Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – July 22, 2021

One game system – every genre – countless worlds – endless adventure

By Kevin Siembieda

Are you ready for some fun? I sure am.

So for your enjoyment, I present to you information about a big PDF Sale, Rifts® Automated Character Sheet, fun updates about upcoming hardcovers and new releases, and fun projects in the works and behind the scenes. There is a lot of it, so enjoy.

SALE! DriveThruRPG.com Christmas in July PDF Sale. In addition to most of Palladium Books’ PDF products on sale, there are hundreds of other RPG titles from other game companies also on sale. See complete details below or head right over to DriveThruRPG.

3 Recent Hardcover RPGs! After the Bomb® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover and Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover, and Dead Reign® RPG Hardcover (The Zombie Apocalypse) are the most recent hardcover releases flying off our shelves. Other available hardcovers include:

• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Hardcover
• Heroes Unlimited RPG, 2nd Edition Hardcover
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition Hardcover
• Rifts® “original” RPG, 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover
• Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG Hardcover
• Rifts® Game Master Guide Hardcover
• Rifts® Book of Magic Hardcover
• Rifts® Adventure Guide Hardcover

Hardcovers Coming in August

• Chaos Earth® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover
• Nightbane® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover

Hardcovers in Development (September or October):

• Splicers® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover
• “Original” RECON RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – This is the original RECON RPG and sourcebooks, written and created by Joe Martin, all printed under one cover. These have been out of print for 30 years! We may also make them available as individual PDF books on DriveThruRPG.

Hardcovers Under Consideration:

• The Rifter® Omnibus Hardcover Collection – In which we would gather 3-4 issues per hardcover and release them in a series.
• Deluxe, Revised RECON® RPG including Advanced RECON® by Erick Wujcik and Matthew Balent.
• Rifts® Conversion Book Hardcovers 1, 2, and 3.
• What else? We need your input to know which other titles or collections of titles you want from us, if any, for us to consider. Help.

NEW way to make Rifts® characters fast! The Rifts® Excel-Based “Automated Character Sheet” – created by Palladium freelance writer Greg Diaczyk. It has been a pet project he has been working on in his spare time for a number of years. It is pretty darn cool, comprehensive, and a fast way to create characters, so check it out. Currently available on DriveThruRPG.com – see the full description elsewhere in this Update.

In addition to this, people are working on Rifts® material for Fantasy Grounds and Palladium has someone developing a “web-based” Rifts® character generator as well. It is many months from completion, but it is looking great. More about the web-based project in the weeks and months ahead.

NEW! Rifts® 5x7 inch Notepad – one of the fun, little products I hinted at as coming in previous Updates. See all the details below and in the online store.

NEW! 5 crazy, fun pencils – 4 Rifts® pencils AND one Fantasy pencil (Library of Bletherad). They are some of the fun, silly products I have hinted at as coming. They are superior to the fan fave, Chi-Town ‘Burbs pencil of the past. Each with much larger, bolder type and a dynamic insignia image. See all the details below and in the online store.

NEWS behind the scenes! Some of what has been interfering with our release schedule, besides continuing pandemic issues such as supply chain issues, rising costs, printer delays, and being understaffed, is that I have been busy rebuilding Palladium Books. I am working to make us faster, stronger, and in the near future, bigger. That has included meetings with the bank, business partners, and UPS, declining inquiries to purchase Palladium (not on your life), recruiting new freelance writers and artists, and putting together a 5-year business plan that if all goes well, will rock your world.

I am currently neck deep in the final leg of writing for Rifts® CS Manhunters, but I am not alone. I have writers working on three new Palladium Fantasy RPG® titles, NOT INCLUDING manuscripts you already know about such as Land of the Damned, Lopan, and Forgotten People, and I have people working on contributions to The Rifter® Annual (we need more). I also have Steve Dawes working on Beyond the Supernatural titles and I have been working, here and there, on Beyond Arcanum and Tomes Grotesque as I can. We also have plans for Heroes Unlimited.

Scouting, recruiting, and lining up new artists has turned up some excellent new talent we know you will enjoy. You will start to see many of them in upcoming releases very soon along with your favorites.

As for Rifts®, the following titles are in the pipeline: Rifts® CS Manhunters, Titan Robotics, Rifts® Bestiary Volumes 2 & 3, Rifts® Antarctica (more epic and wild than you know), Rifts® Lazlo (probably 3 titles), The Disavowed, CS Arsenal, and titles I am probably forgetting. Rifts® Chaos Earth® has First Responders and Psychic Scream waiting for completion.

COMING! Rifts® CS Manhunters. I am nearing the finish line on this greatly expanded sourcebook. It has become part Coalition States adventure sourcebook and part psionics sourcebook. There are revisits, clarifications, and expansions of some of the classic psionic abilities and 50+ new psionics that are fun and intuitive. As for the CS Manhunters ... I think they will quickly become new favorite villains you will love to hate. In addition, this sourcebooks offers insight about CS psychics, Dog Boys, Kill Hounds, the Minion War, and Emperor Prosek. I love this book. It took me a while to get to this point, but it is epic. Now I am working hard to make this bad boy an August release!

COMING! Creature Feature for Beyond the Supernatural will follow Manhunters, and then Titan Robotics and Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2, not necessarily in that order.

COMING! September 18 – Virtual Gen Con live chat with me, Kevin Siembieda. I’m not handling the scheduling for this Gen Con event, but I assume it is listed in the Gen Con schedule of events (or will be). I don’t think we or Gen Con are charging anything for this event. This will be a 3 hour chat focusing on three primary subjects we thought you would enjoy: Rifts®, Game Master Tips, and role-playing game design. I believe the chat will start sometime on Saturday, September 18 (late morning?). Matthew Yancik will be the chat coordinator. You can see my chat with Matt from earlier this year at the link below. There is also a link to one of my more recent interviews with Sean Owen Roberson about Rifts® Savage Worlds.

•  Siembieda and Yancik — https://youtu.be/OKP-Lz33ljk
•  Kevin and Sean talk Rifts for Savage Worlds — https://youtu.be/j-uRfk_sGLI

COMING! Rifter® Annual (2021). This is real and we want to release it this holiday season 2021, but only if we get enough submissions by September 1. Scheduled to be a Christmas 2021 release. Time for you to be bold and contribute. We want to see your ideas. Besides, it is fun to see your name in print. More details elsewhere in this Weekly Update.

NEW! Rifts^® Notepad

A 5x7 inch notepad featuring the Rifts® logo and color art of the “Coalition Strike Force” print by Kevin Long across the top. It looks great on your desk or gaming table. Perfect for taking notes and feeling that Rifts vibe. Practical and fun.

• 50 sheets per pad – $5.00 each – Cat. No. 2597 – available now.

NEW! 5 Gaming Pencils – 4 Rifts^® Pencils and 1 Fantasy Pencil

Practical and fun conversation pieces that will make you the envy of your gaming group (at least until they buy their own). These pencils are different from the fan fave, Chi-Town ‘Burbs pencil of the past. Each new pencil is imprinted with much larger, bolder type, and a dynamic insignia image, and two change color! All are No. 2 pencils. These pencils and the notepad are some of the silly, little, fun things I hinted at as coming in past Updates.

Why do them? Because we all need fun things that make us smile and just feel good. And these pencils and the notepad do exactly that. Everyone here went crazy over them. I probably should not admit this, but I love glancing over and seeing them on my desk. They make me smile and feel like souvenirs I acquired on my dimensional travels. What a fan boy geek, right? But true all the same. I hope you enjoy them just as much. Note: In my opinion, the photos do not do them justice; not the same as holding one in your hand.

- Rifts® Pencil: Coalition States – Office of the Emperor – $1.60 each – Cat. No. 2598 – available now. Black colored pencil, white printing, CS skull and lightning bolt insignia, pink eraser at the end. No. 2 pencil lead.

- Rifts® Pencil: Lone Star Complex – Engineering the Future – $1.60 each – Cat. No. 2599 – available now. Dark blue colored pencil, white printing, CS Lone Star skull in a star insignia, pink eraser at the end. No. 2 pencil lead.

- Rifts® Pencil: Chi-Town Library – Knowledge is Power – $1.60 each – Cat. No. 2600 – available now. Yellow colored pencil, black printing, image of an open book/rising sun, pink eraser at the end. No. 2 pencil lead.

- Rifts® Pencil: City of Lazlo – Council of Learning – $1.80 each – Cat. No. 2601 – available now. A “magic” pencil that changes color from powder blue to white. (The heat of your fingers and hand causes the color to change.) Black printing, roaring dragonhead insignia, black eraser at the end.

- Palladium Fantasy Pencil: Library of Bletherad – Your Source of Knowledge – $1.80 each – Cat. No. 2602 – available now. A “magic” pencil that changes color from green to yellow. (The heat of your fingers and hand causes the color to change.) Black printing with the Ward image for “Knowledge,” black eraser at the end.

- Rifts® Notepad & 5 Pencil SET – $11.00 retail for the set – save $2.40 – Cat. No. 2603 – available now.

- Rifts® Pen & Stylus – And don’t forget about the Rifts® Pen with Stylus for use with a smartphone – Rifts Logo and the words “Unleash your imagination” printed white on a navy blue ballpoint pen. Black ink. $5.00 each – Cat. No. 2586.

- Rifts® Card Decks – it might be time to snag one or both of our Rifts® poker decks while you are at it. $11.99 each – Full Color Deck Cat. No. 2575; Black and White Art (color card backing, classic black and white art) Cat. No. 2576. See the complete description of each in the Palladium online store.

NEW! Rifts^® Automated Character Sheet for EXCEL

The next step in character data collection! This EXCEL template provides automation to your Rifts® character creation process. Done in Microsoft Excel, this character template will allow you to build your character with substantial ease and speed. Ideal for the new gamer who doesn’t know all of the Palladium Books® rules just yet, it’s also a highly effective tool for Game Masters and advanced players alike who make multiple characters, NPCs or just like to min/max or theory craft characters between games.

• Dice Roller: A simple dice roller is on the main page of the character sheet to help with character creation or in-game dice rolling needs.
• Automated Attributes and Stat Block: All the bonuses and features from attributes are presented in a large stat block allowing you to easily see your bonus to save vs Psionics, Mind Control, etc. You can pick your strength type (Normal, Augmented, Robotic or Supernatural) to determine your carrying and lifting capacity and even your M.D. punch damage if your strength is high enough and of the right type.
• Automated Combat Stats: The main page holds a section where you can pull up data for your various combat stats, from hand to hand abilities such as Strike, Parry, Dodge and Disarm, to W.P. bonuses including those of the W.P. Sharpshooting variety. This section draws upon all of your character’s selection of skills and abilities and even offers customization from odd O.C.C. or racial abilities.
• Automated Psionics: All psionics from Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 12: Psyscape™ and Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria can be selected from a dropdown menu that then populates tables with the information on psionics for your character. Each psionic ability’s data including damage, M.D.C. and range also automatically increases based on the character’s level of experience.
• Automated Spells: All Common Invocations, Necromancy, Ocean Magic and Biomancy spells (yes, all the Lemurian Biomancer spells too!) can be selected from a dropdown menu that then populates tables with the information on spells for your character. Each spell’s data including damage, M.D.C. and range also automatically increases based on the character’s level of experience.
• Automated Skills: All skills from the Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 25: China 2 – Heroes of the Celestial Court™ and Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria can be selected and then automatically add bonuses from prerequisites and related skills. Physical skills that provide bonuses also add those bonuses directly to attributes and combat stats. Bonuses that require dice rolls are denoted and can then be manually rolled and added to the character sheet. Custom percent bonuses such as O.C.C. bonuses can also be added to individual skills.
• Automated Cybernetics & Bionics: All cybernetics and bionics from Rifts® Ultimate Edition along with some favorites from other books can be selected from dropdown menus which then tabulate bonuses and add them to your combat stats. Prices also sum up so an enterprising Headhunter can keep track of his hardware and upgrades. Simple cybernetic body part diagrams even allow players to allocate the locations of their various cybernetic and bionic components.
• Freeform O.C.C. and Racial Power Section: A section for non-standard powers, special O.C.C. or racial abilities allows the player to add custom skills and powers that can be linked to those features to draw upon the character’s level of experience, I.Q. bonus or other stats so powers grow as the character advances.
• Character Building Section: On the main page of the document is a section to help you build your character, from customizing attributes, to adding non-standard bonuses from O.C.C. or racial abilities, to an optional point buy system for attributes.
• Helpful Hints and Suggestions: Red triangular tabs appear throughout the document. Hovering over the red tab with the mouse cursor will reveal useful data from sourcebooks, hints, suggestions and other information, such as what a particular stat means, how it’s used in the game and what things can add bonuses or affect it. There is also a page with overview instructions on how to use the sheet, and a number of instructional videos will be posted via Palladium TV on the ins and outs of the character sheet. The first can be found here: http://youtu.be/a89XzAV37sE
• Portrait: A special sheet is set up so you can add an image to the document for a custom portrait for your character. That image is then displayed on the main page and is protected from accidental movement or deletion from the main page.
• Password Protected: Several pages of the document are password protected so players won’t accidently delete formulas and ruin the character sheet’s automated features. The password is provided so players can customize the sheet to their liking then protect the sheet again so they don’t undo all their hard work.
• Note: The file is best used in Microsoft EXCEL 2016 or above. Some data may be lost if not using Microsoft EXCEL, such as when using similar products like Open Office.
• Currently available on DriveThruRPG.com for $6.00 – game on!

Now Shipping

NEW! After the Bomb^® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – Available now

Create any type of intelligent, humanoid, mutant animal from a turtle or raccoon to an elephant or lion. The RPG presents stats for 100+ mutant animals, plus rules for creating any mutant animal you can imagine, and each sourcebook offers dozens more.

Play your mutant animals as super-heroes, vigilantes, or mutants on the run in the Heroes Unlimited™, Ninjas & Superspies™, Heroes of the Megaverse® or Skraypers™ settings. Or as mutants or monsters in Nightbane®. (You could make a mutant animal the Nightbane’s Morphus!) In Palladium Fantasy® your mutant animal could be one of the forgotten archaic races, a visitor from another world, a creation of magic, or a monster. In Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, Phase World® and the Three Galaxies, The Mechanoids®, Aliens Unlimited™, Splicers® and similar RPGs, use the creation rules to make new D-Bees, aliens, mutants, or monsters. Or play in the AtB post-apocalyptic Earth setting that makes Planet of the Apes seem tame. Whatever the setting, playing anthropomorphic animal characters is a blast.

• 100+ mutant animal stats included.
• Mutant animal creation rules to mutate ANY animal.
• 52 Mutant Animal Powers.
• 33 Mutant Animal Psionic Powers.
• New Animal Chimeras and their abilities.
• New back story to the After the Bomb® world of mutants.
• The post-apocalyptic Earth setting of “After the Bomb” is just one use for your mutant animal heroes.
• A complete RPG written by Erick Wujcik. His last great work and a sometimes overlooked RPG masterpiece. These are the Mutant Animal Creation Rules you know and love taken to new heights.
• Compatible with Heroes Unlimited™, Aliens Unlimited™, Nightbane®, N&S, Rifts® and any game setting where mutants or aliens are appropriate.
• 72 pages of “bonus” material includes the original After the Bomb® sourcebook and Yucatan Adventures from the old Game Shield.
• 296 pages (72 bonus pages) – $39.99 retail – Cat. No. 503HC – now shipping. Also available as a 224 page softcover book ($26.99 retail – Cat. No. 503).

NEW! Ninjas & Superspies^™ RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – Available now

The Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG is the ultimate guide to martial arts with 40 different martial art forms and 48 mystic martial arts powers alone, but there is so much more. Asian combat skills accurately portrayed, each with its own unique fighting style, methods of attack and defense presented on an epic scale, complete with legendary mystic powers. Spies, Cyber Agents, Gadgeteers, secret organizations creation rules, secret identities, gimmick weapons and clothing, cyber-disguises, implants, and more. Compatible with Heroes Unlimited™ RPG and even Nightbane®, Rifts®, and other settings. A complete game PLUS 44 pages of bonus material gathered from The Rifter®.

• 40+ types of hand to hand combat — effectively offering 40 types of martial arts character classes!
• 17 Occupational Character Classes for spies, mercenaries, martial artists and special operatives.
• 48 mystic martial art powers.
• Dim Mak, Chi Mastery, the Arts of Invisibility and more.
• Bionic implants, disguises, weapons, & equipment.
• Secret identities, spy agencies, and creation rules for secret organizations.
• Complete stand-alone RPG with skills, weapons, rules and guidelines for using other Palladium settings.
• Compatible with Heroes Unlimited™, Rifts®, Rifts® China, and the entire Palladium Megaverse®!
• 44 pages of “bonus” material gathered from The Rifter®.
• 224 pages – $36.99 retail – Cat. No. 525HC – RPG by Erick Wujcik – now shipping. Also available as a 176 page softcover book ($22.99 retail – Cat. No. 525). And see Mystic China for an astonishing and fun sourcebook with more mystical martial arts abilities, magic, demons, immortals and more.

NEW! Dead Reign^® RPG Hardcover – The Zombie Apocalypse^™ – available now

The dead have risen and it would seem to be the end of the world.

Civilization crumbles in a matter of days as hundreds of millions of people die and rise as the walking dead. The hundreds of millions of people who fall to the zombies also rise to join the growing legions of undead. Then the world goes silent.

You are on your own. The army is MIA. There is no government. No law. No television, radio or Internet. No media, cell phones or communications of any kind. Cities and towns have gone dark, and zombies fill the streets.

Death Cults have risen, promising protection from the walking dead.

Retro-Savages have forsaken technology and sacrifice the living to the zombies in hopes of bringing an end to the nightmare.

Brave human survivors refuse to lie down and die! They come from all walks of life. Their common goal: survival as they struggle to forge safe havens away from the cities, rescue other survivors and battle the walking dead without respite. For now at least, the planet belongs to the dead.

Dead Reign® is an excellent introductory game that is easy to learn, fast to play, and fun to read. If you are looking for a zombie game that truly captures the feel of survival after the apocalypse and the nightmare of being stalked by zombies, Dead Reign® is it. Game mechanics are designed to create a real sense of escalating terror and dread when the zombies swarm. Sourcebooks expand the world, player options, and adventure ideas as well as new zombies and dangers.

• Six Apocalyptic Character Classes (O.C.C.) including the Reaper, Shepherd of the Damned, Hound Master, Apocalyptic Soldier, Scrounger and Ordinary People.
• Seven types of zombies plus the Half-Living. (Sourcebooks offer many more.)
• Secrets of the Dead: Everything you need to know about zombies and need to ask.
• Death Cults, their Priests, power over zombies and goals.
• Random tables galore and the fundamentals of survival.
• Strong setting, world overview and many adventure ideas.
• A complete role-playing game. 224 pages – $36.99 retail – Cat. No. 230HC – now shipping. Also available as a 224 page softcover RPG ($26.99 retail – Cat. No. 230).

NEW! Rifts^® RPG 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover

Rifts® merges science fiction with fantasy, horror, heroic adventure, and other genres in a thrilling and plausible setting that will set your imagination on fire. Travel the Rifts to any location on Earth, or leap across the dimensional divide to visit alien worlds and dimensions in a matter of seconds. And just as you can travel to other worlds, aliens and the monstrous travel to Earth and stalk the innocent.

Rifts® is a fusion of ideas, settings, genres, and characters unlike any game on the market. An endless Megaverse® of adventure™ in which if you can imagine it, you can play it. Are you up to the challenge?

The Rifts® Commemorative 30th Anniversary Hardcover is the original first edition Rifts® rule book (1990) that started a phenomenon. It is a complete RPG suitable for use with ALL existing Rifts® World Books, Sourcebooks, and Dimension Books. It is an earlier and somewhat simpler edition given the deluxe treatment. Expanded with bonus art, an additional 32 color pages, color end sheets, history about the making of Rifts®, notes, concept drawings, color concepts, photographs, and a gallery of every Rifts® cover published between 1990 and the end of 2021. The cover features the famous Keith Parkinson painting of the Splugorth Slave Barge. Provided to you due to popular demand.

• Back in print for the first time in 16 years.
• Color cover of the famous Splugorth Slave Barge by Keith Parkinson.
• A color gallery of 160+ Rifts® covers.
• An extra 32 pages of color.
• More comprehensive contents pages.
• Concept art and pencil illustrations often with notes by the artist.
• History of Rifts®, personal notes, commentary, and nostalgic material.
• Color end sheets.
• Countless memories, and loads of fun.
• A simpler, earlier version of the core rules.
• A complete role-playing game suitable for use with ALL existing Rifts® World Books, Sourcebooks, and Dimension Books.
• Available in stores and from Palladium Books.
• This is NOT the signed or numbered limited edition, but we are happy to sign copies at conventions and the Palladium Open House. The print run is likely to be limited to a few thousand copies.
• 288 pages – $49.99 retail – Cat. No. 800HC30 – Available now. Also see Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG.

Rifts^® 30th Anniversary “Gold” Hardcover SOLD OUT, but ...

I have made a half-dozen “Printer Proofs” available in my Ebay store – Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles – ALL are signed by me and available staff, and have a dragonhead drawing just like the “numbered” Gold Editions. Identical to the signed and numbered editions except it says “Printer Proof” instead of having a number. Printer Proofs are for Palladium staff, charity auctions, the 2022 POH, and gifts for select Palladium support personnel. With the 200 Signed and Numbered copies sold out in three weeks from the date of its arrival, this Gold Edition is an instant collectible. Get the Printer Proofs while you still can. Sold on a first come, first served basis.

http://stores.ebay.com/kevinstoys-artandcollectibles

NEW! Rifts^® Game Master Guide^™ Hardcover – Available now

The Rifts® Game Master Guide™ hardcover is a massive, 352 page reference book with short stats and descriptions for every Rifts® robot, power armor, body armor, vehicle, weapon, gadget, skill, experience table, and map that appears in Rifts® World Books 1-23 and Sourcebooks 1-4, plus a bionics index, an O.C.C.s and R.C.C.s index, rules clarifications, combat examples, advice on how to run a game and more.

• 500+ weapons.
• 290 pieces of equipment.
• 180+ vehicles.
• 100+ suits of body armor.
• 80+ suits of power armor.
• 300+ skills, character and D-Bee index, dozens of maps, and more.
• 352 pages – $39.99 retail – Cat. No. 845HC – available now. Also available in softcover.

NEW! Rifts^® Book of Magic^™ Hardcover – Available now

Nearly 1,000 magic spells and 400 magic weapons and devices from across Rifts Earth, plus magic tattoos, herbs, stones, and more. 352 pages of pure magic.

• 900+ magic spells, Elemental Magic, Ley Line Magic, Temporal Magic, Necromancy, Nature Magic, Cloud Magic, Ocean Magic, Biomancy and more.
• Plus Tattoo Magic, Stone Magic, Whalesongs, Conjuring, Nazca Lines.
• 290+ Techno-Wizard weapons and items, including TW Bionics, Automatons, and Iron Juggernauts.
• 80+ other magic items, Rune Weapons, Holy Weapons, Fetishes.
• Bio-Wizard Weapons, the Bio-Borg, Symbiotes, and herbs.
• Magic stones, talismans, magic items of Japan, and more.
• Millennium Tree wands, staves and armor.
• 352 pages – $39.99 retail – Cat. No. 848HC – available now. Also available in softcover.

NEW! Rifts^® Adventure Guide^™ Hardcover – Available now

Inside information to create and run RPG adventures: How to get started, building on ideas, character archetypes, tables for creating Rifts towns and cities, mercenary companies, traveling shows, and player created organizations, plus random Rift tables, information about the Chi-Town ‘Burbs, 32 ‘Burb adventure ideas, another 101 adventure hooks, and still more adventure ideas, and additional player and Game Master tips by Kevin Siembieda, Erick Wujcik, and Bill Coffin.

• 150+ adventure ideas.
• Game Master and player tips from Kevin Siembieda.
• Adventure creation tips from Kevin Siembieda.
• Why and how to use alignments by Kevin Siembieda.
• Tricks of running a large group, G.M. tools, and more.
• Additional Player and G.M. tips from Wujcik and Coffin.
• Overview and info about the CS Chi-Town ‘Burbs.
• 32 adventure ideas in the ‘Burbs.
• Random Dimensional Rifts & other tables.
• Tables for creating towns, merc companies, and traveling shows.
• 192 pages – $36.99 retail – Cat. No. 849HC – available now. Also available in softcover.

HARDCOVER Palladium Fantasy RPG^®, 2nd Edition – available now

A fantasy setting like no other, rich in history and inviting adventure. Not only are you able to play iconic fantasy heroes like the Wizard, Knight, Paladin, Ranger, Thief, Assassin, and others, but also characters such as the Mind Mage, Druid, Diabolist, Summoner and many others. Moreover, play an array of nonhuman characters from Elves and Dwarves to Wolfen, Changelings, Kobolds, Orcs, Ogres, and many others.

• The hardcover is exactly the same as the softcover edition.
• Color cover, same art, variant logo, hardcover.
• 25+ Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s).
• 14+ inhuman player races (more in sourcebooks).
• 300+ magic spells.
• 60 magical Wards. 50 magic circles.
• Dozens of magic items potions and more.
• 70+ psychic powers, the Mind Mage, and more.
• Weapons, gear, demons and adventure ideas.
• New sourcebooks like Land of the Damned 3, Lopan, and others are coming.
• 336 pages – $39.99 retail – Cat. No. 450HC – available now.

HARDCOVER Heroes Unlimited^™ RPG, 2nd Edition – available now

The Heroes Unlimited™ RPG has been a hit RPG for 30+ years because it enables you to create any type of comic book hero you can imagine. Make characters pulled right from any comic book you grew up with and love, or design your own league of extraordinary heroes.

If you seek comic book heroic adventure, Heroes Unlimited™ does the job on an epic scale. Plus a dozen sourcebooks provide you with more super abilities, hero categories, bad guys and adventures.

• The hardcover is exactly the same as the softcover edition.
• Color cover, same art, variant logo on the hardcover.
• Create any type of hero you can imagine.
• 101 super abilities plus a multitude of sub-powers within them, bonuses and special combat capabilities.
• 100+ magic spells plus enchanted weapons and objects.
• 72 psychic powers.
• Enchanted weapons that instill super abilities.
• Mega-Heroes and immortals.
• Alien super beings.
• Bionics and cyborgs.
• Psionics and Psychics.
• Robots and power armor.
• Masters of magic, wizards and spell casters.
• Mutants and Super Soldiers possessing super abilities.
• Inventors, super-geniuses and super-vehicles.
• Special Training: Martial arts, Sleuths, weapons, more.
• Cover by comic book legend Jim Steranko.
• Art by Ramon K. Perez, Paulo Parente, Mike Gustovich, and others.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 352 pages for a complete RPG – $39.99 retail – Cat. No. 500HC – available now.

HARDCOVER Beyond the Supernatural^™ RPG, 2nd Edition – Available now

Supernatural horror in the modern world that feels plausible and real. Your characters are the few who know the supernatural is real because they have experienced it face to face. Some are psychics, some are experts in the paranormal or the arcane, and others are ordinary people like you and me. Ordinary people who are never the same after their own close encounter. All of these unlikely heroes stand against supernatural evil in a world of disbelievers who brand them as practitioners of fringe science or lunatics. Only they know the truth: supernatural evil is real and dangerous. And someone has to take a stand to protect the innocent from supernatural evil in whatever hidden form it may take. Are you ready to join the battle?

• The hardcover is exactly the same as the softcover edition.
• Color cover, same art, variant logo, hardcover.
• A plausible modern horror setting that makes sense and will challenge your role-playing skills.
• 14 Psychic Character Classes.
• 42 occupations for “ordinary” people.
• 100+ psychic abilities, including Fire Walker abilities.
• Creatures of darkness, the Lazlo Agency, and more.
• New sourcebooks are coming soon.
• 256 pages – $36.99 retail – Cat. No. 700HC – available now.

2021 Rifter^® Annual – Submissions Wanted

Are you a Palladium gamer who has cool ideas and think you are a decent writer? If so, consider writing an article, adventure, monsters, etc., for The Rifter® Annual. It is part sourcebook, part fanzine, part talent show, and a lot of fun written by fans like yourself. The pay is terrible but you get published, receive a couple copies of the book, a few bucks, and your name up in lights ... um, in a printed book. Plus Kevin and Wayne see your work, which sometimes leads to you being invited to write “official” sourcebooks and material.

Artists, this goes for you too. We are always looking for new artists to consider, so do not hesitate to submit some samples or send us a link to your online art page. The Rifter is a good place to try out, especially if you are just getting started doing art on a professional or semi-professional level.

Please send us your submissions by August 15, 2021. (Sooner is better!) We plan for it to be all new and a Christmas time release. With 8-12 week turnaround times from printers, we will need to submit the finished files to a printer by September in order to have it in time for Thanksgiving! So finish up your submissions and send them in for our consideration at your earliest convenience. Plus, whatever we like but cannot squeeze in this 192 page Annual, we will safe for the next Annual.

What we are looking for in written submissions: Adventures, monsters, villains, NPCS, new settings/locations, magic spells, magic items, super abilities, tech weapons, vehicles, gear, and all sorts of source material for ALL of our current settings. That includes settings such as Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited, After the Bomb®, Ninjas & Superspies, Beyond the Supernatural, Nightbane®, Splicers®, Rifts® Chaos Earth®, and, well any of them.

Material can be 2-5 pages, 6-12 pages, 15-30 pages, but please, not more than 30 pages for any one article. Please include the “Unsolicited Manuscript Form” with your submission. You can find it on the Palladium website under Questions & Resources – the Unsolicited Works Form. Send electronic submissions to rifter{at}palladiumbooks.com and if you have questions, call Palladium at 734-721-2903.

In the alternative, you can mail us physical Rifter® submissions and the Unsolicited Manuscript Form (as well as letters and unsolicited sourcebook manuscripts, created entirely on speculation) to:

Palladium Books – The Rifter
39074 Webb Court
Westland, MI 48185

We can only publish a Rifter® Annual if we get enough new material. We would like to start editing and tweaking some of them by the beginning of August, so do not hesitate to send them in as soon as you are ready. AND it is a great way to get on our radar as writers (and artists).

UPDATE: Rifts^® CS Manhunters – Bigger, Bolder, Epic

Somehow the Rifts® CS Manhunters sourcebook has become epic and grown in page count. I am nearing the finish line on this greatly expanded title which is now part Coalition States adventure sourcebook and part psionics sourcebook, with the psionic elements being in the limelight in a similar vein as the Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook was for bionics, only with an emphasis on how the Coalition States use psychics. There are revisits, clarifications, and expansions of some of the classic psionic abilities, and 50+ new psionic powers that are fun and intuitive. Only a handful are limited to the Manhunters. As for the CS Manhunters ... I think they will quickly become the new villain you love to hate. In addition, the sourcebook provides insight about CS psychics, Dog Boys, Kill Hounds, Psi-Stalkers, the Minion War, CS citizens, and Emperor Prosek. I love this book and I’m confident you will too. I am trying to wrap this bad boy up for an August release!

Rifts® CS Manhunters presents dark secrets of the Coalition States involving CS psychics, the super secret Psi-Ops Division (the thought police of Emperor Prosek), and the deadly super-patriots that are the enigmatic CS Manhunters. Includes 50+ NEW psionic abilities with real punch, insight into the Dog Boys and Kill Hounds, meanings revealed about the Seven Dangers Prophecy (first introduced in Rifts® Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids®), and gadgets and implants, and surprises. All of it building toward something epic.

• New Coalition Psychic O.C.C.s.
• 50+ new psionic abilities and revisits of some favorites.
• CS Manhunter Divner and Precog.
• CS Manhunter Psi-Interrogator and Psi-Enforcer.
• CS Manhunter Bursters and Zappers.
• CS Manhunter Psi-Healers and CS Slayers.
• CS Manhunter Killhound and Dog Boy O.C.C.s.
• CS Manhunter Mind Melters, the deadliest of them all.
• CS Manhunter squads and special operations.
• Secrets of Psi-Ops Division and insight about Coalition psychics.
• Deciphering the Seven Dangers Prophecy.
• The impact of the demon plagues unleashed by the Minion War.
• Player Characters, NPCs, background info, adventure ideas, and more.
• Page count is not yet finalized – retail price not yet determined – Cat. No. 894 – In production and nearing completion.

UPDATE: Creature Feature^™, a Beyond the Supernatural^™ sourcebook

This is going to be another fun adventure sourcebook. The manuscript will go into editing and rewrites as soon as I finish CS Manhunters and most of the artwork is done. Though I may add a few illustrations and already have artists lined up. Creature Feature™ builds on material that has appeared in various issues of The Rifter® but there is a ton of new material and information useful to both Game Masters and players.

• A gallery of supernatural creatures. Some new. Some familiar, updated and expanded. All terrifying.
• Rules clarifications and errata.
• Game Master source material and advice on rules, psychic abilities, proximity and threat levels, I.S.P. multipliers, and more.
• Advice about running modern horror RPGs and using supernatural creatures in your games.
• Lots of adventure ideas, including an updated and expanded full adventure, “The Squatter.”
• New background and setting information for the BTS setting and a few surprises.
• Written by Steven Dawes, Kevin Siembieda, and others.
• Art by Steven Cummings, Nick Bradshaw and others.
• 160-192 pages – $22.99 or $26.99 depending on final size – Cat. No. 704.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Titan Robotics^™

Here it is, the reveal of the new cover. I hope you like it. I love that it presents the iconic Titan Robotics Combat Robot with a new big gun that hints at what else awaits you inside the book. I also enjoy the combat scene, smoke, and haze of war. Like Northern Gun and the Manistique Imperium, Titan Robotics sells freely to adventurers, mercenaries, and anyone who has the cash. Hence, the owners of these big ‘bots clashing with Coalition Forces.

This is why I call Rifts® Titan Robotics™ a high-tech toy box filled with many new types of Titan Robotics power armors, giant robots, vehicles, weapons, and gear. Some are big bruisers while others are small and sleek. As fun as these new tech toys are, Rifts® Titan Robotics™ delves into the company’s many secrets, including ARCHIE-3’s plans and program to monitor and manipulate the outside world. Learn about Archie’s androids that run Titan Robotics and his current schemes and plans for the future. All of which provides fodder for adventure.

• New Giant Robots.
• New Power Armor, equipment and accessories.
• 30+ power armors and robots, plus other equipment.
• New weapons, gear and vehicles.
• Titan Robotics Corporation and structure.
• Archie’s secret kingdom and plans for the future.
• New O.C.C.s and key Non-Player Characters (NPCs).
• Android executives, security and much more.
• Wellington Industries, campaign prompts and more.
• Art by Walton, Cummings, Atkins, and others. Cover by Mike Majestic.
• Written by Matthew Clements and Kevin Siembieda.
• 160-192 pages (tentative) – $22.99 retail (or $26.99) – Cat. No. 899.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Bestiary^™ Volume Two

The second big, “monster book” reference for Rifts® of what we anticipate to be three volumes in the series, more if we decide to make ghosts, spirits and Entities and/or Creatures of Magic part of the Bestiary series. Much like Volume One, Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume Two collects 70-100 monsters and animals plus 12-24 new beasts found across Rifts North America. The anticipated page count is 224-256 pages.

All volumes of the Rifts® Bestiary™ series are a great resource for players and Game Masters alike. Each description is updated, expanded, and highly detailed to present players with exotic and alien creatures as pets, guardians and riding animals, as well as slobbering monsters to battle and fierce beasts for Game Masters to throw at their players. Designed to offer adventure ideas, offers notes on young, adult, male and female creatures, and all provide plenty of ways to enhance your characters and spice up adventures. Each is accompanied by a map that shows at a glance where the beast can be encountered. Ah, but in the presence of Rifts and magic means any of the creatures may appear anywhere in the world, so be on your toes.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized into big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• Updated and expanded descriptions and information for each existing monster.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New exotic creatures – predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects, and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Easily adapted to any Palladium setting – Palladium Fantasy®, Chaos Earth®, Splicers®, Phase World®, the Three Galaxies™, The Mechanoids®, Heroes Unlimited™/Aliens Unlimited™, and others.
• Basic S.D.C. stats included with each creature description.
• Fully illustrated, with art by Charles Walton II, Ramon Perez, Robert Atkins, and many others. Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 256 pages each volume – $26.99 – Cat. No. 897 (Volume Two).

Big SALE! DriveThruRPG.com Christmas in July Sale – Hundreds of Palladium PDF products on sale – learn one Palladium game and you can play them all

This is your chance to expand your collection of PDF Palladium titles, get titles that are no longer in print, acquire issues of The Rifter®, try new game settings, and explore a Megaverse® of RPG worlds and adventure unlike anything offered any other RPG company.

In addition to most of Palladium Books’ products, there are hundreds of other game company titles on sale. Everything from Palladium Fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons® to Rifts® and Traveller.

Palladium Books has settings for every genre: Fantasy RPG, science fiction (Rifts®, Splicers®, and The Mechanoids®), super-heroes (Heroes Unlimited and After the Bomb), superhero horror (Nightbane®), modern horror (Dead Reign® and Beyond the Supernatural), plus The Rifter® sourcebook series (by fans like you), novels, paper minis, and more.

Rifts® Novels: Duty’s Edge – The lone surviving soldier from a New German Republic Special Forces operation struggles to complete the mission on his own. A stand-alone Rifts® novel complete in itself. 236 pages, Cat. No. 308. The Cosmo-Knight and The Reckoning (Phase World®, the Three Galaxies, and Cosmo-Knights), the Rifts® trilogy of novels: Sonic Boom, Deception’s Web, and Treacherous Awakenings, as well as the Rifts® Anthology: Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs (11 authors), Machinations of Doom (graphic novel by Ramon K. Perez), and Path of the Storm (a proposed Rifts® movie script) and 300+ other Palladium Books RPG titles.

Also available: Free Garden of the Gods™ (Fantasy) and Rifts® Bestiary™ Volume One Sneak Previews, and the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet: A Microsoft Excel-based character management system. Packed with features and data collected from every official Palladium Fantasy sourcebook to enable you to create Fantasy characters quickly (25 minutes!) and help you to update and manage them for years to come.

Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Three: Zombies, Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Two: Civilians and Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume One: Survivors. There are also paper miniatures for Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy® and Rifts®. A new, up-to-date, PDF Palladium Books Catalog. Nightbane® Dark Designs™ sourcebook with 60 new Common Talents, 38 new Elite Talents, 18 new Morphus Tables, all other Morphus Tables collected and more. Systems Failure™ RPG, a 160 page RPG that deals with alien invasion and a post-apocalypse setting that is fun and dynamic. Civilization is on the verge of collapse when the so-called "bugs" invade and turn humans into zombie-like slaves. Monsters, heroes and fun. A complete RPG and setting. Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun™ Two: 256 pages of technology and fun. 30+ power armors, 30+ body armors, 15 combat vehicles, 45 vehicles (hovercycles, etc.), 10 robot haulers, the Robodome and more. Bizantium and the Northern Islands™: the northernmost part of the Known World, the Cold Born, Necromancy ships made from dead sea serpents, 15 creatures, Random Sea Monster Generator, and more. Rifts® Northern Gun™ One. This fan favorite might be thought of as the big book of giant robots – an in-depth look at Northern Gun, 70+ weapons, 27 robots, NG O.C.C.s, key people and places, and much more. Mysteries of Magic™ Book One: The Heart of Magic™ with Wizards, their Apprentices, nearly 60 new magic spells and remember, magic and monsters in the Fantasy RPG are easily adapted to Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, HU2 and other settings. Wolfen Empire™ Fantasy sourcebook, the Great Northern Wilderness and Killer Winters, 12 Wolfen Tribes, Wolfen military and society, 15+ creatures, 5 full adventures, 101 adventure ideas, random encounter tables, notable people, places, plus FREE Sneak Previews of The Rifter® #80, The Rifter® #81, The Rifter® #82, and more on DriveThruRPG.com.

• Rifts® is a genre-bending setting that combines science fiction, fantasy, horror, post-apocalypse survival, magic, and endless possibilities for adventure. Imagine a near perfect world of advanced technology 100 years in the future. Then imagine that world crashing down overnight in an apocalyptic upheaval not seen since the formation of the planet. A Great Cataclysm caused by the explosive return of magic. Now fast forward 300 years into the future where magic, dragons, and mythic gods coexist with cyborgs, giant robots and super-science rediscovered from humanity's Golden Age as humans rise from a lengthy Dark Age. But they must contend with countless alien life forms, monsters, and supernatural horrors from beyond the Rifts.
• Rifts® core titles we would suggest: Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® Game Master Guide, Rifts® Book of Magic, Rifts® Adventure Guide, D-Bees of North America™, Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign and Rifts® Sourcebook One. Note: The Rifts® RPG, 1st Edition and Rifts® Ultimate, 2nd Edition are both available.
• 80+ Rifts® supplements, most of them available as PDFs with more coming. Where to start? Wherever sounds fun.
• Rifts® Dimension Books™: Travel to alien worlds and dimensions via the Rifts for off-world adventure and intrigue.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG and sourcebook series (all). Live through the Great Cataclysm and the Coming of the Rifts. Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG, Creatures of Chaos™, Rise of Magic™, and Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ are all available.
• FREE Sneak Previews for Nightbane® Dark Designs™, Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™, Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity, and many other previews as well as free and low cost items that we make available. All of it adds to the growing list of Rifts and other Palladium RPG game titles available as PDF books, cards and support. A new title should be added every week or two, so keep watching for them.
• The Rifter® #1-84, ALL issues of The Rifter®. Each issue is a wealth of source material and ideas for 3-6 different Palladium game lines. Most are easily adapted to ANY Palladium game setting. Each issue a gem. 8,500 pages of source material and ideas for heroes, villains, monsters, magic, gear, and adventure.
• Splicers® RPG is like Iron Man meets Game of Thrones with elements of Terminator – except this army of Iron Men are clad in living body armor and wield living, organic weapons and devices. Created in 2004 by writer and game designer Carmen Bellaire, Splicers® was nominated for an Inquest Gamer Magazine Fan Awards Game of the Year, and has since developed a rabid fan base. Science fiction and horror where humans are forced to use genetically engineered, living weapons and organic war machines to battle an insane Artificial Intelligence and her robot legions. Unlike anything you have ever played before!
• Splicers®: I Am Legion™ Adventure Sourcebook: 6 new Great Houses, 4 new Host Armors, 6 new War Mounts, 19 new Bio-Weapons, 15 new killer machines, new Bio-Enhancements, Amalgam creation tables, Legion and a series of adventures that build into a small campaign, and more.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 1st Edition Rules and sourcebooks. A unique world of magic, monsters and heroes. Dozens of nonhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and more. 100,000 years of history.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Rules and many sourcebooks. The expanded world of high fantasy, magic, mystery and heroes of every variety. Includes the Mind Mage and psychic abilities, mages and spells, magic circles and symbols, men-at-arms, scoundrels and a wide range of inhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and many more. 100,000 years of history.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG first edition rule book and sourcebooks.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Second Edition rule book and sourcebooks. Create any type of superhuman you can desire and bring comic book adventures to life.
• Dead Reign® RPG (Zombie Apocalypse). The dead have risen. It is the battle for survival in the zombie apocalypse, but this setting is much more than your typical zombie game. Play ordinary people or special characters better equipped to survive and hunt zombies. Many unusual types of zombies.
• Dead Reign® Sourcebooks: 6 sourcebooks from Civilization Gone™ to Hell Followed™ (the latter features stats for 23 disasters, masked lunatics, 11 new zombies, 7 apocalyptic character classes, and more) are available.
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 1st Edition Rules. Supernatural horror in the modern world. Play ordinary people, psychics, paranormal investigators or for something different: Victim Characters!
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition: The complete, revised core game, 14 character classes and 42 occupations for "ordinary people," 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, the Lazlo Agency, world setting and rules.
• Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks. An RPG setting we call superhero horror. Dark conspiracy, a secret, demon invasion starting with world leaders and law enforcement, and it is spreading. The player characters are the Nightbane®, reluctant superhumans who must turn into monsters themselves to unleash their powers and battle the evil that is clear only to them. A dark, sinister and challenging world of horror.
• After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Planet of the Apes meets the X-Men! Animal creations, powers and more. Create any type of intelligent mutant animal you can imagine as friend or foe.
• Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook. James Bond meets Enter the Dragon. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, and super-spies with gadgets, gizmos and advanced weapons.
• The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy RPG is a long time, cult favorite with a fatalistic world-view of humans vs aliens with superior technology.
• The Palladium Weapon Series of real world weapons, armor and castles throughout history. Designed for use with ANY game system.
• 200+ Palladium titles in all, plus G.M. kits, paper miniatures and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ Paper Miniatures – Two sets are now available!
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures – Volumes #1-6 are available now. More are coming in the weeks ahead.
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Men at Arms – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Coalition Dead Boys – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Adventurers – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Practitioners of Magic (new) – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Extras (new) – $2.99
• And more to come in the weeks ahead.

Palladium Collectibles, Negatives, Artwork, other Collectibles and Toys are always available in Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles eBay Store along with other good things

My eBay store is one of the few places where you can find original artwork by Charles "Chuck" Walton, Kevin Long, and others, as well as one-of-a-kind negatives from classic Rifts® and other Palladium RPG books (they look awesome framed!), rare Palladium collector hardcovers, signed books, other Palladium memorabilia, toys from my personal collection and other collectibles. Check every couple of weeks because we often post new stuff or offer a new sale. There is a sale on negatives starting today, in fact.

Other one-of-a-kind original artwork available by me (Kevin Siembieda), Kevin Long, Charles Walton II (money goes to the artist), other artists, as well as collectible negatives, prints, limited edition hardcovers, proofreader copies, out of print items, Star Wars toys, Marvel toys and many other toys and collectibles from my personal collection. Alex and I will keep adding items as our busy schedules allow, but we have a lot of fun collectibles available now and coming soon. Hundreds of items. Take a look every weekend for new additions.

Available now: One-of-a-kind book negatives. Negatives were very popular items at the Palladium Open House and people went crazy over them at Gen Con – including actor Joe Manganiello who scooped up a pile of TMNT negatives, while Palladium's own Mark Oberle, Carmen Bellaire, Brandon Aten and a whole lot of Palladium gamers went for negatives from Rifts® New West, Lone Star and Free Quebec. Fun.

Negatives are unique and attractive, one-of-a-kind (on rare occasions two-of-a-kind if a page was replaced or a second edition was made) works of art that resemble woodcut art and are very dynamic conversation pieces. Before digital printing, pages of a book were laid out by hand on a board, and each page was photographed. The plastic film negatives were then "ganged" on a massive sheet of Mylar 16 pages per big sheet, and the printing plates were made from the negatives – everything white, printing black.

When our printer, McNaughton and Gunn, went completely digital, they asked if Palladium Books wanted the negs, otherwise they would be destroyed. Regrettably, I let a few dozen be destroyed, but the negatives of many books were sent to Palladium. They have sat in our warehouse for years until I started to offer them for sale. I have also started signing the negatives in silver and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Each negative comes on a white board inside a plastic magazine bag and looks fabulous framed! Fits in an 8x10 inch matt opening in a frame (each neg is roughly 8½ x 11 inches).

http://stores.ebay.com/kevinstoys-artandcollectibles

Closing Thoughts – Ready for some fun?

I asked that question in the opening of this Update, because I am sure ready for some fun.

A few days ago I realized I had slid into a dark mind set. I found myself watching more news again (bad because it is all gloom and doom and politics). I found myself worrying about the pandemic. Worrying about the world at large. Worrying about Palladium. Worrying about sales. Worrying about release dates and printer delays and being behind deadline. Worrying about art and special projects, and ... well, all kinds of stuff. Oddly, despite all this, I was writing well. Great even, as writing was my escape.

Then, out of the blue, someone said to me, “You need to follow your heart. Be playful and have fun. You are most creative when you’re having fun.”

Bingo! A thunderbolt wake up call. Absolutely right. That is my mantra to every writer and artist who does work for Palladium. I had recently told a couple of different freelance writers to make sure they had fun when writing. To let themselves be excited by their material as if they were the player and Game Master themselves. If they were having fun and excited about what they were creating, so would the reader. I told them to trust their gut (or follow their hearts), build upon the foundation that is already there, and have fun. If they were having fun their joy and excitement would come through in their writing.

I recommend you do the same. No, I’m not suggesting you write for Palladium, though we are looking for submissions to The Rifter® Annual (hint, hint). I’m talking about finding moments of fun in your everyday life. Push away the troubling junk you have little control over and focus, first, on the things you can control, and second, the things that are fun and bring you joy.

Find time to do the stuff that feels good. That puts a smile on your face and pushes the depressing garbage out of your head and heart. That could mean running role-playing games and adventures with friends and family, reading new releases (they are coming), re-reading old favorite RPG titles (I guarantee there are details and ideas you have overlooked or forgotten. I know I have, and I write most of this stuff! lol), give old villains and characters and settings a new approach or twist, try new ideas, go outside for a walk, hit a park or swimming pool, call or get together with the people you care about, and do other fun things. Despite what the media, internet, and doomsayers may have to say, the world is not ending next week and life is, for most of us, good. So don’t worry, be happy! Yes, I stole that last part from a song, but it was true when that song was first released and it is true now.

Don’t worry, be happy. I have been happy writing and creating new stuff for you. And I’m happy to have you all in my life. I am back to focusing on the things I have control over and trying to have a little fun. Last weekend I went to the Plymouth Art Fair, bought two new T-shirts and a really cool wallet. I also took a walk in a park and bought two of my favorite meals from two of my favorite restaurants. I have recently made time to speak with a few friends I had been missing, enjoyed a visit with a pal from California, drank in a few glorious morning walks this week, and delighted watching the antics of the zillion squirrels, the feral cats, and the deer that have been visiting our home every morning this summer. Not only that, but I have been trying to leave work a bit earlier (10 hour days will have to do) so I can spend some time with Kathy and relax in front of the TV or a book. Please do the same. Life is too short. Have fun. Enjoy the people and pastimes and good things that make you smile and bring you joy. You know what else? It makes me happy that our games and products are among the things that make you happy. Awesome! Feels like good karma and synchronicity.

Luckily for you, I’m a crazy worldbuilder, so writing new books and creating new realms of adventure is my idea of fun! And I have been having a blast with the CS Manhunters sourcebook. I have been making all kinds of tweaks and rewrites to define the Manhunters and really make them sing. Plus, I have been adding all kinds of nice, little touches and fun ideas that are bringing it all together. And that makes me excited and wanting to write all the more. I am thrilled with this book now.

To help you find some fun, I recommend snapping up some Palladium RPG hardcovers or that wonderful Rifts® 30th Anniversary Hardcover so many people are loving. I know the cover, end sheets and the extra 32 pages of color, unseen artwork, cover gallery, and inside history behind the making of Rifts® is fun that makes every Rifts®/Palladium fan smile. And what about those new, crazy pencils and Rifts® notepad, or the Rifts® novels, or prints, and especially DriveThruRPG’s Christmas in July Sale? I think almost every single Palladium PDF item on DriveThru is on sale for the next week or so. And not just our books, but hundreds of products from many game companies. That sounds like something fun and enjoyable to me. In the meanwhile, we will be finishing up sourcebooks and other products for your enjoyment. Game on and be happy.

- Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, Gamer, Friend

NEW! Miniature Releases – Available now

You have been asking about new miniatures and we are providing. All miniatures come in a plastic bag. The newest three are:

Rifts® Glitter Boy™ & Pilot (original) Miniature Pack – 1st time available in resin – 28 mm resin – $19.99 retail – Cat. No. MI8001. Five Pieces: 1. Complete G.B. body and a small base, 2. right arm and Boom Gun, 3. backpack/thrusters, 4. ammo drum and belt, and 5. pilot. The ever-popular, classic Glitter Boy and Pilot (1993 RAFM) – now in resin for the first time (prior releases were pewter figures). Available now.

NEW! Rifts® CS Firebreather Dead Boy™ Miniature – true scale 32 mm resin – $9.99 retail – Cat. No. MI8047. Five pieces: 1. the body, 2. right arm and gun, 3. left arm, 4. antenna, 5. custom base. Detailed and dynamic figure. Available now.

NEW! Rifts® Juicer™ Miniature – true scale 32 mm resin – $9.99 retail – Cat. No. MI8048. Three pieces: 1. the complete body, 2. crossed swords on the back that fit so snugly that you may not even need to glue it, 3. custom base. Detailed and dynamic figure. Available now.

And don’t forget about the Deluxe Rifts® Glitter Boy Resin Miniature – released in fall 2020 – 32 mm resin – $34.99 retail – Cat. No. MI8046 – a gorgeous, detailed and dynamic figure. Available now.

Rifts^® Novels – Available now

All Rifts® novels are available from the Palladium Books online store as physical books as well as PDFs from DriveThruRPG.com. All are a fun read and highly recommended. Enjoy.

• All novels are 5 x 8 inches in size unless otherwise indicated.
• Page count and price varies.
• Available as physical books from palladiumbooks.com and as PDFs on DriveThruRPG.com
• Rifts® Duty’s Edge is the story of a lone survivor of a New German Republic Special Forces operation who struggles to complete the mission on his own. A mission to destroy wicked monsters and cut off a vital line of support to the Gargoyle Empire. A mission that could save many lives. Of course, it is a journey that takes many twists and turns as one determined individual hopes to beat impossible odds. Set in the Middle East. 236 pages – $12.99 retail – Cat. No. 308 – the newest, stand alone novel.
• Rifts® Sonic Boom™. Follow the exploits of a CS platoon sworn to protect humankind from all threats, be they aliens, dragons, masters of magic or fellow humans out for themselves.
• Rifts® Deception’s Web™, the second novel in this trilogy, reveals a conspiracy within the Coalition military that could spell disaster for our protagonists. Note: Smaller size, 4 x 6 inches.
• Rifts® Treacherous Awakenings™ is the pulse-pounding conclusion of the third novel in this epic trilogy by Adam Chilson.
• Rifts Anthology: Tales of the Chi-Town ‘Burbs™. Rifts® short stories by 11 authors including Kevin Siembieda, Carl Gleba, Mark Oberle, Braden Campbell, Taylor White, Jason Richards, and others. Note: Slightly larger size, 6 x 9 inches.
• Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Graphic Novel & Sourcebook. The comic is by acclaimed Eisner Award winning artist Ramon K. Perez, source material by Siembieda and Perez. Note: 8½ x 11 inches.
• Rifts® Path of the Storm was a Rifts® movie script written on spec. Note: 8½ x 11 inches.
• Rifts® Hammer of the Forge™, Volume One: The Cosmo-Knight. The adventures of Caleb Vulcan, newly minted Knight of the Cosmic Forge.
• Rifts® Hammer of the Forge™, Volume Two: The Reckoning. The epic conclusion of the Hammer of the Forge story.

Gamer 16 Ounce Mug – available now

Whether you drink coffee, hot cocoa, soda-pop, or whatever your beverage of choice may be, this fun mug reminds you of your favorite pastime and that new possibilities exist with every roll of the dice.

The large, 16 ounce Gamer mug presents the word “Gamer” in a box with dice cascading down from above. The design appears on both sides of the mug. Created by Wayne Smith and Freddie Williams II (art directed by Kevin Siembieda). The mug has an orange interior to add a nice splash of color.

• A must for every proud gamer!
• Dice and the word “Gamer” highlighted in a box.
• Glossy black exterior with an orange interior.
• Art and words are located on both sides of the mug.
• 16 ounce ceramic mug.
• Dishwasher and microwave safe.
• $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2596 – available now.

BACK IN STOCK! Property of the Coalition States 16 Ounce Mug – available now

Back due to popular demand! The iconic Property of the Coalition States and notorious CS Death’s Head insignia printed white on a glossy black, 16 ounce coffee mug, with a blood red interior for a splash of color. The design appears on both sides of the mug. Created by Wayne Smith and Kevin Long (art directed by Kevin Siembieda).

• The infamous words “Property of the Coalition States” and the notorious Death’s Head logo and lightning bolts (indicating CS special forces) in white.
• Glossy black exterior with a blood red interior color.
• Art and words are located on both sides of the mug.
• 16 ounce ceramic mug.
• Dishwasher and microwave safe.
• $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2588 – available now.

Other Mugs Available Now

Everyone loves these mugs. Isn’t it time you started your collection? I like to use them to as a secret code to reflect my mood to those around me. To my thinking the Gamer mug means I’m feeling playful. Rifts® Property of the Coalition States: I’m a soldier in the trenches and working hard. Dead Reign®: Back off or I will eat you alive. Fantasy Dragon: My imagination is on fire. Rifts Logo: Feeling the infinite possibilities. Rifts® Titan Robotics: I’m feeling mighty. Of course, they represent something else to each of you or just represent one of your favorite games, like a normal person.

• Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Mug – A dynamic Titan robot and the Rifts® logo. Art by Steven Cummings. White on a glossy black, 16 ounce ceramic mug with a blue interior. Dishwasher and microwave safe. $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2595 – available now.
• Rifts® Logo Coffee Mug – The famous Rifts® logo in white on a glossy black, 16 ounce ceramic mug with a blue interior. Logo by Kevin Long. Dishwasher and microwave safe. $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2587 – available now.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® Dragon Mug – The famous red on black 3-headed hydra battling a knight from the iconic original Palladium Fantasy RPG cover. Art by Kevin Siembieda. Red on a glossy black, 16 ounce ceramic mug with an attractive orange interior. Dishwasher and microwave safe. $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2589 – available now.
• Dead Reign® (Zombie Attack) Mug – A trio of hungry zombies and the Dead Reign® logo in white on a glossy black, 16 ounce ceramic mug with a blood red interior for a splash of color. Art by Steven Cummings. Dishwasher and microwave safe. $10.99 retail – Cat. No. 2594 – available now.

© 2021 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Powers Unlimited®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Chaos Earth®, Dead Reign®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc.; Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Garden of the Gods, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, Psychic Scream, 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.

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