Attendance
About 300-330 fans showed up from around the country (California, Washington, Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Canada) and from as far away as Australia!!!!
Palladium sold books, toys, prints, T-shirts in greater numbers than we have ever sold at Gen Con (and that’s from only 300 or so people!) FANTASTIC!
Anniversary Drinking Glasses
We sold out of the 22 sets of prototype “8 ounce” laser etched glasses by Saturday morning. The last set was claimed by two individuals simultaneously as both grabbed two of the six display glasses and proclaimed, “I want to buy these.” We don’t know how that skirmish ended, but there was no blood or bodies found on the site, so we assume the dispute was settled in a civilized manner.
“Laser etched” Anniversary glasses are awesome and will be made available to YOU online. Each of the six glasses has a different design – Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited, Palladium Fantasy RPG, Beyond the Supernatural, Nightbane, and the 25 Year Anniversary logo.
Because the image is “carved” into the glass (not printed on it), the art will never fade or chip, it’s permanent, looks great and is dishwasher safe.
These gorgeous laser etched images will be available on 16.5 ounce glasses in June. We were supposed to get ‘em by mid-May, but the laser people ran into a snag, so the glasses will be Palladium’s June Anniversary item selling for $45 +shipping and handling. Available only from Palladium Books. We took something like 18 or 20 advanced orders at the Open House as people just love this unique item!
Artists sold well and had a blast too
Palladium’s Artist guests also sold piles of artwork and enjoyed meeting and chatting with each other. In some cases, they had never met face to face before, or only get to meet and chat at 1-3 conventions a year. Scott Johnson (a truly great guy) ran out of a couple prints and his sales were the best he ever had at any convention! Too bad his car broke down and cost him $700 in repairs. Ouch. Apollo Okamura was drawing character sketches non-stop and Kent Burles, the Manning Bros, Mark Dudley and others all did well and had fun. I was thrilled to see ‘em all, although I didn’t get a chance to stop and talk with them much.
A 3-day whirlwind for me
The Open House was a three day, nonstop blur of handshakes, autograph signing, chatting, photo ops, questions and answers, office tours, panel talks and gaming for me. And I mean nonstop.
Every time I turned around there was someone (or many someones) waiting to shake my hand, wish me well, take a photo, ask a question or get an autograph. It was great! When I get going, I don’t like to stop. I love the excitement and meeting people and talking and laughing and interacting with people.
If I have any regret, it’s that I didn’t have enough time to thank and shake hands with everyone, although I sure tried. I also wish I had the time to chat and clown around with the freelance artists and writers. I met Nick Bradshaw, shook his hand, we small talked for about one minute and I NEVER saw him again! Similar story with Randy McCall, Mike Hawthorne/Midnght, Kent Burles and his beautiful wife; I don’t think we had more than five minutes together. That’s okay, we can talk on the phone. I was there for YOU, the stalwart fans.
V.I.P. Friday launched a weekend of fun.
V.I.P. Friday was fun and went by lightning fast. VIPs got first crack at product like the etched glasses, toys, prints and books. I gave a couple of private tours of the Palladium offices and answered questions.
When pizza arrived, we all went upstairs to the lounge area where chairs were arranged in a circle. Soft drinks and snacks were also available, though I forgot to make popcorn. I have a big ol’ movie theater style popcorn maker that poor Shawn Hall spent THREE hours scrubbing to immaculate clean. I bought 350 popcorn bags and a 40 lbs sack of popcorn and forgot to pop a single cornel! Sorry, Shawn, don’t hate me.
When everyone was settled in, their tummies filled and soft drinks in hand, I introduced myself, the staff and Palladium freelancers. Somehow I missed poor NMI (sorry pal, don’t know how that happened! Shades of the Academy Awards!!), which was a shame, because he’s doing a great job online as Admin of the Palladium website.
That segued into about an hour and a half of questions and answers that seemed to last more like 30 minutes, that’s how much fun and laughs we were having.
I got the biggest laugh of the weekend when someone asked, “So Kevin, to what do you attribute the success of Rifts?” In a moment of silly fun and spontaneity I replied in a booming voice, “It’s f***ing brilliant!” The entire room erupted in laughter and applause that lasted a solid minute. People were talking about it all weekend long. One gamer said he was going to make a few dozen T-shirts with the question and answer on them and send them to me! Cool.
Saturday – May 6, 2006
Every game and panel discussion was packed. I signed hundreds of books, shook hundreds of hands, chatted, gamed and had a great (if exhausting) time. So did my Dad, the staff and the freelancers.
Panel discussions and live audio. This was the brainchild of Thom Bartold and Wayne Smith. To let folks online listen in “live.” I hope the word spread and a bunch o’ you got to enjoy this feature. (Hey, should I do a regular live (well live-ish) audio presentation once a month? We could request questions via email in advance and I could respond to them verbally rather than in writing. Just an idea. What do you think?)
Half the panels got cancelled due to the fact that we were interacting with gamers one on one. We underestimated how many folks would want to buy product and get autographs first thing in the morning. I started chatting and signing books people brought or bought around 11:00 A.M. and didn’t stop till about 1:50 P.M. when I had a panel discussion I “had to do.” Actually, I much prefer the one on one chit chat and book signing, its more personal.
Julius was everywhere. Julius summoned up his Chi and was a human dynamo all weekend long. He ran games people raved about and helped keep the show running.
Kathy Simmons was another dynamo who worked the cash register and handled sales for loooong hours and long lines of gamers all three days. Funny, we didn’t think sales would be so brisk. We foolishly thought, well, these are mostly our core gamers, they must have all this stuff. Boy, were we wrong. People were buying everything, books, T-shirts, toys, and rare and hard to find items like original artwork, prints, and collectibles. Of course, one reason was that our fans – the greatest in the flippin’ world – were buying replacement copies of battered books they already owned, and items they didn’t really need just to help Palladium get through these tough times. Heck, many had us keep the change when they bought snacks, and some (Evan and Dennis are two who quickly come to mind) spent money like drunken monkeys. Thank you EVERYONE, your kindness and generosity means so much.
Kathy said she would have been lost without the help of Chris Guertin and Joe Bergmans, so thank you guys.
Carmen Bellaire’s Killfest was a HUGE hit. So popular, in fact, that people begged him to run another one on Sunday instead of his scheduled game. Carmen kept calling me over to watch for a few minutes, but every time I started heading that way, I’d get intercepted by someone else, get distracted and go elsewhere. I heard so much about it I wish I had caught a glimpse of it. I also wish I had someone taking pictures all three days, but forgot that too. The staff and I had been putting in such painfully long hours of work to set everything up (and we still weren’t quite ready) we were all exhausted and not thinking at 100% clarity.
At least a dozen people stopped to rant to me about good Julius Rosenstein’s games were, and I heard good things about games run by Carl Gleba, Todd Yoho, Brandon Aten, Taylor White, Jason Richards, James Brown and others.
Heck, folks ranted about the entire weekend, many saying it was the most fun gaming event they had EVER attended. Cool. Very cool.
Kevin’s Gaming Event, Saturday Night
My gaming event was a “surprise.” I had originally planned to surprise folks with a Robotech event, but setting up and everything else, I never had the time to prepare my game. Then I had a brainstorm for something even better! Run ‘em through the Palladium of Desire from my legendary Defiler’s campaign. I had characters for other Fantasy tournaments I could use, and I knew the Palladium of Desire like the back of my hand. Yep, this would be good.
I was pretty darn tired, however, and I thought about cancelling the event. I didn’t think people would mind if I sat around and talked instead. That plan was shattered when I was informed that people could hardly wait for my game. All 27 of ‘em. Twenty-seven!!! “You said you use to run 26 people on a weekly basis, so we thought we’d let 26 people play.” I gulped and groaned, “Yeah, but I haven’t run a group that large in 5 or 6 years, and I’m tired, and . . .” Fortunately, G.M.ing a large group is like riding a bike, you never forget, and the game went great. Lots of laughs and funny stuff.
Let’s see, the players encountered the Demon Mirror, the soul gambling Joker (away form his sanctum), the endless forest (which took 2-3 characters to a lush forest on another world in another place and time; which happened to be Rifts Earth!), Belinda’s House of Pleasure, and the paranoid Wizard with his wand of metamorphosis. This all lead to people being turned into a couple of mice, a rabbit, a dove and a penguin. In fact, one character started out a male knight and was transformed into a hot, female knight (courtesy of the Demon Mirror), a mouse (compliments of the paranoid Wizard) and then into a penguin (thanks to a teammate), before being returned to his original human form. The same gent gambled away his soul and was a hoot throughout the game. I had a blast, I hope everyone else did too.
After my game, I hung around chatting with people, got home around 1:00 A.M. and fell into an immediate sleep. To my dismay, I woke up at 7:00 A.M. Sunday morning, exhausted but too excited to sleep.
Sunday – May 7, 2006
My father, Henry, has never attended any game conventions, so he was a bit overwhelmed. He was surprised by my ability to make presentations and deliver talks. (“How do you know all that stuff.” he asked with a proud smile. “You amaze me.”) He was also impressed by how warm, kind and generous the fans were. Several asked for his autograph, several others came up to shake his hand and/or to tell him how much they love Palladium Books and my writing. It made him proud of his boy, and appreciative of the fans. “Boy, those fans are really something.” he told me. “So many nice people all playing together and talking to one another like they were family. I would have never imagined anything like it. It's really nice. I’m glad I'm here to see it.” Me too, Dad.
One warm and funny moment involving my Dad, happened on Sunday. A buddy and a couple of fans wanted to get a picture of me and my father together. We posed in front of the Nokia Glitter Boy Standee while I waited for my pal, Doug Lamberson to retrieve my digital camera so I could get a pic or two taken of me and my Dad, too. By the time Doug returned with the camera, word had spread and there were 15-18 people waiting to take the picture of us. When we smiled and said “P.P.E.” flashbulbs went off like crazy. “I don’t believe it,” my Dad whispered in my ear a moment later, “I feel like a movie star. I’m so proud of you, son.” It was very cool. He is still beaming about the entire event.
That was just one of a great many wonderful moments throughout the weekend. Fans said and did kind things all weekend long.
Dennis Hughes (aka Subjugator) commissioned Freddie Williams II to create a fabulous illustration of me as a Cyber-Knight, my head bowed, holding a banner that says, “Heroes of the Megaverse.” Behind me is a crowd of gamers (including a picture of Dennis, Freddie, Kiki and other real people). I now realize why that stinker, Freddie called me the Saturday after I had made our public plea for help online. He specifically wanted to know what I thought about the fan response. I told him I was humbled by the outpouring and that it made me feel like the luckiest and richest man in the world. I now realize that he was fishing for an angle on how to depict me in this fantastic illustration. I almost started to cry when Dennis gave me this magnificent work of art, and even he choked up a bit as he presented the wonderful gift and said, “I just wanted to give you something to remind you that your fans and friends are behind you . . . always.” Thanks Dennis. Thanks Freddie. Thank you, all of you.
That wasn’t the only beautiful gesture of the weekend. Sunday, toward the end of the afternoon, I was lead to a semi-circle of about 50-60 fans and friends where I was presented with a matted and framed copy of my print, A Megaverse United – signed by 150-200 people. Regrettably, I was so moved, that I don’t remember the name of the great guy who did this for me. I remember he’s local to Michigan (from Ann Arbor?) and I remember him explaining that he had originally purchased the print for himself and was getting the staff and artists to all sign it, when an idea struck – that I would probably love to have a print signed by the many friends who attended the Open House that weekend. He was right. Thank you so much. I had to hold back the tears of joy, again.
But that’s not all. A few fans gave me small gifts as a gesture of their appreciation – a novel they thought I might like to read or license, a goodie to eat, some rare Palladium titles to resell or auction away (Maryann sent a complete set of CCG cards in a binder), and many would insist we keep the change when they bought snacks or books. Dozens bought toys and art and copies of books they probably really didn’t need just to help us out. I must of have shaken the hands of at least 200 people (if not EVERYONE) and tried to talk to as many people as possible. I had scores of gamers tell me how much I mean to them, how much they love Palladium and our products, and how they weren’t going to let Palladium die. Kathy and crew were told the same thing. Others offered ideas and suggestions. It was an uplifting and inspiring experience. Thank you all very much.
Everyone had a wonderful time
I hope the above doesn’t make things sound somber, because the weekend was full of laughter, joy, fun and gaming.
Everyone . . . and I mean EVERYONE seemed to have a riotous good time. We heard over and over again how much fun they had, how they enjoyed seeing the place, meeting the staff, gaming and chatting with freelancers, how nice everyone was, and how it felt like a grand celebration with friends, family and loved ones. Others commented that they loved how we made the event so intimate and friendly, and how much they appreciated an event that was entirely role-playing and entirely Palladium role-playing games. It sure felt that way to us, and I’m delighted so many others walked away feeling the same. It was pretty awesome.
More Palladium Gaming Conventions in the future?
Many of the gamers began lobbing for us to hold another Palladium Convention at the warehouse next year! Some suggested doing an annual “Palladium Gaming Convention” at the warehouse/offices EVERY YEAR FROM NOW ON! When we’d say, “Oh, but this was a one-time event,” they’d counter with, “Yeah, well that’s what you originally said about the X-Mas Grab Bags and now they’re an annual tradition.” Others suggested holding such an event every two-years or even every five.
It’s Thursday and we’re still too tired to seriously think about doing an annual Palladium Convention, or even just another one next year or every few years, but I have to ask. Is this something you really want? I mean, this was our special 25 Year Anniversary, would people really come to just a plain old gaming event/convention at the Palladium building? I know my crazy freelance writers and artists said they would. It would have to be early May again (works best for us). Let us know and we will THINK about it. No promises.
Monday -- May 8, 2005
We were all pretty pooped. I dragged my tail int around 8:40 A.M. to find Mike Leonard and his buddy waiting with video camera in hand. It seems the talented Mr. Taylor White (co-author of Madhaven) is a film maker, and he plans to take all the video sent to him, edit and cut it into and hour or two long DVD of the Open House that Palladium Books can sell. Mike and friend realized nobody had videotaped the tour of the office and asked if would do so for them. Of course I said yes. I just hope I don’t look like death warmed over. I certainly didn’t feel like I was at the top of my game giving the tour (not like Friday night when I was energized). I’m told the Video DVD should be ready next month, so stay tuned to the Palladium website for information.
Before we could even start the video-tour, Erick Wujcik called from China to see how the event had gone. Other freelancers also began to trickle in to the office. I had invited folks who weren’t leaving till late morning or afternoon to come over and hang, so they did, and it was nice.
At 4:00 P.M. I sent my crew home early and it was down to me, Alex and my pal, Joe Bergmans. Around 6:00 Joe caught his flight and I went home. Kathy and I grabbed some food at our favorite Chinese restaruant, Tenyen, came home, played with the dogs, and prepared to watch some TV. I plopped down in bed "for a minute" around 9:30 P.M. and woke up Tuesday morning!
Special Thanks
I want to try to thank at least a few of the multitude of friends who made the Palladium Open House special and kept things flowing: Shawn Hall who flew in at the crack of dawn Wednesday morning to give us a hand setting up. This gent wet moped the ENTIRE warehouse floor (17,000 square feet) as well as pitched in throughout the event, cleaning, setting up toys, running games and being a friend. Shawn’s lovely wife, Lisa Hall, for lending me her husband and coming down herself on Friday. Chris Guertin who helped us clean and set up the two weekends before the event, as well as help at main the door and admissions table, sell toys, bag products and help out at the cash register. Jeff Hansen for helping to price Star War toys, chatting with fans, signing copies of his book, joining in on panel talks, and being an all-around great guy. Alex Marciniszyn for pricing most of the 1000 toys! Julius Rosenstein for being a human dynamo and cosmic Game Master all weekend long. Carl Gleba[b] and his crew[/b] for helping to gather and stack tables, G.M.ing, doing demos on creating terrain for minis (not to mention selling such items and donating the money to Palladium), running the silent auction, and other stuff. Joe Bergmans for helping run the cash register, posting and removing signs, and the unpleasant job of gathering up garbage and doing clean up. Wayne Smith for a ton of pre-event set up too numerous to list. Thom Bartold for helping to set-up the live audio transmission and computer stuff. Midnght (Mike Hawthorn) for chipping in when we needed him. NMI for G.M.ing games and lending a helping hand. Jason Marker the human megaphone. Madman Carmen Bellaire and his crew of helpers. Henry Siembieda for being their for me and the fans. My sweet, Kathy Simmons for running the cash registers, handling sales, and doing a zillion things. Dennis Hughes for being an inspiration. Randy McCall for joining in on the fun. Jeff Burke for an unexpected appearance. James Brown, Randi & Roger, Levi and ALL our G.M.s, freelance writers and artists, helpers, and everyone who pitched in to make this a great event and a memorable experience! And that include our many fans who seem more like friends than customers. Please don’t feel disappointed if you weren’t mentioned specifically, there are just too many to mention. Thank you EVERYONE who attended!
We’re feeling re-energized and more positive with every passing day and hope to see more of you at Origins, Gen Con, and Trinity Con.
In other news
Motor City Comic Con – May 19, 20 & 21, 2006 -- Novi, Michigan. Palladium will have a small booth at this show, selling select RPGs and toys. Feel free to drop in and say hello or buy some stuff. Wayne, Alex, Julius and I will be there most of the convention.
Origins – June 29 to July 2, 2006 – is our next gaming convention, followed by Gen Con – August 10-13, 2006.
A Megaverse United print. Sales of “A Megaverse United” is up to about 1,500 prints. The print is done, back from the printer, and I’ll be signing and mailing away by the end of next week. Note: Carmen and I both caught some kind of bug (probably from Joe Bergmans), have gravelly voices and are moving lower than usual, and we’re all tired and just getting back up to speed. Plus, we have to get caught with things. Your patience is appreciated in regard to the shipping of the prints. My putting in your names will also slow things down a bit, but I hope to get at least 500 out by the end of next week. Hang loose, you are NOT forgotten and the prints are coming.
Online Sales. Books and T-shirt sales remain strong, both online and from distributors/stores. We still have a long way to go, but if this keeps up, Palladium could be back on its feet by the end of Summer or Fall!!!!
Gold on black Anniversary T-Shirt is May’s Anniversary Item. We’ll get ‘em printed up pronto (2 weeks). These bear the John Zeleznik logo that says “Palladium Books Celebrating 25 Years” in a golden yellow on the front and a list of our main game lines on the back. Note: The front of this shirt will look identical to the “Palladium Open House” only the back is different. Same price structure as the “I fear New York” T-shirt.
Anniversary T-Shirt that says “I survived the Palladium Open House” on the back are only available to those of you who “attended” the Open House (and X-Mas Grab Bags); sizes X-large, XX-Large and 4X are most plentiful.
Laser Etched Glasses are coming in June. As noted before, the Anniversary Glass set will be available next month. Pre-orders will probably be made available in a week or two.
Weapons & Armor is back in stock.
Weapons & Castles is back in stock.
Palladium Fantasy RPG® is back in stock.
Nightbane® RPG will be back in stock in July. Probably one or two other items as well.
Western Empire (Fantasy) and Rifts® Spirit West will be back in stock August, 2006.
Robotech RPG? Prep for the Open House was so demanding that I was unable to follow up on the getting a formal proposal to Harmony Gold for reacquiring the Robotech RPG license, but I sure hope we get it. The more we talk about it, the more excited we all become.
A few other things are percolating behind the scenes, but I don’t want to announce them until they are certain.
Keep the faith and thanks for the love and support. It is greatly appreciated!
Kevin Siembieda
One tired puppy who better get going signing prints, eh?