I just realized something

[Diamond_Spear]

BTS-2 was realeased in January of 2005. It is now June of 2012 and we still have no magic book and no creature book. The hell?????????

[lather]

You learn to cope.

[Sir Neil]

Consider the Lazlo Agency book, expected in late 1993/early 1994.

[Diamond_Spear]

And STILL nothing announced???? A little help please!

[Trooper Jim]

Yep, welcome to Palladium book's release schedule.

[Trooper Jim]

Anyone remember D-Bees of North America for Rifts that was a communal effort by freelancers that each provided a D-Bee and required very little effort by Kevin? Or the Giant Monster contest for the Rifter? Or the Swimsuit Issue even, that was done peacemeal style? I think Tome Grotesque could easily work that way, and I'm sure could be done while someone with good writing chops and an engaging style like Lord Z works on Arcanum using Kevin's notes and vision of the magic system. I don't think it requires decades to invest in those two projects.

I agree.

[glitterboy2098]

honestly half the work is already done in Conversion book 3.

though i would like to see more "real world" folklore based monsters and such. wholly original stuff is cool, but often it is more mundane than real world folklore produces. like women who kicked their own heads off, and now fly around strangling people with their entrails, Produce with a taste for blood, and one eyed homosexual giant bat things.

frankly, a living toupee that eats brains seems downright conventional by comparison.

[Lord Z]

I enjoyed reading about the Penanggalan. Thanks for the link, GB.

[Diamond_Spear]

Eight years now and still no Arcanum or Grotesque. *sigh*

[D_Knife]

Hi All
It's been a loooong time since I was here, I was looking through my local game shop getting some D&D4e books (hangs head in shame...) and I found a second hand copy of BTS 1 in really good condition. REALLY GOOD. I haven't played any Palladium games for almost 18 years but I still keep them pride of place in my bookshelf, anyway my BTS 1 copy is really beat up. This copy was only $25 about the same price I paid back in 1990 for my copy. I grabbed it...
Sorry for the OT post, but I had to tell somebody

[drewkitty ~..~]

BTS-2 was realeased in January of 2005. It is now June of 2012 and we still have no magic book and no creature book. The hell?????????

It is because there are so many people rabidly shouting out for more rifts books.

[flatline]

That's probably the truth.

I just wish they'd publish new stand-alone setting books. Even better if they're not MDC worlds.

--flatline

[gaby]

Why is BtS so Hard to Make?

They made Dead Reign it,s have 4 sourcebooks Now.

We Need to push Palladiumbook into making a BtS,s book this year.

[Diamond_Spear]

Nine and a half years and still nothing. *cries*

[tmikesecrist3]

I really wish the would get us those books, I do still use pb but I have not bought any thing new form them, only used and not near as much as I use to buy part of that is my money is tighter, and part of that is I am royalie ticked off. It has been 10 inches since bts2 was published and I got it as part of a christmess grab bag a few years ago... I am at my wits end, I love pb games I love the system I love the fluff.. but I have no idea what else I can do to get throw to ks, send him letters every week maybe?

[The Beast]

I really wish the would get us those books, I do still use pb but I have not bought any thing new form them, only used and not near as much as I use to buy part of that is my money is tighter, and part of that is I am royalie ticked off. It has been 10 inches since bts2 was published and I got it as part of a christmess grab bag a few years ago... I am at my wits end, I love pb games I love the system I love the fluff.. but I have no idea what else I can do to get throw to ks, send him letters every week maybe?

That and phone calls might help. AFAIK the main problem is that BTS2 is another one of Kevin's special projects and he doesn't want anyone else touching it. The other books were mainly written by other people (or at least start off that way). Since he's keeping it to himself, it'll likely never get done due to his attention needing to go to other areas of his business. He needs to either delegate the books out to other people, or hire someone to run the business while he writes. Obviously staying the course isn't working.

[Diamond_Spear]

11 years and counting. Thanks for nothing.

[Holister]

Stop holding your breath. It isn't going to happen. Palladium has given up on BTS because of what they consider a "lack of interest". They, like many RPG companies, produce only what they think is going to rake in the big money. They already have a cash cow with RIFTS so that is where they are focuing way too much of their attention, and zombies are the "next big thing" so instead of bothering with other their other titles (like BTS) they have jumped on the zombie pop culture band wagon and dumped a ton of focus on their Dead Reign game. The BTS source books are never going to happen, and BTS 2nd edition is now only ever going to be 1/3 the game that the original was. That in of itself is a shame becuase they designed the game that way so that you MUST BUY all three books to have a complete game. So after shelling out $25 - $30 dollars for the first book, you now own an impressive paperweight that is only 1/3 complete. In my opinion just sell off your 2nd edition and go back to using 1st edition like my friends and I did.

[Zer0 Kay]

I really wish the would get us those books, I do still use pb but I have not bought any thing new form them, only used and not near as much as I use to buy part of that is my money is tighter, and part of that is I am royalie ticked off. It has been 10 inches since bts2 was published and I got it as part of a christmess grab bag a few years ago... I am at my wits end, I love pb games I love the system I love the fluff.. but I have no idea what else I can do to get throw to ks, send him letters every week maybe?

That and phone calls might help. AFAIK the main problem is that BTS2 is another one of Kevin's special projects and he doesn't want anyone else touching it. The other books were mainly written by other people (or at least start off that way). Since he's keeping it to himself, it'll likely never get done due to his attention needing to go to other areas of his business. He needs to either delegate the books out to other people, or hire someone to run the business while he writes. Obviously staying the course isn't working.

He needs a real business manager. I volunteer, I have a degree in technical management, an MBA and one in Ministry Leadership (what that would do I don't know, but it is there). I've managed a military team. Everyone in their place doing what they're supposed to be doing. Let a manager manage, writers write, continuity and fact checkers check, and editor edit. Stop mixing the jobs, get a real publication production schedule going and maybe become valuable enough to become tradable.

[Jasper]

Holister and The Beast have said it but I'll repeat it just in case someone is listening. New books for BTS 2nd edition need a combination of the following: Kevin's desire to finally write or finish them or his willingness to hand it over to someone else to do so and the potential for the books to make money. Palladium isn't a big company and locking up a lot of their capital or credit in publishing books that may not do well is a bad idea for them. Maybe some kind of crowdfunding effort by Palladium could pre-sell copies or at least test the waters for sales.

I also wonder if BTS 2e has some baggage for Kevin as it came out right around the "Crisis of Treachery". Almost losing your business would leave some bad associations. I am not sure have sales went for the book but it was a big change in writing. So many Palladium rulebooks (I have a lot...) were the same for a couple decades and BTS 2e was a change in layout and rules. I think the "escalating threat" PPE response was brilliant though I know some people don't like it. My players' minor psychic powers saw a lot more use as they would be more willing to use detection and protection powers during the investigation element of an adventure instead of having to save everything for fireballs when the bad guy arrived knowing that they would get recharged when he did.

Anyway, I'll still hold my breath. May never happen but I have other games to play (no, not Rifts, BTS is the only Palladium game I could see myself actually playing at the moment). Rifter articles are nice.

And re: Business manager comment - it could be Kevin IS getting sound business management advice. I don't follow most of what Palladium does but didn't they do a big push for a Robotech miniature game? Solid licence isn't it? Maybe he's been advised NOT to put out books for BTS 2e as the sales won't be there. There are couple dozen enthusiastic fans on these boards but I imagine sales need to be a lot higher.

Just some thoughts.

[Holister]

So why keep BTS around. They should just cease its publication and shut down the Lazlo site then. Why dangle the promise of a carrot when the patch is empty.

[RainbowDevil]

So, it's been four years since this thread last had any action (that poor thread! ). is there any *definite* word on it at this stage? I emailed Palladium a few weeks ago to ask (since their website says they're coming out this year), but that's as much as they'd say.

Also, I agree entirely about having less "original" and more folklore beasties. To be honest, to me it seems that a lot of the "original" stuff seems to be very much a variation on the same old "hates all humans" theme. At least from what I've seen of the various Rifts and Chaos Earth books. I was really excited when I saw the Mopaditis in Rifts Australia. For those who don't know, they're basically Aboriginal people who haven't received a proper burial. As such the spirit is forever unable to rest and tries to take other people's souls - not to destroy them, but as *companions* on their journey. They're very tragic spirits. But then Rifts Australia goes and messes them up by twisting them into a form of vampire who wants to inflice misery and pain everywhere they go! What the ?!?! Things can be utterly terrifying without being *evil*!