we will sign the books if you request it. How do you beat that? It simply is the best deal in gaming! Our way of giving back to the fans and making the holidays special for you. A 20 year tradition of which gamers cannot get enough.

• Palladium Surprise Packages make the perfect holiday gifts for the gamers in your life. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or the Winter Solstice, or you’re looking for a gift for a birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or any special occasion that falls between now and March, a Surprise Package may be the ideal way to go. You get a ton of stuff on the cheap, you can get a bunch of autographs, and you look like you spent a fortune.
• Fill holes in your own collection.
• Try new game settings – Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™, Splicers®, Nightbane®, Dead Reign®, Beyond the Supernatural™, Rifts® Chaos Earth®, After the Bomb® (mutant animals), Ninjas & Superspies™, RECON® and all the rest.
• Get cool stuff (miniatures, bookmarks, maps, prints, greeting cards, T-shirts, etc.).
• Request autographs and Kevin and available Palladium staff and freelancers will sign every book.
• Get something for your fellow gamers or favorite Game Master, husband, wife, brother, sister, child, etc.
• Be surprised when the package arrives.
• All items personally selected and comments read by Santa Kevin, himself. Ho, ho, ho!

Your “Wish List” is vital – The Palladium Surprise Packages are designed to simulate the joy and surprise of the Christmas Season of Giving. To do this, you submit a list of 12-15 Palladium products (or more) FOR EACH Surprise Package you order. This list of 12-15 items for EACH Grab Bag is critical, because you will not know which items we will select to send you. That makes it just like a Christmas gift because it’s a surprise. Plus, Santa Kevin, who personally hand-picks every item for every Grab Bag, may toss in something extra like a limited edition print, or color maps, or T-shirt, or issue of The Rifter®, or something else he thinks you’ll enjoy.

Send us your brief comments. There is a special form and format to fill out for Christmas Surprise Packages, including a place where you can offer your brief comments, suggestions, greetings and salutations.

Please spread the word to gamers everywhere. People only learn about the Palladium Christmas Surprise Package offer by word of mouth, The Rifter® and our website, so please post and spread the word everywhere.

To those of you outside the USA, the X-Mas Surprise Package is a way to get books and circumvent the damn high cost of shipping from the United States. Since you are getting $90-$100 worth of product and only paying $46 plus a small handling charge, shipping via Priority Mail International (required for packages weighing more than four pounds) to most locations in Europe, Canada and many other countries is around $50-$60 US dollars. HOWEVER, because the cost of the product is so low, that’s the equivalent of paying retail for the products and only $0-$30 for shipping. A very good deal. Plus you get autographs if you want them! X-Mas Surprise Packages are the way to go for those of you outside the USA. Please take advantage of it to get all those products you’ve wished you could get except the shipping was too prohibitive. We feel your pain.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The X-Mas Surprise Package is a Grab Bag. As such, while we always try to send you items from your Wish List, you may NOT get everything you ask for and you are likely to get one or more items NOT on your list, like The Rifter®, or other item(s) we think you should enjoy. PLEASE give us a long Wish List and fill out other questions (favorite Palladium games, would like to try X, and so on) because it helps us to make your Surprise Package special. If you need or want specific items, do NOT use the Surprise Package; place a regular order at full retail to guarantee you get the books you want. Offer ends December 24, 2018. Also note: There are no Digital Surprise Packages this year.

Click here to get all the details or to place a Surprise Package order.

Shipping Guidelines for Christmas delivery – 3 weeks till Christmas weekend

IF YOU WANT YOUR ORDER or SURPRISE PACKAGE IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, YOU NEED TO ORDER OVER THE NEXT 15 DAYS! For those of you in the USA, placing an order over the next 15 days guarantees you get your Christmas Surprise Packages in time for Christmas without any concern. And without having to pay for a faster more expensive method of shipping! That gives you till December 14 to place orders in time for Christmas. The only exception is Media Mail, as it is slower and less reliable. If shipping by Media Mail, place your order BEFORE December 11 – but even then there is no guarantee whenever you use Media Mail. Note: When you place your order now and over the next 14 days, you avoid the Christmas rush and reduce the chance of your package getting lost or delayed in the mail!

Shipping Considerations: When ordering, you need to factor in time for Palladium to process those orders (usually 24 hours, not counting weekends) and the actual transit time of shipping itself, generally 3-5 business days in the USA depending on where you live. 7-15 days in Canada. Do NOT include Saturday or Sunday as shipping days, because they are not. Get those orders in NOW to get your order or Surprise Packages guaranteed in time for Christmas without having to pay an arm and a leg for expedited shipping!

Please make sure your address is complete and includes your Apartment Number. You help us and yourself by sending a long Wish List and making your order clear.

- Media Mail: Least expensive but risky. Place your order via Media Mail by December 11 and you should get your Surprise Package by Christmas. HOWEVER, Palladium will NOT guarantee any package shipped via Media Mail to arrive before Christmas. Use this method at your own risk. Note: Media Mail, which applies only to paper goods, is the least expensive method of shipping, BUT also the slowest and least reliable method. The USPS will tell you 4-7 days for delivery, HOWEVER, experience has shown us that delivery time is more like 8-21 days during the Christmas season. Ship via Media Mail at your own risk. Note: If you want your 2018 Surprise Package quickly, DO NOT ship via Media Mail; use UPS or Priority Mail instead. Rare books and one-of-a-kind items like original art, numbered prints and gold editions CANNOT be replaced if lost or damaged in the mail. The risk and the loss is YOURS and the items, even books, will NOT be replaced if you ship via Media Mail.

- UPS Ground in the USA is 3-5 days delivery to almost all locations other than Alaska and Hawaii. However, there can be delays due to weather, accidents and sheer volume. Place your order by December 15 to guarantee Christmas delivery. Those of you who live east of the Mississippi River may have till December 17. Since Christmas is on Tuesday, those of you east of the Mississippi should get your order in time, as UPS Ground ships to most locations in the east in 2-3 days, but it is a small gamble. Those of you living west of the Mississippi need to get orders to us no later than December 13 to absolutely guarantee delivery by Monday, December 24 or sooner. Barring unexpected weather or accidents, of course.

- Priority Mail in the USA – Place your order by December 13 (should be a bit cheaper than UPS 3-Day Select). Priority mail orders placed as late as December 16 should arrive in time for Christmas, but cannot be guaranteed.

Express Shipping Methods:

- UPS 3-Day Select in the USA – Place your order by December 17 for guaranteed Christmas delivery.

- UPS 2nd Day Air in the USA – Place your order by December 18.

- UPS Next Day Air in the USA – Place your order by December 20 to receive the package on Saturday or Monday (Christmas Eve).

- Express Mail in the USA – Place your order by December 17.

- Parcel Post in the USA – NOT ADVISED. Placing an order by December 13 means you MAY get your order in time for Christmas, but probably not. There is only a 33% chance. We CANNOT guarantee a Christmas delivery using Parcel Post at this time.

- December 6 – to our friends in Canada and overseas – We suggest ordering no later than December 6, but sooner is better as we cannot guarantee delivery in time for Christmas. Your package should arrive in time, but if there are delays at Customs, work strike, bad weather, etc., it might miss. Order sooner rather than later. Happy Holidays, one and all!

Remember: 1. Palladium needs a day or two to process and pack orders, and we cannot ship on the weekends. As Christmas gets near, we will work our hardest to turn orders around as fast as possible. Order on Sunday, it should go out on Monday ... but maybe Tuesday depending on volume.

2. Surprise Package mitigates overseas shipping costs – take advantage of this while you can. The low cost of the Surprise Package mitigates the cost of shipping. It is, in effect, the equivalent of getting the books you want at retail, plus autographs, and paying the equivalent of only $5-$20 for overseas shipping! MANY overseas customers take advantage of the Surprise Packages for this reason! And it is likely the ONLY way for you to get autographs. Give it a try, we don’t think you will be disappointed.

3. Palladium Books has NO control over the shipping service once it leaves our warehouse, nor over the cost of shipping/postage, or the brokerage fees, Customs charges, taxes or any other related fees charged by other countries. Within the USA, Media Mail is the least expensive method of shipping, but also the least reliable and slowest. To our Canadian customers, we have no idea why it costs so much to mail books and product to you. So much for NAFTA making things easier. Game on.

3 fun RPG books back in stock for the first time in decades – but just for the Holidays

• Systems Failure™ RPG – Yep, the complete, whacked out game of survival and alien invasion. 144 pages – $22.99 retail – Cat. No. 650. Available now.
• Shadows of Light™ – A Nightbane® sourcebook – 160 pages – $22.99 retail – Cat. No. 734. Available now.
• Boxed Nightmares™ – A sourcebook for Beyond the Supernatural™ 1st Edition rules, but easily adapted to BTS, 2nd Edition. Mostly adventures and adventure ideas. 112 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 701. Available now.

Just for the holidays, Palladium is doing a limited short-run of three out-of-print titles that have been out of print for years. Two of them have been out of print for decades! We are printing enough that they should be available now thru December, and probably into January – available only while supplies last – so order ‘em while you can. All are available in Palladium’s online store and will be considered as requests in Christmas Surprise Packages while supplies last. We expect to print enough to get us through the holiday season. Enjoy. Ho, ho, ho.

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #82 – ships tomorrow

As noted earlier, The Rifter® #82 was delayed at the printer due to some press problems. We have been told we can expect it Friday, November 30. So get those orders in. You can see a FREE Sneak Preview of it on DriveThruRPG right now.

The Rifter® #82 is epic. Most of it is “official” source material and fun as can be: the reprinted Wujcik gaming advice, the Pyromancer O.C.C., the 50+ Pyromancy spells, the HU2 and Nightbane material, the preview monsters from Rifts® Bestiary, it’s all top-notch and fodder for adventure. Numerous people who have seen the proofreader’s copy have said the Erick Wujcik Remembrance is wonderful. Some said part of it brought tears to their eyes, while other parts made them chuckle and smile. All of it is a celebration of life and imagination. So I highly recommend The Rifter® #82 to everyone. The preview is up and available on DriveThruRPG.

The Rifter® #82 contains official source material for the Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One (a sneak preview of just a few old and new monsters and animals), official source material for Rifts® Chaos Earth® (Pyromancer, 50+ Pyromancer spells, the Zone Twister, notable characters, and adventure ideas), official source material for Nightbane® (age modifiers and tables for selecting skills based on a Nightbane’s age, and more), an expanded revisit of the Physical Training character for Heroes Unlimited™, gaming advice from Erick Wujcik, a historically significant, fun and touching Remembrance of Erick Wujcik, 10 years after his death, some cool photos too, plus news and more.

• 112 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 182. Available now. See the full, updated description elsewhere in this Update.

NEWS: The Rifter^® to go on hiatus

The Rifter® will be going on indefinite hiatus in a few issues. The Rifter® #84 will be the last issue for at least two years. Anyone who has a subscription beyond that number, will get a store credit for the balance of their subscription.

I know many of you will be disappointed, but this is best for the company. We are doing this so that all of us can devote our time to releasing RPG sourcebooks, World Books, Dimension Books and supplements, including awaited titles for Rifts® and the Palladium Fantasy RPG® to Beyond the Supernatural™ and Heroes Unlimited™. Moreover, we have been working on several Top Secret projects for the last few years. As those projects heat up, we need more time to devote to them and, hopefully, a large number of new releases. To make this happen, something had to go, and that something is The Rifter® — at least temporarily. We hope you understand.

In Production ...

The Rifts® Bestiary Volume One, In the Face of Death™ for Dead Reign®, The Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume Two, Garden of the Gods™, Chaos Earth® Psychic Scream™, Rifts® Antarctica, The Rifter® #83 and #84, The Disavowed and much more is in the pipeline and being worked on. Plus a couple of surprises.

New on DriveThruRPG.com – Dead Reign^® Paper Miniatures Volume Two: Civilians AND see The Rifter^® #82 FREE Sneak Preview

New: Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Two: Civilians is the second in a series of new paper miniatures from Michael Leonard. Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume One: Survivors was offered last week. There are also paper miniatures for Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy® and Rifts®. The Rifter® #82 FREE Sneak Preview gives you a look at the Pyromancer O.C.C. and Pyromancy magic, some Rifts® Bestiary monsters, HU heroes, bad guys, Nightbane®, and Erick Wujcik remembered.

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