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There were a few rumors and speculation that a sourcebook was in the works, but that was a long time ago.

Given that Palladium is currently putting out about two to three new books a year, I don't anticipate a new one any time soon. There is just too much going on in a couple of their other lines to expect Splicers to see a new book.

There is at least one being worked on by Slappy and friends! Hopefully PB will produce it when it is finished. It's supposed to be over 200 pages.

I know! It'd be really cool if Slappy could update this thread.

When did the game actually hit the stands for the first time? I've heard a few guesses from people why it might not have done well:

It came out not long after World of Warcraft hit it big, interest in RPGs was down at that time (and has been declining for a while, sadly. TV & video games = instant gratification, why bother using your imagination for pen & paper?).

The cover art...while I love it (and now know the armor depicted is the proto-host armor), some of my friends think it's goofy, a lot of people might decide not to browse through it when they see it on the rack. But none of the art inside the book matches the cover. It looks like Palladium just picked some art already done that kinda fit the book, rather than having one of their artists do a color job based on the B&W stuff in the book.

A lot of gamers around here avoid anything with Palladium on the cover. (Sure makes it hard to find fresh blood around here). They had a bad experience with Rifts, or didn't like the power creep, etc. Unfortunately I know of one group of Palladium players in the area that are HORRIBLE about munchkin playing, bad plots (when there is anything resembling a plot), etc. They almost ruined the game for me and I'd already been playing the game a couple years before I met that group. Needless to say I didn't stay with that group.

The final, and probably most valid reason the game didn't do well, is lack of advertising about it. Since I believe it was intended from the beginning to be a one-shot deal like System Failure, they didn't do any real advertising for it. I hadn't heard of it until it had been out at least a year. Then again I wasn't subscribing to The Rifter for a large chunk of time there, so I'm sure it had plugs and ads in there. But the Rifter ads only get the word out to people who are already fans of Palladiums work. They need to get some more ads out there to gaming stores in the form of posters and game-intro scenarios and such, where it can be seen by people who aren't already Palladium fans.

I have to agree with you about the cover art. I bought Splicers when it came out because I just buy everything Palladium puts out, but the cover did not have me excited. It was once I started thumbing through the book that I realized how amazing it was.

Chuck and I are hoping to jump start interest in Splicers with our collaboration, and the artwork that he for the cover will get people excited about picking it up before it's even released.

If Palladium really wanted to jump start some interest, they should commission Chuck to redo the Splicers cover and then release a second edition. There's a reason why cover art exists; people really do judge a book by its cover, and I think you're right that this cover scared people away. It had more of a campy 50's sci-fi feel which is absolutely not what the setting is like.

And actually, Splicers was slated for a sourcebook to follow within a year of its release bu it was canceled due to lack of interest. I would really love to see that sourcebook, and I'm hoping our work can spark some interest again.

slappy wrote:It had more of a campy 50's sci-fi feel which is absolutely not what the setting is like.

That's what rubs me the wrong way about it. I got the book free with my Rifter subscription (it was my choice for that offer), I decided to take a chance on it because of all the interesting little bits I was seeing mentioned here and there on these boards. However, if I had seen the cover for it, I might have picked something else for the offer and I still wouldn't know about it. I do not like campy sci-fi, I don't watch all the old stuff like some friends of mine (original Doctor Who, original Lost in Space, etc).

I showed the book to a coworker who loves Rifts and has played it since it came out, almost exclusively. He turned up his nose at the cover, once I told him the art did not do the game justice he browsed the book more and went out and bought his own copy. The art would have turned him, a hardcore Rifts fan, away from the game if I hadn't pushed him to look deeper.

slappy wrote:And actually, Splicers was slated for a sourcebook to follow within a year of its release bu it was canceled due to lack of interest.

I hate it when they do this. How do they determine "lack of interest"? Low sales? See cheesy cover art and lack of marketing above.

If they got the manuscript finished and then decided to cancel it, put it out as a PDF for $5, they'd still make some money back on it and fans would be happy.

Does Palladium even have an actual marketing department? Cuz all I ever see are ads in the Rifters and the catalog I get in the mail a couple times a year.

In fairness, it's hard to market when you have no money. Every dollar has been stretched pretty thin since the employee embezzlement scandal. That probably goes along with the "lack of interest" thing. I doubt they can afford to just sit on inventory. If it isn't going to sell, no reason to make it. I'm just hoping our project can convince them Splicers can sell.

slappy wrote:In fairness, it's hard to market when you have no money. Every dollar has been stretched pretty thin since the employee embezzlement scandal.

Wasn't Splicers published before the embezzlement scandal?

LostOne wrote:

slappy wrote:In fairness, it's hard to market when you have no money. Every dollar has been stretched pretty thin since the employee embezzlement scandal.

Wasn't Splicers published before the embezzlement scandal?

They ran pretty close together. You have to remember that it was going on for almost a year before it was made public. So it would have been only a few months after Splicers came out that the s*** hit the fan.

I agree about the original artwork being sort of lack luster. When I think of humanities fight against nexus I think of them using people equiped like Guyvers against the machine. Sorry it's just my take on it.

Aramanthus wrote:I agree about the original artwork being sort of lack luster. When I think of humanities fight against nexus I think of them using people equiped like Guyvers against the machine. Sorry it's just my take on it.

I only dislike the cover art.

The B&W stuff inside is awesome. I love the look of the host armors inside, as well as the machines.

I never got that into the Guyver stuff, is that tech based or more like bio-tech?

You are right. Please let me rephrase that..... The cover art waas very lack luster and I agree with you on that.

Buy the RifterZero PDF when it arrives. I have my Seven Years on Cerebus campaign that blends Rifts / Splicers and I heard there is some other Splicers stuff in there as well. My goal is to get Rifts fans to consider pulling stuff from Splicers as a sourcebook.

Slappy, anything of yours in the PDF?

I had the same thought, that's why I gave Rifter 0 my hand held bio-weapon enhancements.

slappy wrote:I have to agree with you about the cover art. I bought Splicers when it came out because I just buy everything Palladium puts out, but the cover did not have me excited. It was once I started thumbing through the book that I realized how amazing it was.

Chuck and I are hoping to jump start interest in Splicers with our collaboration, and the artwork that he for the cover will get people excited about picking it up before it's even released.

If Palladium really wanted to jump start some interest, they should commission Chuck to redo the Splicers cover and then release a second edition. There's a reason why cover art exists; people really do judge a book by its cover, and I think you're right that this cover scared people away. It had more of a campy 50's sci-fi feel which is absolutely not what the setting is like.

And actually, Splicers was slated for a sourcebook to follow within a year of its release bu it was canceled due to lack of interest. I would really love to see that sourcebook, and I'm hoping our work can spark some interest again.

Please oh please let the cover be that versatility piece you cooked up

Actually what Chuck worked up for a cover is even better.

*drool*

So the Rifter 0 is going to have this new material in it! COOL!!!

I haven't heard anything really about the Rifter 0. What's the difference between it and the normal Rifters?

I still don't understand why palladium starting a new zombie RPG Dead Reign when I been waiting years for Beyond the Supernatural source books. I think the two BTS books should be put together into onr book and get it out. Splicers needs at least two more books. One the Houses and more on the setting and the second book should be a hook, line and sinker adventure book with new Splicers equipment with new war mounts and new Machine army of cyborgs.

runebeo wrote:I still don't understand why palladium starting a new zombie RPG Dead Reign when I been waiting years for Beyond the Supernatural source books. I think the two BTS books should be put together into onr book and get it out. Splicers needs at least two more books. One the Houses and more on the setting and the second book should be a hook, line and sinker adventure book with new Splicers equipment with new war mounts and new Machine army of cyborgs.

Clearly they feel differently. I'm guessing neither BTS or Splicers is seeing the kind of sales Palladium needs these days with their financial crisis. Why support smaller projects when they could support existing better selling products and try to launch a new game that may see greater success than the two you are wanting support for?

It sucks, I agree, I'd love to see more for Splicers, but it isn't currently in the cards.

Maybe someday in the near future as soon as PB is out of their crisis. Then we can look forward to seeing various projects pursued.

Lost One
try here for Guyver stuff :
http://www.neoguyver.com/archive.php
http://www.bioweapons.com/BIOWEAPONS/

Decide for yourself

nice links! Thank you for the links! It looks they have kept the comic going on.

runebeo wrote:I still don't understand why palladium starting a new zombie RPG Dead Reign when I been waiting years for Beyond the Supernatural source books. I think the two BTS books should be put together into onr book and get it out. Splicers needs at least two more books. One the Houses and more on the setting and the second book should be a hook, line and sinker adventure book with new Splicers equipment with new war mounts and new Machine army of cyborgs.

The difference? Carmen isn't writing - he's been working his day job, a truck driver, which doesn't really let you write. One of the recent press releases, or maybe a murmur, said that Kevin talked to him on the phone (which surprised Kevin apparently) and that Carmen went to work with a new trucking company.

Dead Reign on the other hand was completely written by a different author who sold the idea to Kevin, and done in the style of System's Failure. If it sells then additional books are apparently ready to follow.

Hopefully things will turn around enough so that Carmen can come back to writting in the very near future.

I feel your pain!

For me it is N&S. Although N&S did manage to get one supplement out, I was hoping for more, especially a more settings oriented book.

As for Splicers, I did like some of the concepts such as the split personality computer but the big turn off for me was the RCCs?/OCCs. They were just too gross for my taste. Sounds weird, I know but none the less, it was my reason after flipping through the book at my FLGS.

I know! To each their own. But everything that PB produces except for one thing can be merged with the other PB products.