A very brief Open House Report

[Kevin]

A very brief Open House Report

Awesome fun.

All of us were still worn out today, especially as a the day dragged on, so I’m sending everyone home and keeping this Murmur brief.

The 2009 Palladium Open House was a huge success

- 99% of those who attended had a great time – from gamer to Palladium creator it was nothing short of fantastic.

- We had 95 games scheduled plus pick-up games, so there was always some kind of game for someone to play!

- I added people to my 7 games with an average of 13 players.

- The live auction was fast, fun and exciting.

- The costume party was nothing short of amazing. There were soooo many great costumes it was difficult to pick the winners.

- Carmen Bellaire surprised me with a Rifts® Boardgame he created during the 3 months he was between jobs. It was a smash hit.

– The 100 advanced copies of Dead Reign™ Sourcebook One: Civilization Gone™ SOLD OUT.

– People LOVED the Rifts® & Gamer™ coffee mugs. (Available online soon).

– People LOVED the Rifts® dice bags, Rifts® calculators and new T-shirts too. (Available online soon).

– People LOVED the free coffee and VIP Night.

– People LOVED meeting the artists, writers, staff and creators.

– I got several awesome surprise gifts from various people, including an @$$ kicking plaque, a sculpted Coalition Soldier, a large framed photo of gamer dice, an Erick Wujcik Memorial T-shirt, a funny Join the Darkside T-shirt, a tiny alien figure, the Rifts logo etched on glass, a deal on some artwork, dice, and a number of other things. Thank you EVERYONE!!!!!!

Heck, it was just fun, fun, fun.

Today

In the aftermath of the Open House, the place seemed quiet and empty.

We took time to say goodbye to friends, answered some emails, and took care of a few business details.

I drove our delightful fan, Pedro, from Spain to the airport in the morning (I didn’t want him to spend $40 on cab fare), and Jason Marker drove the two fun fellas from Germany, Andreas and Daniel, to the airport at noon.

The folks came to pick up the folding tables and chairs, and porta-potties and the staff, Joe Bergmans and I spent half the day tearing down and cleaning up.

I feel reasonably good (had very little sleep the last four nights ... actually, in the last few weeks), but I find myself making silly little mistakes that tells me it is time to go home. (Like going to the bank to cash my paycheck, except I left the check on my office desk.)

I will post a longer, better report in a day or two. Wayne will be posting photos in a day or two also.

My sincere thanks to the wonderful volunteers who helped us out and to all the gamers who joined the fun. It was awesome. YOU are awesome! This weekend only reaffirmed that Palladium fans are truly the GREATEST IN THE WORLD!! I want to thank you for giving me and the Palladium crew a wonderful weekend of gaming, great conversation, and fun.

By the way . . . so many people a) told me we had to do it again in 2010, and b) assumed we would do it again next year. That we have Already booked the hotel! The Palladium 2010 Open House is April 29 & 30, May 1 & 2 (tentative).

Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer & One Tired Puppy

© Copyright May 4, 2009 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, Phase World®, 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, 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.