Where to start with Palladium Megaverse?

[Sanjay8523]

I've heard a lot about Palladium Megaverse books and I wanted to check it out. However, I'm totally overwhelmed with number of publications Palladium has made.

Where to start? What to read first?

[Father Goose]

I've heard a lot about Palladium Megaverse books and I wanted to check it out. However, I'm totally overwhelmed with number of publications Palladium has made.

Where to start? What to read first?

Start by picking a game line and reading the main book of that line.
Are you interested in classic fantasy? Palladium Fantasy is your line.
Are you interested in investigating the supernatural in a modernesque setting where the players have psychic abilities? Beyond the Supernatural is your line.
Are you interested in superhero stories? Heroes Unlimited is your line.
Etc.
I started with Heroes Unlimited because I wanted a break from my fantasy and horror gaming and was looking for a good superhero outlet. I read up on a lot of games and decided to give Heroes Unlimited a try. From there, I branched out into the other game lines because I liked what Palladium had to offer.
So, what is your primary area of interest? Modern? Fantasy? Horror? Superheroes? Space Opera? Post Apocalyptic? Giant Robots? Some combination of 2 or more?
Decide what you want to explore, and we can direct you to the relevant book(s).

[drewkitty ~..~]

To quote the Rifts Conversion Book 1r page 7

"These other worlds are not an official part of the Rifts game setting and are stand-alone games that all use the same basic set of RPG rules."

I agree with FG, start with the core book of the game with the genre you are most comfortable with.

I (knowing what I do now) would start with any of the Games except rifts. You will get lost in rifts before you can explore the other PB games.

[Father Goose]

To quote the Rifts Conversion Book 1r page 7

"These other worlds are not an official part of the Rifts game setting and are stand-alone games that all use the same basic set of RPG rules."

I agree with FG, start with the core book of the game with the genre you are most comfortable with.

I (knowing what I do now) would start with any of the Games except rifts. You will get lost in rifts before you can explore the other PB games.

I would agree with you on this. Rifts can have a black hole effect on people who enjoy it. Either that, or the shear size and scope of that setting overwhelms you and turns you off before you can experience all the Megaverse has to offer.

Heroes Unlimited and Palladium Fantasy are good places to start, as most gamers are familiar with the tropes and just need to learn the rules and general setting details.

[Curbludgeon]

I would not begin with Palladium Fantasy; there are substantial differences between it and other game lines, many of the titles were originally for a previous edition and have been updated haphazardly, the organization within those titles places emphasis on adventures in such a way that a reader has to constantly flip past less than useful information, and there are literal hundreds of fantasy retroclones to choose from.

I'd consider going with one of the more self-contained game lines that only has a few books printed for it, Dead Reign puts a relatively different spin on a zombie apocalypse, for example. Splicers only has two books and a few articles written for it while providing a whole setting, varied options in character creation, and (particularly in the second book) good art. Systems Failure is only one book, and handles well a interdimensional alien invasion suppressing a low-technology insurgency. If you want a system with some exandability but where you intend on creating your own setting, consider Heroes Unlimited. (edit:typo)

[Father Goose]

The problems you note with Palladium Fantasy are related to supplements, not the core book. My suggestion was to pick a core book and get familiar with that. While I have read nearly all the Fantasy books, and own a few of them, I find I rarely use anything not in the main book, as it is sufficient to understand the system and setting and allows me to craft my own stories.
Since the OP was looking for a place to start, not a massive reading list, there isn't really much reason to discourage starting with Palladium Fantasy. Especially if that is the preferred genre. Not everyone likes horror gaming and many people are burned out on superheroes these days, for instance.

[Curbludgeon]

It feels safe to assume that the poster was asking about more detailed information on a good starting point than just suggesting the core book of a genre they like. And while two of the four comments I made in my previous post's first sentence apply equally to the Fantasy core book, I'd add that P. Fantasy is second only to Rifts in terms of number of books available and sometimes it can be daunting to choose as a starting point something with many potential endpoints.

A good thing about Heroes Unlimited as a second game to check out is that it's a softer, less idiosyncratic entry to a kitchen sink style game than Rifts. Its modular nature utilizes less expanded versions of subsystems focused on in other games, allowing one to explore those if and when it becomes worthwhile. If someone decides they're not into the Mutant Animals category with its BIO-E, for example, that suggests After the Bomb and Splicers might be less up their alley. Not caring for the particulars of piloting robots or fighting Ancient Masters might speak to a reaction towards Robotech or Ninjas&Superspies. Similarly one can come to an opinion about psionics and magic and the varying amounts most game lines engage with one or both of them. Putting aside RECON with its particularly divergent ruleset, probably the strongest argument for Dead Reign as a first game is the lack of subsystems.

That said, the Fantasy core book is fairly self-contained, save that Monsters and Animals is practically required.

[drewkitty ~..~]

That the PF RPG 2nd ed is farther away from the tech centered other games of the PB stable is not unexpected due to the genre. And that some of the books are..to put it bluntly...1st ed books.....it is closer to the original gaming system than anything else PB makes.

In my opinion PB is doing a more careful job with the canon text then the other books....say like rifts....in making the rules consistent and not going off the deep end and making stupid rules and not making stupid labeling conventions and not making stupid names of weapons by ignoring the naming conventions.
Examples....

Spoiler:

In the first dozen Rifts Worldbooks the rules are continually being changed in regards to melee combat.
There are not published changing class rules for rifts. And the posted changing class rules contradict both each other and the only rules they published.
In Black Market they have what is a rocket mortar being called a rocket propelled mortar. The picture of the mortar it is shown to be a PA mounted weapon like the ones found in the 1st triax book.

One might say, there are more mistakes in rifts books cause they are more of them. Yeah Right Uh Huh. That just means that have more opportunities that they don't take to put in errata text to fix thing that are wrong.

[Father Goose]

It feels safe to assume that the poster was asking about more detailed information on a good starting point than just suggesting the core book of a genre they like. And while two of the four comments I made in my previous post's first sentence apply equally to the Fantasy core book, I'd add that P. Fantasy is second only to Rifts in terms of number of books available and sometimes it can be daunting to choose as a starting point something with many potential endpoints.

A good thing about Heroes Unlimited as a second game to check out is that it's a softer, less idiosyncratic entry to a kitchen sink style game than Rifts. Its modular nature utilizes less expanded versions of subsystems focused on in other games, allowing one to explore those if and when it becomes worthwhile. If someone decides they're not into the Mutant Animals category with its BIO-E, for example, that suggests After the Bomb and Splicers might be less up their alley. Not caring for the particulars of piloting robots or fighting Ancient Masters might speak to a reaction towards Robotech or Ninjas&Superspies. Similarly one can come to an opinion about psionics and magic and the varying amounts most game lines engage with one or both of them. Putting aside RECON with its particularly divergent ruleset, probably the strongest argument for Dead Reign as a first game is the lack of subsystems.

That said, the Fantasy core book is fairly self-contained, save that Monsters and Animals is practically required.

I hadn't thought of it that way before, but you're right about Heroes Unlimited. It is a less over-the-top way to experience the variety of tropes and concepts that are common in Rifts, and can be a solid way to determine what other game lines might be of interest to a player looking to explore the Megaverse, based on what power categories are of interest and which are avoided. Good call on that.
It also happens to be my favorite, but I am trying to remain objective and unbiased in my recommendations.

[Kraynic]

That said, the Fantasy core book is fairly self-contained, save that Monsters and Animals is practically required.

That was one thing I loved about the first edition fantasy main book. It had everything needed to play. Other books (like Monsters and Animals, High Seas, etc.) gave you more options for creatures, playable races, OCCs, and skills, but weren't necessary to run the game because you already had a sampling of just about everything in the main book, so it was less expensive to get started.