Final Days of Sale – Palladium Books® – Weekly Update – April 17, 2025

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

BY KEVIN SIEMBIEDA

Final Days of Palladium’s Annual Print Sale – 50% discount

Final Days of Palladium’s Annual Print Sale – 50% discount. This beloved sale ends next week, so this is your last weekend to get a few choice pieces at half off. This is a great way to build your art print collection, spruce up your gaming den, or to have colorful references to delight your players. (“Coming out of the forest you see something like this!”) Most prints, the poker decks, and bookmarks are all on sale at half-price. Get ‘em while you can. Sale ends Wednesday, April 23.

NEWS!

20 Reprint titles are at the printer! Palladium has sent 20 titles in for reprint. Most should be available before we sell out of our current print run, but a few will be temporarily out of print for a few weeks to a few months.

- Powers Unlimited One will be back in print by the end of May.

- Rifts Book of Magic will be back in print by the end of May.

- The Rifts Cyberworks Hardcover will be back in print in May.

- The Rifts Ultimate Edition SOFTCOVER will be back in print in July.

What’s hot at Palladium this week? Besides art prints, we’ve seen a sudden surge for Heroes  Unlimited and After the Bomb® titles. Meanwhile, Rifts® (particularly RUE, the Rifts 30th Anniversary hardcover, World Books), Dead Reign® and Palladium Fantasy titles also remain hot. Thank you everyone. As I’ve said in the past, I find it interesting when we see a surge of one or more game lines when there is no obvious catalyst for it. Is it something in the zeitgeist? Is it a podcast discussion I don’t know about? Something Sean or I said in an interview? We never know but it’s fun to see.

More fun conversations. Last Sunday, I  had a spirited chat with the guys on the Glitterbois podcast. We talked about the backstory behind Nightbane®, Dead Reign®, and Systems Failure. It was a lot of fun and I was told the chat would be made live quickly, so it should be available this weekend or soon after. We’ll try to do another one in May.

April 27th will be the next Legion of Myth live chat with me and Sean.

J-M DeFoggi and I also continue making videos for the official history of Palladium Books. Each episode filled with stories about the creation of your favorite games and the people behind them. The people part means there will be episodes where we talk about Julius Rosenstein, Erick Wujcik, Keith Parkinson, and many others, as well as interviews with Sean Owen Roberson, Palladium staffers, and other notable Palladium writers, artists, and co-creators. Keep your eyes tuned into the Palladium YouTube channel.

COMING! Behind the scenes reveals. A couple of behind the scenes projects shall be revealed over the next few weeks. We shared the information with some friends and insiders and everyone has gotten very excited about them, so we think you will too.

ON WATCH! Personal appearances. As many of you know, we don’t do a lot of conventions, but here’s what’s coming up over the next 10 months:

Gen Con - July/August

Alliance Open House (Tradeshow) – September

Granite State Comic Con – September

I may add one plus I’m considering a January Convention.

Final Days – 50% off Art Prints – Sale ENDS Wednesday April 23, 2025

Last weekend – Palladium’s ever-popular annual spring art sale is coming to an END. If you love Palladium’s artwork as much as we do, this is your last few days to get some of your favorite art, and at half-price. Isn’t it time to redecorate your gaming space or add to your art print collection? Full color and black and white prints are half-price, so spruce up your gaming area with some of your favorite RPG artwork. Related art on sale: Bookmarks and Rifts poker decks. All of these items make fun birthday gifts and surprise Easter and Father’s Day presents (Mother’s Day too!).

- Nearly all of Palladium’s art prints – half price! Check ‘em out.

- Palladium Bookmarks Set One – Cat. No. 2554 – only $2.50 for a set of 4. Each one features different art (RUE, Fantasy, Heroes Unlimited, & Dead Reign).

- Palladium Bookmarks Set Two – Cat. No. 2555 – only $2.50 for a set of 4. Each one features different art (Chaos Earth, Nightbane, Phase World & Beyond the Supernatural).

- Rifts Poker Deck #1 (full color) – Cat. No. 2575 – only $5.98

- Rifts Poker Deck #2 (black and white art) – Cat. No. 2576 – only $5.98

- Rifts Cyberworks Poker Deck (full color backs and face cards) – Cat. No. 2609 – only $7.50

- Sale ENDS after midnight, Wednesday April 23.

Update! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG Redux

Everything in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness Redux project rewards are heading to the printers!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG Redux and TMNT Transdimensional Adventures are done! That includes the four variant covers and the two impressive Black White & Red Editions. The final versions are all complete, and once approvals are finalized, they will be heading to the printers, probably this week. We’re one more step closer to getting these into your hands!

There is a ton of New and Expanded Content! We initially promised 256 pages in the core rule book, but thanks to your support and our dedicated team, we've expanded to 272 pages – that’s 16 pages of bonus content, in addition to a sleek new layout and typesetting, color artwork throughout, including TMNT comic strip, easy to read tables, a new index, there are 20 new mutant animals, new animal abilities, stats for Karai (new art by Kevin Eastman),  clarified and enhanced combat rules, 20 new vehicles, and more! That’s not counting the 15+ delightful, new, pinup pages of Tribute Art by comic book and gaming artists, wonderful written remembrances, the behind-the-scenes story about the making of the original RPG,  concept art and notes, and fun insights.

Get all the details and see more artwork in the newest Kickstarter Update by clicking the link below.

Likewise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Transdimensional Adventures – is a juicy 256 page sourcebook that combines the original content of Transdimensional TMNT with the TMNT Guide to the Universe, and TMNT Adventures – now remastered and expanded with the same level of new layout, colors, comic strips (20 pages total; originally created specifically for these sourcebooks), as the core rule book. It too offers rules clarifications and expanded contents such as Fugitoid's Stats, expanded vehicle creation rules,  expanded vehicle combat rules, vehicle hit location and critical damage tables, tribute art,  more behind-the-scenes insights, and touching and funny written remembrances.

As final approvals come in, we are sending the books, Game Master screen, dice, miniature sets, poker deck, print sets, and all the rest to the printers.

Once again, our humblest and most sincere thanks to every single one of you for supporting this project. This project is truly a labor of love, and we cannot wait for you to dive into this expanded and remastered TMNT & Other Strangeness Redux content.  – Sean Owen Roberson

Note: Anyone can still pre-order the mainstream books at Kickstarter prices – a saving of $5-$10 per book. So do it while you still can, because the Pre-Order Store will be closing in a few weeks.

If you have NOT yet filled out your BackerKit Registration survey (shipping address, etc.) please do so now so to guarantee you get your rewards! Thank you.

The Official History of Palladium Books on YouTube

Please continue to enjoy and spread the word about the Official History of Palladium Books on the Palladium YouTube channel. Every YouTube episode is fun, candid, and offers insight and behind the scenes information from the publisher/creator of your favorite Palladium role-playing games, Kevin Siembieda. Hear fun stories, details and thought processes you probably never heard before. We are now getting into some of our most famous and beloved games: Palladium Fantasy RPG and Secrets of the Defilers have been a big hit. Behind the scenes of Heroes Unlimited RPG is the most recent episode, followed by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG releasing today. Did you know that TMNT & Other Strangeness was Mirage Studio’s very first license, or that Kevin introduced Eastman and Laird to licensing agent Mark Freedman who helped take the Turtles mainstream? Get the behind the scenes story straight from the guy who was there.

New Episodes coming on the Official History of Palladium Books with Kevin Siembieda & J-M DeFoggi. Behind the scenes insight into the making of one Palladium blockbuster RPG of the 1980s and 1990s after another.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness RPG – available now.

• Secrets of the Defilers, Part 4: Battle through Hades – April 10th.

• Robotech RPG series – April 24th.

• Ramon K. Perez interview – fan favorite comic book and game artist Ramon K. Perez – May 8th.

• Watch for a new episode every other week and enjoy.

Now Available!

NEW! Catalog of Palladium Books®, Spring/Summer 2025 – Folks are loving Palladium’s new, printed, color catalog. There’s just something about holding a physical catalog in your hand, especially one as fun and colorful as this one. Due to popular request, we’ve made it available for purchase. The price is what it cost Palladium to print them. Enjoy.

• Full color, 8½ x 11 inch (magazine size), glossy paper stock, beautiful color.

• The 48 page catalog describes and shows nearly the entire RPG library and features the TMNT & Other Strangeness RPG Redux Edition on the cover and the first few pages.

• $2.50 retail – 48 pages – Cat. No. C2025-1

BACK in Stock: Yin-Sloth Jungles, Updated and Expanded, 2nd Edition Rules – The epic jungle adventure book is back. 15 O.C.C.s (like the Beastmaster, Holy Crusader, Undead Hunter, and Witch Hunter), 18 jungle people and monsters, new and expanded Shamans and their magic, the Battle of the Gods, setting overview, and more. $24.99 retail – 160 pages – Cat. No. 459. Note: Yin-Sloth Expeditions with 30+ maps, notable locations and a lot of adventures and adventure hooks is coming soon.

BACK in Stock: Rifts Vampire Kingdoms – Everything you need to know about Rifts vampires, variant types, vampire abilities, combat notes and henchmen, plus the Hero Vampire, Deluded Vampire, Vampire Hunters, vampire slaying weapons, monsters, town creation rules, the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, and more. $26.99 retail – 224 pages – Cat. No. 802-E.

BACK in Stock: Nightbane® Dark Designs – This Nightbane focused book collects and expands upon Nightbane Morphus Tables (18 in all), plus offers 60 new Common Talents, 38 new Elite Talents, Talent creation and conversion rules, Ancient Nightbane, and more. $24.99 retail – 160 pages – Cat. No. 736.

300+ RPG products on DriveThru – a dozen unique world settings – one game system – endless possibilities. 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!

In addition to PDF titles for entire game lines like Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy®, Heroes Unlimited™, Ninjas & Superspies™, After the Bomb®, Beyond the Supernatural™, Dead Reign® (zombies), Nightbane® (Urban Fantasy), Rifts Chaos Earth®, Systems Failure™, Splicers®, RECON®, The Rifter® #1-85, and others, there are Game Master and player aids, character generators, paper minis, map packs, and FREE Previews of books like Creature Feature™, Dead Reign, Coalition Manhunters, Titan Robotics™, Rifts Bestiary Volume One, World Books, Dimension Books, and more to give you a glimpse of what’s in the book. Enjoy endless adventures across the Megaverse®.

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

I am adding new collectibles of all kinds to my Ebay store every few weeks. Some are Palladium negatives, rare and out of print books, original Palladium artwork, prints, posters, as well as other collectible toys, action figures, Nightmare Before Christmas items, one-of-a-kind proofreader copies, books, and other good stuff – including Erick Wujcik’s rare and sought after Amberzine #12-15. Check in every week or so to see what’s new. All items come from Kevin Siembieda’s personal collection.

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.

• Each negative 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 is signed in silver ink by Kevin Siembieda and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

• Each 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).

• Looks great matted or framed! Fits an 8x10 inch matt opening. Each neg is roughly 8 ½ 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. The negatives of many books are sold out or were never available.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Sharing my life and friends with you

It’s strange and wonderful having touched so many people’s lives with my work in role-playing games. It means I have made millions of friends around the world through my work. It’s really nice when I get to actually meet those friends in person at Gen Con and other gaming events. And it has been nice sharing my life experiences and my friends with you via podcasts, live chats, and YouTube videos. Now conventions are starting to reach out and ask me to come and talk about the early days of the RPG industry and Palladium Books’s role in it. Cool.

I’ve had the great privilege to know and work with many amazing people. Which is why J-M DeFoggi and I are adding to the history of Palladium books chats about some of those amazing people like Erick Wujcik, Julius Rosenstein, Keith Parkinson, and many others.

It’s wonderful to remember these brilliant and eccentric people I love so much. Each one contributed to the legacy of Palladium Books whether it was mostly behind the scenes like Julius and Kathy, or in the spotlight like Erick and Keith. I love that I can keep their memories alive through these talks. But even the remembrances only scratch the surface of who these people were (or are). We are approaching them from a historical point of view with a focus on their contributions to Palladium and the gaming industry. But there’s so much more to each of them. There are all kinds of zany stories I could tell about Julius Rosenstein and our gaming adventures. Heck, I don’t even remember if I mentioned his main job at Palladium Books was running my warehouse and shipping. What a great guy and a joy to game with.

I’m writing this week’s Closing Thoughts after coming off a delightful time with the Glitterbois last Sunday (that interview should be available for your viewing enjoyment) and an hour before I chat with J-M about Erick Wujcik. I’m not even sure we can get all the historical game industry stories into one chat, let alone any of the personal tales I could tell. There are our countless midnight chats that would often last 4-5 hours, our many collaborations on games that Erick never finished, the many parties, or that Erick gave me one of the greatest gifts I ever received. No, it’s not a game or dice or even a piece of artwork. It was a ping pong table. Erick knew I enjoyed ping pong at the Detroit Gaming Center and he wanted me to find more time to relax and get some exercise at the same time. That thoughtful gift gave me and my father Hank thousands of hours of enjoyment for many years. My Dad and I got so good at ping pong we’d stand five feet from the table and a single game could take 30-45 minutes. There was a decade when my Dad and I played for an hour and a half (three sets), five or six days a week. That gift brought us so much joy and lasting memories. I had them engrave “ping pong god” on my Dad’s tombstone.

Erick Wujcik and I were closer than brothers. We loved each other deeply and unconditionally. We talked about everything under the sun. There were no secrets between us. It was an epic friendship on a personal and creative level the depth of which I have only ever known with three other people among my army of friends. So, I’m thrilled to give you a little glimpse into some of these beautiful human beings who quietly helped shape me and Palladium Books over the years.

J-M and I have taped something like a year and a half worth of YouTube chats (one posted every other week), and continue to do more, so I don’t know when these “people episodes” will appear. Whether we’ll slot them in here and there, or whether they’ll come out after we cover the history of the game lines, or what, but they’re coming and they’re worth watching. Oh, and we’ll also be slotting in chats with other Palladium Creators. Fan fave artist, Ramon K. Perez is coming May 8th and there will be conversations with Sean Owen Roberson, Alex Marciniszyn, Wayne Smith (if we can get him in front of a camera), Matthew Balent, John Zeleznik, Freddie E. Williams, and hopefully many others. Okay, enough of my ramblings.

Enjoy the art print sale before it ends on Wednesday. There is a lot of dynamic art for you to make your selections. Each one a fond memory for many of you.

We continue to pound away on a zillion things (including finishing new releases) to make Palladium stronger than ever, and to bring you gaming fun you’ll remember forever. To those of you who celebrate it, Happy Easter. Don’t eat too many chocolate rabbits and Peeps. Ho, ho, ho! (Ooops, wrong holiday.)

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Game Designer, Writer and Friend