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

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

Hello Palladium Fans!

Channeling the Love

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

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

Kevin Eastman

Kevin Siembieda, art – Mike Majestic, colors

Ciro Nieli

Kevin Siembieda, art – Sophie Campbell, colors

Kevin Siembieda – art, Sophie Campbell – colors

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG Kickstarter Update

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

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

  
  

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

  
  

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

  
  

• The history and behind the scenes material are written.

  
  

• Erick Wujcik is fondly remembered.

  
  

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

  
  

• The handful of additional mutant animals are illustrated.

  
  

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

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

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

  
  

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

  
  

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

  
  

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

Notable outsiders’ reactions to TMNT & Other Strangeness

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unbeatable Savings at Bundle of Holding
ENDS MONDAY!

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

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

Enjoy!

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

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

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

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

Coalition Manhunters, Siege on Tolkeen – 7 adventures

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Is everything about the TMNT game, now?

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Kevin Siembieda, That Publisher Guy