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Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – March 23, 2023

Written by pb_addy on . Posted in Weekly Updates.

Update Opening Graphic

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

By Kevin Siembieda & Sean Owen Roberson

I’m just gonna dive right into this Update.

 

SALE! Palladium T-Shirts Sale at Big Savings! Spring has sprung and we’ve seen T-shirt sales on the rise because of it. We thought it would be nice to put most of the designs and sizes on sale to help you add to your spring and summer wardrobe. Note: I also put negatives and artwork on sale in my Ebay store. Enjoy.

Sale Items at PalladiumBooks.com

 

NEW! The Remastered PDF of Rifts® Sourcebook One, Revised and Expanded is DONE! It has been sent out to the Titan Robotics™ Kickstarter Backers whose pledge level gets them this item (as long as they have done their Survey). DriveThru customers who have ordered the PDF in the past will also get the update for free! We think you will be pleased. The remastered PDF has bookmarks, a new table of contents, and an index. One reason the release of these remastered editions has been slightly delayed is that we have been trying new software and techniques to give you the superior quality PDF products you have requested. Enjoy. Oh, and the remastered PDF is now available for purchase on DriveThruRPG.com!

Rifts Sourcebook One Revised at DriveThruRPG.com

 

UPDATE: The Remastered PDF for Rifts® Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids® will appear next, and the Shemarrian Nation sourcebook will follow shortly there after. We’ll keep you posted about progress.

 

UPDATE: Rifts® Titan Robotics™ writing and editing is DONE! Layout has begun. The PDF should go out to Titan Robotics Kickstarter Backers for their review and feedback soon. Backers, please keep your advance PDF confidential, and let us know what you think. Tell us about any typos or problems you may find so we can fix them before it goes to the printer. Thanks! After that review period, the book will be sent to the printer along with the Cyberworks™ Collection.

 

UPDATE: Cyberworks™ Collection – This is a dynamic collection of Rifts® Sourcebook One, Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids®, Shemarrian Nation™, and the Archie-3 related material from Rifts® Aftermath, all presented as a deluxe hardcover. This is a project that Wayne and Sean are completing together. It was first announced in the Titan Robotics™ Kickstarter. Please note that the coveted, Gold Foil hardcover is a signed, limited edition available exclusively to Titan Robotics Kickstarter Backers only, along with the color hardcover and gold foil editions of the Titan Robotics™ Sourcebook, so Kickstarter Backers, if you want a copy (or one for your friend) make sure you upgrade your pledge while you still can! Ah, but the Cyberworks Collection will also have a hardcover edition with a color cover, available for order now via the Pre-Order Store and to the public after the Kickstarter has been fulfilled and shipped. You will love whichever edition of these two books you may purchase now or later. Of course, we recommend you get them both.

Titan Robotics BackerKit Pre-Order Store

 

NEWS! Original Kevin Siembieda Dungeons & Dragons art is featured in the April 2nd Heritage Auction. D&D art of any kind is super-rare. Much of it lost over the decades or purchased by a small handful of savvy art collectors. Here is your chance to own a piece of Dungeons & Dragons® (and Kevin Siembieda/Palladium Books) history. Six of my original Dungeons & Dragons illustrations are currently available in Heritage Auctions’ March 30-April 2 Signature Comics & Comic Art Auction. The art goes up at the very beginning of the Sunday Auction, April 2. Each original, one-of-a-kind piece is signed by me. And get this, the auction happens on my birthday! What a nice present. To place a bid, you must first create an account with Heritage Auctions.

Here’s the link to the specific D&D art: https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+793+794+791+1893+792+2088+4294936475+4294966792

 

Heritage Auctions is a prestigious auction company renowned as the premier specialists in the field of comic book artwork and collectibles. They are starting to branch out into game artwork and tell me they can never get enough D&D artwork, so they were happy to get some of my illustrations.

I thought most of my D&D art had been stolen and the rest sold off decades ago, but I happily came across an envelope of some and thought I would let Heritage Auctions offer a few to see how they sell. If they do well, I’ll offer more in future Heritage Auctions. I should probably frame a couple of choice art pieces and hang them at the office. If you have any interest in rare D&D art or my work, click on the link below to see what’s being offered. And please, spread the word.

Here’s the link to the specific D&D art: https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+793+794+791+1893+792+2088+4294936475+4294966792

 

A bit of history for those interested: Funny, I don’t think of myself as a Dungeons & Dragons® artist, but I am. I created 400+ D&D illustrations for Judges Guild in 1979 and 1980. Creating D&D artwork for Judges Guild was my first professional venture in the RPG industry and one of my early gigs as a freelance artist. This makes my illustrations some of the earliest D&D artwork in existence! Wild, right? I would go on to do some work for Steve Jackson Games, FASA, Tops Bubble Gum Cards, Noble Comics, Marvel Comics (ghost work on Defenders), and local businesses, game clubs, and conventions.

TSR, the publishers of D&D, had released the Advanced D&D Player’s Guide in summer 1978 and the Advanced D&D Game Master Guide in 1979, but had no plans to publish source material. Sourcebooks were a new concept for the new RPG genre given birth by D&D. Bob Bledsaw, owner of Judges Guild, snapped up the license for Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks and magazines and became an overnight sensation. Even the hugely popular sourcebooks were magazine format. As the leading publisher of Dungeons & Dragons® source material in the late 1970s and 1980s, their books offered D&D settings, cities, maps, and adventures. They also published Dungeoneer, Judges Guild Journal and Pegasus magazines and some sourcebooks for RuneQuest, Traveller, and a handful of other popular games of the day. My art mostly appeared in D&D books and Dungeoneer magazine dedicated to D&D.

I met Bob Bledsaw at a convention and pitched him the Palladium Fantasy RPG in the spring or summer of 1979. He made me a lowball offer that I declined, thank goodness, but he asked and I agreed to do artwork for his company. A lot of artwork. Moreover, the Judges Guild folks loved my work so much that many of my illustrations saw print dozens of times in numerous different Judges Guild titles for YEARS. Unfortunately, I was never sent most of the books my art appeared in because Bob was um … let’s go with “frugal” and rarely mailed us lowly artists the books our work appeared in. Consequently, I don’t often know which publication my art first appeared in nor the many additional Judges Guild titles it reappeared in over and over and over again; sometimes appearing in a dozen or more Judges Guild D&D books.

The up side of this was it helped earn me name recognition in the RPG community. My pal and fellow Judges Guild artist Paul Jaquays and I became known as “the good Judges Guild D&D artists.” As a result, for years, up into the mid-1990s I would have people come up to me at conventions to tell me how much they loved my Judges Guild art. Nice. Now you can own some.

Here’s the link to the specific D&D art: https://comics.ha.com/c/search-results.zx?N=52+793+794+791+1893+792+2088+4294936475+4294966792

 

UPDATE! The Game Designer Expo at the main Ann Arbor public library was awesome. Sean and I were busy nonstop and had a great time. We were happy to see so many of you bring us books to sign and hang around to chat. A couple nice guys who we enjoyed chatting with have been playing the Palladium Fantasy RPG® since 1987. That’s 36 years! Incredible. They prefer the original rules and adapt the books with Second Edition rules to their long-running campaign. When I asked them which region of the Palladium World they wanted most, they said the Old Kingdom, followed by Land of the South Winds and maybe more Tombs of Gersidi. Well, we have a handful of Fantasy titles slated to come out before Old Kingdom, but I am champing at the bit to write those Old Kingdom books. Thanks for your input, guys, about that and some other things.

Whether they were long-time Palladium fans, or new customers to our fellow game publishers and people curious about local game creators, everyone we met was nice. It is always a pleasure to see Rick Meints, the publisher of Chaosium, and nice to meet his son, but we were all so busy we didn’t have much time to talk. We may have also walked away from the event with two new artists. To those of you we invited to come and visit us at the Palladium offices here in Westland, Michigan, we meant it, so please, come on over. It was an excellent event and we’ll be back next year. I even threw our hats into the ring to do a panel talk. Our thanks to the event organizers and the attendees.

 

Speaking of visitors. We enjoyed a nice visit with Victor Peterson and his friend Andrew last Friday. They were in town for a sporting event and asked to drop by. Of course we said yes. It was nice to catch up with these guys and get their insight and feedback about Palladium.

 

COMING! Yin-Sloth Jungles, 2nd Edition, Revised and Expanded! The Palladium Fantasy RPG® turns 40 years old this year, and to celebrate we are giving Yin-Sloth Jungles a deluxe updating to 2nd Edition rules. Deluxe with …

  • All new renditions of 30+ maps by artist Phil Stone.
  • Deluxe color map of the region by Will Erwin to be made available separately (and probably as a black and white double page spread in the book).
  • O.C.C.s expanded and clarified.
  • Races and monsters, weapons, poisons, and setting also expanded and clarified.
  • New material added throughout.
  • Final page count and price yet to be determined. The original was 160 pages, but we anticipate the new edition will be 192 or 224 pages.
  • Shooting for an April release. Freelance writer, John Klinkel, has turned in his preliminary updates and suggested additions and I am adding my rewrites and tweaks now!

 

COMING Later this Year: Island at the Edge of the World, 2nd Edition! We anticipate updating and expanding this sourcebook much as we did with Yin-Sloth Jungles, for release later this year.

 

Backerkit Survey Reminder! It went out and the Pledge Manager and Pre-Order Store all went live in February to great excitement from our Titan Robotics backers. If you have not gotten your survey or are experiencing any issues, please let us know via direct message on Kickstarter or the Help Desk at PalladiumBooks.com, as we will be locking down Backerkit in a few weeks. See more details and links below.

Titan Robotics Kickstarter

Titan Robotics BackerKit Pre-Order Store

 

NEW! A new Rifts® Live Play Podcast is available for your viewing enjoyment – Rifts®: Ghost in the Machine. It is produced and Game Mastered by none other than long-time Palladium freelance artist, Mark Dudley. You can find the first several episodes on Imaginos TV. Click on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9OKt2SBYwybo_sV8zmdOBSQ1eaJP3rj9

 

UPDATE: My eBay Store for collectibles. As promised, Alex and I have continued to add more Robotech® RPG books and negatives, other out of print Palladium titles, first printings, toys, and a couple dozen one-of-a-kind negatives to my eBay store (a bunch of Zentraedi negatives) (http://stores.ebay.com/kevinstoys-artandcollectibles). However, many of these items sell shortly after they get posted, so keep your eyes peeled. We continue to add Palladium collectibles and negatives at least once a week.

 

Original Palladium Fantasy 1st Edition Foil Hardcover

BACK in STOCK! “Original” Palladium Fantasy RPG® “Bonus” Edition Commemorative Hardcover, 1st Edition – Available now

The ever popular Original Palladium Fantasy RPG® Commemorative Bonus Hardcover (first edition rules) is back in print. It is a deluxe, foil stamped edition that presents the original, First Edition Fantasy rules, expanded with the inclusion of the long out-of-print Arms of Nargash-Tor adventure sourcebook and Tombs of Gersidi.

  • The complete, original RPG – the game that started Palladium Books.
  • First Edition rules are easily adaptable to current Fantasy titles.
  • Includes The Tombs of Gersidi adventure and setting.
  • The Arms of Nargash-Tor adventure sourcebook is included as “bonus” material back in print for the first time in 35 years.
  • Easily adapted to all 2nd Edition rules and sourcebooks.
  • Deluxe hardcover edition. Probably limited to fewer than 1,000 copies.
  • 320 pages total with “bonus” material – $55 retail – Cat. No. 449HC – available now!

Original Palladium Fantasy 1st Edition Foil Hardcover

 

List of Palladium Books® RPG Hardcovers Available Now

 

Notable Palladium Releases – a Megaverse® of adventure awaits you

  • NEW! Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive NPC Sheet to help you create monsters and villains quickly. This Excel spreadsheet is available on DriveThruRPG.com and PalladiumBooks.com.
  • NEW! “Original” Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG Commemorative “Bonus” Foil Hardcover (1st Edition rules) – described above.
  • Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition – A plausible modern horror setting unlike any other. One that makes sense and will challenge your role-playing skills. 14 Psychic Character Classes. 42 occupations for “ordinary” people, 100+ psychic abilities, including Fire Walker abilities, creatures of darkness, the Lazlo Agency, and more. All of these unlikely heroes stand against supernatural evil in a world of disbelievers who brand them as practitioners of fringe science and lunatics. Only your characters know the truth: supernatural evil is real and dangerous. Are you ready to join the battle? 256 pages – Cat. No. 700. Also available as a hardcover edition.
  • Creature Feature™, a Beyond the Supernatural™, 2nd Edition Sourcebook – 15 new creatures, rules clarifications, player and Game Master tips, adventure and more – 192 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 704 – available now.
  • Rifts® Coalition Manhunters™ Sourcebook – 224 pages of Coalition data to blow your mind. 80+ new psionic abilities, 9 Manhunter psychic assassins, Psi-Ops thought police, Dog Boys, Kill Hounds, Coalition secrets, and more – 224 pages – Cat. No. 894.
  • The Rifter® #85 Annual – Rifts®, Fantasy, and many RPG settings – Cat. No. 185 – Also available as a bookmarked PDF book on DriveThruRPG where it has made the Top 10 Best Sellers List.
  • European Castles – 40+ real world castles from across Europe and their actual floor plans whenever available – for use with ANY game system – 48 pages – $10.99 – Cat. No. 410 – available now.
  • Exotic Weapons – 100+ strange and exotic weapons from around the globe – for use with ANY game system – 48 pages – $10.99 – Cat. No. 409 – available now.
  • The Compendium of Modern Weapons – 450+ real world weapons from around the globe – for use with ANY game system – 176 pages – Cat. No. 415.
  • Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition – 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 and potions, and so much more. 336 pages – Cat. No. 450. Also available as a hardcover edition. More than a dozen sourcebooks support this game line.
  • Lopan™ (Fantasy) Raw Preview – Cat. No. 476-RAW.
  • Land of the South Winds™ (Fantasy) Raw Preview – Cat. No. 477-RAW.
  • Heroes Unlimited™ RPG, 2nd Edition – A hit super-hero RPG for 30+ years. Why? Because it enables you to create any type of comic book hero you can imagine. 101 super abilities plus a multitude of sub-powers within them, bonuses and special combat capabilities. 72 psychic powers and 100+ magic spells, plus enchanted weapons and objects that turn a person into a superhuman. Psychics, super-powered aliens, mutants, super soldiers, Mega-Heroes, mages, immortals, cyborgs, robots, power armor, weapon masters, and more. Plus a dozen sourcebooks provide you with hundreds of additional super abilities, hero categories, bad guys, and adventures. 352 pages for a complete RPG – Cat. No. 500. Also available as a hardcover edition.
  • After the Bomb® RPG – Erick Wujcik’s mutant magnum opus. Create any mutant animal from a turtle to an elephant, animal psionics, animal powers, chimeras, and more. Use the mutants as modern world heroes, or play within the AtB post-apocalypse setting, Rifts®, or just about any setting. 224 pages – Cat. No. 503. Also available as a hardcover edition.
  • Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG – 40+ styles of martial arts, mystic abilities, spies, gadgets, and creating secret organizations. 176 pages – Cat. No. 525. Also available as a hardcover edition.
  • Dead Reign® RPG – The Zombie Apocalypse unleashed! Can you survive? Play Post-Apocalyptic heroes or ordinary people. Part zombie game, part survival manual. All fun. A great beginner’s game. If you are looking for a zombie game that truly captures the feel of survival after the apocalypse and the nightmare of being stalked by zombies, Dead Reign® is it. Game mechanics are designed to create a real sense of escalating terror and dread when the zombies swarm. 224 pages – Cat. No. 230. Also available as a hardcover edition. Sourcebooks expand the world, player options, and adventure ideas as well as present new zombies and dangers.
  • 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. You know it is happening because you are the Nightbane. You can see the true demonic form of these invaders, and you can stop them. 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. 224 pages – Cat. No. 730. Also available as a hardcover edition.
  • And more, like the Rifts® Ultimate Edition (and 90+ Rifts® sourcebooks), Rifts® Chaos Earth®, The Mechanoid Trilogy®, Systems Failure, Splicers®, RECON®, Phase World®, etc.

 

DriveThruRPG.com – Discover the Palladium Megaverse® – 300+ titles – one game system – nearly every genre – endless adventure

The new Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive NPC Sheet is a Microsoft Excel-based system for creating Non-Player Characters quickly and easily. Once you know the system, you can have NPCs up and ready in minutes! Great for making a quick NPC at the last moment, or saving time when designing the big bad of an adventure.

  • Design compatible with the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet.
  • 20,000+ preset NPC combinations ready to go in less than a minute.
  • 15 nonhuman Palladium Fantasy races and 23 O.C.C.s.
  • 300+ Wizard and Warlock spells programmed with quick stats.
  • 70+ psionics, options for Minor Psionics, and more.
  • $4.00 – Available on DriveThruRPG.com and PalladiumBooks.com – Created by Travis Guerrero.

 

Also Available – FREE Creature Feature™ Preview provides you a glimpse of what you will find in this epic book. There also FREE Sneak Previews of Rifts® Coalition Manhunters, Northern Gun 1 & 2, Hell Followed, and select other titles. Those are just some of the 300+ Palladium RPG titles available as PDF books.

No other game company offers 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!

300+ titles and nearly every game genre available now – and more is coming. Discover the Palladium Megaverse® right now.

– Rifts® titles. Rifts® is the ultimate setting in which you can combine any number of genres and play any style of gaming you may desire: science fiction, fantasy, supernatural horror, heroic adventure, dimensional travel, modern knights, cyborgs, giant robots, dinosaur taming, sleuthing, magic, monsters, heroes and legends. Or combine them all. There has never been a game quite like Rifts®.

– Rifts® Chaos Earth® titles. Live through the Great Cataclysm and the Coming of the Rifts. Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG, Creatures of Chaos™, Rise of Magic™, and Chaos Earth® Resurrection™ are all available.

– 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.

– After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Play anthropomorphic, intelligent, mutant animals as crime-fighting mutants and super-heroes or survivors of a crumbling post-apocalyptic Earth.

– 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.

– Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks. Only you know the truth. Only you can see the Nightlords and their demonic minions, and you have the power to stop them. But you must transform into a monster yourself in order to use your powers. Trust no one.

– Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG and sourcebooks. Modern horror; 14 character classes, 42 occupations for “ordinary people,” 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, and more.

– 300+ Palladium titles in all, plus G.M. kits, paper miniatures and more. Palladium Books has settings for every genre: Fantasy RPG, science fiction (Rifts®, Splicers®, and The Mechanoids®), super-heroes (Heroes Unlimited and After the Bomb), superhero horror (Nightbane®), modern horror (Beyond the Supernatural), zombies (Dead Reign®), The Rifter® sourcebook series, novels, paper minis, and more.

Palladium PDFs at DriveThruRPG.com

 

FUN Podcast Adventures

Heroes Unlimited Christmas Special and the recent Cozy Caverns Beyond the Supernatural RPG adventure podcasts from the creative minds at www.realplaygamespod.com. These fun podcasts are created by Palladium fans like you.

 

Palladium Collectibles – at Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles eBay Store

I am adding new collectibles and Palladium negatives over the next several weeks, so check ‘em out. Alex and I will try to post new items on a regular basis, so check in every week or so to see what’s new.

One-of-a-kind Palladium Books negatives (special and rare collectibles). Negatives are always very popular items at the Palladium Open House, Gen Con, and conventions, and are catching on as rare collectibles, unique in and of themselves. Before digital printing, pages of a book were laid out by hand on a board, and each page was photographed. The plastic film negatives were then “ganged” on a massive sheet of Mylar, 16 pages per big sheet, and the printing plates were made from the negatives – everything white, printing black. We have been cutting them loose and making them available to you. I am only keeping a few dozen pages of negatives and a few complete books for myself, the rest are all being slowly offered to you, in no particular order.

  • Each is truly unique, attractive, and fun to have.
  • Own a piece of Palladium Books and RPG history you will treasure.
  • Each was used to print the very book you may have in your collection (1981-2004).
  • Each signed in silver ink by Kevin Siembieda, the founder and owner of Palladium Books. He is also the game designer and often the author or co-author of the book from which the negative originates. And some negatives bear his artwork.
  • Each signed negative comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
  • Each signed negative is a one-of-a-kind work of art (on rare occasions, two-of-a-kind if a page or section of pages were replaced or a second edition was made) that resembles woodcut art, and a very dynamic conversation piece.
  • Each signed negative is on a white board inside a clear plastic bag.
  • Negatives looks fabulous matted or framed! Fits in an 8×10 inch matt opening. Each neg is roughly 8½ x 11 inches.
  • Prices vary depending on the title, the art, and quality of the negative. Note: Many have scratches, or blemishes, and/or an opaque medium on the negative. Still, they look great and are a piece of RPG history. We recommend you carefully examine the photographs of each item to avoid disappointment.
  • We have been making the negatives available, in no particular order, for a number of years, and will continue to do so. However, cutting them loose, signing and bagging is a time consuming process.
  • Note: The negatives from the TMNT RPG, TMNT Adventures, and some Rifts® titles are already sold out. Moreover, the negatives from many titles were destroyed, so when you see one you like, get it when you can. Enjoy.

Original art – My Ebay store is one of the few places where you can find original artwork by me (Kevin Siembieda), Kevin Long, Charles Walton, and others, as well as one-of-a-kind negatives from classic Palladium books (they look awesome framed), and other Palladium memorabilia. Some are concept sketches, others are finished works of art, as well as a selection of prints and posters.

Other collectibles include art prints, posters, comic books, Palladium limited edition hardcovers, out of print items, signed books, one-of-a-kind proofreader copies, Star Wars toys, superhero action figures, and many other toys and items from my personal collection. Yeah, I used to be a crazy toy and art collector. Alex and I will keep adding items as our busy schedules allow, but we have a lot of fun collectibles available now and coming soon. Hundreds of items. Take a look every weekend for new additions.

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

 

Closing Thoughts – God is in the details

That last 10 or 20 percent makes all the difference in the world. It’s true of writing, art, and probably everything. What I mean by that is, going into a finished manuscript and ratcheting it up that extra 10-20% with fun details, verisimilitude, and a touch of Wow Factor. It gives the book a sense of realism and plausibility and continuity that makes it feel much more immersive and exciting in the context of the setting. And it’s an important ingredient in Palladium’s secret sauce. Sean’s been doing that with Titan Robotics and I’ve been doing it with Yin-Sloth Jungles to elevate very good books into great ones.

Here’s an example. This is a sourcebook about Titan Robotics. A company that makes and sells robots and power armor and a handful of other tech products. Titan Robotics. So one of the cool things Sean did was rename many of the robots, power armors, and weapon systems after the Titans of Greek mythology and their legendary themes. It sounds like a little thing, but it quietly, subtly, adds context and depth to the setting and the back story. The secret owner of Titan Robotics is a robot! Or more accurately, an advanced artificial intelligence that dates back to before the Great Cataclysm and seems to have achieved sentience. The name of the company and the names of the individual “Titans” assigned to specific war machines make sense because Archie Three knows pre-Rifts history and Greek mythology (and shared it with his human partner Hagan), so the naming convention has meaning and significance to them. And to the reader.

There are a lot of other small and not so small adjustments, changes, and innovations. Those who have the Titan Robotics™ Raw Preview Edition can see those differences for yourself. And that’s part of the fun of the Raw Previews.

We are working hard on the titles you are awaiting and know about AND the many secret projects behind the scenes. The 2023 releases of the revised and expanded Yin-Sloth Jungles™ (soon) and Island at the Edge of the World™ (later this year) for 2nd Edition rules are two titles that many of you have been waiting for. This being the Palladium Fantasy RPG’s 40th anniversary the timing felt perfect. They are both examples of projects we had moving forward behind the scenes by freelance artists and writers (another is CS Arsenal), while Sean and I work on other, more immediate projects like Titan Robotics, Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2, and Rifts® Antarctica, among others. Some book release announcements may seem a bit unexpected due to our new policy of not announcing new book releases until they are close to going to the printer or are actually at the printer. But as promised, we are trying to give you the books you have been waiting for. We have plenty of other surprises brewing that we think you’ll enjoy.

Please enjoy the T-Shirt Sale and the excitement that Titan Robotics™, Cyberworks™ Collection, and Yin-Sloth Jungles™, 2nd Edition are all getting close to going to the printer. Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2 is next.

You are all valiant heroes to me. Don’t slide into darkness, stay positive, escape into role-playing, and game on.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, & Friend

 

Original Beyond the Supernatural RPG 1st Edition Foil Hardcover

NEW! “Original” Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG “Bonus” Edition Commemorative Hardcover, 1st Edition Rules – available now

Fans are loving the “Original” Beyond the Supernatural RPG (1988) re-release as a commemorative bonus edition hardcover with its 28 iconic monsters, information about ley lines and magic, and more. Made available due to popular demand, the deluxe, commemorative, crimson foil hardcover of the Original Beyond the Supernatural RPG (1988) is back in print for the first time in 25 years. The book is simply entitled “Beyond the Supernatural,” it is gorgeous, and a must for BTS fans.

  • Modern horror and adventure.
  • The original, 1st Edition BTS rule book exactly as first published, except now as a deluxe hardcover.
  • 32 pages of “bonus” material.
  • 28 monsters, most of which can be converted to BTS-2 with some work.
  • Quick roll villain tables. Weapons and equipment section.
  • Random Encounter Tables. Random Creature Creation Tables.
  • 4 adventures, 2 adventure outlines, and countless adventure ideas.
  • Erick Wujcik’s “Victim Characters” alternative rules for playing classic movie horror and splatter film horror.
  • Erick Wujcik’s Game Master Guide to running horror adventures.
  • Can be adapted to BTS 2nd edition rules. Though magic and psionics work differently in BTS-2, this is a valuable resource and gaming tool. We recommend you only use O.C.C.s and characters from the BTS Second Edition rule book when playing in the Second Edition setting.
  • Probably limited to fewer than 1,000 copies.
  • 288 pages of terrifying fun – $55.00 retail – Cat. No. 699HC – Available now.

1st Edition Beyond the Supernatural Foil Hardcover at palladium-store.com

 

Creature Feature

Creature Feature™ – A Beyond the Supernatural™ sourcebook – available now

Creature Feature is epic and much more than a monster book. It is filled with adventure, G.M. and player tips, anecdotes, rules clarifications, and more.

  • 15 supernatural creatures described in depth. Each creature offers adventure hooks and ideas for more.
  • The art of making and running monsters.
  • Creature encounter table and tips on making unique creatures.
  • Player paranormal investigator background table.
  • Game Master source material and tips for running modern horror.
  • More world setting and monster hunting lore.
  • Rules clarifications and errata.
  • A full adventure and numerous adventure suggestions.
  • Paranormal encounter ideas, tips, advice, NPCs, and more.
  • Written by Steven Dawes, Kevin Siembieda, and others.
  • Art by Steven Cummings, Nick Bradshaw, and others.
  • 192 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 704 – Available now.

Creature Feature in the Palladium Online Store

 

Palladium Fantasy Interactive NPC Sheet

NEW! The Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive NPC Sheet

The new Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive NPC Sheet is a welcomed and helpful companion to the Palladium Fantasy Interactive Character Sheet by Travis Guerrero offering hundreds of magic spells, psionic powers, 15 inhuman character species, 23 O.C.C.s, 300 magic spells, 20,000 character combinations, and more. It is a Microsoft Excel-based system for creating Non-Player Characters quickly and easily. Once you know the system, you can have NPCs up and ready in minutes! Great for making a quick NPC at the last moment, or saving time when designing the big bad of an adventure.

Features & Benefits:

  • Designed to be compatible with the Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet.
  • 20,000+ preset NPC combinations ready to go in less than a minute when you consider species, attribute, O.C.C., and level options! Many more with additional features and easy customization.
  • 15 inhuman Palladium Fantasy races.
  • 23 O.C.C.s, plus a few variations for certain O.C.C.s such as single and dual element Warlocks.
  • NPCs can be made from Level 1 through Level 15.
  • 300+ Wizard and Warlock spells programmed with quick stats.
  • 70+ psionics programmed with quick stats, plus options for Minor Psionics.
  • Skills, armor, weapons, spells, and psionics are programmed with predetermined selections, and more.
  • NPCs can be further customized by changing their standard selections with additional options from Drop Down Lists, and keeping it book legal based on your selections.
  • $4.00 – Available at DriveThruRPG.com and at PalladiumBooks.com – Created by Travis Guerrero.
  • Instructions on how to use the NPC sheet:
  • Tutorial Video (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z53WS3n3O6A
  • Tutorial Video (Part 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRs7gPVN90

Palladium Fantasy Interactive NPC Sheet at PalladiumBooks.com Palladium Fantasy Interactive NPC Sheet at DriveThruRPG

 

Original Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet

The Palladium Fantasy RPG® Interactive Character Sheet is a Microsoft Excel-based character management system. Packed with features and data collected from every official Palladium Fantasy sourcebook, this sheet saves you time and hassle with each character you create. Available now, directly from Palladium Books AND DriveThruRPG.com – this is a digital, online product only.

Features & Benefits:

  • The Main Character Sheet Page collects the important data from across multiple tabs and puts it in one place for quick and easy reference.
  • Separate sheets examine character construction (worktable), Skills, Magic, Psionics, and Combat in greater detail.
  • Built-in leveling system that calculates skill advancement for you!
  • Experience Tables for over 80 O.C.C.s already programmed.
  • Recognizes the percentages for nearly 150 skills, plus combat bonuses for over 20 Weapon Proficiencies and 7 Hand to Hand styles.
  • Calculates the speed and distance a character can run and jump, lift, carry and throw based on character Attributes.
  • Add in your own Hand to Hand style, custom Skills, unique Weapon Proficiencies, and Experience Tables.
  • Instructions on how to use the sheet included, as well as a video walkthrough below.
  • Important Note: This character sheet is built to be used with Microsoft Excel 2010+ and it comes in .XLSX format. Opening this file in other spreadsheet programs is NOT guaranteed to work as intended.
  • Watch the Overview video here: https://vimeo.com/322271758

Palladium Fantasy Interactive Character Sheet at PalladiumBooks.com Palladium Fantasy Interactive Character Sheet at DriveThruRPG

 

Rifts Automated Character Sheet on PalladiumBooks.com

Still Hot! Rifts® Automated Character Sheet for EXCEL

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

  • Dice Roller.
  • Automated Attributes and Stat Block: All the bonuses and features from attributes are presented in a large stat block allowing you to easily see your bonuses.
  • Automated Combat Stats: The main page holds a section where you can pull up data for your various combat stats, from hand to hand abilities such as Strike, Parry, Dodge and Disarm, to W.P. bonuses including those of the W.P. Sharpshooting variety.
  • Automated Psionics: All psionics from Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 12: Psyscape™ and Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria can be selected from a dropdown menu.
  • Automated Spells: All Common Invocations, Necromancy, Ocean Magic and Biomancy spells, and yes, all the Lemurian Biomancer spells too!
  • Automated Skills: All skills from the Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 25: China 2 – Heroes of the Celestial Court™ and Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria can be selected and then automatically add bonuses from prerequisites and related skills.
  • And much, much more.
  • Note: The file is best used in Microsoft Excel 2016 or above. Some data may be lost if not using Microsoft Excel, such as when using similar products like Open Office.
  • Available from PalladiumBooks.com AND DriveThruRPG.com – make those characters!

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

 

© 2023 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

Rifts®, The Rifter®, RECON®, Splicers®, Powers Unlimited®, Palladium Books®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Phase World®, Nightbane®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, Coalition Wars®, Chaos Earth®, Dead Reign®, and After the Bomb® are Registered Trademarks of Palladium Books Inc.; Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Garden of the Gods, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, Psychic Scream, SAMAS, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

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

 

 

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