I doubt my opinion matters much but I for one hope that there is no Palladium 2.0 game system. While there are things I like and don't about the Palladium system it works and I've found it easy to use. All the other games that went on to 2.0 and beyond I stopped playing because they became more complicated. I doubt others would agree but I just couldn't make sense of the game mechanics and stopped playing. Plus if Palladium were to do that what is there to make it different from all the other games using that system? What in it would attract new players? I hope a lot but if every scifi movie was just like Star Wars what would make Star Wars different?
One suggestion I have seen and liked was a Palladium Game Universe Rule book. I think that would work in a revamped Palladium Conversion Book. Have the core rules with some OCC/RCC/PCC vehicles, weapons, equipment examples and some adventure ideas. Then go into conversion notes for the different games. I would not get rid of all Palladium's history in the name of streamlining but I would add more reference books. Rift's GM Guide are Rift's Book of Magic great resources but they are getting dated simply because of age. Lots of new material has come out since their printing. I wouldn't try to add in all the new material into the older books though. They'd be way too big. Instead, I would put the info in a second book and call it an addendum or appendixes or whatever a good name is. And since these are things that would hopefully be added to there would be a third book and then a fourth and so on. That way people have their streamlining and we still have all the wonderful info that made the games what they are.
The only think I'm not sure about the above is making such books game specific. Somethings would need to be like an updated Coalition Military book. But for just having Character types, Magic, Powers, Skills, etc I wonder if putting them in a more universal book wouldn't be better. The Rifter#0 did this with skills a long time ago but that was a long time ago. And many skills that are in one game could be in another but just aren't because of when they were published. Same with Character types and such. If they were compiled in a Conversion/Universe book differences could be noted for the various games. For example the Cowboy could pretty much be used in any game with a few tweaks. That would easily expand each game's universe as well as the megaverse. I would not stop putting new material in new books though. That's were it belongs.
For example, lets say we get bionics/cybernetics for Robotech. And that the differences between the various human era items (SDC to MDC) are explained as well as the Robotech Masters probably bio-systems and the Zentraedi sized versions as well as alien versions like the Invids experiments. It also gives Cyborg trooper stats for those who end up as full conversion borgs. I would expect to find them in a Robotech book or the Rifter first. Not in a Megaverse book. Megaverse books should be for compiling date for easier location and use. Not for releasing new data.
I also looked at the list that was on another thread.
Videogames
Facebook/iPhone/Flash Games (think Angry Birds and Farmville)
MMOGs
TCGs (Trading Card Games)
Board Games
Miniature Games
Novels (fiction)
Comic Books (printed)
Digital Comic Books
Web Comics
E-Books
PDFs of existing and new books
Other
Other than releasing existing and forthcoming books in PDF I'm not sure what I'd vote for. If anything. Maybe novels. I know Palladium is working on lots of different things but there seems to be so much going on that I'm getting worried. Again I doubt my opinion matters but I worry if Palladium isn't stretching themselves too thin. Already there have been lots of books, years in the making, that were either cancelled or we're still waiting for. Many others have been delayed. Would branching more out make this problem worse?
I also wonder how compatible the new companies products will be with what we have now? If they have a new OCC, skill, vehicle, robot, whatever will we have a Palladiuim version of it? Robotech Tactics has several new mecha variants and new valkries that we can't use in Palladium games because there aren't any stats for them. At least not that I can find. Will this get worse as well?
I want Palladium to grow and thrive as the next fan. And I certainly don't want to be a downer but I don't want Palladium to loose what makes it Palladium either.
Anyway, that's my few cents on the subject. They're not worth much. Probably not even legal tender any more but I hope they help a little.
Cheers!
PS
Could any of those books that never were either be published as is - It seems like there might be an market for them if Rifts World Books are being sold unfinished. - or could their info appear in the Rifter? Thanks. I'm sure a lot of people would love to see them. Thanks.