Palladium Books® Weekly Update – May 22, 2014

By Kevin Siembieda

Books continue to roll out with new releases and we’re keeping things moving in the pipeline. The Rifter® #66 arrived at the Palladium warehouse on Wednesday and has already shipped to subscribers. Work is moving along on Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames and other projects, and things are really progressing with Robotech® RPG Tactics™ as we get closer and closer to the manufacturing of Wave One products. Meanwhile, the wild turkeys have been visiting us every day. You can hear their gobble, gobble all the way inside the warehouse. But let us start with this week’s new Spring Cleaning Sale.

Last week’s Spring Cleaning Sale is OVER and a new one begins right now!

Many of you took advantage of the second sale, which ended around 5:00 P.M. today. We hope you continue to enjoy each new special offer. Please remember to spread the word to your fellow gamers, because these Spring Cleaning Sales are only being advertised here in the Weekly Updates and via word of mouth. And each sale only lasts ONE week, before another starts. There are six sales total. Here’s Number Three.

Oh and don’t forget that while this is a great way to fill in the holes in your own collection or try a new setting you've been thinking about – the sale is also a good way to purchase a gift for someone’s birthday, graduation, anniversary, or just to be nice. Continue to enjoy and game on!

Spring Cleaning Sale #3 of 6: Palladium Fantasy® & Friends Sale — Ends May 29 (and a new one begins that evening)

We are going to need to rearrange the Palladium warehouse to make space for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ coming in a couple of months. And by space we mean what we estimate to be 3-4 semi-trailers worth of space, plus a staging area. And with several new books being released, we want to create excitement about the entire Palladium Megaverse®. We thought we could kill two birds with one stone to create buzz and clear space in the warehouse with a series of six Spring Cleaning Sales! Each sale of select items is limited to just ONE week.

For one week only, you can get the following Fantasy titles for half price:

UPDATE: The Rifter® #66 – Available Now!

The Rifter® #66 arrived at 1:00 PM on Wednesday. Thanks to the prep work done by Julius and Alex over the last few days, we were able to sort, pack and ship out the book to the vast majority of our subscribers later that same day. Way to go guys. The handful that didn't ship on Wednesday shipped out today, as did Distributor orders.

I think this issue is destined to be a collector’s item and I wouldn't be surprised if we sold out quickly, as orders for it have been unexpectedly high. It is packed with crunchy goodness starting with Amy L. Ashbaugh’s fun cover and the Rifts® Black Market Town and some Techno-Wizard weapons, to plus Splicers® creatures, Heroes Unlimited™ adventure and more. See the description elsewhere in this Update. Please note that the price of The Rifter® is now $13.95 – still a darn good price for a 96 page sourcebook. Of course, subscribers are locked into the old price until their subscription ends.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #67 is already under development

I just approved the Michael Wilson Heroes Unlimited inspired cover for the summer issue. The pencils knocked my socks off. Mike calls it “Villians triumphant,” and wow. I love it.

UPDATE: Rifts® Northern Gun Two

Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two is starting to arrive on people’s doorsteps and should be hitting stores by next week. Meanwhile, our Megaverse Insider supporters will start getting their PDF over the weekend. Hopefully as soon as Friday afternoon. The response from those who have seen NG-2 has been nothing but positive and creating a lot of excitement. I hope everyone enjoys it.

You can see two Rifts® Northern Gun Two FREE Sneak Previews – both available on DriveThruRPG.com

Wayne put a second Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two FREE Sneak Preview up on DriveThruRPG.com so you can see more of what awaits you in this big, 256 page World Book. It contains new and different excerpts than the first advance Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two Sneak Preview. Both are available for free on DriveThruRPG.com. There are also FREE previews on DriveThruRPG.com for Rifts® Northern Gun™ One, Rifts® Vampires Sourcebook, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms (Revised Edition), Rifts® Black Market, Rifts® Lemuria, The Rifter® #65, Dragons and Gods™, Dead Reign™ RPG, Endless Dead™ sourcebook and others, too. Plus we plan to add other sneak previews. Btw, the original Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms World Book is also available as a PDF on DriveThruRPG, for those of you who may be interested. More are coming.

UPDATE: Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames

I have not been writing as quickly as I’d like, but work is coming along nicely. I have been able to spend some amount of time on the writing every day. I spent most of Saturday reviewing the entire manuscript again and assigned some additional art to various artists. Rifts® Megaverse® in Flames™ is another title that should wow and impress. Not to mention provide hours and hours of devilish fun.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

John Cadice gave us a helping hand by posting a variety of photos and offering updates on the progress work leading to manufacturing. All kinds of final details are being hammered out as we get ever closer to manufacturing Wave One. In fact, on Wednesday the blank prototypes for the box, paper stocks and card stock arrived for our review and feedback. And there has been a great deal of back and forth between Palladium Books, Ninja Division and the manufacturer.

UPDATE: 2015 Palladium Open House – May 14-17, 2015

Yikes, we continue to be too busy to do an update yet. However, we have been making plans here, behind the scenes and are very excited about next year’s event. More Palladium writers and artists have committed to coming (awesome!), but I've remained too swamped to write about it yet. Sheesh. Soon!

The strangest thing happened to me Wednesday night

I put in a long day at Palladium Books. I got in early and was leaving late, around 9:15 P.M. This time of year, that means the last rays of sunlight are about to completely disappear and it is dark out; the sky black fading into an aquamarine blue along the horizon line. My car windows are open just a bit. I’d say three, maybe four inches at the most. Suddenly, a robin zooms in low to the ground in front of my car. I slam on the breaks and almost hit it, but I see it on the other side flying off into the gathering darkness.

A split second later, I hear a sort of soft thud, followed by an odd whup, whup, whup sound. My heart is already beating rapidly and I say a loud, “What the ...! Did I hit something else? Is that noise my tire? Do I have a flat?”

The sound changes and I suddenly realize — something is in the minivan with me! My thoughts begin to run wild as I immediately start to pull over. I’ll tell you, it’s a weird sensation to suddenly realize that you are not alone in your vehicle . . . in the dark . . . and it is behind you! I’m thinking, “[Expletive], something must have gotten inside when we were unloading the van and the doors were open. A bird? A bat? Maybe a groundhog or a squirrel? Zombie!! What if it’s a damn zombie!?! No, it doesn't sound like the movement of a zombie! (Like I would know what a zombie in the back of your car would sound like.)

Before I can make a complete stop on the side of the road. Something brushes my neck and shoulder, and hurls past me to slam into the windshield. Then plops onto the dashboard, momentarily stunned.

I’m afraid I scream like a girl. Hit the brakes and fire off another loud expletive. It’s a robin. There must have been two of them, and somehow the one flew through the 3-4 inch wide opening of my side window and got trapped inside. The noise was it fluttering around and thumping into the back windows. The poor thing looked more startled than me. I open the doors and window, step out to go around to shoe it away, and the bird flies off like a rocket while I still have one foot in the van. Wild. Sure got the ol’ heart pumping. A friend said it was a sign of good fortune. That would be nice.

Have I become a bird magnet? I mean the geese treat me like I’m part of the flock. And every day there are more of them, and now ducks and two sets of goslings visit every day. The wild turkeys have been stopping by twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day, too. And now this. Funny.

Memorial Day

It is the Memorial Day holiday this weekend here in the United States. I think for many people, this is the first “official” weekend of summer fun. That’s cool, but let us not forget what this holiday is all about: Remembering our soldiers and those who have sacrificed their lives in service to this country. Have fun, drive safe and enjoy your loved ones, but please take at least a moment to remember and honor the men and women who have fallen in war. And by extension, ALL the men and women who have served in the military. On this Memorial Day weekend, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of you who have served this country so well. Know that I will stop to think about you, say a prayer, and give thanks for all you have done for us.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Game Designer

The Rifter #66

NEW! The Rifter® #66 – Available now

The Rifter® #66 is about people and exotic places. There are the space pirates of Phase World® and the Three Galaxies™; notable Rifts® Black Marketeers, some contraband goods and a Black Market trade town in Rifts® Black Market Part Two; the Splicers Ranger O.C.C. and a host of genetically manipulated creatures in The Splicers® Bestiary; the villainous Snake Men gang in a Heroes Unlimited™ adventure; and travel from Lazlo to Atlantis in the Rifts® short story. Plus news, coming attractions, and more.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas, and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready to go, source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines. And don’t forget, most of the material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

The Rifter® Number 66 includes:

Rifts Northern Gun Two

NEW! Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun Two – Available now

Shipping right now. Order yours today. Rifts® Northern Gun™ Two is the biggest book of vehicles and equipment Palladium has ever produced. You get power armor galore, plus hovercycles, body armor, robot drones, amphibious vehicles, combat vehicles, ground vehicles, and other gear, plus gladiators of the Robodome and hints about things to come and NG’s relationship with the Coalition States. EXPANDED from 160 pages to 256 pages. Epic adventure. Available now.

Rifts Northern Gun One

HOT! Rifts® World Book 33: Northern Gun One – Available Now!

If you are getting NG-2 you’ll want NG-1, even though both titles stand alone. Rifts® Northern Gun™ One is the most tech-filled World Book Palladium has ever produced, and gamers are loving every page of new weapons, robots, power armor, vehicles and NG background.

Rifts Megaverse in Flames

NEW! Rifts® World Book 35: Megaverse® in Flames – Ships June

The Minion War spills across Rifts Earth, where demons and infernals hope to recruit allies and use the Rifts as gateways of destruction across the Megaverse. Their influence shakes things up all over the planet, especially at locations where demons and Deevils already have a strong presence. Demonic supernatural beings run rampant and wreak havoc across the world. Megaverse® in Flames™ is in final production and on schedule to ship in June.

Dead Reign Graveyard Earth

NEW! Dead Reign Sourcebook 5: Graveyard Earth – Ships June

When the dead rise and communications and power grids collapse, nothing matters except your own survival. But what about the rest of the world? What’s happening in other places? Has any government survived? Is anyplace safe? Dead Reign™ Graveyard Earth™ tries to answer those questions and others. And in doing so, provides gamers and G.M.s with more fuel for adventure.

Heroes Unlimited 30th Anniversary Hardcover

Heroes Unlimited 30th Anniversary Hardcover Edition – only $40 while supplies last

Half of the Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Hardcovers are already sold. ONLY 200 copies remain. This HU2 30th Anniversary Edition is visibly different (and cool) than the original hardcover and cannot be confused with the earlier printing. We have kept the price an unprecedented, low $40 for a hardcover Gold Edition of this size. We want to give Heroes Unlimited™ fans a crack at purchasing one before the price skyrockets on the secondary collectors’ market. The original HU2 hardcover sold for $50 and has since become a collector’s item that sells for $200-$350 on the secondary market. Enjoy and game on!

Just a few notable Heroes Unlimited Sourcebooks:

Instantly expand your playing experience with these and other HU2 sourcebooks.

Palladium Fantasy RPG 30th Anniversary Hardcover

NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG® 30th Anniversary Hardcover Edition – only $40 while supplies last

The Palladium Fantasy® Special 30th Anniversary Hardcover is selling even faster than the Heroes Unlimited hardcover. We sold 200 copies in half the time! Only 250 copies remain! This Palladium Fantasy® 30th Anniversary Edition is visibly different than the original hardcover and cannot be confused with the earlier printing. We have kept the price an unprecedented, low $40 for a hardcover Gold Edition of this size. We want to give Palladium Fantasy® fans a crack at purchasing one before the price skyrockets on the secondary collectors’ market. The original Crimson Edition sold for $50 and has since become a collector’s item that sells for $250-$400 on the secondary market.

To preserve the value of the “original” Palladium Fantasy RPG® Crimson Edition Hardcover, we have made the 30th Anniversary Edition as visibly different looking on the outside as possible. The material used for the cover is a brown leatherette imprinted with “Elemental Green” foil, different art on the cover, and the words “Special 30th Anniversary Edition.” Even the spine is different looking and the end sheets are without artwork. All the elements described above should make the Palladium Fantasy RPG® 30th Anniversary Hardcover impossible to mistake for the original signed and numbered HC edition.

Second Edition rules. Please note that this hardcover edition is the SECOND Edition rules, exactly the same as the current material in the softcover book. Enjoy and unleash those imaginations.

Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy

The “Collected” Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy – available now

This is the original three Mechanoid Invasion® books published in 1981 and 1982 and first collected in one volume in 1998. The collection is back due to popular demand from YOU. It contains all the material that appeared in the original three Mechanoid Invasion® books plus some background history. This is the game and sourcebooks that launched Palladium Books.

The story of the Mechanoid Invasion® is a tragic one that spans the galaxy and generations of people. The Mechanoid Invasion® starts on a distant planet being colonized by humans, until the Mechanoids arrive. The seemingly alien mechanized monsters intend to strip the planet of all its resources and literally carve it up into pieces and haul it away. The loss of human lives means nothing to them. Indeed, the Mechanoids seem to delight in capturing, torturing and slaughtering what humans they can find. Can nothing stop the destruction?

The Journey follows the story of human colonists from the doomed planet surviving by living between the walls and tunnels like rats on a ship.

Homeworld carries our story to the Mechnoids’ homeworld in search of answers, but only more mystery, carnage and alien menaces await.

All of the above are contained in this one, 208 page volume. Back in print because YOU demanded it. But this volume is also unique as it gives you a glimpse of Palladium Books from its very beginning. Enjoy.

Robotech UEEF Marines Sourcebook One

NEW! Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines Sourcebook One

– Formerly titled ‘UEEF Marines’

Robotech®: Expeditionary Force Marines is a sourcebook that we know will wow and please Robotech® fans.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics – Coming Summer 2014

This is the game Robotech® fans have wanted for decades.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games, or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces.

Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics Box Set – Cat. No. 55100

The First Six Robotech® RPG Tactics Expansion Packs

The first six expansion packs will be available to retail at the same time as the main box game. Here are the “official” SKUs and retail prices.

UEDF Valkyrie Wing

UEDF Valkyrie Wing

Build your fleet of Earth defenders with the Valkyrie Veritech Fighter; six figures total.

UEDF Tomahawk/Defender Destroids

UEDF Tomahawk/Defender Destroids

Expand your Destroid squad with these formidable walking tanks; four figures total.

UEDF Spartan/Phalanx Destroids

UEDF Spartan/Phalanx Destroids

Add some long range power and up-close punch to your army with these valuable Destroids; four figures total.

Zentraedi Regult Battlepods

Zentraedi Regult Battlepods

Expand your Zentraedi forces with their main infantry battle mecha; six figures total.

Zentraedi Artillery Battlepods

Zentraedi Artillery Battlepods

Give your Zentraedi legion greater firepower with these artillery and support Battlepods; four figures total.

Zentraedi Glaug Command Pack

Zentraedi Glaug Command Pack

This diverse pack provides your Zentraedi forces with greater tactical capabilities; three figures total.

Robotech Macross Saga Sourcebook

Robotech® Macross® Saga Sourcebook – New 8½ x 11 size – Available now

All the famous mecha and action of Robotech® starts here with the Macross® Saga when an alien armada enters Earth orbit. They have come to reclaim a lost spacecraft that crash-landed on Earth 10 years earlier. A space fortress that Earth’s protectors have rebuilt into their own flagship against alien invasion. The resulting conflict gives birth to heroes and becomes the stuff of legend, but the Earth will never be the same. Robotech® The Macross® Saga Sourcebook is now available as an 8½ x 11 inch sourcebook.

Note: This is the setting for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, so if you’re looking for more information about the mecha, Earth’s defenders, the Zentraedi invaders, and Macross Saga setting, this is the book for you. Epic adventure awaits.

A Robotech® Role-Playing Game Sourcebook:

Gen Con Indy – August 14-17, 2014

Gen Con Indy is going to be the premier convention event for Palladium Books this year. A large booth, special display, a ton of product including Robotech® RPG Tactics™, and all our role-playing games and sourcebooks, art prints, original art, and all kinds of good stuff. There will also be many Palladium creators available at the booth throughout the convention to chat and sign autographs, including writers Brandon Aten, Matthew Clements, Carl Gleba, Carmen Bellaire, Mark Oberle (tentative), me (Kevin Siembieda), Palladium staffers like Wayne Smith and Jeff Burke, and artists including Nick Bradshaw, Mike Leonard, Chuck Walton, and others. And it looks like there will be 50+ Palladium Books RPG events in the official Gen Con program. My heartfelt thanks to the Megaversal Ambassadors spearheading this project, as well as the Game Masters volunteering to run so many events for our many game lines. Awesome.

Palladium Books Gen Con Highlights:

2015 Palladium Open House – May 14-17, 2015

The 2015 Palladium Open House is officially on! This is an event unlike any you have ever experienced. It is more like a family reunion than a gaming convention, with incredible access to Palladium creators (artists, writers, editors, etc.). We hope to see many of you next May in 2015! More information will be posted soon, but start planning for it now and reserve your hotel rooms as soon as possible.

$109.00 (plus tax) per room at the Comfort Inn, aka “Plymouth Clock Tower Hotel.” This is the hotel everyone knows and wants. You can start placing hotel reservations for the 2015 Palladium Open House right now, but make sure you tell them the Group Code “Palladium Books.” This is a must to get the superior group rate.

That’s $109 (plus tax) for a room with two queen beds or one king with a sofa that has a pull-out sleeper. ALL rooms have a micro-fridge, FREE high-speed wired/wireless Internet and there is a FREE hot breakfast from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M. near the lobby. The hotel also offers a heated indoor swimming pool, a fitness center (24 hours), and a coin operated laundry. And the large conference room is ours to use, around the clock for open gaming.

Comfort Inn

40455 Ann Arbor Road
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: 734-455-8100

Group Code: Palladium Books – you MUST request the Group Code “Palladium Books” at the time of booking to ensure the correct rate will be quoted and billed to you.

Dates of the 2015 Palladium Open House (POH): May 15-17 (May 14 is VIP Thursday), 2015.

If you know you are coming to the 2015 Palladium Open House, we recommend you reserve your room as soon as possible to get this superior rate. Call 734-455-8100 to make your reservation. The hotel does NOT charge your credit card until a few days before the event (next year!) and you can cancel up until May 10, 2015. So there is no reason to wait. Get your room(s) reserved right away. More information about the 2015 Palladium Open House is coming soon. Game on!

DriveThruRPG

PDF downloads from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made 90 titles available as PDF digital downloads from DriveThruRPG.com. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include:

© Copyright 2014 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Chaos Earth®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc. RPG Tactics™, Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Dead Reign, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, 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.

This press release may be reprinted, reposted, linked and shared for the sole purpose of advertising, promotion and sales solicitation.