Palladium Books® Weekly Update – June 24, 2016

By Kevin Siembieda

It has been another productive week as we dealt with a number of business matters and worked on several projects. Much of our focus has been on The Rifter® #74 and The Rifter® #75, which should come out back to back only a few weeks apart. I continue to coordinate and approve artwork for a variety of Palladium projects as well as art approvals for Savage Rifts®, among other things. There has also been a lot of discussion about Robotech® and Robotech® RPG Tactics™.

UPDATE: Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity Sourcebook – Available now!

Rifts® Heroes of Humanity shipped to online purchasers last week and should be hitting store shelves next week. The reaction to it has been positive and energetic. People are enjoying the many aspects of this adventure sourcebook that spotlights the Coalition Army and dealing with the demonic invasion from Hell. An event (see Rifts® Megaverse in Flames) that could change Rifts Earth forever. Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ is fun, different and thought provoking. There are new combinations of player characters, unlikely alliances, and conflict that brings together the Coalition Army, Lemurians, Minions of Splugorth, D-Bees, mages and others against a greater common enemy. It’s sweeping and epic. Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™ also presents ways to refresh and change existing men-at-arms characters, and there is renewed focus on Coalition Juicers, Combat Cyborgs, and psychics.

Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity shakes up the status quo and breathes new life into any Rifts® campaign set in North America. A free preview of Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ is available at DriveThruRPG.com. Keep those orders coming and spread the word. This is a sourcebook every Rifts fan is going to want.

UPDATE: The Rifter® #74 – in final production – early July release – much of the source material is “official”

The articles are in the final editing and typesetting stage. Charles Walton II and his fellow Spliceheads have finished the writing of the next chapter in the Legion storyline for Splicers® (all “official” source material) and Chuck is finishing the artwork. Speaking of artwork, the art for Rifts® Town of Moorcroft (more “official” source material by Julius Rosenstein) is being wrapped up by Mark Dudley and Mike Mumah, and the same holds true of ALL the art and remaining material for this issue; of which at least half the issue is “official” source material. See the full description and cover elsewhere in this Update. We expect The Rifter® #74 to go to the printer by the end of next week.

UPDATE: Rifter® #75 – in production – July release

As mentioned in the last Update, we are already fast at work on The Rifter® #75 with articles being selected and edited even as you read this. I’ll be assigning artwork very shortly. We expect The Rifter® #75 to ship at the end of July.

Remember, Palladium is always looking for new Rifter® submissions, so don’t be shy. Send in your adventure settings, towns, villains, monsters, Game Master or player tips, etc., to share with other gamers around the world.

UPDATE: CS Heroes of Humanity Arsenal Sourcebook – July or August

Been too busy this week with The Rifter® #74 and #75 and other matters (including physical therapy for my broken arm) to do any work on CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal this week, but I’ll be diving back into it next week along with Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™ and others. The CS Arsenal sourcebook presents more background details about the Coalition States and the Minion War™ along with mouth-watering new Coalition weapons, power armor, robots, combat vehicles, and other goodies. It is a companion title to Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ but works as a stand-alone sourcebook as well.

See the description elsewhere and place your pre-orders. Looking like a July or August Release.

The Rifter #73

UPDATE: Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans – July or August

In production. I expect to be assigning the artwork for it over the weekend. Secrets of the Atlanteans is going to be another far-reaching Dimension Book with applications for characters and adventures on Rifts Earth, Phase World® and across the Megaverse®. Looking like a July or August Release.

UPDATE: Rifts® The Disavowed

Jotting down ideas as they come. The Disavowed is another stand-alone book related by theme, time-line and interlocking events to Heroes of Humanity™, but presents its own unique and shocking avenues of adventure. I’m working at weaving a sprawling tapestry of events and forces that will surprise and engage Rifts® players on many levels. Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans and CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal along with CS Heroes of Humanity™, The Disavowed™ and Rifts® Haunted Tech™ are all pieces of a much larger tapestry of events that can be played as stand-alone adventures or something much bigger. Epic fun is coming this Summer.

UPDATE: Rifts® Sovietski

No new movement on this front. In final development. The cover has been assigned to John Zeleznik. Interior artwork to be assigned.

UPDATE: Savage Rifts® for Savage Worlds®

Pinnacle released the PDF of the Savage Rifts® Player’s Guide this week to its Kickstarter backers. Excitement for it was so great that it is my understanding that the Pinnacle website crashed because of the traffic. The PDF looks great and we have been hearing positive feedback about the book. Meanwhile, we continue to approve finished art, maps and design elements. All of it continues to look pretty sweet.

UPDATE: Garden of the Gods for Palladium Fantasy RPG®

I’m anxious to get back to writing this book, but I have other things I need to finish first. This is just one of three Fantasy titles in the works.

UPDATE: Hell Followed sourcebook for Dead Reign®

Artist Nick Bradshaw is working away on the artwork and sending me feedback on the Taylor White manuscript as he goes through it. All great stuff. Hell Followed will be a 160 page sourcebook.

UPDATE: Robotech® The Masters Saga to be released in 8½ x 11 format

Suddenly, there are only two dozen copies of Robotech® The Masters Saga in manga format left in the warehouse. That means it is time to re-release the fan-fave sourcebook in the larger 8½ x 11 format. With the amount of artwork and design elements we’d like to put into Robotech® The Masters Saga, we think the 8½ x 11 conversion will top out at 160 pages; $20.95 retail. An August release.

UPDATE: Robotech® RPG Tactics

We are in the process of making a determination as to whether we can release Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Wave Two game pieces with much fewer component parts, for fast, easy builds. We do not want to say anything more until we are certain of all the details, which we hope to have in a few weeks. We are also plotting and working on additional source material and support for the game line. Things are boiling for Robotech®. Much more to come.

UPDATE: Rifts® World Book 28: Arzno joins Rifts® Ultimate Edition, the Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity FREE Preview and 160+ other PDF titles on DriveThruRPG.com

Now available as a PDF, Rifts® World Book 28: Arzno™, along with the Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ FREE Preview and Rifts® Ultimate Edition along with more than 40 other Rifts® titles! Many other Palladium RPG titles are also available as PDFs right now from DriveThruRPG.com, with more Rifts® and other Palladium game titles coming to PDF in the weeks and months ahead. Watch for them.

Recent PDF titles include Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® World Book 27: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp™, Rifts® World Book 26: Dinosaur Swamp, World Book 25: Rifts® China Two, and World Book 24: Rifts® China One, among many, many others. There are also previews of Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™, The Rifter® #73, Northern Gun 1 & 2, Lemuria, Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms, Bizantium and many other Palladium titles. Things remain in place to see 2-3 new PDFs of Rifts® World Books and other titles added every week.

In addition to the titles listed above, The Minion War™ series of books, the Rifts® Coalition Wars®/Tolkeen series, Chaos Earth® Resurrection, all of the Dead Reign® (Zombie Apocalypse) titles, Splicers® RPG and most issues of The Rifter® are available NOW! So are first edition rules of the Heroes Unlimited™ RPG and sourcebooks, Palladium Fantasy RPG® and sourcebooks, The Mechanoids®, and much more, available on DriveThruRPG.com.

Available right now:

NEW on DriveThruRPG.com – Rifts® Paper Minis – $2.99 per set

The first batches of paper minis for Rifts® are now available for download. These 28mm minis are presented in two formats, outlined and blank background, and each includes tech pattern bases. Tri-fold flat versions are also included in each set. More to follow.

Palladium Collectibles Available in Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles Store

A wide range of art and collectibles have been selling over the last few weeks. Nice. I hope you enjoy your items, be they out of print books, signed titles, rare hardcovers, original artwork, toys or other goodies. Original art are one-of-a-kind items, so when they are gone (like the TMNT sketches and Rifts® illustrations), they are gone. Many other offerings are signed, limited editions or are items that have been sold out for some time.

I’ll continue to pull things out of my personal collection and Palladium archives. A bunch of toys have been added to my online store with more to come.

More collectibles, artwork and toys are added almost every week. Palladium collectibles, hardcovers, out-of-print titles, original artwork, and toys and items from my personal collection are on my ebay store. We add items on a regular basis and offer sales, so check it out from time to time. Includes one-of-a-kind original artwork, prints, Rifts® and Robotech® artwork by Kevin Long, me and others. There is also a range of limited editions, rare book titles and limited edition hardcovers, toys and more available with frequent new items added. Items include original art, out-of-print titles, redlined proofreader photocopies signed by me and the staff, signed manuscripts with editors’ corrections, some original art, hardcover books (including Rifts® Lemuria, Northern Gun™ One, Northern Gun™ Two, Megaverse® in Flames™, Beyond the Supernatural™ Gold, Rifts® Machinations of Doom™ Gold and Rifts® Ultimate Gold), hundreds of toys and action figures, all from my personal archives and collection. Take a look every weekend or two for new items added.

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

This and that ...

I hope the gamer fathers out there enjoyed a nice Father’s Day last weekend. I sure did, starting with a delicious favorite breakfast from Kathy, talking to loved ones, and visiting with a couple of dear, old friends. It was a pleasant day filled with love and laughter.

On the health front, my recovery after being hit by a car and breaking my humerus bone (upper arm) seems to be going well. I had my first physical therapy (PT) session a couple days ago and go to my second one Friday afternoon. I have another follow-up visit with the surgeon next week and expect to hear good things. I already have PT exercises to do at home. Though the mobility of my arm is ever improving, I’m starting to wonder if I will ever be 100%, or if that constant tight feeling, dull ache and click in my shoulder are going to be permanent. It is too soon to tell. Hoping for the best.

Otherwise, ideas are flying for Robotech® RPG Tactics™, Rifts®, Splicers® and other Palladium projects. That’s all for now. Enjoy Rifts® Heroes of Humanity and keep those imaginations burning bright. There is a lot more coming your way to fuel the flames of imagination.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer, Game Designer

Coalition States Heroes of Humanity

NEW! Rifts® Secrets of the Coalition States – Heroes of Humanity – Available now!

Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity™ changes the landscape of Rifts North America and beyond, presents ways to upgrade and improve existing Men-At-Arms characters with Advanced Training, and includes new character classes, weapons, equipment, alliances and conflict to inspire epic new adventures.

Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™ outlines the battle for the soul of humanity. The Minion War™ has spilled onto Rifts Earth. At the epicenter of the invasion is North America. If either of the two rival demonic forces succeeds in conquering the continent, the rest of the world shall follow and Earth will be annexed to Hell. The demon hordes believe no one can stop them. The Coalition States has something to say about that.

For the first time in history, the Coalition States, Northern Gun, the Manistique Imperium, Lazlo, New Lazlo, Free Quebec, the Cyber-Knights, Lemurians, True Atlanteans, D-Bees, mages, mercs and many, many others stand together against a common enemy. Meanwhile, the Splugorth of Atlantis, Archie Three, the Republicans and the Vanguard engage in their own shadow war against the invading demon hordes, and each other.

The Rifter #74

NEW! The Rifter® #74 – In final production – Ships early July

Rifts®, Splicers® and more awaits you in The Rifter® #74. And some material is official.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready-to-go source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines. And don’t forget, most of the material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

Rifter® #74 Highlights:

The Rifter #75

NEW! The Rifter® #75 – In final production – Ships end of July

Rifts®, Splicers®, mutants and much more awaits you in The Rifter® #75.

Heroes of Humanity Arsenal

NEW! Secrets of the Coalition States: Heroes of Humanity Arsenal Sourcebook – Summer

The name, CS Heroes of Humanity™ Arsenal says it all. New Coalition armor, power armor, robots, combat vehicles, and related material.

NEW! Rifts® Haunted Tech – Summer

The Republicans decide to make their move while Archie Three is waging his own shadow war against the demonic invaders. The result unleashes a menace Archie has kept contained and locked away for 300 years. And he is not happy about it.

Rifts The Disavowed

Rifts® Secrets of the Coalition States: The Disavowed™ – Summer

“Desperate times require desperate measures. War has nothing to do with morality or justice. It’s all about winning or dying. We cannot bind our hands with high ideals, even our own, or worry about the laws of renegade nations or the rights of alien people. We must fight fire with fire. And you are the match.” – Colonel Lyboc addressing a Disavowed team

The Disavowed are so Top Secret that their existence is known only to a handful of the Coalition States’ most elite, top echelon, with Joseph Prosek II the mastermind behind the Disavowed operation, and Colonel Lyboc its shadowy face. Find out who these men and women are. How the Disavowed get away with using magic, traveling to other parts of Rifts Earth and even to other dimensions in pursuit of enemies and strategic information that cannot be had through conventional means. Learn about the secret parameters in which these hard-boiled warriors, secretly hand-picked by Joseph Prosek II, operate, why almost every mission is considered a suicide mission, and why they must forever be the Disavowed.

Coalition States Heroes of Humanity

Rifts® World Book 28: Arzno

Looking for vampire slayers and anti-vampire TW devices? You need to visit Arzno. Arno is a mercenary city built on the edge of the Grand Canyon. It is a force for good, but threatened by the encroaching vampire menace from Mexico who have marked the mercs for destruction. Arzno™ has plenty of fun source material, Techno-Wizard power armor and weapons, a vampire invasion adventure scenario and other adventure ideas. Available from Palladium in book form and as a PDF from DriveThruRPG.com.

The Rifter #73

NEW! The Rifter® #73 – Available now!

For the first time ever, the entire issue of The Rifter® #73 is “official” source material for Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Splicers® and Dead Reign®, plus news, coming attractions and more. It is a great way to kickoff Palladium’s 35 Year Anniversary.

Every issue of The Rifter® is an idea factory for players and Game Masters to generate new ideas and find new avenues of adventure. It provides useful, ready-to-go source material you can just drop into your ongoing games. A doorway to new possibilities and numerous Palladium role-playing worlds. And the many new characters, O.C.C.s, powers, magic, weapons, villains, monsters, adventures and ideas for one setting can be easily adapted to any Palladium setting. Every issue has material for Rifts® and at least 2-3 other Palladium game lines. And don’t forget, most of the material can be easily adapted for use in ANY Palladium game setting.

Rifter® #73 Highlights:

The Rifter #73

NEW! Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans – Summer

True Atlanteans are descendants from Earth’s past. The survivors of the sinking of Atlantis (really a dimensional mishap) and travelers of the Megaverse, wielders of Tattoo Magic and other lost mystic arts. Most people regard them as heroes, but are they? The Sunaj Assassins are mythic villains feared by all, yet they too are True Atlanteans who serve dark forces.

For the first time, much of the story behind True Atlanteans and their secrets are revealed.

The Rifter #73

BACK IN PRINT: Island at the Edge of the World

A Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook – available now

Island at the Edge of the World™ is back in print as a short run, special printing. This is the original Palladium RPG® sourcebook VI that utilizes First Edition rules. That said, it is very easy to adapt for use with Second Edition rules.

Island at the Edge of the World™ reveals some of the little known history of the Palladium World, the Time of a Thousand Magicks, the Changeling Inquisition, and dark secrets that could threaten the world. Learn about forgotten Crystal Magic (as powerful as Rune Weapons), the Church of Scar, the legendary Circle of Absolute Elemental Power and frightening prophecies about the end of the world.

Garden of the Gods – a Palladium Fantasy RPG® Sourcebook – Summer

This has been a secret project of Kevin Siembieda’s that he has been plotting and writing in what little spare time he has. The Garden of the Gods is said to be a holy place watched over and even frequented by the avatars of the gods. According to legend, the god may visit heroes and followers in dreams or in person by an avatar of the god, to be given guidance, inspiration, heroic quests, and gifts of knowledge and magic. More details about this title will follow.

Hell Followed – A Dead Reign® Zombie Apocalypse Sourcebook

At 160 pages, Hell Followed™ is the largest Dead Reign® sourcebook yet. Spring or Summer release. Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse? Find out by playing Dead Reign®. The results may surprise you.

Rifts® Chaos Earth® Sourcebook: First Responders – Fall

The Great Cataclysm has devastated civilization, but humanity fights for survival. The struggles of civilian law enforcement, fire and rescue, and everyday men and women are some of the most epic tales to be told in a world gone to hell. They fight monsters, aliens, the paranormal, the elements, and each other, all with the hope of reclaiming their lives from the Chaos.

Robotech RPG Tactics

Robotech® RPG Tactics Wave Two is coming ...

– but you can get started with the core box set and Wave One expansions right now

If you love Robotech®, you want to take a look at this game. Beautifully detailed game pieces of your favorite Robotech® mecha, and fast playing rules that capture the Robotech® experience in a new, exciting way. And this is just the beginning. We have so much more planned for the years ahead.

Robotech® RPG Tactics™ "Starter Box" (Main Box Game) – Cat. No. 55100 – $99.95 retail price. This is the game Robotech® fans have wanted for decades. Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, tabletop combat game that captures the action and adventure of the Robotech® anime. Two or more players can engage in small squad skirmishes or scale up to massive battles. Relive the clashes of the First Robotech War, engage in stand-alone tactical games, or use the dynamic game pieces to enhance your Robotech® RPG experience. Or simply collect your favorite mecha from an expanding range of top-notch game pieces. Get yours now, so you can build your armies and have them ready when Wave Two is released.

The First Six Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Expansion Packs are available to retail along with the main box game. Here are the SKUs and retail prices:

DriveThruRPG

Palladium PDF Books – download from DriveThruRPG.com

This is a great resource for getting out of print Palladium titles and other select books. We’ve made more than 100 PDF products available for digital download from DriveThruRPG.com, as well as Fantasy Paper Miniatures, Game Master resources and other good things with more to come. This is a great way to try Palladium products and get access to out of print RPG source material. Some notable titles include:

Schedule of Upcoming Releases

Also coming:

Upcoming Palladium Books® Convention Events

Palladium Books does not have to be an exhibitor at a convention or be counted among the guests to support that convention. We are happy to support events running Palladium games with prizes for best players, other swag, and donations to charity auctions. If you are a Game Master running Palladium gaming events, or a convention hosting them, PLEASE contact Palladium Books via the Help Desk or the Megaversal Ambassadors, or call the Palladium offices to get our support. Just give us plenty of advance notice so we can confirm the conventions and the Palladium gaming events, determine the swag and ship it out. Plus we are glad to promote conventions and gaming events right here in the Weekly Updates. Below are just some of the conventions hosting Palladium game events this year.

RAGECon – June 24-26, 2016

Convention Name: RAGECon 2016.
Dates: June 24-26, 2016.
Location: Reno, Nevada.
Website: http://www.ragecon.com/
Supporting: Role-playing games, including Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™, Ninjas & Superspies™ and Splicers®.
Contact for Details & Registration: Ask for Jeff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Gen Con Indy – Indianapolis, Indiana – August 4-7, 2016 – Palladium Books® – Booth 823

Gen Con is coming up fast and we hope Palladium Books will be a big part of your plans there. There are dozens of scheduled Palladium gaming events including Rifts® and Robotech® RPG Tactics™, a special convention discount coupon you will NOT want to miss in the Gen Con Coupon Book (especially fans of Rifts® and Robotech®), and a bunch of Palladium madmen will be on hand to chat and sign books.

Highlights Include:

Palladium Creators at the 2016 Gen Con:

And maybe a couple others to be added.

http://www.gencon.com

GrandCon – Grand Rapids, Michigan – September 16, 17 & 18, 2016

Looking for a nice medium-sized convention of around 2,000 gamers? Then consider GrandCon in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It’s only about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Westland, and even closer for folks living in Livonia, Plymouth, Novi, and cities farther west. Ideal for any Michiganders and gamers living in Illinois, Indiana and maybe even Wisconsin and eastern Iowa.

I (Kevin Siembieda) am a guest along with Sean Patrick Fannon, co-author of Savage Rifts® for the Savage Worlds game system, and many other guests. Sean and I will be doing panels about Savage Rifts® and role-playing game design, world building and running gaming events (I’ll probably run Lord DeSilca/Fantasy and/or Beyond the Supernatural), and Palladium Books will have a few tables in the dealers’ room manned by Wayne Smith and Charles Walton II (with artwork for sale). All of us will be present to chat with gamers and sign books. I am thrilled to have a rapidly growing game convention like GrandCon in western Michigan, and they have even bigger plans for 2017. Michiganders, help support this convention. We need and deserve a large gaming convention in our state.

http://www.grand-con.com

© Copyright 2016 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. RPG Tactics™, Beyond the Supernatural, Coalition States, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, SAMAS, Savage Rifts®, Thundercloud Galaxy, Three Galaxies, Vampire Kingdoms, and other published book titles, names, slogans and likenesses are trademarks of Palladium Books Inc., and Kevin Siembieda.

Robotech® and Robotech® The Shadow Chronicles® are Registered Trademarks of Harmony Gold USA, Inc.

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