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Palladium Books – Weekly Update – May 10, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Happy Friday, Palladium Fans!

Join us for a TMNT Party

NEW RELEASES IN PRINT

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Life and Friendship


I’ve done a lot of introspection since the loss of Kathy. About how I have met and known so many amazing people in my life. People who seem to show up when I need them most. That started with my Mom and Dad, both astonishing and wonderful in their own special way, and my dear, little (six foot, four) brother.


Over the years, I’ve talked a lot about Erick Wujcik, in part because he too has passed away, and in part because he was one of those larger than life people, a brilliant game designer in his own right. He and I were co-conspirators and cheerleaders in each other’s lives for decades from the day we met; true friends and creative soulmates to the end. But there has been a multitude of other people who have had a profound impact on my life and work.


Kathy, of course, in more ways than you can imagine, dear sweet Julius Rosenstein (also passed), Matthew Balent, Robin Korona, William Messner-Loebs, the lovely Francis Loebs, Jim Domborski, Jim Osten, Kay Kozora, Larry Jordan, Cheryl Corey, Maryann Donald, my two kids, Kevin Long, Randy McCall, Roger and Randy Cartier, Mary Parkinson, Keith Parkinson, Rita Smolinski, Teresa Mead, Jim Steranko, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Mark Freedman, Stephen Bissette, Ramon K. Perez, Freddie Williams II, Tyler Walpole, Larry Elmore, Steven Cummings, Jolly Blackburn, Brandon Aten, Shawn Hall, Richard Burke, Richard Cook, the Brown Family, Joe Bergmans, Doug Lamberson, Dennis Hughes, Jeff Hansen, Chris Guertin, Paul Deckert, Mark Oberle, Mike Leonard, John Zeleznik, Carl Gleba, Carmen Bellaire, Steven Dawes, Mark Dudley, Chuck Walton, Bill Coffin, Nick Bradshaw, Mike Mumah, Mike Wilson, Mike Majestic, Marc Moore, Ryan McDaniels, Nick Kay,  Matthew Clements, John Klinkel, Chris Landauer, Wayne Smith, Sean Roberson (my new creative soulmate and crazy business partner) and the entire Roberson/Nelson clan, each and every single Defiler, especially the Bartolds, and a freakin’ army of other people! Far too many to list them all by name. Plus the greatest fans on the planet. Wow. It’s incredible to me.


Most of these people (and you) have impacted my life in the most wonderful and beautiful of ways, making me a better human being. Even when things sometimes turned sour, it becomes a learning experience that helps me grow in new ways. Some of these people were in my life for a short time, others for a lifetime, but always significant. It astonishes me to be so truly blessed.


There is one person who bears special acknowledgement. A gentle soul who has been an integral part of my existence for most of my life. He is quiet and gentle, quirky and kind, brilliant and creative, and a stalwart friend who has shared every – and I mean every – up and down, good and bad moment, triumph and loss, hope and dream. He was my first and dearest creative partner and the bestest of best friends for 56 years and counting, the unassuming Alex Marciniszyn. You know him as a Palladium editor and staff member, but he is so much more to me. We are as close as brothers – closer. Alex was my first publishing partner (Megaton Publishing), fellow artist and writer on a couple of fanzines in our teens and five issues of A+Plus, an alternative comic book, published during our college days. Alex is one of the Defilers, a sounding board for my ideas, researcher, concept guy, first Palladium employee and the helper behind the scenes at Palladium since day one before I could even afford to pay him. He was the best man at my wedding, an uncle to my children, and a kindred spirit throughout my life. Our love, friendship, and support for each other has never wavered, no matter the circumstance to this very day. In our youth, Alex and I were so inseparable, like the two Musketeers, that my Dad used to introduce him to others as, “and this is Alex, my other son.” Friends like that are truly rare and precious. Thank you, Alex for being such a great friend and vital part of my existence. May we share many new adventures in the decades ahead.


I hope you don’t mind me sharing like this. As I said, the loss of Kathy has made me introspective and all the more appreciative of my wonderful life and the multitude of awesome people in it. I see you, our fans, as our extended Palladium family and that puts you among those awesome people in my life. As such, I feel like I can share my inner thoughts and feelings with you. These Closing Thoughts have never been just about business. Palladium is a different kind of company. We really are a family by choice, and you are part of that family. I love it.


For those of you who may also be suffering a profound loss, I share your pain, and though you may not believe it now, things will get better. I promise, even as I struggle with that very notion myself. Be kind and patient with yourself. It’s okay to feel that deep loss and sorrow and to cry. I cried like a baby this past Monday and I have no idea what triggered it. It sucks, but it’s also okay, and things will get better. You’ll get better. Lean on your friends and gaming and whatever else brings you joy and happiness. A friend who lost his wife a few years ago said his weekly games were one of the few things that brought him joy and helped him through his time of grief and pain. Whether you too are grieving or happy as a clam, I want to reiterate Erick Wujcik’s final words to me, before he died: “In the end, all that matters is the people you love and whatever brings you joy. Find your joy and hold it close.” Amen. Have a great weekend, find joy, and game on.


– Kevin Siembieda, Game Designer, writer, and friend

Palladium Books – Weekly Update – May 7, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Huge savings with the two epic, Bundles of Holding end Monday evening.
Do not miss out on this massive 70% savings!

Hello Palladium Fans!

Channeling the Love


Today would have been Kathy’s birthday. I’m channeling her love for me and Palladium into another productive day of writing. She’d want to see new releases coming your way, so I’m on it. Then this evening, Sean and I will be visiting with our friend Rick Meints, President of Chaosium, and going to dinner. We hope you all enjoy a nice weekend — after you place your order for one or both Rifts Bundles of Holdings.


I’m back to writing the Weekly Updates with assistance from Chris Landauer. Sean has his head down pounding away on TMNT. Enjoy the sales, news, updates and Closing Thoughts that follow.


Kevin Eastman

Kevin Siembieda, art – Mike Majestic, colors

Ciro Nieli


Kevin Siembieda, art – Sophie Campbell, colors

Kevin Siembieda – art, Sophie Campbell – colors

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG Kickstarter Update


Many aspects of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness Kickstarter are now in the final design and layout stages or in final approvals.

  • All artwork and colors for the books are done and look beautiful. Even some of the old art has been digitally remastered to look like new!


  • The 30 pages of full color tribute artwork is amazing.


  • The 30+ written remembrances are touching or funny, or both.


  • The history and behind the scenes material are written.


  • Erick Wujcik is fondly remembered.


  • Eastman and Laird are honored. We love them both.


  • The handful of additional mutant animals are illustrated.


  • A few more new, mutant animals are being solicited.

  • Kevin Eastman’s new, original painting for the variant RPG cover is completed. As you would expect from this maestro, it is bold, dynamic, and stylish. As are the new Eastman and Laird Mutagen Green Foil variant covers

  • The Mutagen Green Dice prototype has been unanimously approved and adored by all who see them.


  • The two sets of miniatures and their packaging is likewise approved. Everyone who has seen the 3D printed prototypes is blown away.


  • The Black, White and Red edition is as mind-blowing as the color edition books.


  • Sean Owen Roberson is fast at work with final remastering and layout, plus little tweaks and additions that will please all, such as a movement table, color coded headlines, a rear index, and more.


Notable outsiders’ reactions to TMNT & Other Strangeness


Michele Ivey of Cowabunga Corner fame is a TMNT expert. She and her sister Miki Ivey, a top sculptor who has worked with Disney Imagineers, both visited the Palladium offices – or as Sean likes to call them, the Palladium studios. Sean and I spent an hour showing them just the color art, colored comic strip pages (30+ pages of comics between the two hardcovers), and RPG book layout. They loved it, with Michele stating, and Miki agreeing, that these are going to be some of the most impressive TMNT books ever published by anyone. They also loved the miniatures and Mutagen Green dice, and were surprised by the unique and powerful gray scale and red art for the Black, White, and Red edition hardcovers.


“Nobody’s expecting this,” said Michele. “Turtle fans are going to go crazy over all of this. I think Kevin Eastman’s variant cover is one of his best paintings.”


Artist Mark Dudley and two of his associates, Jeff and Nick, visited Palladium last Saturday to discuss the future of their own passion project for Palladium. It was a positive visit and they, like everyone else, went wild over the color work on the old art, the new tribute art, and the vast amount of impressive art and fun products for the TMNT & Other Strangeness Kickstarter. They too loved the Mutagen Green Dice and the dynamic poses and detail of the miniatures.


Everything about the TMNT & Other Strangeness Kickstarter has been a passion project. We are big fans like you and we want to wow you with everything we are offering.


Speaking of which, Backers can still add to your pledges. You do not want to miss out on anything. But DO SO SOON, because the Pledge Manager will be closing in a few weeks!


Likewise, any of you who missed the Kickstarter can place pre-orders for the non-exclusive TMNT & Other Strangeness products such as the two main hardcovers, the Black, White and Red edition hardcovers, Game Master Screen, and Mutagen Green Dice (boy, everyone goes nuts over them), at prices below final retail.




Unbeatable Savings at Bundle of Holding
ENDS MONDAY!


Something else you might enjoy. Since most of you are Palladium fans and adding to or rebuilding your collections, you should look at the two Rifts® Mega-Bundles of Holding sale. This is a way to get core Rifts rule books and a pile of key Rifts sourcebooks as searchable titles on the cheap. Plus a portion of your purchase helps a worthy charity. There is more information below or you can go direct to Bundle of Holding.


But you need to hurry, because this cost saving special offer ends Monday evening, June 10, 2024.


Enjoy!

The RIFTS CORE MEGA BUNDLE OF HOLDING
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/MegaRifts2024


Rifts® Ultimate Edition, 3 Rifts Guides and Kits, Index and Adventures V1-2, Rifts Sourcebook One, Book of Magic, Bestiary, Black Market, Bionics Sourcebook, 3 Rifts Conversion Books and 3 more Rifts Sourcebooks


The RIFTS COALITION WARS BUNDLE OF HOLDING
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/RiftsCoalition


Coalition War Campaign, Coalition Navy, 4 Rifts mercenary sourcebooks, Secrets of the Coalition States


Coalition Manhunters, Siege on Tolkeen – 7 adventures

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Is everything about the TMNT game, now?


We know some of you are thinking that, but it’s not. We are working on and plotting all kinds of books and products we know you will enjoy.


Some coming in the months ahead and some a ways off – all of them exciting and things we know you’ll enjoy.


Remember, Palladium’s new policy is to not talk about projects until they are getting close to going to the printer. That means I can’t name or talk about a couple of the first draft manuscripts that recently arrived for our review. Let’s face it, the unexpected death of Kathy Simmons threw a monkey-wrench into everything. She was loved by all and played such an important role at Palladium that her untimely death affected each and everyone of us in a deep and profound way – me most of all. I think even we ourselves forget we are only human. I like to think we are all super-heroes, but we’re not. As anyone who has suffered a profound loss knows, grief affects your ability to concentrate, focus, be efficient, and kills your imagination. It’s hard to get anything done, let alone be creative. In addition to the grief, you have to take action and learn to adjust to the loss and the new normal. But we are all finding our ways back to being productive and getting everything back on track.


A great many things other than TMNT are being quietly handled behind the scenes. I’m in the throes of finishing Yin-Sloth Expeditions right now, and it is epic. There is one unique location to visit after another. Each with an adventure as well as other notable NPCs, intrigue, and brewing trouble for players and Game Masters to build upon. In addition to fun encounters and experiences for players, there are relics, magic, and items of value to be acquired to empower and grow your characters. Contributing writer John Klinkel and I had a blast making the Yin-Sloth region revised and very expanded, and bigger and better than ever. Oh, and there’s something like 30 new maps and clean, new layout.


I’m also fooling around with a personal side project to celebrate Heroes Unlimited’s 40th Anniversary. That’s in addition to a new HU logo mug and T-shirt. Not sure yet if I can swing it, but fingers crossed. By the way, nobody at the office knows about it yet, not even Sean. So mum’s the word. I’m not supposed to announce anything until it’s really close to release and I’m not even sure I can squeeze it in with all my other responsibilities, but I’m trying hard. (No, it’s not a new edition of the RPG nor a special edition reprint of the first edition RPG. You’ll have to wait and see. – Sneaky, Kevin)


Then there are Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2 and Rifts® Antarctica both scheduled for a 2024 release, and that’s not all, there’s … um … gosh, I’ve already said too much. More in upcoming updates. I just want you to know that we will be supporting Palladium’s many other game lines. In fact, we have a few surprises coming over the next year and a half. Game on and check out my Closing Thoughts!


– Kevin Siembieda, That Publisher Guy

Palladium Books – Weekly Update – May 03, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Happy Friday, Palladium Fans!

🧟 WAKE THE DEAD SALE 🧛‍♀️

Undead rise from the earth like spring flowers. Pray you have the courage to stop them! Rescue the innocent from vampires, zombies, and other unspeakable horrors found in the pages of the RPGs and sourcebooks in this sale. Limited offer — up to 40% savings. SALE ENDS Wednesday May 8!

Hardcover books 20% off – Softcover books 30% off – Merchandise 40% off

Horror-filled PDFs up to 40% off at DriveThruRPG.com

I MISSED THE CAMPAIGN, BUT I WANT THOSE DICE!

NEW RELEASES IN PRINT

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Get it at PalladiumBooks

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Filled with Wonder and Excitement


Hey everyone,


I hope you are all doing well, enjoying lovely spring weather, and are excited about our new, horrifyingly fun sale on physical books and PDFs.


We continue to receive cards and condolences from our many fans and friends regarding the loss of Kathy Simmons, as well as inquiries about how I am doing. Thank you for caring so much. We appreciate your concern and words of love and compassion. All of you in our extended Palladium family of fans are so kind and downright awesome.


I won’t pretend the unexpected death of my sweetheart hasn’t been brutal – it has. She was a special person and loved deeply by me and countless others. We are getting through it as best we can and carry our many fond memories of Kathy in our hearts daily. And always will.


Life continues and it is filled with wonder and excitement. It was fun meeting and hanging out with the TransPerfect guys last week. The 3D printed TMNT & Other Strangeness miniature mock-ups they brought with them made my heart jump with joy. It was amazing to hold Doc Feral, Karl, Igor, the Terror Bears, the Turtles, Shredder and all the rest in my hands. They look beyond amazing. I was moved that they thought to present me a special, five inch tall Leonardo for my desk; I love it. I love all of the miniatures and the people responsible for their creation. I cannot recommend the two Kickstarter miniature sets enough. Wow. Mind-blowing. I have been pulling out various minis to randomly examine and enjoy all week. Today they were Casey Jones, Splinter, and the Triceraton. Dang, they are all so good.


I cannot stop playing with the Mutagen Green dice sample either! On Sunday, a visiting friend went bonkers over the dice. Sean worked with our manufacturer to create something unique and fun with these Mutagen Green dice. They feel good in your hand, roll nice, and look like dice containing active, mutagenic green ooze. Heck, I’m in my sixties, but all the miniatures, the dice, and seeing the finished color artwork going into final layout makes me feel like a teenager again. The fan boy in me is cheering and giddy with excitement every single day.


Speaking of art, I’m happy that Nickelodeon is approving the new illustrations I’ve done and that I get such positive feedback from them and people like Sophie Campbell. I did two tribute pages. One is a massive T-Rex menacing the Turtles (colored by Sophie). Sophie also enjoyed my latest tribute page featuring the four TMNT fighting Doctor Feral and his henchmen, including the fully human Otto Rattus appearing in an illustration for the first time ever! Her favorite part of it is Raphael punching out Otto, which made my heart sing. Every part of the TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux has been a labor of love.


I had a really nice time at Chaosium Con too – we love those guys. The event reminded Sean and I of our own Palladium Open House. There have been other business and personal moments that have brought me joy and remind me that life is beautiful, and that Kathy would want me and all of us to revel in every moment. In fact, I can’t wait for Free Comic Book Day this Saturday! Oops, there’s the little kid in me coming out again.


I’ve talked a lot about the TMNT project, but we have so much more happening behind the scenes and planned for the future. New books for Rifts, Palladium Fantasy, Beyond the Supernatural, and … well, I better not say too much just yet, but you’ll be doing a happy dance when we reveal them. In fact, I’m getting a hankering to sit down and do some writing right now. So I will bid you a fond goodbye for now. So much to do, plus Gen Con is right around the corner. We hope many of you will swing by the Palladium booth to say hello.


– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, and Friend


Palladium Books – Weekly Update – April 26, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Happy Friday, Palladium Fans!

A VISIT FROM OUR PARTNERS AT TRANSPERFECT GAMING

FROM THE FANS

Rebuilding My Collection


Hey Palladium,

I wanted to let you know these books I received are some of the finest quality I have ever been sent in orders from stores, Amazon, or directly from other game companies.


In the early days of the War on Terror, I was set to enter the military but my then fiancée and I needed some funds.  At the time I needed to sell what had been an impressive collection, many of which were Palladium books (I did keep the Robotech ones, The Sentinels and Invid Invasion weren’t going anywhere, although I did lose the out-of-print TMNT core book.)


My Rifts collection of over 20 books was sold as part of that, a particular favorite game as Robotech and Rifts were my first RPGs and later during his time writing South America and Underseas, C.J. Carella had written to me on a pair of occasions, I believe it was on AOL at the time!


A friend last year informed me all of those books were still in print and I could buy them off the official Palladium site, which led to this purchase, however post-service I am clinically OCD and the quality of a book purchased new is something I am EXTREMELY sensitive to (Amazon hates me as they handle things so poorly I return about 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 books).


I really want to call out the EXCEPTIONAL quality of the books you sent me and as this was a trial run to find out what that quality would be if I ordered from Palladium, I can assure you in the very near future I will continue to be re-purchasing my collection, probably starting with Mutants in Orbit. (When I was an early teenager and that book came out, I was actually living with my family at a now-closed Air Force Base, where my father was an instructor at Undergraduate Space Training and many of his fellow officers were gamers, so I was able to enjoy that book along with people who literally operated military satellites).

Anyway, I want to say Thank You once more for doing such an amazing job with these books you and Palladium have sent in helping me restore my collection.


Thank you for all your time in this.


Sincerely,                        


– A Palladium Fan

NEW RELEASES IN PRINT

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Get it at PalladiumBooks

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round


Howdy Y’all


Things are going pretty well here at Palladium. Kevin is back in the office more days than not, and the rest of the team is taking care of business and getting their jobs done. It’s a good thing to see.


This past weekend Kevin and I took up Rick’s invitation to attend Chaosium Con, held just 20 minutes down the road from the Palladium Books studio on the way to Ann Arbor. Rick Meints is the President of Chaosium, and we had a grand time hanging out with a bunch of the Chaosium dudes and chatting with talented creators including J.M. DeFoggi as well as artist Tom Sullivan. Tom does art for Call of Cthulhu, and also happens to be the guy that did the special effects on Evil Dead 2 — yes, I got to hold the actual Necronomicon! Overall a very positive experience, and it’s always enlightening to chat with Rick, compare notes, and swap some friendly business advice.


On Tuesday we had a VIP delegation visit from TransPerfect Gaming. Our trusted friend and their local marketing guy Ryan McDaniel was joined by his boss Alex (in charge of sales and outreach) as well as Nicholas Kay (global art director). They brought some 3D printed prototypes of the TMNT miniatures, including a massive Leonardo which you can see in a photo at the top of this newsletter. We chatted about strategic stuff they are helping us with and multiple exciting future projects that I can’t divulge anything about yet, but Kevin isn’t joking when he says we have big plans cooking behind the scenes.


As for me, I’ve been cranking away on the TMNT & Other Strangeness redux edition editing work, and I can already tell you that you’re getting a few more bonus mutant animals than we officially announced — I know, I know, you can thank me later.


This is a pretty simple update without any core uplifting message except to let you know that we are hard at work making the things that
you, our loyal fans, have asked us for to come true. That really is the core of our business and always will be, because we are gamers just like all of you. Thanks again for tuning in.


– Sean Owen Roberson, Writer, Designer, Adventurer


Palladium Books – Weekly Update – April 19, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Happy Friday, Palladium Fans!

Take advantage of this unbeatable price!

NEW RELEASES IN PRINT

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Get it at PalladiumBooks

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Keep On Truckin’


I just wanted to share a short message with you this week. As you know, Kevin is grieving the loss of his love and partner of 20 years, Kathy. He is doing well, and appreciates the outpouring of support and care from all of you.


Her loss and his absence hasn’t been fun or easy for the rest of us here at Palladium, primarily because we worked with Kathy and adored her, but also because we are all concerned for Kevin. But, the pain is no longer fresh for us, and lessens a little each week. Each day is a bit easier to get through, and I’m proud of how the team has come together.


I mention this because sometimes when you are in the midst of troubles and their accompanying sorrows, it can feel like the whole world is collapsing on top of you and your situation will never change. While your world may never be the same, it will get better and you will adjust to a new paradigm, a new daily rhythm. There are always new things to smile about, to appreciate, and to be proud of.


As I continue working on the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness redux edition, I see so much beauty and positivity created by so many talented folks. We truly are blessed to be working on such a special project — dreamed up and requested by you, our fans. So I guess the message is to focus on the positive and keep plugging away until you get to the other side of tough times… in other words, “keep on truckin.”


– Sean Owen Roberson, Writer, Designer, Adventurer


Palladium Books – Weekly Update – April 12, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Hello Palladium Fans!

Get your favorites today

NEW RELEASES

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Get it at PalladiumBooks

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

CLOSING THOUGHTS

I’m Back – Mini Kevin Update


This is my first week back at the Palladium office since the unexpected death of my beautiful Kathy Simmons. I had popped in to the office here and there for a few minutes at a time, checked in every day, and I had continued to work on artwork for TMNT & Other Strangeness books at home, but that was it. I’m far from 100%, but I am back at work and trying to catch up with everything piled on my desk.


Thank you for the many cards, notes, emails, text messages, online posts, and calls of condolence. I appreciate them all very much. Kathy meant the world to me. Not just me, but many of you as well. She was a special lady who was loved and respected by all who met her. She is so missed.


This one has been rough, but I’m feeling a little better with every passing day. As it is with the loss of a loved one, the grief comes in waves. One minute you’re doing fine — great even — the next you’re feeling blue or crying. I was doing pretty well the last few days until I came upon a mountain of Halloween photos (our favorite holiday together) and a bookmark with a touching saying on it. I know it reflected Kathy’s feelings for me and vice versa. Kathy and I were the very best of best friends. The Inscription read:


A best friend stands by you when no one else cares,

understands you when no one else tries,

and believes in you when no one else does.

I’m very lucky to have a friend like you.


The floodgates opened and I sobbed and sobbed. It was good to let it out. I’ve lost a lot of people and have found grief affects you in different ways depending on the person and your relationship to them. Kathy’s death has been more profound than others, yet when I speak of her, there is often a mix of sadness and humor. We laughed a lot.


I want you to know I’m doing as well as can be expected. I have a legion of amazing friends who make sure I’m doing okay, as well as an army of fans who I know share my broken heart and wish me and Kathy’s family well.


Moreover, I can hardly wait to get back to writing books again. Very soon, I think. I’m already getting ideas for ways to improve and finish Yin-Sloth Expeditions as well as longing to do work on Rifts® Antarctica. Actually, all sorts of ideas are starting to boil. Palladium’s future is bright. There are many exciting plans and projects happening behind the scenes and just wait until books start to hit store shelves. Awesomeness is coming.


Please note, I (Kevin) will be at the Ann Arbor Game Con sponsored by and held at the Main Public Library in downtown Ann Arbor, 11 AM to 5 PM, Saturday, April 13. Sean Owen Roberson and Ryan McDaniel will be in attendance as well. Sean and I had a blast last year and we are bringing even more books and items to sell this year. As always, we are happy to chat and sign books. We look forward to seeing some of you there. For those of you who can’t attend, please enjoy our print sale and TMNT updates.


Four new color art prints have been added to Palladium’s online store. All are $10 each, 8 1/2 x 11 in size, and suitable for framing. Much more is coming. Game on.


– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, Friend


Palladium Books – Weekly Update – April 05, 2024

ONE GAME SYSTEM – EVERY GENRE – COUNTLESS WORLDS – ENDLESS ADVENTURE

Hello Palladium Fans!

NEW RELEASES

Rifts® Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook

Yin-Sloth Jungles™ Expanded and Revised

Get it at PalladiumBooks

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Every ending brings a new beginning


Hi Palladium Fans,


We just sent out a special message regarding the passing of Kevin’s beloved partner Kathy Simmons, with information for the many of you who wish to support Kevin and remember Kathy at this time. Please read it in full here.


I just want to expand on what I said at the end of that message a little bit. Kevin and I want to sincerely thank all of you for your support at this time. We’ve been inundated with your condolences, prayers, thoughts, and remembrances of Kathy. This has buoyed our spirits. Many of your heartfelt personal messages have brought tears to our eyes, thank you.


Processing shock and grief is tough, but Kevin is doing a little better each day. He and Kathy’s daughter are making the many necessary arrangements regarding her affairs, which is time consuming hard work. Still, Kevin has been in the office a bit and is even finishing up new illustrations for the TMNT&OS Redux Edition books, so I’d say that’s pretty dang good.


I was a missionary in my youth. I’m a military veteran. I’ve presided over weddings and funerals. I’ve known deep loss, and of course joy. Having experienced all of that, I can tell you Kevin Siembieda is going to be just fine, and so will Palladium Books. Please don’t worry, but do keep us in your prayers and meditations.


With Kathy’s Alzheimer’s, we knew this day would come sooner than later and were already putting plans into place. Those plans are now being put into action by great people – with minimal input needed from me and Kevin. That leaves us more free than ever to just write books and collaborate with talented artists. That’s the dream right?


Every ending brings a new beginning. The cycle of life continues in its wonder.



– Sean Owen Roberson, Writer, Designer, Adventurer


Palladium Books – Remembering Kathy Simmons – April 04, 2024

A Hero’s Journey ~ 1952-2024


There is so much I could say about Kathy Simmons, yet I struggled with her passing and those words until this morning. Here goes …


J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit shows us that life is a journey. One that takes us out of our comfort zone and carries us on the winds of adventure and to heights we may have never imagined possible for ourselves.


During life’s journey we meet the most unusual and amazing people. Many of whom become friends and partners, mentors and lovers. People who teach us things about the world and about ourselves. People who share our values and help to instill us with courage, strength, and love we may not have realized we possess. I have been privileged to know many such astonishing souls who have taken me on unexpected journeys.


Kathy Simmons, however, is among the greatest heroes in my life’s journeys. She radiated love and joy and sincerity. She brought love and laughter wherever she went and everyone who met her was better for the experience. If you are reading this, odds are good that you’re one of those people.


You might not have known it from her smiling face, kind eyes, soft voice, and welcoming manner, but Kathy was a warrior born – tough as nails, smart, capable, and heroic. She faced and vanquished many a fierce adversary with uncommon valor and superhuman strength. And did so without a word of complaint.


The first time I walked into her backyard I thought I had been teleported to paradise. A domain of towering trees gently swaying in a warm summer breeze against a brilliant blue sky. A cascade of colorful flowers and ferns hung from elevated flower beds, trees, and flower baskets. Among them playful, painted signs and electric palm trees that helped make the patio area all the more inviting and exotic.


All who entered were greeted by the sounds of laughter from friends already present and a symphony of animal sounds. There was an abundance of food and drinks, and an empty chair waiting for me at the patio table with her friends.


Butterflies danced among the flowers and dodged incoming hummingbirds. A steady stream of multi-colored avians came and joined the festivities because there was food for them as well. Yellow finches, brilliant red cardinals, swooping blue jays, downy and red-headed woodpeckers, bands of sparrows and wrens, cheerful chickadees, bold nuthatches, joined by a pair of brave little chipmunks and a procession of friendly squirrels that came right up to your feet, came and went while robins and other songbirds serenaded us. I kid you not, it was like a scene from a Disney movie – Sleeping Beauty to be exact – and Kathy was the kind and lovely princess.


All of it a reflection of Kathy’s magnificent soul.


This was the beginning of my unexpected and wondrous journey with Kathy Simmons. We would share many glorious adventures together and triumph over many challenges. She told me I was her rock. Her knight in shining armor. But to paraphrase a line from one of her favorite movies, “she rescued me right back.”


That lovely journey came to an abrupt end on March 24, 2024, when her big, generous heart stopped and mine broke in half. In a way, it was a blessing. Her body and mind had begun to fail her and Kathy’s heart attack enabled her to slip the tightening grasp of Alzheimer’s disease while she was still her joyful self.


Our Sweet Kathy is missed by everyone who knew her, but please remember her with fondness and a smile.


Kathy loved Palladium Books and YOU, our fans, which is why I want to share this one last story with you.


During Palladium’s first Open House (2006) we were dealing with the Crisis of Treachery and our fate was uncertain. One of you – I’m so sorry, I forget who – bought a copy of my Save Palladium Books art print, matted and framed it, and covertly had fans in attendance sign it over the course of the weekend. A couple hundred signatures, maybe more(!) fill every inch of the print and the matte around it. It was presented to me on the last day of the event by a throng of cheering gamers. Friends all. We were all deeply moved by this generous gift – Kathy, so much so, that she implored me to let her hang it in a place of honor in her office at our home in paradise. It hangs there still.


Though her life’s journey with us has ended and she is deeply missed, our beautiful Kathy remains alive and vibrant in our hearts. She will be loved and remembered always by me, her daughter Tina, and countless others. My condolences to everyone who loved her. My thanks and love to the legion of friends, family, and fans who have already reached out to me. Your kind words and concern for me and Tina touch my heart and bring us a moment of joy knowing so many loved her as much as we did. Thank you, my friends. Goodbye, My Love.


– Kevin Siembieda, Kathy’s life partner, best friend, love

How You Can Help



Hello readers,


Many of you have expressed a sincere desire to send cards, food, and flowers or do something for Kevin and the family to help them get through this time of sorrow. Kevin appreciates your kind intentions but says none of that is necessary.


However, many of you have reached out to me personally, so I know you still want to do something — I suggest the following:


FOR KEVIN


Cards, letters, and non-perishable items (please no flowers or plants) may be sent in care of Palladium Books to 39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185-7606.


Gift cards are great for Kevin right now, for those of you who wish to feed him. His neighbors currently have him in good supply of home cooked meals, but gift cards for Kroger (grocery store), Applebee’s (restaurant), or Red Lobster (restaurant) will be of good use to Kevin before long.


FOR KATHY


In lieu of flowers, please honor Kathy by making a donation in her name to either of the following charities.


1. Feral Kitty Trappers TNR was a huge help and comfort to Kathy as she loved all animals and cared for a colony of feral cats at her home with Kevin for 15+ years, with many of the people working there becoming her friends. Kevin vouches that these people are saints, kind and helpful to people and cats.


Feral Kitty Trappers TNR – based in South Lyon, Michigan, helps feral cat caretakers with Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Kittens are trapped and taken to an accredited TNR facility where cats receive a wellness check, spay/neuter, a rabies vaccine, and ear tipped. Then returned back to their trapping location. This is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run by volunteers and funded by donations. All funds are used for cats.


Email: feralkittytrapperstnr@gmail.com

Phone: 248-756-1508

Website: https://www.feralkittytrapperstnr.org/



2. Alzheimer’s Disease Research – nuff said. Fund matching program till April 22, 2024.


Website: brightfocus.org/ADRmatch



MEMORIAL SERVICE

Many of you have asked about a public memorial service for Kathy. Kevin plans to do one in the near future, but right now the grief is too fresh for the family. We will keep you posted by email once arrangements are made in the next month or two.


THANK YOU


I want to sincerely thank all of you for your support at this time. We’ve been inundated with your condolences, prayers, thoughts, and personal remembrances of Kathy. This has buoyed our spirits.


Kevin is doing well, all things considered, but processing shock and grief is tough. There are also many arrangements to be made regarding Kathy’s affairs, which is time consuming. This isn’t my first rodeo, and I can tell you Kevin Siembieda is going to be just fine. So please don’t worry. With Kathy’s Alzheimer’s, we knew this day would come sooner than later and were already putting plans into place. Those plans are now in action. Palladium Books will be just fine, even if we are all a little sad right now.


Every ending brings a new beginning, and the cycle of life continues in its wonder.


– Sean Owen Roberson, Kevin’s friend


SALE Final Weekend – Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – March 21, 2024

Update Opening Graphic

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

By Kevin Siembieda & Sean Owen Roberson

Final days of Palladium’s GM’s Days Sale, so please spread the word and continue to enjoy the big savings. 30% discount on key RPGs, sourcebooks, and hardcovers across the Megaverse®. See more details below.

Sale Items at PalladiumBooks.com

UPDATE: Rifts® Coalition Manhunters sales heat up. This book has been available for a while, but many gamers have only been discovering it over the last 10 months. That’s wonderful, because I think it is one of the best books I’ve ever written about the Coalition States, its society, Psi-Hounds, and its secret psychic forces. Here’s what a renowned comic book writer, artist, and gamer recently had to say about it:

“I’ve been reading Coalition Manhunters, it’s SO good, I love how detailed and dense it is! I’m using a bunch of stuff from it for a Rifts campaign I’m putting together. – Sophie Campbell

Rifts Coalition Manhunters at PalladiumBooks.com

NEW on DriveThru – Rifts® Titan Robotics PDF now available on DriveThruRPG.com – Wayne has made Titan Robotics available as a bookmarked PDF on DriveThru. Rifts® Manhunters, all issues of The Rifter®, and most of Palladium’s 300+ titles are also available as PDFs.

Rifts Titan Robotics PDF at DriveThruRPG.com

What’s hot at Palladium? Thanks to our ongoing sale, core rule books, hardcovers, back issues of The Rifter®, Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, and Heroes Unlimited are hot, hot, hot.

NEWS! LIVE interview on Legion of Myth with Kevin Siembieda and Sean Owen Roberson this Sunday, March 24, starting at 3:00 PM Eastern Time. We’ll be talking about all things Palladium Books including progress on the TMNT & Other Strangeness Kickstarter (it’s all looking amazing!), the Expanded Valley of the Pharaohs 40th Anniversary Edition Kickstarter (ending in less than two weeks), answering some of your questions, and whatever is on the guys’ minds. It will be a fun time so please join us.

Legion of Myth on YouTube

NEWS! Early Days of Palladium Books Interviews is a fun, ongoing series of audio podcasts by the good folks at The Glitterbois. They’ve already posted 3 of them. I think our talk about the TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG taped Tuesday night will be made available this weekend. The 1980s and 1990s Robotech® RPG series is our next topic. With Rifts® and Palladium’s horror topics to follow in the weeks ahead.

The Glitterbois on YouTube

TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover

Backers, we need your Pledge Manager Survey before it closes in a couple of weeks! All Backers, you still have time to upgrade your pledge and add Kickstarter Exclusives for yourself and friends. TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Exclusives will be very limited production runs, will NOT be for general sale, and are destined to become high-priced collector items. Get them at what will be rock-bottom prices now while you can, because these rare, limited run editions will cost many times more, very quickly. When you see the high quality and beauty of these books, miniatures, and dice, you will understand why they will become so desired by TMNT fans everywhere. That will be especially true of the variant covers, one by Kevin Eastman, one by Sophie Campbell, and the two Mutagen Green Foil covers by Eastman and Laird – as well as those two highly detailed miniature sets, prints, playing cards, etc. Think ahead to birthdays and Christmas. When we say Kickstarter Exclusives, we mean Kickstarter Exclusives!

Backers, click here to start your survey.

Four crowdfunding campaigns you may want to support

Final Hours! Savage Worlds Science Fiction Companion Kickstarter. Fully compatible with Rifts® for Savage Worlds, the SWADE Science Fiction Companion from Pinnacle Entertainment Group is in its final hours of funding. This 200+ page hardcover expands options for space travel, giant war-walkers, cyberware, transhumanism, exploration gear, and more to help you add everything from Space Opera to the hardest Sci-Fi to your games. The Sci-Fi Bundle pledge includes the companion, a hardcover adventure book, Pawns, Archetype Cards, an Action Deck, and Vehicle Cards. Go to the Kickstarter for more detail.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/545820095/savage-worlds-sci-fi-companion?ref=8zboc0

Final Days! The Valley of the Pharaohs – Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition KICKSTARTER – If you haven’t taken a look at this cool, nostalgic Kickstarter project, you should, especially if you are a Palladium Books collector. The original Valley of the Pharaohs is a coveted collector’s item. This special Kickstarter release by the original author, Matthew Balent, greatly expands upon the original work adding close to 200 pages of new gaming material. Though it is NOT a Palladium Books Kickstarter, we authorize and endorse this impressive expanded edition. It has Palladium’s stamp of approval and I can’t wait to get my copy. – Kevin Siembieda

Valley of the Pharaohs 40th Anniversary Kickstarter

Bric Sanctuary needs your HELP to save lives. Please, please help if you can. If only 1,000 of you pledged a $5 donation, it would be $5,000 to a noble cause that saves lives. This is one of Sean and my (Kevin Siembieda) favorite charities. All the money goes to the people being helped by the charity and it truly saves and improves lives. Please find it in your heart to support the downtrodden through these valiant efforts to help people in an often forgotten part of the world. These are vulnerable people with no voice. They need our help. Thank you. See complete details elsewhere in this Update. This fundraiser ends in a week or so. Please help. Thank you.

GiveSendGo – BRIC and Goma Citizens need help

HEROIC RPG crowdfunder on BackerKit by our pal Bear is an old school style RPG that you might find fun. There seems to be some serious interest in it as it has already funded and is doing well. Click on the link below to get to the crowdfunding campaign for more information.

https://www.tinyurl.com/heroicrpg

GM's Days Sale

Huge SALE! Palladium’s GM’s Days Sale – physical books at PalladiumBooks.com – ALL at a 30% discount

A huge 30% discount on books in Palladium’s GM’s Days (and players) sale with a wide range of select titles – all books Game Masters and players will find handy and fun, including several hardcovers, Rifter® issues, Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited, After the Bomb®, and Fantasy titles. Remember, the books in the Palladium Weapons & Castles series are designed for use with every edition of D&D, Pathfinder, and ANY role-playing game. While Palladium’s dragons, gods, magic, and characters can be easily adapted to other game systems, they are most epic in our original settings. Game on!

Sale Items at PalladiumBooks.com

TMNT and Other Strangeness Game Master Screen

The Pre-Order Store for TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG is open!

Even if you did not back the TMNT & Other Strangeness Kickstarter, you can pre-order the mainstream books at the lower Kickstarter prices. Available items include the following.

Redux TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG (remastered RPG with bonus content, Truckin’ Turtles, Turtles Go Hollywood, plus loads of tribute and behind the scenes art, history, remembrances, and information; full color).

Transdimensional TMNT (remastered Transdimensional TMNT with bonus content, TMNT Adventures, TMNT Guide to the Universe, plus loads of tribute art and behind the scenes information; full color).

TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Game Master Screen – Featuring fan favorite art by Kevin Eastman, Freddie E. Williams II, and Michael Majestic. It includes plastic pockets for changing the information as the G.M. desires.

Mutagen Green Dice – Unique and radical. WARNING: Palladium Books is not liable for any mutations or super abilities that may result from the use of these dice.

Black, White & Red TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG – Sensational black, grayscale, and red color treatment to the art plus the full color bonus material (includes remastered RPG, Truckin’ Turtles, Turtles Go Hollywood, plus loads of color tribute and behind the scenes artwork, history, remembrances, and information; special and dynamic).

Black, White & Red Transdimensional TMNT – Black, grayscale, and red color treatment to the art plus the full color bonus material (includes remastered Transdimensional TMNT, TMNT Adventures, TMNT Guide to the Universe, plus loads of color tribute art, behind the scenes art, remembrances, and information; special and dynamic).

Note #1: The variant cover edition books (gorgeous), two miniature sets, FanRoll dice sets and accessories, poker deck, art prints, etc., are only available to Kickstarter Backers. If you are not a Backer, you’ll need to find a friend who did back it and see if they are willing to add the items you want to their pledge. As originally announced in the Kickstarter, we anticipate the books and exclusives all shipping to Backers in September.

Note #2: Remember, you can supplement your TMNT adventures (or get a jump on them now) with the Heroes Unlimited RPG and sourcebooks like Mutant Underground, Ninjas & Superspies RPG, Mystic China, and the After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Mutants! Mutants everywhere!

Non-Backers, click here to go to the Pre-Order store.

Rifts Titan Robotics

New on DriveThruRPG.com – Rifts® Titan Robotics joins 300+ RPG titles, and more from Palladium Books

Rifts® Titan Robotics is a high-tech toy box filled with new types of Titan Robotics power armor, giant robots, vehicles, weapons, and gear. Shrouded in secrecy and rumor, the true story of Titan Robotics is finally revealed. The enigmatic arms manufacturer’s undisclosed operations and special projects unveil the shocking truth – androids walk among us and enact a mysterious plan with goals unknown to the unsuspecting world. While their existence is hidden from the public, Titan’s powerful robots and power armor suits are becoming more popular than ever before. Go on covert missions, engage in industrial espionage, uncover shocking truths, get awesome new gear, and enjoy wild adventures.

  • Visit the gleaming steel and metal of a Titan Robotics™ showroom, and test-drive their newest models.
  • 18 giant robots.
  • 12 power armors.
  • Weapons, gear and notable vehicles.
  • Gunny’s Depots – arms dealer and part of Titan’s hidden network.
  • Play a Syntharoid sentient human replica android.
  • Play a Titan Dispatcher and join a Titan Robotics Courier Team.
  • Discover ARCHIE and Hagan’s hidden agendas and secret operations.
  • Explore Titan’s shadowy web of informants and how it prospers and grows.
  • Intrigue, espionage, adventure prompts and ideas, NPCs, and more.
  • 192 pages written by Sean Owen Roberson and Matthew Clements. Cover by Mike Majestic.

No other game company offers more game worlds for so many different genres. Best of all, learn to play one Palladium RPG and you can play them all, because each uses the same basic core rules and combat. There are differences, but the fundamentals are the same. This also means you can bring characters, villains, monsters, powers, magic, weapons, gear, and adventure ideas from one setting into another or mash them together!

Palladium PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com

  • Rifts® RPG Megaverse®. Rifts® is the ultimate setting in which you can combine any number of genres and style of game play you may desire: science fiction and technology, fantasy and magic, horror and the supernatural, noir, cowboy adventures, space opera, and more. Play humans, aliens, dimensional beings, modern knights, cyborgs, giant robots, mages, psychics, mutant animals, dinosaur tamers, dragon hatchlings, vampires, werebeasts, dimensional travelers, cowboys, and more to become heroes of legend. Combine any and all of these genres and characters into a wild and fun, yet plausible setting. There has never been a game quite like Rifts®.
  • Rifts® Chaos Earth® titles. Live through the Great Cataclysm and the Coming of the Rifts that created Rifts Earth. Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG, Creatures of Chaos™, Rise of Magic™, and Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ are all available.
  • The Rifter® #1-85. Each issue is a wealth of source material for Rifts® and 3-5 other Palladium game settings. More than 8,600 pages of source material and counting. Most issues are only available in digital form.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG® titles. A rich, original setting in which you can play humans or any number of nonhuman species of people in a world of magic, heroes and wonder. All of it epic.
  • Dead Reign® RPG and sourcebooks. The Zombie Apocalypse unleashed. A great introductory RPG that is surprisingly uplifting, fun, fast, and easy to learn.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Second Edition titles. Create any type of superhuman you can imagine to build your own super-hero universe.
  • Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, super-spies, gizmos, mystic powers, and magic in the main book, plus even more in Mystic China.
  • Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG and sourcebooks. Modern horror; 14 character classes, 42 occupations for “ordinary people,” 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, and more.
  • Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks – Urban Fantasy. Only you know the truth. Only you can see the Nightlords and their demonic minions. Only you have the power to stop the spreading evil and save lives. But you are just a teen or young adult. There’s no manual on how to use your special powers and magic, and you must transform into your monstrous Morphus to use them. Trust no one.
  • After the Bomb® RPG series and world setting. A post-apocalypse Earth where human civilization has crumbled and legions of mutant animals are the heirs apparent. The RPG presents stats for 100+ mutant animals, 52 animal powers, 33 animal psionics, Chimeras, and rules for creating any mutant animal you can imagine – plus the Empire of Humanity and the ruins of North America. Each sourcebook offers new mutants, world information, and adventure ideas. Or create mutant animals for use in TMNT, Heroes Unlimited, Rifts, and others.
  • Rifts® Phase World® and the Three Galaxies – sprawling space opera! Dozens of alien worlds and their people, Cosmo-Knights, Atlanteans, Prometheans, dimensional gateways, evil empires, villains, heroes, strange beings, alien tech, alien magic, rules for creating spacecraft, planets and dimensions (see Megaverse Builder), and much, much more.
  • The Mechanoid Invasion® RPG Trilogy (The Mechanoid Invasion, The Journey and Home World). Dystopian science fiction at its best. This is the very first RPG (1981) published by Palladium Books, about planet devouring, robotic invaders from outer space. They target all humanoids, but loathe humans most of all. Three generations of galactic heroes battle the Mechanoid® invaders. Also see Rifts® Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids® featuring a Mechanoid threat to Rifts® Earth unless you and Archie Three can stop them.
  • Splicers® RPG. More dystopian science fiction as humans must turn to living weapons, living power armor, and genetically engineered war mounts to battle the self-appointed caretaker of humanity. The insane artificial intelligence known as Nexus and her many multiple personalities. Think Guyver meets the Terminator with elements of horror, epic and different.
  • Systems Failure™ RPG. You play rough and tumble survivors of an alien invasion that has ravaged Earth and “turned off” technology. It is time to fight back, kill “the Bugs,” and reclaim our world for humanity. A standalone RPG designed to poke fun at the fears about the end of the world. A cult favorite and lots of fun. Kill the bugs!
  • Wormwood, a Rifts® Dimension Book setting. A strange and alien fantasy world inspired by the twisted and fun concepts and art of comic book legends Timothy Truman and Flint Henry. Be a Holy Terror, Wormspeaker, or Apok to battle the demonic beings threatening to overtake the world.
  • RECON®, Deluxe Revised RPG. Fast military combat and action set in a fictional era of the Vietnam War. Different game rules by Joe Martin and Erick Wujcik.
  • The Palladium Weapons & Castles Series – for use with any game system. Nearly 1,000 weapons, scores of castles and floor plans. All historically accurate, real world weapons and castles throughout the ages.

UPDATED Rifts® Automated Character Sheet now available. Three updates, in fact. 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. Note: If you already purchased this item, you can download the updated version for free. Enjoy.

Rifts Automated Character Sheet at PalladiumBooks.com Rifts Automated Interactive Character Sheet at DriveThruRPG

FREE Nightbane® RPG digital Sneak Preview on DriveThruRPG.com – Have you been wondering what the buzz is all about for Nightbane® and Urban Fantasy? Well, now you can see for yourself with this fun Preview of the core rule book. There are also free Sneak Previews of Creature Feature™, Dead Reign®, BTS, and numerous Rifts® books and other titles, including Rifts® Manhunters™, Titan Robotics™, Northern Gun™ One and Two, Lemuria, and more.

Palladium PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com

TMNT Kickstarter

A New Remembrance Sneak Preview

Remembering the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG and its author Erick Wujcik

When I discovered the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic in 1984, I was mesmerized by the sheer grit of the characters and the art style was nothing I have ever seen before. I felt like they were actually speaking to me, in the way they were presented. I, as a teenager, felt like them. I would purchase all the comic books, and one of them showed you how to use a Bo staff that I still can replicate from memory to this day anytime I have a broom in my hand. Then, in 1985 the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG came out, and here was a chance for me to play as a character in this world that meant so much to me. I have very fond memories of playing with my friends that we still talk about to this day.

– James Simpson, Owner of Cellbloc Studios and Associate of Larry Elmore Productions

[Note: Just as I do for the Christmas Surprise Package Comments from Fans Like You, I will include a few of my own thoughts and memories (sometimes Sean will too). I hope you enjoy this new, limited, feature. It was Sean’s idea and I love it. – Kevin Siembieda]

James is a friend of Larry Elmore and involved in the making and marketing of many Elmore products as well as being involved in the RPG industry. He’s a huge TMNT fan so I asked him to write a remembrance. Larry Elmore, himself, has no direct first-hand stories of the Ninja Turtles, except through his kids and grandchildren who all know and love the Ninja Turtles. In fact, Larry agreed to do a tribute page of art for the Redux edition for them and because, and I quote, “How can I say no to an old friend like you, Kevin?”

That last sentiment is one of the things that makes this project pure joy for me and Sean – working with legends in the comic book and gaming industry who love the TMNT, the RPG, and yes, even me. It has been a delight to reunite with old friends like Larry, Kevin, Peter, Freddie, Jim, Steve, Dan, Ramon, Mike, Apollo, Ryan, and a whole lot of other friends. It has also been wonderful making new friends and acquaintances who have been a pleasure to work with like Sophie, Ciro, Luis, Jeremy, David, Chris, and, again, a whole lot of other people. That includes many fans, podcasters, and YouTubers who are quickly becoming friends. It means the world to me that I can reach out to these wonderful people to chat with about the Turtles, gaming, artwork, writing, etc. We laugh, reminisce, spit-ball ideas, and enjoy great conversations (when we can squeeze them in). Awesome.

I was surprised and honored when our Paramount liaison suggested that Sophie would want to color my Transdimensional TMNT tribute art and that I should ask her to do so. I did. She said, and I quote, “Yes, yes, yes. I’d love to.” Followed by an email after Sean sent her the artwork, “Got it! Looks great!” Plus the note that opens this Weekly Update about how much she’s enjoying Rifts CS Manhunters.

I’m a comic book fan boy who admires Sophie and her art and writing, so I was over the moon that she said my art looks great and was loving Manhunters. I can’t wait to see her colors on my art.

There has been one beautiful, meaningful (to me) moment like that after another. Many of those moments have been with Sean. Watching him work so hard and with such passion, and witnessing his excitement meeting all these awesome artists and creators. The TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux has been a ton of hard work and we are hip deep in it. Sean and I are fighting exhaustion on a regular basis, but it is also supremely rewarding. A true high note in my long life of making RPGs that I will never forget. And now I’m making them with a great partner and friend like Sean and the rest of the crew. Wow, I am blessed.

– Kevin Siembieda, That Publisher Guy

Closing Thoughts by Sean – The Savage Side of Things

Hello there,

I wanted to reflect on this week’s TMNT Remembrance sneak preview, and Kevin’s comments on what an awesome project this has been to helm and work on alongside all of the legendary artists and creatives associated with the Ninja Turtles. I just realized, it’s virtually every single one of them. Amazing!

Another project that I was thrilled to work on over three years ago was the nascent SciFi Companion for the Adventure Edition of the Savage Worlds role-playing game. Shane Hensley, the creator of Savage Worlds, asked me to contribute to it to make sure all of the guns, armor, and vehicle statistics would play well with the Rifts for Savage Worlds series of books that I work on as the Line Editor.

Well, I did that, but I also got excited and added more material like a section of advice on how to run different flavors of science fiction adventure – everything from “hard” science fiction like The Expanse or 2001: A Space Odyssey to “space opera” like Star Wars or Flash Gordon. Oddly enough (as is often the case with publishing), even though work on that companion book started very early after the release of the new rules edition, most of the other books like the Horror Companion and Fantasy Companion ended up coming to market before it. Even so, it was cool to see similar Game Master advice for running various subgenres of horror and fantasy included in those books as well; it seems the concept struck a chord.

I just finished doing a comparison of my initial manuscript (version sixteen of the SciFi Companion) with the one currently in production (version ninety-one) and I’m proud to see that my contributions have weathered the edits and remain in the book intact, often with more great ideas layered on top. This includes all the fantastic new aliens, weapons, armor, and gear – so if you are a fan of Rifts for Savage Worlds I think you will get a lot of mileage out of this book.

But do it quick, because as I write this the Kickstarter is just about to end!

Savage World SciFi Companion Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/545820095/savage-worlds-sci-fi-companion

– Sean Owen Roberson, Writer, Designer, Adventurer

© 2024 Palladium Books Inc. All Rights Reserved. Palladium Books®, Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Dead Reign®, Chaos Earth®, The Mechanoids®, Megaverse®, Nightbane®, Powers Unlimited®, Splicers®, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, After the Bomb®, and all related titles, names and slogans are trademarks of Palladium Books.

TMNT © 2024 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related titles, logos, and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

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

Huge Sale – Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – March 14, 2024

Update Opening Graphic

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

By Kevin Siembieda & Sean Owen Roberson

We hope you are all enjoying the unseasonable warm weather like we are here in Michigan. This time last year we and a large section of North America were in the deep freeze and getting clobbered by a couple of powerful snowstorms that knocked out power and caused a lot of tree damage. I never chopped up and hauled away so many huge, fallen branches as I did last winter. So this beautiful, spring-like weather is a very pleasant and welcomed surprise. I hope it lasts.

Huge Palladium GM’s Day SALE – 30% discount! Dozens of core rule books, hardcovers, and sourcebooks ideal for Game Masters (and players) are on sale along with a few issues of The Rifter®. This is a great way to try new settings, get adventure material, and build your gaming library; complete product list and details below. Note: We have been so busy that we completely missed telling you about DriveThruRPG’s big, annual GM’s Day Sale of PDF titles. Sorry about that. We hope many of you found it on your own. Last year, Palladium also hosted a similar GM’s Day Sale for physical books too, and you loved it. So we are launching that sale for you today. See complete details below.

Sale Items at PalladiumBooks.com

NEW on DriveThru – Rifts® Titan Robotics PDF now available on DriveThruRPG.com – Wayne has made Titan Robotics available as a bookmarked PDF on DriveThru. Rifts® Manhunters, all issues of The Rifter®, and most of Palladium’s 300+ titles are also available as PDFs.

Rifts Titan Robotics PDF at DriveThruRPG.com

General Update: Meanwhile, we continue to pound away on TMNT & Other Strangeness, Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2, Fantasy: Yin-Sloth Expeditions (as I can), and other Palladium projects. By the way, I’ve told a handful of people about the brand new adventure written for the Orcish Empire part of the book by me and John Klinkel, and they have all gone wild over it. You will too. It’s a little something to illustrate the hidden dangers of the past laying in wait in the jungles.

The Valley of the Pharaohs – Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition KICKSTARTER – If you haven’t taken a look at this cool, nostalgic Kickstarter project, you should, especially if you are a Palladium Books collector. This is NOT a Palladium Books Kickstarter, but it is being written by the original Palladium creator, Matthew Balent, and has Palladium’s stamp of approval. Click on the link below for more information:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mbalent/the-valley-of-the-pharaohs-40th-anniversary-edition

TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG PRE-ORDER Store is open! Even if you missed the Kickstarter, you can still pre-order the mainstream books, Black, White & Red editions, the Game Master Guide, and Mutagen Green Dice at the low Kickstarter prices. These items will continue to be available from Palladium Books and in stores after product ships to our backers in September, but will be $5-$10 higher when they go to retail, so this is a way to save some money in the long run.

TMNT and Other Strangeness Redux Pre-Order Store

TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Variant Cover

HURRY! Ninja Turtles collector items from Palladium’s TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Kickstarter/BackerKit Pledge Manager are still available to Backers! But only for a few more weeks. The variant book covers – one by Kevin Eastman, one by Sophie Campbell, and the two Mutagen Green Foil covers by Eastman and Laird – as well as those two incredible miniature sets, are certain to become collector items! Get ‘em while you can for yourself and for your gaming friends (think ahead to birthdays, Christmas, etc.). Because when we say Kickstarter Exclusives, we mean Kickstarter Exclusives! They are beautiful, very limited in the number of copies being printed, and will NOT be for general sale!

BACKERS, please fill out your TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG Backerkit survey and use the Pledge Manager to get every Kickstarter Exclusive you and your friends may want. Remember, you have until early April to update your pledge level and get more add-ons before the Pledge Manager closes.

Backers, click here to start your survey.

NEW! TMNT & Other Strangeness Remembrance Sneak Preview – toward the end of this Update. The written remembrances for the Turtles and Erick Wujcik appearing in the TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Redux editions are so fun and wonderful that the next few Weekly Updates will showcase a few of them as sneak previews over the next several weeks. They can be found just before Closing Thoughts, plus additional thoughts and memories by me and/or Sean. All should be fun to read for any Palladium Books fan. Enjoy.

Bric Sanctuary needs your HELP. Please, please help if you can. If only 1,000 of you pledged a $5 donation, it would be $5,000 to a noble cause that saves lives. This is one of Sean and my (Kevin Siembieda) favorite charities. All the money goes to the people being helped by the charity and it truly saves and improves lives. Please find it in your heart to support the downtrodden through these valiant efforts to help people in an often forgotten part of the world. These are vulnerable people with no voice. They need our help. Thank you. See complete details elsewhere in this Update. This fundraiser ends in a week or so. Please help.

GiveSendGo – BRIC and Goma Citizens need help

HEROIC RPG crowdfunder on BackerKit by our pal Bear has also launched. This is an old school style RPG that you might find fun. There seems to be some serious interest in it as it has already funded. Click on the link below to get to the crowdfunding campaign, or see the larger description below.

https://www.tinyurl.com/heroicrpg

GM's Days Sale

Huge SALE! Palladium’s GM’s Days Sale – physical books at PalladiumBooks.com – ALL at a 30% discount

A huge 30% discount on books in Palladium’s GM’s Days (and players) sale with a wide range of select titles – all books Game Masters and players will find handy and fun, including several hardcovers, Rifter® issues, Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited, After the Bomb®, and Fantasy titles. Remember, the books in the Palladium Weapons & Castles series are designed for use with every edition of D&D, Pathfinder, and ANY role-playing game. While Palladium’s dragons, gods, magic, and characters can be easily adapted to other game systems, they are most epic in our original settings. Game on!

  • Palladium Weapons & Castles Series Titles:
  • Weapons & Armour – 700 real world ancient weapons – swords, battle axes, knives, war hammers, maces, morning stars, pole arms, spears, staves, and more – and 30 suits of armor thru the ages. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 401.
  • Weapons & Castles – 20+ real world, ancient bow weapons, slings, siege weapons, and 15 castles with floor plans. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 402.
  • Weapons & Assassins – Notorious assassins throughout history, their weapons and tricks of the trade; the Order of Assassins, Ninja, and more. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 403.
  • Weapons, Armor & Castles of the Orient – 31 types of weapons and many variants, Samurai armor, 15 other suits of armors, plus helmets, 8 castle floor plans and one city. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 404.
  • Exotic Weapons – Temporarily out of stock. Cat. No. 409.
  • European Castles – 40+ real world castles and floor plans from across Europe. Each a template to making your own castles. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 410.
  • Compendium of Modern Weapons – Your guide to 20th Century armaments. 450+ weapons from around the world, listed by country and type. 106 small arms – pistols and revolvers, 92 military grade rifles, 68 submachine-guns, 43 anti-tank weapons, 38 hand grenades & pyrotechnic devices, 28 machine-guns, 13 shotguns, plus flamethrowers, anti-aircraft weapons, body armor, EOD, riot control gear, tanks, and more. For use with any game system – historically accurate. Cat. No. 415.
  • “Original” Palladium Fantasy RPG® Commemorative “Bonus” Foil Hardcover (1st Edition rules) – It is the original 1st Edition Rules RPG including Tombs of Gersidi™ and the first Fantasy sourcebook: The Arms of Nargash-Tor™. The cover is a classy crimson foil image, imprinted on black faux leatherette to replicate the original red and black RPG fans love. 320 pages – $55 retail – Cat. No. 449HC.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Hardcover – A fantasy setting like no other, rich in history and inviting adventure. Not only are you able to play iconic fantasy heroes, but also characters such as the Mind Mage, Druid, Diabolist, Summoner and an array of nonhuman characters from Elves and Dwarves to Wolfen, Changelings, Kobolds, Orcs, Ogres, and many others. 25+ Occupational Character Classes (O.C.C.s), 14+ inhuman player races (more in sourcebooks), 300+ magic spells, 60 magical wards, 50 magic circles, 70+ psychic powers, dozens of magic items, potions, and so much more. 336 pages – Cat. No. 450HC.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition (Softcover) – A fantasy setting like no other, rich in history and inviting adventure. Human and nonhuman characters, 25+ O.C.C.s, 14+ inhuman player races (more in sourcebooks), 300+ magic spells, 60 magical wards, 50 magic circles, 70+ psychic powers, dozens of magic items, potions, and so much more. 336 pages – Cat. No. 450.
  • Dragons & Gods (Fantasy) – 40 gods, deific powers, 20 demonic lords, 14 dragons, plus Elementals, Rune Weapons and much more. The perfect companion for the Garden of the Gods sourcebook. 232 pages – Cat. No. 451.
  • Garden of the Gods (Fantasy) – A place of miracles, dreams and purpose. 45 forgotten gods, 212 blessings, 101 magic artifacts, 5 Old Ones Rune Weapons, 50+ curses and dark magic, 100+ random quests and encounters, and each god offers adventure hooks. Cat. No. 475.
  • Monsters & Animals™ (Fantasy) – 120+ monsters, 200+ animals, all described, statted and accompanied by maps showing where they can be found in the world. Plus G.M. tips and conversion notes for Mega-Damage settings. Suitable for Palladium Fantasy®, Rifts® and Phase World® (as alien creatures), Heroes Unlimited™ and other settings. 240 pages – Cat. No. 454.
  • Old Ones (Fantasy; back in stock) – Lands of adventure! 50+ locations (cities, towns, and forts) all described and mapped, information about the Old Ones, the Illusionist, Monk, and Minotaur, many NPCs, seven adventures, plus adventure ideas and more. Cat. No. 453.
  • Adventures on the High Seas (Fantasy; back in stock) – Ships of the world, Demon Black Ships, ship combat, islands of the world, 12 O.C.C.s including the Sailor and Pirate, character sheets, maps, and countless adventure ideas when you visit a dozen island ports including the Isle of the Cyclops, Y-Oda, Zy, the Four Sisters, Forbidden Island, the Floenry Islands, and others, each offering adventure opportunities. Cat. No. 455.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ RPG – Create any type of comic book hero you can imagine – psychics, super-powered aliens, mutants, super soldiers, Mega-Heroes, mages, immortals, cyborgs, robots, power armor, weapon masters, and more. 101 super abilities plus a multitude of sub-powers, 72 psychic powers, 100+ magic spells, plus enchanted weapons and objects, robots, weapons and more. 352 pages – Cat. No. 500.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Hardcover – Create any type of hero you can imagine, plus 101 super abilities plus a multitude of sub-powers, 72 psychic powers, 100+ magic spells, enchanted weapons and objects, robots, weapons and more, same as the softcover but in a sturdy, attractive hardcover. 352 pages – Cat. No. 500HC.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ G.M. Guide – 10 full adventures, 25+ NPCs, 70+ magic spells, tips on making and running adventures, Quick Roll Villains, rampage rules, world hot spots, vigilantes, anti-heroes, the law, alignment guidelines, G.M. Tips, and more. 224 pages – Cat. No. 516.
  • Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG – 40+ styles of martial arts, mystic abilities, spies and gadgets. 176 pages – Cat. No. 525.
  • Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – 40+ styles of martial arts, mystic abilities, spies and gadgets, plus 44 pages of bonus material from The Rifter®. 224 pages – Cat. No. 525HC.
  • Mystic China (for N&S and HU2) – Dive deep into the magic and mystical powers of martial artists, mages, immortals, and demons. The secrets of Chi, Chi Magic, Celestial Calligraphy, Chinese alchemy, the Mudra, 19 demons, 30 additional martial arts and more! Written by Erick Wujcik. Easy to adapt to Rifts® China and Phase World® – 224 pages – Cat. No. 526.
  • After the Bomb® RPG – Create any anthropomorphic mutant animal from a turtle to an elephant. Use the mutants as modern world heroes, or in the AtB post-apocalypse setting, Rifts®, or just about any setting. 224 pages – Cat. No. 503.
  • After the Bomb® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – Create any mutant animal from a turtle to an elephant, plus 72 pages of bonus material (the original AtB sourcebook and Yucatan Adventures). 296 pages – Cat. No. 503HC.
  • Road Hogs AtB Sourcebook – Vehicle construction & combat rules, plus more mutants and post-apocalypse America. Cat. No. 505.
  • Mutants Down Under AtB Sourcebook – More mutant animals, giant insects, and post-apocalypse Australia. Cat. No. 507.
  • Mutants of the Yucatan AtB Sourcebook – More mutant animals and post-apocalypse Central America. Cat. No. 511.
  • Mutants in Avalon AtB Sourcebook – More mutant animals, the return of King Arthur as a mutant animal, magic, and post-apocalypse England. Cat. No. 513.
  • Mutants in Orbit™, a Rifts® & AtB Sourcebook – More mutant animals, giant insects, killer satellites, space station and moon base survivors, Archie-7, and more! Unexpected adventure and fun. Cat. No. 514.
  • Nightbane® RPG – Join the secret war against a demonic invasion most people do not even know has taken place. The demonic Nightlords, their evil Dopplegangers and other demon minions are quietly taking over the world, starting with the most powerful nations. The only wrinkle is you must turn into your monstrous supernatural form – your Morphus – to call upon your superhuman and magical powers. Oh, and the government is controlled by the Nightlords, and their shape-changing demonic minions hunt the Nightbane. 240 pages – Cat. No. 730.
  • Nightbane® RPG “Bonus” Hardcover – All the same great stuff with the Nightbane, Nightlords, secret demonic invasion, PLUS 60 pages of “bonus” material gathered from The Rifter®. 304 pages – Cat. No. 730HC.
  • Nightbane®: Through the Glass Darkly™ Sourcebook – Flesh Sculpting and other dark magic, the terrifying Fleshsculptor O.C.C., Cybermage, Mirrormage and Nemesis R.C.C., plus three new adventures, dozens of adventure hooks, 50 magic spells, talismans, artifacts, Living Pathways and other source material to make you cringe – 160 pages – Cat. No. 733.
  • Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG – Everything you need to start playing. 376 pages – Cat. No. 800HC.
  • Rifts® Game Master Guide – 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 – Cat. No. 845.
  • Rifts® Game Master Guide Hardcover – 500+ weapons, 290 pieces of equipment, 180+ vehicles, body armor, power armor and more, same as the softcover but in a sturdy, attractive hardcover. 352 pages – Cat. No. 845HC.
  • Rifts® Book of Magic – Nearly 1,000 magic spells, 400 magic weapons and devices from across Rifts Earth, plus magic tattoos, herbs, stones, automatons, Iron Juggernauts, Rune Weapons, Bio-Wizard weapons, talismans, and more. 352 pages – Cat. No. 848.
  • Rifts® Book of Magic Hardcover – Nearly 1,000 magic spells and all the same magic as the softcover but in a sturdy, attractive hardcover. 352 pages – Cat. No. 848HC.
  • Rifts® Adventure Guide – 150+ adventure ideas, Game Master and player tips from Kevin Siembieda, Erick Wujcik, and Bill Coffin, adventure creation, how to use alignments, tricks of running a large group, G.M. tools, overview and info about the CS Chi-Town ‘Burbs. Tables for creating towns, merc companies, and traveling shows and more. 192 pages – Cat. No. 849.
  • Rifts® Adventure Guide Hardcover – 150+ adventure ideas and more, same as the softcover but in a sturdy, attractive hardcover. 192 pages – Cat. No. 849HC.
  • Rifts® Primer & Adventures – 2 full adventures, 20 adventure hooks, 101 adventures table, and more. 128 pages – Cat. No. 824.
  • Rifts® Titan Robotics – The secrets of Titan Robotics and Archie Three revealed, plus 18 giant robots, 12 power armors, weapons, gear, adventure hooks and so much more. 192 pages – Cat. No. 899.
  • Wormwood™, Rifts® Dimension Book One – A bizarre world of fantasy and horror. Humans are ruled by demonic beings and dark magic, but there are those who fight against the reigning evil. 30+ horrific monsters, 17 wild O.C.C.s including the Holy Terror, Apok, and Wormspeaker, plus symbiotic magic, symbiotes, crystal magic and more. Based on concepts and art by comic book legends Timothy Truman (Conan, Grimjack) and Flint Henry. Art by Truman, Henry, and others. Written by Kevin Siembieda. Epic. 160 pages – Cat. No. 809.
  • The Rifter® #14 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material.
  • The Rifter® #73 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material.
  • The Rifter® #82 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material, and a tribute to Eric Wujcik.
  • The Rifter® #83 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material.
  • The Rifter® #84 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material.
  • The Rifter® #85 – With fun Fantasy, Rifts® and other source material.

Sale Items at PalladiumBooks.com

TMNT and Other Strangeness Game Master Screen

The Pre-Order Store for TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG is open!

Even if you did not back the TMNT & Other Strangeness Kickstarter, you can pre-order the mainstream books at the lower Kickstarter prices. Available items include the following.

Redux TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG (remastered RPG with bonus content, Truckin’ Turtles, Turtles Go Hollywood, plus loads of tribute and behind the scenes art, history, remembrances, and information; full color).

Transdimensional TMNT (remastered Transdimensional TMNT with bonus content, TMNT Adventures, TMNT Guide to the Universe, plus loads of tribute art and behind the scenes information; full color).

TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Game Master Screen – Featuring fan favorite art by Kevin Eastman, Freddie E. Williams II, and Michael Majestic. It includes plastic pockets for changing the information as the G.M. desires.

Mutagen Green Dice – Unique and radical. WARNING: Palladium Books is not liable for any mutations or super abilities that may result from the use of these dice.

Black, White & Red TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG – Sensational black, grayscale, and red color treatment to the art plus the full color bonus material (includes remastered RPG, Truckin’ Turtles, Turtles Go Hollywood, plus loads of color tribute and behind the scenes artwork, history, remembrances, and information; special and dynamic).

Black, White & Red Transdimensional TMNT – Black, grayscale, and red color treatment to the art plus the full color bonus material (includes remastered Transdimensional TMNT, TMNT Adventures, TMNT Guide to the Universe, plus loads of color tribute art, behind the scenes art, remembrances, and information; special and dynamic).

Note #1: The variant cover edition books (gorgeous), two miniature sets, FanRoll dice sets and accessories, poker deck, art prints, etc., are only available to Kickstarter Backers. If you are not a Backer, you’ll need to find a friend who did back it and see if they are willing to add the items you want to their pledge. As originally announced in the Kickstarter, we anticipate the books and exclusives all shipping to Backers in September.

Note #2: Remember, you can supplement your TMNT adventures (or get a jump on them now) with the Heroes Unlimited RPG and sourcebooks like Mutant Underground, Ninjas & Superspies RPG, Mystic China, and the After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Mutants! Mutants everywhere!

Non-Backers, click here to go to the Pre-Order store.

Heroic The Role-Playing Game Crowdfunding

Here is yet another friend with a crowdfunding/BackerKit offer you might find interesting. This is Andrew “Bear” Collas’s big venture into creating his very own RPG. You may recognize Bear from his increasingly popular gaming podcast. Heck, Sean and I were interviewed on his Four Colour Café just a few weeks ago.

The HEROIC RPG is a tribute to the greatest age in comic history, the Bronze Age of comics (1970 – 1985), a time of Chris Claremont, Dennis O’Niel, Marv Wolfman, and a host of other writers who were able to bring superheroes out of the silliness of the Silver Age, but without the jaded and bitter deconstruction of the coming Iron Age!

HEROIC is also the official RPG of Bear’s own Zenith Universe, a superhero universe that has been built up slowly since 1986 when he began to first run superhero RPGs! Now existing in a pseudo time-lock called 198X, where the Bronze Age has never ended, the universe and game are hand-in-hand together!

HEROIC is also a generic system you can use, modify, or adapt to fit your own setting, or any published setting with a simple, elegant and descriptive d100+ Colour Chart mechanic to play fast and furious super heroic action! It has already reached its basic funding level and continues to soar.

https://www.tinyurl.com/heroicrpg

Upcoming T-shirts

T-Shirts Coming Soon

Due to popular demand, Palladium is bringing back two fan-favorite T-Shirts plus a brand new Heroes Unlimited shirt. All available in most sizes. All shirts should become available in February.

  • Rifts® Logo T-shirt – The ever-popular Kevin Long Rifts Logo; white printing on a black T-shirt.
  • Living the Fantasy T-shirt – Kevin Siembieda’s iconic dragon battling a knight from the original RPG book cover; red printing on a black T-shirt.
  • NEW! Heroes Unlimited: Unleash Your Power T-shirt – Heroes Unlimited logo, superhero artwork and the slogan “Unleash Your Power;” white printing on a black T-shirt.

Coffee Mugs Coming Soon

Due to popular demand, Palladium is bringing back two fan-favorite coffee mugs plus a new Heroes Unlimited coffee mug. All items should be become available in February or March.

  • Rifts® Logo – The ever-popular Rifts Logo; white printing on a black coffee mug.
  • Living the Fantasy – Kevin Siembieda’s iconic dragon battling a knight from the original RPG book cover; red printing on a black mug.
  • NEW! Heroes Unlimited: Unleash Your Power – Heroes Unlimited logo and artwork; white printing on a black coffee mug.

Rifts Titan Robotics

New on DriveThruRPG.com – Rifts® Titan Robotics joins 300+ RPG titles, and more from Palladium Books

Rifts® Titan Robotics is a high-tech toy box filled with new types of Titan Robotics power armor, giant robots, vehicles, weapons, and gear. Shrouded in secrecy and rumor, the true story of Titan Robotics is finally revealed. The enigmatic arms manufacturer’s undisclosed operations and special projects unveil the shocking truth – androids walk among us and enact a mysterious plan with goals unknown to the unsuspecting world. While their existence is hidden from the public, Titan’s powerful robots and power armor suits are becoming more popular than ever before. Go on covert missions, engage in industrial espionage, uncover shocking truths, get awesome new gear, and enjoy wild adventures.

  • Visit the gleaming steel and metal of a Titan Robotics™ showroom, and test-drive their newest models.
  • 18 giant robots.
  • 12 power armors.
  • Weapons, gear and notable vehicles.
  • Gunny’s Depots – arms dealer and part of Titan’s hidden network.
  • Play a Syntharoid sentient human replica android.
  • Play a Titan Dispatcher and join a Titan Robotics Courier Team.
  • Discover ARCHIE and Hagan’s hidden agendas and secret operations.
  • Explore Titan’s shadowy web of informants and how it prospers and grows.
  • Intrigue, espionage, adventure prompts and ideas, NPCs, and more.
  • 192 pages written by Sean Owen Roberson and Matthew Clements. Cover by Mike Majestic.

No other game company offers more game worlds for so many different genres. Best of all, learn to play one Palladium RPG and you can play them all, because each uses the same basic core rules and combat. There are differences, but the fundamentals are the same. This also means you can bring characters, villains, monsters, powers, magic, weapons, gear, and adventure ideas from one setting into another or mash them together!

Palladium PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com

  • Rifts® RPG Megaverse®. Rifts® is the ultimate setting in which you can combine any number of genres and style of game play you may desire: science fiction and technology, fantasy and magic, horror and the supernatural, noir, cowboy adventures, space opera, and more. Play humans, aliens, dimensional beings, modern knights, cyborgs, giant robots, mages, psychics, mutant animals, dinosaur tamers, dragon hatchlings, vampires, werebeasts, dimensional travelers, cowboys, and more to become heroes of legend. Combine any and all of these genres and characters into a wild and fun, yet plausible setting. There has never been a game quite like Rifts®.
  • Rifts® Chaos Earth® titles. Live through the Great Cataclysm and the Coming of the Rifts that created Rifts Earth. Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG, Creatures of Chaos™, Rise of Magic™, and Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ are all available.
  • The Rifter® #1-85. Each issue is a wealth of source material for Rifts® and 3-5 other Palladium game settings. More than 8,600 pages of source material and counting. Most issues are only available in digital form.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG® titles. A rich, original setting in which you can play humans or any number of nonhuman species of people in a world of magic, heroes and wonder. All of it epic.
  • Dead Reign® RPG and sourcebooks. The Zombie Apocalypse unleashed. A great introductory RPG that is surprisingly uplifting, fun, fast, and easy to learn.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Second Edition titles. Create any type of superhuman you can imagine to build your own super-hero universe.
  • Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, super-spies, gizmos, mystic powers, and magic in the main book, plus even more in Mystic China.
  • Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG and sourcebooks. Modern horror; 14 character classes, 42 occupations for “ordinary people,” 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, and more.
  • Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks – Urban Fantasy. Only you know the truth. Only you can see the Nightlords and their demonic minions. Only you have the power to stop the spreading evil and save lives. But you are just a teen or young adult. There’s no manual on how to use your special powers and magic, and you must transform into your monstrous Morphus to use them. Trust no one.
  • After the Bomb® RPG series and world setting. A post-apocalypse Earth where human civilization has crumbled and legions of mutant animals are the heirs apparent. The RPG presents stats for 100+ mutant animals, 52 animal powers, 33 animal psionics, Chimeras, and rules for creating any mutant animal you can imagine – plus the Empire of Humanity and the ruins of North America. Each sourcebook offers new mutants, world information, and adventure ideas. Or create mutant animals for use in TMNT, Heroes Unlimited, Rifts, and others.
  • Rifts® Phase World® and the Three Galaxies – sprawling space opera! Dozens of alien worlds and their people, Cosmo-Knights, Atlanteans, Prometheans, dimensional gateways, evil empires, villains, heroes, strange beings, alien tech, alien magic, rules for creating spacecraft, planets and dimensions (see Megaverse Builder), and much, much more.
  • The Mechanoid Invasion® RPG Trilogy (The Mechanoid Invasion, The Journey and Home World). Dystopian science fiction at its best. This is the very first RPG (1981) published by Palladium Books, about planet devouring, robotic invaders from outer space. They target all humanoids, but loathe humans most of all. Three generations of galactic heroes battle the Mechanoid® invaders. Also see Rifts® Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids® featuring a Mechanoid threat to Rifts® Earth unless you and Archie Three can stop them.
  • Splicers® RPG. More dystopian science fiction as humans must turn to living weapons, living power armor, and genetically engineered war mounts to battle the self-appointed caretaker of humanity. The insane artificial intelligence known as Nexus and her many multiple personalities. Think Guyver meets the Terminator with elements of horror, epic and different.
  • Systems Failure™ RPG. You play rough and tumble survivors of an alien invasion that has ravaged Earth and “turned off” technology. It is time to fight back, kill “the Bugs,” and reclaim our world for humanity. A standalone RPG designed to poke fun at the fears about the end of the world. A cult favorite and lots of fun. Kill the bugs!
  • Wormwood, a Rifts® Dimension Book setting. A strange and alien fantasy world inspired by the twisted and fun concepts and art of comic book legends Timothy Truman and Flint Henry. Be a Holy Terror, Wormspeaker, or Apok to battle the demonic beings threatening to overtake the world.
  • RECON®, Deluxe Revised RPG. Fast military combat and action set in a fictional era of the Vietnam War. Different game rules by Joe Martin and Erick Wujcik.
  • The Palladium Weapons & Castles Series – for use with any game system. Nearly 1,000 weapons, scores of castles and floor plans. All historically accurate, real world weapons and castles throughout the ages.

UPDATED Rifts® Automated Character Sheet now available. Three updates, in fact. 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. Note: If you already purchased this item, you can download the updated version for free. Enjoy.

Rifts Automated Character Sheet at PalladiumBooks.com Rifts Automated Interactive Character Sheet at DriveThruRPG

FREE Nightbane® RPG digital Sneak Preview on DriveThruRPG.com – Have you been wondering what the buzz is all about for Nightbane® and Urban Fantasy? Well, now you can see for yourself with this fun Preview of the core rule book. There are also free Sneak Previews of Creature Feature™, Dead Reign®, BTS, and numerous Rifts® books and other titles, including Rifts® Manhunters™, Titan Robotics™, Northern Gun™ One and Two, Lemuria, and more.

Palladium PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com

Remembrance Sneak Preview

Remembering the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG and its author Erick Wujcik

The legendary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG from Palladium Books is one of the first RPGs I ever played, flipped through, and rolled up characters for. There was so much awesomeness between the covers of the core book that it was hard to really wrap my young mind around it all. Plus, it was such an amazing game that the process of just rolling up characters was fun all on its own.

In addition to TMNT being the first comic book I ever collected, it was also my introduction to Palladium Books and their world of RPGs. I was already playing D&D at the time but TMNT was on another level. Crazy animal characters, aliens, and oh yes, Ninjas!

With the news of the rerelease I could not dust off my old copy and start telling my kids about it fast enough. Thank you to Eastman and Laird for the stunning and bold art and the mind-blowing stories and thank you Kevin, Erick, and the crew at Palladium for gifting the world with this epic game!

– Steven Cummings, Artist

[Note: Just as I do for the Christmas Surprise Package Comments from Fans Like You, I will include a few of my own thoughts and memories (sometimes Sean will too). I hope you enjoy this new, limited, feature. It was Sean’s idea and I love it. – Kevin Siembieda]

Yep, Steven Cummings is a huge Palladium Books fan. When he moved to live in Japan many years ago, he had to leave most of his books behind, but made certain he took the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, Robotech RPG, and a few other Palladium titles with him. In fact, he still has those original books on his shelf. I know, because he showed them to me during a Zoom call. Steven cheerfully jumped at the chance to create a fun page of tribute art as well as the remembrance above; both appearing in the final publications.

We love working with Steven and would have him do a lot more art for us except Marvel Comics has been keeping him super-busy illustrating various Star Wars titles these past few years. So busy, he had to make time to create his tribute art for the TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux. You can look forward to seeing his artwork – along with Mike Majestic, Mike Mumah, Amy L. Ashbaugh, and others – in the upcoming Rifts® Antarctica World Book.

– Kevin Siembieda, That Publisher Guy

TMNT and Other Strangeness Mutagen Green Dice TMNT and Other Strangeness Mutagen Green Dice

Forgive the GIF color compression, but we wanted to show the swirling movement. These are production samples. The end product may be different, and may change pending approvals by Paramount.

Closing Thoughts by Sean – The TMNT & OS Redux is Radical

Howdy Friends,

We just had a big fan, a retiring firefighter, visit the office from Chicago. During our chat we had the chance to show him the prototype of the new Mutagen Green Liquid Dice set that we just received that morning from our manufacturer, and he said every single one of his players will absolutely want a set. We agreed because Kevin, Alex, Caleb and I couldn’t stop rolling the dice to see how they swoosh around and to gaze deeply into their sparkling green center. [I love ‘em and I’m not a dice person. ~ Kevin]

We showed off the layout in progress for the TMNT&OS Redux Edition, which elicited satisfying feedback and fun discussion about how well all of the amazing full color art meshes with the updated presentation of each page. We also chatted about the rules clarifications and other content updates being included. While Kevin and I consider these updates to be pretty simple and straightforward, I think many of you will get lots of gaming mileage out of them.

Lastly, since it is an important part of our current work, I just wanted to mention the sheer volume of completely new tribute art that is going into these books – including a couple of pieces by Kevin Siembieda! With the last few artists submitting their illustrations just in the nick of time, the number of tribute artists continues to grow. It’s exciting to see the “behind-the-scenes” sections of the books fill up with amazing art and heartfelt remembrances.

I love it when a plan comes together. [Me too! ~ Kevin]

– Sean Owen Roberson, Writer, Designer, Adventurer

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