Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – April 29, 2022

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

By Kevin Siembieda

Well it’s done and over. The 2022 Palladium Open House was last weekend and it was a grand success on our three key metrics: Fun, games, and organization. And in its wake are new releases for you to snap up.

By all accounts, this Open House was one of the best ever. I heard few complaints, our advance copies of the two Raw Editions, Rifts® Coalition Manhunters, and The Rifter® #85 arrived in time for the event (we even got some extras to ship right away), and there were many first-timers along with a host of returning friends and guests. The weather, overall, was warm and nice (a bit rainy at times), and there were no major hiccups. Everyone seemed to have a blast and there was a lot of laughter, smiles, and gaming throughout the weekend. You know you hit the mark when everyone is telling you they had a great time and want to know when the “next” Open House will take place. See my Open House Report just before Closing Thoughts elsewhere in this Update for more details.

New products now available and ready to ship

• Rifts® Coalition Manhunters™ Sourcebook – Cat. No. 894
• The Rifter® #85 – Cat. No. 185
• Lopan™ (Fantasy) Raw Edition – Cat. No. 476-RAW
• Land of the South Winds™ (Fantasy) Raw Edition – Cat. No. 477-RAW
• Palladium 40th Anniversary Commemorative Print – Cat. No. PR833
• Rifts® “Explore the Megaverse” Pen – Red & Gold, black ink – Cat. No. 2604
• Palladium Books® “40 Years of Adventure” Pen – Black & Gold, black ink – Cat. No. 2605

NEW! Palladium Books^® 40th Anniversary Commemorative Print – Signed

We tweaked and retooled art by Ramon K. Perez and made it our 40th Anniversary Commemorative Print – signed by the Palladium crew.

• Full color.
• 11×17 inches in size.
• Signed in marker by the Palladium crew.
• Shipped in a mailing tube.
• Special price of only $10.00 retail – Cat. No. PR833 – available only from Palladium Books. Now shipping.

NEW! Rifts^® Explore the Megaverse^® – Red & Gold Pen

A handsome, laser etched, soft-touch pen with stylus for use on a smartphone or tablet. It features the Rifts® logo and the words “Explore the Megaverse® – white print on a burgundy pen with gold color clip and tip.

• $5.00 retail – Cat. No. 2604 – available only from Palladium Books.

NEW! Palladium Books^® 40 Years of Adventure – Black & Gold Commemorative Pen

A handsome, laser etched, soft-touch pen with stylus for use on a smartphone or tablet. It features the Palladium Books logo and the words “40 Years of Adventure” – white print on a black pen with gold color clip and tip.

• $5.00 retail – Cat. No. 2605 – available only from Palladium Books.

New! Rifts^® Coalition Manhunters – Secrets of the Coalition States^™ – available now

The Rifts® Coalition Manhunters Sourcebook was a hit at the Open House and you’ll love it too. This information-packed sourcebook includes the CS Manhunters, who are a super-secret league of assassins and enforcers that answer only to Emperor Prosek; the secret “thought police” of Psi-Ops; re-visitation and clarifications about select psionic abilities, Dog Boys and Kill Hounds; 80+ new psionic powers that are fun and intuitive; and insight about life in the Coalition States, CS psychics, Psi-Stalkers, the Minion War, CS citizens, and Emperor Prosek as well as some gadgets, implants, and surprises. This book has it all. An instant classic all Rifts® fans will want to own.

• 80+ new psionic abilities (including the special abilities of the Manhunters) and revisits of some favorites. The majority of new psi-powers are available to most psychic O.C.C.s.
• 9 CS Manhunter O.C.C.s, their orientation and areas of specialty. Each with unique, exclusive psionic powers and abilities.
• CS Manhunter background, operations, special ops, and more.
• Dog Boy O.C.C. revisited.
• A new Dog Boy magic specialist.
• CS Kill Hound O.C.C. revisited.
• Some of Emperor Prosek’s secrets revealed.
• Insight about the Coalition States and its citizens.
• Deciphering the Seven Dangers Prophecy (101 P.A. and appearing in Rifts® Sourcebook 2: Mechanoid Invasion).
• Secrets of Psi-Ops Division and insight about Coalition psychics.
• The impact of the demon plagues unleashed by the Minion War.
• A comic strip with art by Nick Bradshaw and written by Kevin Siembieda, presenting new insight about CS operations and Psi-Hounds.
• Player Characters, new psionics, NPCs, CS history and never-before-revealed information, adventure ideas galore, and more for both players and Game Masters alike.
• 224 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 894 – available now.

NEW! The Rifter^® #85 Annual – Available now

The Rifter®, your favorite player and G.M. portal to the Palladium Books® Megaverse®, is back as a super-sized annual. And this one is packed with epic adventures, O.C.C.s, toys, magic, settings, and source material. A little something for almost everyone. The Rifter® is all about new ideas, pushing the envelope, trying new things and alternative methods, rules and approaches to create epic adventure! There is no one way to look at things. Open your mind to the infinite possibilities. Remember, adventures and source material for one game setting can also be adapted to other world settings with some easy and obvious modifications. Most of all, have fun.

Rifter® #85 Highlights:

• Rifts®: Soul in Flames – A town, Skelebots, dinosaurs, and adventure.
• Rifts®: Glitter Boy™ Revisited – New variant Glitter Boys, weapons, ammo, upgrades, and material to leave players and Game Masters drooling. Easily adaptable to Chaos Earth® and Phase World® settings.
• Rifts®: The State of Rapid City – Setting and adventure ideas.
• Phase World® – Naruni civil war and 8 adventure hooks.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® – 40 new magic items suitable for Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, Phase World®, Heroes Unlimited™, and any setting with magic.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® Relics of the Elven Empire – Notable surviving Elven cities and source material.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®: The Colony of Gonarn – A sweeping new location and adventure.
• Heroes Unlimited™ – 3 new Hardware O.C.C.s, Archaic Genius, Gadgeteer, Static Genius and adventure.
• Heroes Unlimited™ tribute by comic book artist Freddie E. Williams II.
• Dead Reign® – Adventure and danger. Don’t trust anyone.
• Dead Reign® – 25 Vehicle Encounter Tables including condition, loot, and adventure hooks. Adaptable to Chaos Earth®, After the Bomb®, BTS™, Systems Failure™, Rifts®, and any post-apocalyptic setting.
• Beyond the Supernatural™: Beyond Midnight – A combination of story, creature feature, and plot hooks that includes adventure seeds that span nine different Palladium RPG settings!
• Nightbane®: The Redeemer – A compelling new O.C.C.
• Short stories, news, coming attractions, product descriptions.
• 224 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 185 – available now with more coming the end of May.
• SEEKING submissions for The Rifter® #86 – Fall 2022. We get many submissions for Rifts®, and are sitting on some for The Rifter® #86, so you will have a greater chance of getting accepted and published in the next Rifter if you send material for Nightbane®, Dead Reign®, Chaos Earth®, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, After the Bomb®, Palladium Fantasy® and other Palladium settings. Any size submission from 4-25 manuscript pages is acceptable. We prefer game material, but short stories (the shorter the better) are also considered.

NEW! Lopan^™ (Fantasy) Raw Preview Edition – Collector’s item – Available now

Get your first glimpse of Lopan with the Lopan™ Raw Preview Edition. Lopan is the often overlooked gem of the North. Nestled in the middle of the inland sea, it is near the center of the known world, yet Lopan is isolated from much of the rest of the world’s nations. This has kept it a calm, peaceful domain largely free from war and conflict. The creation and clever marketing of the (Olympic-like) Lopanic Games and the Garden of the Gods have brought Lopan international notoriety and increased trade from the rest of the civilized world.

Like the rest of the Palladium World, Lopan has a long, rich history, much of it forgotten. A history which harbors ancient secrets and forgotten magicks, such as Mosaic Magic. Meanwhile, though it seems grand, its future is not entirely certain. As a home to Elvenkind, these long-lived people, alone, bring with them a checkered past and a certain amount of drama that can be good or bad for Lopan’s future.

Glen Evans’ Lopan world book explores the present politics, people, and places, as well as a few of its secrets and history. Lopan is a safe environment where visitors do not have to worry about war, throngs of thieves and cutthroats, or monsters. That makes it a resource and staging ground for expeditions into any of the many lands around the island nation. Lopan serves as a place for adventurers and mercenaries to resupply, sell and trade treasure and loot, buy weapons and gear, acquire magic, find clues and information about new quests, and rest in between missions. Of course, the Lopanic Games offer the chance for fame and riches, while the Garden of the Gods may provide inspiration, visions, quests, and just causes to champion.

• Your first glimpse of Lopan in its “raw” manuscript form.
• Kingdom of Lopan overview and notable history.
• Key cities and places.
• New character classes.
• Notable people.
• New Mosaic Magic.
• Magic items and gear.
• Many paths to adventure and ideas for more.
• Only 350 copies of this limited collector’s item are available.
• Sold on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
• Written by Glen Evans.
• 184 pages – $28.99 retail – Cat. No. 476-RAW – Available now.
• What is a Raw Preview Edition? It is the unfinished, unedited, advance manuscript subject to rewrites and expansion. It gets a limited print run of around 200-350 copies and is fun for collectors to have something rare and unique, and is especially handy for writers and game designers (and curious gamers) because they get a glimpse into the development process at Palladium when they compare what is in the Raw Preview and what sees print in the final book, what gets expanded, dropped out, etc. In this case, writer Glen Evans has presented an overview of Lopan based on conversations and notes from Kevin Siembieda. Kevin will be tweaking and adding material to make the final book even more compelling and full of adventure hooks. And of course, this is the perfect companion for Garden of the Gods and if all goes well, it should be followed by a sourcebook about the fabled Lopanic Games (and how your characters can participate in them).

NEW! Land of the South Winds^™ (Fantasy) Raw Preview Edition – Collector’s item – Available now

Get your first glimpse of the Land of the South Winds with the Land of the South Winds™ Raw Preview. Also known as the Land of 10,000 Cults, the Land of the South Winds is a sweltering pit of secrets, mysteries and opportunity for those bold enough to seize it. From its farmland to its dense coastal cities, the region is infested with Ratlings, jungle people, death cults, jungle cults, strange religions, believers in forgotten and ancient gods, dark magic, foreign spies, smugglers, pirates, mercenaries, thieves, assassins, nonhumans, adventurers, and fortune seekers of every type. Political corruption abounds and intrigue and opportunity of all sorts, there and abroad, are available for those bold (or foolish) enough to seize the moment. In short, it is a great place for adventure!

• Your first glimpse of the Land of the South Winds in its “raw” manuscript form before it is split into two books.
• Land of the South Winds overview and notable history.
• Key cities and places.
• 11 new O.C.C.s and 7 R.C.C.s.
• The secret history of Ratlings and Dwarvlings.
• New Monsters and more about the Yema and other creatures.
• 30+ notable locations.
• Notable people and forgotten gods.
• Many cults, plots, and skullduggery.
• Countless paths to adventure and ideas for more.
• Only 350 copies of this limited collector’s item are available.
• Sold on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.
• Written by John Klinkel.
• 224 pages – $28.99 retail – Cat. No. 477-RAW – available now.
• What is a Raw Preview Edition? It is the unfinished, unedited, advance manuscript subject to rewrites and expansion. It gets a limited print run of around 200-350 copies and is fun for collectors to have something rare and unique, and is especially handy for writers and game designers (and curious gamers) because they get a glimpse into the development process at Palladium when they compare what is in the Raw Preview and what sees print in the final book, what gets expanded, dropped out, etc. In this case, writer John Klinkel has been helping to manifest the exotic Lands of the South Winds with Kevin Siembieda. This manuscript is likely to be split into 2-3 books with additional material by Kevin and another writer. All of it filled with even more mystery and intrigue and adventure opportunities than you see here. The Raw Preview is 224 pages all by itself.

UPDATE: Creature Feature^™, a Beyond the Supernatural^™ sourcebook – Ships June (tentative)

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

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

UPDATE: Rifts^® Titan Robotics^™

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

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

• New Giant Robots.
• New Power Armor, equipment and accessories.
• 30+ power armors and robots, plus other equipment.
• New weapons, gear and vehicles.
• Titan Robotics Corporation and structure.
• Archie’s secret kingdom and plans for the future.
• New O.C.C.s and key Non-Player Characters (NPCs).
• Android executives, security and much more.
• Wellington Industries, campaign prompts and more.
• Art by Walton, Cummings, Atkins, and others.
• Written by Matthew Clements and Kevin Siembieda. Cover by Mike Majestic.
• 160-192 pages – $22.99 or $26.99 depending on final size – Cat. No. 899. Release date not yet determined.

UPDATE: Rifts^® Bestiary^™ Volume Two

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

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

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized into big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• Updated and expanded descriptions and information for each existing monster.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New exotic creatures – predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects, and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Easily adapted to any Palladium setting – Palladium Fantasy®, Chaos Earth®, Splicers®, Phase World®, the Three Galaxies™, The Mechanoids®, Heroes Unlimited™/Aliens Unlimited™, and others.
• Basic S.D.C. stats included with each creature description.
• Fully illustrated, with art by Charles Walton II, Ramon Perez, Robert Atkins, and many others. Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 256 pages each volume – $28.99 – Cat. No. 897 (Volume Two). Release date not yet determined.

Back in Stock! Chaos Earth^® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover

The Great Cataclysm as it unfolds! The Golden Age of Science and human civilization is shattered with the return of magic and the Coming of the Rifts. Humanity struggles to survive against impossible odds as ley lines appear and Rifts tear open the fabric of space and time to unleash all manner of alien invaders, demonic horrors, and monsters. Natural disasters – storms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tidal waves – topple cities and create panic and chaos on a global scale.

You play survivors or the heroes of NEMA (the Northern Eagle Military Alliance) as you battle against the elements, madness, the demonic, the alien, the monstrous, and the magical amidst the devastation. You are equipped with Chromium Guardsmen (Glitter Boys), Silver Eagles (SAMAS), and a host of giant robots, power armor and advanced technology, but is it enough to stand against a rising tide of enemies and invading horrors from other worlds?

You and other survivors are humanity’s last and only hope to survive the apocalypse that will become known as the Great Cataclysm. These are the heroes you play in an ever-changing, nightmare world that can only be described as Chaos Earth.

• A complete RPG and the origins of Rifts® Earth.
• Overview of the Great Cataclysm as it unfolds.
• Introduction to NEMA and its weapons and resources.
• 11 different character classes, including robot pilots, the Para-Arcane, Demon and Witch Hunters, Chromium Guardsmen & more.
• Robots, power armor, vehicles, weapons, and equipment.
• Monsters, chaos and adventure. Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 30 pages of “bonus” material gathered from The Rifter®.
• 192 pages – $36.99 retail – Cat. No. 660HC. Also available as a 160 page softcover RPG ($20.95 retail – Cat. No. 660).

UPDATED List of RPG Hardcovers Available Now

• Back in Stock! Chaos Earth® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – 192 pages – $36.99 – Cat. No. 660HC – 30 extra pages of bonus material – available now!
• NEW! “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 – available now.
• NEW! Splicers® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – The Splicers® RPG plus 50 pages of extra material gathered from The Rifter®. 280 pages – $44.99 – Cat. No. 200HC – available now.
• “Original” Rifts® RPG 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover – available now! This collector’s item sports the original Parkinson cover, additional 32 page color section, history of Rifts®, unpublished concept art, gallery of all Rifts® covers through 2020, and more. Can be used with ALL Rifts® supplements – 288 pages – $49.99 – Cat. No. 800HC30 – Available now.
• Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG “Bonus” Hardcover – available now – BACK in stock – 224 pages – $36.99 – Cat. No. 525HC – includes bonus material – available now.
• After the Bomb® RPG “Bonus” Hardcover – available now– BACK in stock – 296 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 503HC – includes bonus material – available now.
• Rifts® Book of Magic Hardcover – available now – BACK in stock – 352 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 848HC – available now.
• Nightbane® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – available now – 304 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 730HC – 60 extra pages of bonus material – available now.
• Dead Reign® RPG (Zombie Apocalypse) Hardcover – available now – BACK in stock – 224 pages – $36.99 – Cat. No. 230HC – available now.
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition Hardcover – 224 pages – $36.99 – Cat. No. 700HC.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Hardcover – 336 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 450HC – Our second best selling new hardcover after the Rifts® 30th Anniversary edition.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG, 2nd Edition Hardcover – 352 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 500HC.
• Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG Hardcover – 376 pages – $44.99 – Cat. No. 800HC – epic.
• Rifts® Ultimate Edition “Softcover” is a new format. RUE has only ever been available as a hardcover, and it still is, but it is now also available as a softcover – 376 pages – $34.99 – Cat. No. 800SE.
• Rifts® Game Master Guide Hardcover – 352 pages – $39.99 – Cat. No. 845HC.
• Rifts® Adventure Guide Hardcover – 192 pages – $36.99 – Cat. No. 849HC.

Retailers can buy direct from Palladium

Help Your Game Store Find Palladium RPG Products! With game stores opening back up we are happy to report that our distributors are doing a good job at stocking our many titles. If your store is having trouble ordering Palladium titles from distributors or they find getting product from their distributors is too slow, tell them they can buy wholesale directly from Palladium Books. We usually succeed at keeping most of our 200+ titles in stock at all times. You might also point them to Alliance, Studio 2, and Universal Distribution (Canada), who are all doing an especially good job keeping Palladium titles in stock and available. A few store owners reached out to us just this past week, thanks to your efforts, so keep up the good work!

Brick and mortar stores can request the Retailer Terms by contacting Palladium via the Help Desk on our website or by telephone (734-721-2903). Thank you for your help on this front. Please keep spreading the word. Thank you.

DriveThruRPG.com – Discover the Palladium Megaverse^® at PDF prices – 300+ titles

– 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® #1-84. Each issue is a wealth of source material and ideas for Rifts® and 3-5 other Palladium game settings. Most are easily adapted to ANY Palladium game setting. Each issue is a gem. 8,500 pages of source material and ideas for heroes, villains, monsters, magic, gear, and adventure. Many issues are sold out and only available in digital form.

– Palladium Fantasy RPG® titles. This is 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. A world with 100,000 years of history. Some of it quite dark. All of it epic.

– Dead Reign® RPG and sourcebooks. The Zombie Apocalypse unleashed. Play ordinary people or post-apocalyptic O.C.C.s or Masked Lunatic heroes. 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 or those of your favorite comic books. Heroes Unlimited™ RPG first edition rule book and sourcebooks too.

– After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Create and play anthropomorphic, intelligent, mutant animals in a comic book world of crime-fighting mutants and super-heroes, or in a crumbling post-apocalyptic Earth where humans teeter on the edge of extinction and mutant animals are becoming the noble survivors to inherit our world.

– Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook by Erick Wujcik. Think James Bond meets Enter the Dragon. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, and super-spies with gadgets, gizmos and advanced weapons.

– Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks. You are the monsters … and the heroes. Embark on a quest of self-discovery and empowerment while locked in a secret war against the Nightlords and their demonic and human minions. Monsters only you, the Nightbane, can see, but only when you transform into your inhuman Morphus. A supernatural and monstrous alter-ego that can see the invading monsters and possesses the power to destroy them. That’s why the Night Princes have been assigned to hunt down and either turn or destroy every last one of the Nightbane. Trust no one. Even your parents, teachers, or friends might be wicked Dopplegangers in league with the Nightlords.

– Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG and sourcebooks. Your first step into the realm of modern horror. The RPG provides 14 character classes and 42 occupations for “ordinary people,” 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, the Lazlo Agency, world setting and rules.

– The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy RPG is a long time, cult favorite with a fatalistic worldview of humans vs aliens with superior technology.

– Splicers® RPG is like Iron Man meets Game of Thrones with elements of Terminator – except this army of Iron Men are clad in living body armor and wield living, organic weapons and devices. Created in 2004 by writer and game designer Carmen Bellaire, Splicers® was nominated for an Inquest Gamer Magazine Fan Awards Game of the Year, and has since developed a rabid fan base. Science fiction and horror where humans are forced to use genetically engineered, living weapons and organic war machines to battle an insane Artificial Intelligence and her robot legions. Unlike anything you have ever played before!

– Systems Failure RPG. A one-shot post-apocalyptic setting where humans fight and hide from enslaving alien invaders known as “The Bugs.”

– The Palladium Ancient Weapons Series of real world weapons, armor and castles throughout history. Designed for use with ANY game system.

– RECON® Deluxe & Revised – by Erick Wujcik and others. Vietnam era RPG and more.

– Erick Wujcik’s “Lost first RPG” Sector 57. It is Erick Wujcik’s very first RPG (1980, self-published) – a tournament game, actually. I played it way back when with Erick and it was fun. I think you will enjoy it, and it is a fun piece of history. ALL proceeds go directly to the Wujcik estate and probably toward the education of Erick’s beloved grandchild, Tristan. As most of you know, Erick would go on to write the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG, Ninjas & Superspies RPG, Amber Diceless, and contribute to a number of other RPGs and sourcebooks.

– 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 (Dead Reign® and Beyond the Supernatural), plus The Rifter® sourcebook series (by fans like you), novels, paper minis, and more. And more to come in the weeks ahead.

Palladium Collectibles, one-of-a-kind Negatives, original artwork, other collectibles and toys are always available in Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles eBay Store along with other good things

My eBay store is one of the few places where you can find original artwork by me (Kevin Siembieda), Kevin Long, Charles Walton, and others, as well as one-of-a-kind negatives from classic Rifts® and other Palladium RPG books (they look awesome framed!), rare Palladium collector hardcovers, signed books, one-of-a-kind proofreader copies, other Palladium memorabilia, as well as toys and other collectibles from my personal collection. Yeah, I used to be a crazy toy and art collector. Alex and I will try to post new items on a regular basis, so check in every few weeks to see what’s new.

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

Available now: One-of-a-kind book negatives. Negatives are always very popular items at the Palladium Open House and Gen Con. Truly unique, attractive, and fun.

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

When our printer, McNaughton and Gunn was going to discard them, Palladium acquired many (not all) of the old negatives. I am only keeping a few books for myself and make majority of the rest available to you. I sign each negative in silver and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The negative comes on a white board inside a plastic magazine bag and looks fabulous framed! Fits in an 8×10 inch matt opening in a frame (each neg is roughly 8½ x 11 inches). But don’t miss the other collectibles as well.

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

COMING Soon! 3 new T-shirts & new Rifts^® miniatures

Each is a 50/50 blend T-Shirt starting at $19.99 and available in sizes Small thru 5XL.

• A new Rifts® T-shirt that screams 30th Anniversary.
• A new Game Master T-shirt
• A new Fantasy T-shirt
• The return of fan favorite T-Shirt – Property of the Coalition States (Rifts®)
• Rifts® 32 mm miniature: CS Dead Boy with Missile Launcher
• Rifts® 32 mm miniature: Coalition Officer
• Rifts® 32 mm miniature: Ley Line Walker
• Rifts® 32 mm miniature: Triax Cyborg
• Rifts® 32 mm miniature: Chainsaw Glitter Boy & Pilot

Meanwhile, Sean is working on Rifts® Titan Robotics™ and I’m working on BTS Creature Feature AND we have a whole lot of other books and products in development, Rifts® Bestiary Volume 2 and a couple of Fantasy titles among them. Our goal is to give you many of the titles you have been waiting for, throughout 2022 and 2023. Plus, the return of a few old favorites and surprises.

A Brief 2022 Open House Report

The 2022 Open House was a blast and perhaps the most organized ever. There was little to be done when our dozen or so helpers arrived on Wednesday, but they were welcomed and very helpful. Likewise, those in attendance late afternoon Sunday were quick to gather and put up the rental tables and chairs and help with tear down. The volunteers who came over on Monday morning were equally efficient helping us put things back in order, sweeping and cleaning. In short, our staff and volunteers were outstanding in making the Open House near perfect and a wonderful weekend for everyone. Problems were minimal and all had fun.

Our first surprise was 1-4 inches of snow that came Monday. Those flying in from the UK on Tuesday, especially with a layover or flight change in New York were greeted by the sight of snow and freezing temperatures. But thankfully, by the Open House the temperature was 60 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, and 80 on Saturday and Sunday.

The second surprise for the helpers who arrived on Wednesday, was that there was little left to do. That meant time to hangout and chat or see the local sights or retire early and get some rest before the event. Oh, there were things to do, and I, of course, had plenty to do in getting ready for my games, the auction, and the overall logistics of the event, Sean Hall arrived on Tuesday to work on a couple of big projects and was a great help to me and Kathy the whole weekend. So were the indomitable Brown family – Connor, Diane, and James who were invaluable. James Brown ran games through the weekend and they all helped to put up the gray moving blankets that help to muffle sound. Diane Brown was dubbed the “Palladium Concierge” by those in attendance (we know her as the aptly named “Goddess”), because she prepped badges, manned the door, and was troubleshooting everywhere the entire weekend.

For the two weeks prior to this, warehouse goddess Crystal Willard, myself, and Sean Roberson’s young daughter Autumn helped to get T-shirts folded, products priced and stickered, and odds and ends set up for the event. Autumn also volunteered to create signage and was truly a big help and fun to have around. Not a surprise, really, because so far all the members of the Roberson clan I have met, Autumn, Big Daddy Sean, his mother Yvonne and step-dad Larry Nelson, are good people and pretty awesome. Meanwhile, Kathy Simmons prepped and prepared the dinners for VIP night and handled the concessions throughout the weekend. She and her team: Crystal Willard, Joe Bergmans, and Chris Guertin, with assists from Doug Lamberson and Shawn Hall, had it all covered. Crystal, dubbed Lord of the Warehouse long before the POH, was instrumental in Open House prep months before the Open House and was a dynamo throughout the entire weekend and clean-up afterward.

We had other help too. The mighty Matt Treml, John Klinkel, John Wooten, Seth Wooten, Scott and Gwen Gibbons, and a whole lot of other people who went above and beyond the call of duty to make our 40 Year Celebration epic. Not to mention our amazing Game Masters, artists and writers, friends and family.

Everyone from our paying guests to artists, writers, staff, and helpers were in exceptionally good spirits. It was a delight meeting in person many long-time fans and freelancers and putting a face (even if a masked face) to their name.

Everyone came to game and have fun. And from what I can tell, we delivered. Everyone seemed to have a fun time. My games all ran smoothly and everyone had a tremendous time playing one of the fabled Defilers and adventuring in the Palladium of Desires. By the way, this was the first time I had ever statted out and made the Defilers and the Palladium available to anyone but my original gaming group. They took the challenge and played great. By Sunday my voice was vanishing and I was pooped so I cancelled my Sunday game. When I told the people waiting in the sign-up line this, a big sigh and moan went out so I uncancelled the game and ran after all, warning them that I would not be at the top of my game. I felt off that game but I think everyone still had a good time.

There were a number of fun talks and panel talks too. In fact, Thursday, Sean and I did an impromptu 2-3 hour Question and Answer session to 100 VIPs which was a lot of fun. VIP dinner was delicious, of course. I mean, it was Kathy Simmons, and the food and fun was great all weekend.

I happily signed a zillion books and character sheets and commemorative prints. I also felt I had scheduled my time better so I got to meet with a lot of gamers to chat for a little bit and sign their books. So did Sean and most of the artists and writers.

The auction was especially fun and compelling with all kinds of artifacts and fun items from across the Megaverse made available. I was on top of my game as the auctioneer, teasing bidders and making people laugh as they wildly spent their money.

Closing ceremonies were nice and touching. Both Sean Owen Roberson and Palladium Original Gangster Matthew Balent gave some moving, off the cuff speeches that centered around Palladium’s legacy, how much Palladium and I have meant to them and so many other people, and how our games have inspired countless gamers to follow their dreams. Tears welled up in more than a few people and there was a lot of clapping and cheering. I was humbled and proud at the same time. Of course, I am proudest of the magnificent gaming community that has formed around Palladium Books. You really are thought of as dear friends and family, and the feeling is mutual. That was apparent all weekend.

For me, at least, this 40th Anniversary Open House was a beautiful and memorable few days of my life. I want to thank every single person who was present and made it so special. And all of you who couldn’t make it, because you are all part of that family and I know most of you feel the same.

There were a lot of silly, fun, and beautiful moments this past weekend. One for me, was when 13 year old Connor was unanimously voted “best player” by the rest of the group in a Defiler game without any of them knowing it was Connor’s birthday. That vote got Connor a special gift certificate donated by Patty Parker in the memory of David Watkins. Both Dave Watkins and Erick Wujcik were remembered at the Open House, and there were more than a few moments of joyful tears shed in their memory. Maybe we’ll talk about other highlights in the next Weekly Update or in Murmurs from the Megaverse.

The thing I remember most of all: the laughter and shouts of delight ringing through the warehouse every day, all weekend long, from morning till midnight. Music to my ears. – Kevin Siembieda

Special Request Regarding Photos

We are always soooo busy at the Open House, we never remember to take photographs. So we are requesting that those of you who got photos of yourself with Kevin, Sean, the artists, writers, or staff, as well as of the set-up and panel talks, PLEASE send them to us for our archives. They are very appreciated. Please can send them to palladiumbooks {at} gmail.com. Thanks!

Closing Thoughts

The 2022 Palladium Open House was sensational. My heartfelt thanks to everyone. I think we all made some new special moments we will never forget.

There were a large number of first time people at this Open House, including some professional artists, writers, and game designers. Some of which we hope to have working with us or becoming part of Palladium in the future. The resounding comment from every newbie was something like this: “This is amazing! Nothing like what I expected. I have never experienced anything like this! The sense of community, family, and love is off the charts. This is great!”

And this comes from many gamers who have attended other conventions and/or have been part of the gaming industry for years, including Sean! It is truly magical. And it’s why the Open House always inspires us as much as it does those of you who attend. Thank you, everyone.

The 2022 Open House was also an opportunity for gamers to meet Sean Owen Roberson up close and in person. For those of you who don’t know, Sean has joined Palladium as its Creative Director and my new business partner. After seeing Sean and me together, hearing us talk, talking with him directly, and witnessing his passion for Palladium Books firsthand, I believe any concerns have been laid to rest.

Sean is like me in his sincerity and love for Palladium’s game settings, history, and legacy. His passion and knowledge about the rules, Rifts® and all our game lines, is plain to see. He knows the products, we work well together, and we inspire each other.

We also laughed at some of the rumors going around on the Internet. One is that Sean is a spy for Pinnacle. Another is that Pinnacle is secretly planning to buy Palladium. Which is ludicrous. Sean joined Pinnacle to work on Rifts® for Savage Worlds. Why? Because he plays and loves Rifts! It was through his work on Rifts® for Pinnacle that he and I met and got to know each other. When I realized Sean would be an excellent fit here at Palladium and help me bring Palladium into a new era of greatness, I invited him to become my partner. That’s how much I respect his abilities and how much we see eye-to-eye. Sean continues to work with the Pinnacle Team on Rifts® for Savage Worlds with my blessing. Just as Shane, the owner of Pinnacle, knew about and gave Sean his blessing to join Palladium. They remain friends and we all work at bringing Rifts® to a larger audience. There is no animosity between our companies. Nor is one trying to buy the other. We respect each other’s autonomy, and wish each other well.

Sean and I have big plans for Palladium Books and the future of ALL our game worlds (and a few new ones). We are not talking about them yet because, a) we are focused on getting you many of the titles you have been waiting for, b) it is too soon to talk about our plans, and c) we do not want to over-promise. Trust us, you will hear all about them (and probably faint from the excitement) when the time is right. Until then, keep the faith, and enjoy the products coming your way.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, Friend

NEW! “Original” Palladium Fantasy RPG^® “Bonus” Edition Commemorative Hardcover, 1st Edition Rules – Available now

This deluxe, foil stamped edition presents the original, First Edition rules, expanded with the inclusion of the Arms of Nargash-Tor adventure sourcebook. The Original Fantasy Edition includes Erick Wujcik’s popular Tombs of Gersidi adventure left out of the 2nd Edition rule book, and all the original illustrations. The cover is a recreation of the original, famous red and black cover of the original RPG. We sold more than 120,000 copies of the first edition rule book back in the day, so we know a lot of people have fond memories of it. Hence, the request for Palladium to offer it again in some form. We hope you enjoy the deluxe First Edition Fantasy hardcover. It sure brought back memories for many of us.

• 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 (ancient vampires and dark magic) written by Erick Wujcik. Maps by Erick Wujcik. Easily adapted to current rules.
• Depictions of Eastern, Western, Northern, and Old Kingdom coins.
• Fan favorite artwork by Kevin Siembieda and Michael Kucharski.
• The Arms of Nargash-Tor adventure sourcebook included as “bonus” material back in print form for the first time in 35 years.
• Deluxe hardcover edition. Probably limited to fewer than 1,000 copies.
• Recreation of the original cover with red foil stamping into a black faux leatherette hardcover. It should look beautiful.
• 320 pages total with “bonus” material – $55 retail – Cat. No. 449HC – available now while supplies last.

NEW! Splicers^® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover – Available now

The Splicers® RPG “Bonus” Edition Hardcover includes 50 pages of Splicers® material from The Rifter® #30, #32, and #51 offering War Mounts, The Wasteland, and Living Weapons like the Swarm Lord, Hive insects, etc., written by Chris Kluge.

Splicers® is a unique science fiction RPG unlike anything else on the market. It might be thought of as The Terminator meets Guyver. Human beings (on a far future Earth or is it a distant space colony?) are forced to hide and turn to bio-engineered, living weapons, armor and war steeds in their ongoing struggles against “The Machine.” A Super-Artificial Intelligence originally designed to help and protect human beings, but now hunts and destroys or enslaves them for their own welfare. It is a battle for survival that varies for each House of Splicers and the different regions controlled by the different personalities of the insane AI.

• The complete Splicers RPG written and created by Carmen Bellaire.
• 50 bonus pages of source material written by Chris Kluge.
• 280 pages – $44.99 retail – Cat. No. 200HC – available now while supplies last.

“Original” Rifts^® RPG – 30th Anniversary Commemorative Hardcover – available now

Yep, the RPG many of you know and love and first cut your teeth on when you discovered RPGs. The “original” Rifts® RPG is available for a limited time as a deluxe hardcover. Still only $49.99 despite rising paper and printing costs, especially for a book of its caliber. It is absolutely gorgeous and guaranteed to bring back fond memories. 48 pages of color, high quality paper, beautiful print quality throughout, and 32 pages of additional content.

• The cover is the iconic, fan favorite, Keith Parkinson painting depicting a Splugorth Slaver and Blind Warrior Women riding a Splugorth Slave Barge.
• 32 page color section presenting never before seen or talked about art and information.
• The making of Rifts®.
• Behind the scenes stories involving Kevin Siembieda, Erick Wujcik, Keith Parkinson, Kevin Long, others, and their contributions to Rifts®.
• Never before seen concept art and sketches.
• A gallery of every Rifts® cover through 2021. More than 160 of them. The perfect reference for collectors.
• The Rifts® RPG first edition rules work perfectly with ALL current Rifts® World Books, Sourcebooks, and Dimension Books, making it a functioning core rule book, not just an awesome collector’s item.
• 288 pages – $49.99 retail – Cat. No. 800HC30 – available now.

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

Palladium Fantasy® Interactive Character Sheet

Also still hot – the Palladium Fantasy Interactive Character Sheet which is equally helpful in managing Palladium Fantasy RPG characters. Created by Travis Guerrero.

© 2022 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.