That’s the headline on RPG Blog II. Actually, that statement is prefixed with “Urgent.”
Again, I’m amazed how rumors start. I am disappointed that the guy who runs RPG Blog II – who is a friend – didn’t call me or Wayne to get “the facts” or confirm the rumor. Instead he makes it sound as if Wayne Smith and Jason Marker are gone, fired, “out” and that it “... clearly , doesn’t look good.”
Well, the “bad news” isn’t all that bad.
Here is what’s going on:
September is always a terrible month for sales. It’s true for Palladium and true for most RPG companies in the industry. It has always been that way. With the economy being the way it is, money is tight, sales are slow. And THIS SEPTEMBER, sales are in the toilet. The worst we have ever seen.
To compensate for what I expect to be a short but severe cashflow problem, I spoke with Jason Marker and Wayne Smith, and told them I needed to lay them off TEMPORARILY, for 6-8 weeks. BUT if the sale of the upcoming new books were as strong as we anticipate and if Christmas Surprise Package sales are as big as we expect them to be (we always have a sensational Christmas season), I might be able to bring them both back even sooner. I just couldn’t make any promises. I had to see how sales were.
It was a hard and depressing decision for me, but I had to do it.
Wayne Smith said he understood and you can expect to see him back at the office, hopefully in less than 6 weeks time.
Jason Marker told me he wasn’t surprised by this turn of events, and that I probably shouldn’t expect him back in 6-8 weeks. That he felt with the baby coming he needed to find work someplace where he felt more secure (and I imagine, a job with a medical plan). I was disappointed by the news, but told him, “I understand.”
I do understand. I respect Jason's decision. I'm sure it was a difficult one, and I wish Jason well. A man has to do what is best for his family, and the role-playing industry is going through some rough times. I think things will level out, but God only knows when. I can’t give Jason any assurances in these wild times, so he has decided to look for other work. We all hate to see Jason go, but we all understand if that’s what he feels he needs to do.
Wayne Smith ain’t going anywhere. You can count on Wayne being around for as long as Palladium. Back during the Crisis of Treachery, Wayne, Alex, and all the guys worked three weeks without pay. Alex, Hank and Julius were laid off for a couple of months, this time around it was Wayne’s and Jason’s turn.
Hey, it is no secret that Palladium has had a rough time over the last few years. It is no secret that Palladium was hurt bad by the Crisis of Treachery and we incurred considerable debt to stay afloat and that a nasty chunk of that debt still hangs over our heads. It has been a rough ride these past few years, and we’ve been clobbered by things along the way that have knocked us off our stride, but we’re hanging in there and I hope nobody is giving up on us yet.
The global economic crisis has not done us any favors, either. I’ve talked in these Murmurs about the up and down roller coaster sales we (and most of the flippin’ businesses in the world) have been experiencing.
September sales have been terrible and I needed to cut some of Palladium's costs for a month, maybe two, until sales kicked back up with new releases and the Christmas Grab Bags like always. That meant a couple of very temporary layoffs.
Ironically, we are expecting sales to spike when new books start coming. In fact, preorders for Mysteries of Magic™ Book One: The Heart of Magic and all the books scheduled for fall release are very strong. One great new book after the other is coming out, Robotech UEEF Marines, Dead Reign: Dark Places and Dimensional Outbreak to name just a few.
And then there is the 2009 Christmas Surprise Package
I wasn’t going to mention this for another couple of weeks, but we plan to make this the biggest, best Christmas Surprise Package offer ever: $80-$90 worth of product for $37 plus shipping.
Why? Because Palladium’s fans are hurting and we can do something about it. I have not talked about this because I’m dealing with a lot of personal stuff (more on that in a different Murmur) and burning the midnight oil working on books, but this is what I keep seeing and hearing. Gamers who are dying to buy our new releases, but cannot afford them. I know this, because fans have told me so. I know this, because we see it every day. Palladium fans who used to buy everything as soon as it came out are buying books one at a time, often months after their release. At the store signing at Comics Archives I saw fans show up with a set budget. I saw them agonize over which three, two or ONE book to buy at a 40% discount, out of the 8-10 they WANTED to buy. I have even had fans apologize for not being able to buy more or support Palladium like they wanted to (no apologies necessary). We have a couple of fans who have taken to buying ONE book every 3-4 weeks as they slowly build their library.
I understand. Times are tough. People are hurting. Our fans are hurting. As a result, Palladium is hurting, at least for the moment. HOWEVER, I can help you by offering the GREATEST CHRISTMAS GRAB BAGS EVER! And we’re going to. And I want you guys and gals to buy. Buy for yourselves. Buy for your buddies. Buy for your favorite G.M. Buy for Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, anniversaries, or whatever. And please DO NOT feel bad about it. Do not think for a minute that you are hurting Palladium by purchasing at a discount via the X-Mas Surprise Package. Ask for autographs and enjoy what you get. We want to do this. It will make Christmas better and brighter for all of us. Do it and have fun.
Yes, Palladium is hurting for the moment, but I’m confident we’ll rebound with the release of the new books and Christmas sales, we always have in the past. So just don’t put off those purchases you’ve been meaning to make too long. Take advantage of Palladium’s Christmas Surprise Package offer, spread the word and game on, gosh darn it.
By the way, the manga-size Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles RPG went in for a 2nd printing this afternoon, and we are working away on getting out all the new books.
Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer & Game Designer
Palladium Books®, Inc. – 28 years of RPG Publishing
© Copyright September 14, 2009 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.
Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars® and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. Heroes Unlimited™, Beyond the Supernatural, Dead Reign, Warpath, Shemarrian Nation, Fleets of the Three Galaxies, Mysteries of Magic, 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.