By Kevin Siembieda

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

Hey everyone, another early Weekly Update. We shoot for a Thursday or Friday release for the Update, but sometimes Wednesday is better or necessary depending on what’s happening at Palladium. This week it is necessary because we expect to go live with the new Palladium website in a day or two and we don’t want you to be totally surprised or confused when you see it. This is one of the projects we have had in development behind the scenes for a long while now, and we are very excited about it. It looks beautiful and will be compatible with your mobile devices, as well as being simpler and easier to use. I absolutely love it. Chuck, Wayne, Alex, all of us went gonzo over it, and we think you will too. And even though the people doing the work on this improvement are awesome, we may experience some unexpected glitches, broken links, etc., so if you see anything, please let our web team know at tech{at}palladiumbooks.com. The new Palladium Books website is the big news, but there have been a few other things happening so read on and enjoy.

 

New Palladium Books^® Website

Yep, in a day or two, the Palladium Books website is getting a complete facelift that will improve appearance, functionality and ease of use. It will also be much more mobile device friendly. The new Palladium Books website is something of a work in progress, so you may continue to see changes to its appearance and features over time. Likewise, we may be retooling the online store in the future, as well. I hope you love the changes as much as we do.

• A completely new look for the website.
• A simpler, cleaner experience.
• Much more mobile device friendly.
• Intuitive.
• More graphics.
• More fan content.
• New Product Line section.
• New section for sharing gaming groups, retailers, and conventions that support Palladium Books and offer Palladium events and products.
• Please give us a hand. If you should catch any glitches or have a suggestion, please let our web team know. They can be reached at tech{at}palladiumbooks.com.

 

Savage Rifts^® Voice of Hope Podcast – Episode 19 – includes a 4 person conversation with Kevin Siembieda, Sean Patrick Fannon, Cameron Cleveland and host, Sean Masters

Tuesday I recorded a very fun podcast for Savage Rifts® Voice of Hope with Sean Masters (the host), Cameron Cleveland (G.M. and mastermind behind the Rifts® Living Campaign Club), and Sean Patrick Fannon (writer and game designer, Rifts® Savage Worlds and others), that is part role-play experience followed by an hour or so long interview between the four of us. We all had a blast doing this podcast and I highly recommend taking a listen to Episode 19. (The 4 of us each have a role. I played Lord Coake.) Or at least listen to the interview, which will be time stamped and easy to find.

Savage Rifts Voice of Hope is an in-character world building podcast for Rifts® and Rifts® Savage Worlds® intended to provide players and Game Masters with world background, adventure hooks, and NPCs. All of which are so excellent that I – Kevin Siembieda – have invited Sean Masters to submit adventure source material for Palladium Books. You can check it out for yourself at https://voiceofhopepodcast.podbean.com and on itunes.

 

UPDATE: The Rifter^® Back Issue Sale

The Rifter® Back Issue Sale is over and a lot of you took advantage of it. Thank you for your support. FYI, we are thinking about doing a Rifter® sale on DriveThru maybe as soon as next week, so keep your eyes peeled. Issues #1-78 are all available as PDF downloads right now, with The Rifter® #78 being added just last week. This is an excellent way to get and read those issues of The Rifter® that you cannot find in print.

 

SALE! The Rifter^® Mini-Subscriptions – Three to choose from

Folks are taking advantage of the mini-subscription offers too. Whether it is for 4, 3, or 2 issues of The Rifter®, these offers provide the same savings off the cover price plus FREE shipping to subscribers in the contiguous USA.

• The Standard Subscription including The Rifter® #81-84.
• Short Subscription of issues #82, #83, #84.
• Mini-Subscription of The Rifter® #83 and #84.

Note: If your subscription goes beyond The Rifter® #84, please contact Palladium Books to get a store credit for the value of your remaining subscription. Thank you.

We appreciate your loyalty and years of support, so we are happy to offer you these subscription savings and the convenience of FREE shipping right to your doorstep. It is also a way for newcomers to try these excellent sourcebooks and gaming tools. Every Rifter® is packed with adventure ideas and source material that can be adapted to most Palladium world settings. These Rifter® subscription options are all available now.

 

ALL SOLD OUT – Systems Failure^™ RPG – Nightbane^®: Shadows of Light^™ – BTS: Boxed Nightmares^™ – Heroes Unlimited^™ 30th Anniversary Gold Hardcover

Doing these short runs of out of print books for the holidays was fun and people seemed to enjoy them. We’ll think about doing this kind of offer, though probably not these titles, again next Christmas Season. FYI, I believe there is only a copy or two of The Rifter® #56 remaining.

 

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #83

Wayne is reviewing material to go into this issue of The Rifter® and there is still time for you to contribute to the next issue. We had toyed with a number of different covers, but decided to use something familiar and nostalgic.

• Rifts® source material.
• Heroes Unlimited™ source material.
• Palladium Fantasy® source material
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• 96 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 183 – coming soon.

 

UPDATE: The Rifter^® #84

As soon as issue #83 is done, Wayne will be jumping into this issue of The Rifter®, but there is still time for you to contribute. Here’s the cover. Gotta love those Tattooed Men of Atlantis.

• Rifts® source material.
• Heroes Unlimited™ source material.
• Palladium Fantasy® source material
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• 96 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 184 – spring/summer.

 

UPDATE: More Negatives and Original Art

Alex and I continue to add more negatives and collectibles to my ebay store. They include pages of negs from the original Rifts® Vampire Kingdoms™, Mindwerks™ and Cyber-Knights™ sourcebook. And we will continue to add more negatives (many on sale) as well as original art to my ebay store. Folks are really starting to get into the one-of-a-kind negatives of old books, which doesn’t surprise me because I think they are truly unique and look great. I’m making sure most pages get made available to fans and I have only been keeping pages one thru contents and the occasional favorite page of art. So please enjoy.

 

UPDATE: Rifts^® Bestiary, Volume One

Could the monsters known as Caterpillar Things be the larval form of the Mothman appearing in Bestiary, Volume Two? Are Darkhounds really magically mutated Dog Boys? Is that why they see Coalition soldiers as friends and allies? Ee-Bee Gee-Bees are kinda cute, so how dangerous can they be? What on Rifts Earth is a Field Reaper or a Glitcher? You’ll be finding out soon.

I have been on fire and picking up speed on the writing for Rifts® Bestiary, Volume One. I think Chuck has finished all of his art tweaks and I’m having a blast with the updating and detailing of the monsters you think you know, as well as the new ones. It has been a joy revisiting these creatures and making them come to life for you in new ways I know you will enjoy. Working hard to wrap this puppy up and get it into your hands as quickly as I can.

The two upcoming Rifts® Bestiary books will be great resources for players and G.M.s alike, with creatures that can be used as familiars, pets, riding animals, guard animals, and in some cases, even unlikely allies. Others are slobbering monsters or malicious predators who include humans and D-Bees among their prey. All will give you plenty of spice to add to your characters and adventures. And each has a map that shows at a glance exactly where to find these beasts.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized into two big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• Updated descriptions and information for existing monsters.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Fully illustrated, much of the art by Charles Walton II, along with Siembieda and many others.
• 192-224 pages each volume – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 896 (Volume One), Cat. No. 897 (Volume Two). In production. Winter.

 

UPDATE: In the Face of Death^™, a sourcebook for Dead Reign^®

Continuing to assign art for this book. I intend to finish this title quickly. Some writing is done and I am burning with ideas.

 

UPDATE: Garden of the Gods^™

I am hot to finish this title. So many exciting books waiting to be finished. More and more I think we will release it as a Raw Preview Edition. Assigning art and making notes as new ideas hit me. Already have a few artists lined up.

 

UPDATE: Rifts^® Antarctica^™

Freelance writer Carmen Bellaire continues to fine tune and add some material that he and I brain-stormed and want to see included in this fascinating and scary World Book. The Rifts® Antarctica™ book is going to be fantastic. The finished John Zeleznik cover painting should arrive by the end of January. I will be assigning the interior art soon and may put this bad boy on the fast-track to publication. It’s nice to have both Matthew and Carmen writing books again for Palladium as I love working with those two.

 

UPDATE: Rifts^® Chaos Earth^® Psychic Scream^™

So many books I am looking forward to finishing and Chaos Earth® Psychic Scream™ is one of them. You are going to love it.

 

Other Titles

Other RPG titles are in the works or the final manuscript stage awaiting review. So if a book you are waiting for was not mentioned, it means there is nothing new to report, but it should be in the pipeline and news for it will be coming in the weeks ahead. Right now, we are focused on releases for the next 4-5 months.

 

New on DriveThruRPG.com – The Rifter^® #78

New: The Rifter® #78 with the Modern Necromancer for use with Nightbane®, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Chaos Earth®, Phase World® and other settings, plus, the City of Khemennu, Part 2 for Palladium Fantasy®, the Nexus Zone for Rifts®, the aftermath of I Am Legion for Splicers® and more. Just one of the 200+ Palladium PDF titles available on DriveThruRPG.

Recent PDF additions include Rifts® Heroes of Humanity™, the Coalition’s response to the escalating Minion War™ crisis, uniting D-Bees, mages and heroes of every stripe to stand against this Demon Plague. CS psychics and Psi-Battalion, CS Demon Hunter, new CS power armor, cyborgs, gear, special training and more. Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Three: Zombies, Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume Two: Civilians and Dead Reign® Paper Miniatures Volume One: Survivors. There are also paper miniatures for Heroes Unlimited™, Palladium Fantasy® and Rifts®. A new, up-to-date, PDF Palladium Books Catalog. Nightbane® Dark Designs™ sourcebook with 60 new Common Talents, 38 new Elite Talents, 18 new Morphus Tables, all other Morphus Tables collected and more. Systems Failure™ RPG, a 160 page RPG that deals with alien invasion and a post-apocalypse setting that is fun and dynamic. Civilization is on the verge of collapse when the so-called “bugs” invade and turn humans into zombie-like slaves. Monsters, heroes and fun. A complete RPG and setting. Rifts® World Book 34: Northern Gun™ Two: 256 pages of technology and fun. 30+ power armors, 30+ body armors, 15 combat vehicles, 45 vehicles (hovercycles, etc.), 10 robot haulers, the Robodome and more. Bizantium and the Northern Islands™: the northernmost part of the Known World, the Cold Born, Necromancy ships made from dead sea serpents, 15 creatures, Random Sea Monster Generator, and more. Rifts® Northern Gun™ One. This fan favorite might be thought of as the big book of giant robots – an in-depth look at Northern Gun, 70+ weapons, 27 robots, NG O.C.C.s, key people and places, and much more. Mysteries of Magic™ Book One: The Heart of Magic™ with Wizards, their Apprentices, nearly 60 new magic spells and remember, magic and monsters in the Fantasy RPG are easily adapted to Rifts®, Chaos Earth®, HU2 and other settings. Wolfen Empire™ Fantasy sourcebook, the Great Northern Wilderness and Killer Winters, 12 Wolfen Tribes, Wolfen military and society, 15+ creatures, 5 full adventures, 101 adventure ideas, random encounter tables, notable people, places, plus FREE Sneak Previews of The Rifter® #80, The Rifter® #81, The Rifter® #82, and more on DriveThruRPG.com.

 

• Rifts® is a genre-bending setting that combines science fiction, fantasy, horror, post-apocalypse survival, magic, and endless possibilities for adventure. Imagine a near perfect world of advanced technology 100 years in the future. Then imagine that world crashing down overnight in an apocalyptic upheaval not seen since the formation of the planet. A Great Cataclysm caused by the explosive return of magic. Now fast forward 300 years into the future where magic, dragons, and mythic gods coexist with cyborgs, giant robots and super-science rediscovered from humanity’s Golden Age as humans rise from a lengthy Dark Age. But they must contend with countless alien life forms, monsters, and supernatural horrors from beyond the Rifts.
• Rifts® core titles we would suggest: Rifts® Ultimate Edition, Rifts® Game Master Guide, Rifts® Book of Magic, Rifts® Adventure Guide, D-Bees of North America™, Rifts® World Book 11: Coalition War Campaign and Rifts® Sourcebook One. Note: The Rifts® RPG, 1st Edition and Rifts® Ultimate, 2nd Edition are both available.
• 80+ Rifts® supplements, most of them available as PDFs with more coming. Where to start? Wherever sounds fun.
• Rifts® Dimension Books™: Travel to alien worlds and dimensions via the Rifts for off-world adventure and intrigue.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth® RPG and sourcebook series (all). 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.
• FREE Sneak Previews for Nightbane® Dark Designs™, Rifts® Secrets of the Atlanteans™, Rifts® CS Heroes of Humanity, and many other previews as well as free and low cost items that we make available. All of it adds to the growing list of Rifts and other Palladium RPG game titles available as PDF books, cards and support. A new title should be added every week or two, so keep watching for them.
• The Rifter® #1-77. Each issue is a wealth of source material and ideas for several game lines, but most material can be easily adapted to ANY Palladium game world. Each issue a gem.
• 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!
• Splicers®: I Am Legion™ Adventure Sourcebook: 6 new Great Houses, 4 new Host Armors, 6 new War Mounts, 19 new Bio-Weapons, 15 new killer machines, new Bio-Enhancements, Amalgam creation tables, Legion and a series of adventures that build into a small campaign, and more.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 1st Edition Rules and sourcebooks. A unique world of magic, monsters and heroes. Dozens of nonhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and more. 100,000 years of history.
• Palladium Fantasy RPG®, 2nd Edition Rules and many sourcebooks. The expanded world of high fantasy, magic, mystery and heroes of every variety. Includes the Mind Mage and psychic abilities, mages and spells, magic circles and symbols, men-at-arms, scoundrels and a wide range of inhuman player characters including Wolfen, Bearmen, Ogres, Orcs and many more. 100,000 years of history.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG first edition rule book and sourcebooks.
• Heroes Unlimited™ RPG Second Edition rule book and sourcebooks. Create any type of superhuman you can desire and bring comic book adventures to life.
• Dead Reign® RPG (Zombie Apocalypse). The dead have risen. It is the battle for survival in the zombie apocalypse, but this setting is much more than your typical zombie game. Play ordinary people or special characters better equipped to survive and hunt zombies. Many unusual types of zombies.
• Dead Reign® Sourcebooks: 6 sourcebooks from Civilization Gone™ to Hell Followed™ (the latter features stats for 23 disasters, masked lunatics, 11 new zombies, 7 apocalyptic character classes, and more) are available.
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 1st Edition Rules. Supernatural horror in the modern world. Play ordinary people, psychics, paranormal investigators or for something different: Victim Characters!
• Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG, 2nd Edition: The complete, revised core game, 14 character classes and 42 occupations for “ordinary people,” 100+ psychic abilities, 16 monsters, the Lazlo Agency, world setting and rules.
• Nightbane® RPG and sourcebooks. An RPG setting we call superhero horror. Dark conspiracy, a secret, demon invasion starting with world leaders and law enforcement, and it is spreading. The player characters are the Nightbane®, reluctant superhumans who must turn into monsters themselves to unleash their powers and battle the evil that is clear only to them. A dark, sinister and challenging world of horror.
• After the Bomb® RPG and sourcebooks. Planet of the Apes meets the X-Men! Animal creations, powers and more. Create any type of intelligent mutant animal you can imagine as friend or foe.
• Ninjas & Superspies™ RPG and the Mystic China™ sourcebook. James Bond meets Enter the Dragon. 41 types of martial arts, ninjas, and super-spies with gadgets, gizmos and advanced weapons.
• The Mechanoid Invasion® Trilogy RPG is a long time, cult favorite with a fatalistic world-view of humans vs aliens with superior technology.
• The Palladium Weapon Series of real world weapons, armor and castles throughout history. Designed for use with ANY game system.
• 200+ Palladium titles in all, plus G.M. kits, paper miniatures and more.
• Heroes Unlimited™ Paper Miniatures – Two sets are now available!
• Palladium Fantasy RPG® Paper Miniatures – Volumes #1-6 are available now. More are coming in the weeks ahead.
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Men at Arms – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Coalition Dead Boys – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Adventurers – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Practitioners of Magic (new) – $2.99
• Rifts® Paper Miniatures: Extras (new) – $2.99
• And more to come in the weeks ahead.

 

Charles Walton II Artwork, Toys and Collectibles “on sale” now in Kevin’s Online Toy & Collectibles eBay Store along with other good things

For the first time ever, Charles “Chuck” Walton has decided to offer a dozen or two dozen pieces of original artwork via my online store. All money goes to the artist. Includes original art from Rifts® Sovietski, Secrets of the Atlanteans, Rifts® Chaos Earth® Resurrection and others. This is a fun and unique opportunity to get some of Chuck’s art other than having to attend one of the few conventions where Chuck is a guest. He sold a good number at Gen Con and was wondering how he might make his art more available to people. I suggested trying my online store. Most prices range from $50-150, with a few more expensive pieces. Artwork make a great gift for the hard to surprise gamer. Enjoy. Chuck says thanks.

Other one-of-a-kind original artwork available by me (Kevin Siembieda), Kevin Long, Mark Evans (money goes to the artist), as well as 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 were very popular items at the Palladium Open House and people went crazy over them at Gen Con – including actor Joe Manganiello who scooped up a pile of TMNT negatives, while Palladium’s own Mark Oberle, Carmen Bellaire, Brandon Aten and a whole lot of Palladium gamers went for negatives from Rifts® New West, Lone Star and Free Quebec. Fun.

Negatives are unique and attractive, one-of-a-kind (on rare occasions two-of-a-kind if a page was 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, went completely digital, they asked if Palladium Books wanted the negs, otherwise they would be destroyed. Regrettably, I let a few dozen be destroyed, but the negatives of many books were sent to Palladium. They have sat in our warehouse for years until I started to offer them for sale. I have also started signing the negatives in silver and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Each negative comes on a white board inside a plastic magazine bag and looks fabulous framed! Fits in an 8x10 inch matt opening in a frame (each neg is roughly 8½ x 11 inches).

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

 

Convention Update – Strategicon Orccon 2019 – Los Angeles, California – February 15-18, 2019 (Presidents Day Weekend)

http://www.strategicon.net

There will be at least three Rifts® events, described below, along with many other gaming events.

 

1. Rising Phoenix – Palladium’s Rifts® – A grand dimensional event is happening in the Old American Empire at a place once known as Phoenix, Arizona. It is a highly anticipated opening of a Rift. Some people want to observe and experience it. Others want to manipulate the Rift for their own purposes. Will the dimensional event heal the land, or will it unleash the gods of war or other terrible menace? Find out by playing in the game. Beginners welcomed.

• Game Master: Paul Rogers.
• Start Time: Saturday, 9:00 A.M.
• Duration: 4 hours.
• Players per Game: 6
• Classification: Medium Tournament.
• Maturity: Any. Beginners okay.

 

2. Rifts® – Mexican Cargo Run: Expedite Exodus – For Savage Rifts®. Fantasy, science fiction and post-apocalypse setting. Pre-approved player made characters are welcome. The adventures of a cargo convoy run to Mexico & back. The party will be split into two teams for two missions. Two G.M.s will be running this event. Music & soundboard provided. This is a roleplay tournament. Players will vote the best role-players (not roll-players). For more information: https://rifts-living-campaign-club.obsidianportal.com/?fbclid=IwAR35blcntpO-x5djrJ9qPOgOxBKascID4OmtpEauKXCaE_3GoRxwIgAaSDo

• Game Master: Cameron Cleveland.
• Start Time: Saturday, 2:00 P.M.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Players per Game: 16
• Classification: Medium Tournament.
• Maturity: 13+
• Experience: Any.

 

3. Rifts® – Mexican Cargo Run: Expedite Exodus – For Savage Rifts®. Fantasy, science fiction and post-apocalypse setting. Pre-approved player made characters are welcome. The adventures of a cargo convoy run to Mexico & back. The party will be split into two teams for two missions. Two G.M.s will be running this event. Music & soundboard provided. This is a roleplay tournament. Players will vote the best role-players (not roll-players). For more information: https://rifts-living-campaign-club.obsidianportal.com/?fbclid=IwAR35blcntpO-x5djrJ9qPOgOxBKascID4OmtpEauKXCaE_3GoRxwIgAaSDo

• Game Master: Cameron Cleveland.
• Start Time: Sunday, 2:00 P.M.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Players per Game: 16
• Classification: Medium Tournament.
• Maturity: 13+
• Experience: Any.

 

Closing Thoughts

My life has been filled with monsters, crazy weather and juggling dozens of elements to scores of projects. Talking to writers, receiving manuscripts, assigning artwork, being a podcast guest, approving art for Palladium titles, reviewing and approving art and text for Rifts® Savage Worlds®, and now going over and tweaking Palladium’s new website. (It is so sweet!) I want to thank Rex Barkdoll for spearheading the work on the new website and his help on other projects large and small on several other fronts. One epic project should blow your minds later this year.

That’s one of my goals. I want to release one thing after another that will inspire, excite and blow your minds – in a good way of course – over and over again all year long. Some will be small and cute things, others will be dramatic and big. Many will be books that push the envelope and are filled with Wow Factor, and others will take small steps into new but related market avenues. Keep your eyes and ears open and we will keep you posted right here, no matter what these pages look like. Keep those imaginations burning bright and thank you for your support.

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Game Designer, Writer

 

NEW: Rifts^® Pen – available now

A high quality, soft touch Rifts® pen with stylus is now available. The pen fits very comfortably in the hand, has a nice, black ink and writes smooth and evenly every time. I have been using the sample pen for a month and love it. Everyone here loves this pen and you will too. Will be considered as a Surprise Package request.

• Rifts® Soft Touch Pen with Stylus.
• Comfortable, “soft touch” finish.
• Dark blue exterior with silver tip and clip.
• Black ink.
• Capacitive stylus for use with smartphones and tablets.
• $5.00 retail – Cat. No. 2586 – Available now.

 

Palladium Gift Certificates now available

You asked for them, so due to popular request, you can now purchase Palladium Gift Certificates for your gaming friends and loved ones. The prompts should be pretty self-explanatory. You purchase the desired amount, fill out the email info of that person along with an optional gift message, and that individual gets an email with info on how to redeem the Gift Certificate and you get a confirmation email. Simple.

 

The Rifter^® #82 – Available now

The Rifter® #82 is all about discovery and unleashing the power inside of you. That’s true whether you are playing a Chaos Earth® Pyromancer™ learning to survive and save lives after the Great Cataclysm; or a newly awakened Nightbane® seeking his or her purpose in a dark world of conspiracy and demons; or a Heroes Unlimited™ vigilante trained to the height of physical perfection in a war against evil; or an RPG gamer like you and me, unleashing our imaginations to create wonderful new characters and epic adventures. This issue of The Rifter® also lovingly celebrates a master of unleashed imagination and big thinking, Erick Wujcik, ten years after his untimely passing. Bits of Palladium history and heartfelt sentiments revealed along the way. Enjoy.

Rifter® #82 Highlights:

• Rifts® Chaos Earth® – Pyromancy, Nebraska Part Three – by Daniel Frederick, Matthew Clements & Kevin Siembieda. 50+ Pyromancy spells, the Pyromancer O.C.C., Zone Twisters, notable characters, and more. “Official” source material.
• Rifts® Bestiary Sneak Preview – by Kevin Siembieda and Charles Walton II. A few choice new monsters to whet your appetite for the Rifts® Bestiary, Volumes One and Two, and the books to follow. “Official” source material.
• Heroes Unlimited – by Matt Reed. An expanded look at the unique heroes who do not possess super abilities, but rather turn their bodies into fighting machines via physical training and dedicated force of will.
• Nightbane® – Age Modifiers and Education Rules – by Mark Oberle. Tables and stats for determining an occupation and skills based on the age of the character. Plus more insight to being a Nightbane and a few new skills. “Official” source material.
• Gaming Advice from Erick Wujcik – Thinking Big and The Name Giver, sage advice reprinted from The Rifter® #1 & #2.
• Erick Wujcik Remembered – Erick touched countless lives with his big personality, inspiring mind, and body of work. Ten years after his death, Erick continues to inspire everyone who met him. Friends and fans remember this unique individual and his work. Insight to the man and Palladium Books, the company he loved. Written by Kevin Siembieda and many, many others. A celebration of life.
• News, coming attractions, product descriptions and more.
• 112 pages – $14.99 retail – Cat. No. 182. Available now.

 

Systems Failure^™ RPG

– Back in Stock – just for the Holidays

When the cities fell, and the world went "off-line," all seemed lost. Anarchy reigned.

On an alternate Earth, all that is left are the Survivalists, Nature-Lovers, Farmers, Gun Bunnies, Eggheads and backwoods wackos living on the fringe. Either people found in remote regions or those who were prepared for the Y2K Bug and the collapse of civilization.

Oh, and there are “bugs” alright. Alien, bug-like things that feed on energy and turn humans into zombie-like slaves. Things are worse than anyone could have imagined, even for those who were prepared. But these survivors are not ready to give up. America (and then the world) will be free! And they mean business. Play the unlikely heroes fighting to save the world in a post-holocaust environment.

This is an action-packed, post-holocaust role-playing game that can be played straight and serious, or with a touch of satire and humor. Back in 1999, this RPG was inspired by fears of the Y2K Bug and possible end of the world as we knew it. So THIS game is an alternate Earth where Y2K was a real event and worse than anyone could imagine. Enjoy the wild characters and setting, and destroy some Bugs!

• A complete, stand-alone role-playing game.
• S.D.C. setting and all the info you need to play.
• The Villains: Monstrous invaders from another dimension drawn to all things electronic. Deadly and weird.
• The Unlikely Heroes: Society's castaways, nutcases, and survivalists.
• 11 O.C.C.s including the Exterminator, Freebooter, NORAD Psychic and more.
• Reclaim the world for god-fearing humans!
• Plenty of world information and adventure ideas.
• Written by Bill Coffin based on concepts by Kevin Siembieda.
• Includes Conversion Notes for use with Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited™ 2nd Edition, Ninjas & Superspies™, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, and other Palladium game settings. Loads of fun!
• 144 pages – $22.99 – Cat. No. 650 – Back in print just for the holidays. Available now!

 

Boxed Nightmares^™ – Adventure Sourcebook for Beyond the Supernatural^™

– Back in Stock – just for the Holidays

Boxed Nightmares™ is exactly what the title suggests, ordinary people coming face to face with supernatural nightmares. The adventures are designed to give players and Game Masters a better idea of the variety and scope of adventures one can explore in the world of modern horror. Some adventures are short, others long. Some are monster stomping action, while others require investigation, cunning, and the uncovering of clues.

The newspaper portion is in the back of the book. It is one of those sensational, check-out counter tabloids that boasts headlines like Woman marries Big Foot, or Elvis’s clone living in Tampa. However, this tabloid is tied to the adventure portion of the sourcebook in several different ways. First, it contains clues and information for the actual adventures inside the sourcebook. Second, the publishers of the paper often hire psychics and parapsychologists to investigate strange phenomena, so your characters could be working for the tabloid company. And third, it may give you ideas for additional adventures.

• Rules and tips for creating secret organizations.
• Adventures in the USA, South America and Australia.
• Crazed Arcanists, Gremlins, Tasmanian Devils, a Possessing Entity that has absorbed the memories of a serial killer, and more.
• The After Midnight tabloid, filled with clues and adventure ideas, reproduced in the back of the book.
• Cover by Denis Beauvais. Interior art by Kevin Long. Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• 112 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 701. Back in print just for the holidays. Available now!

 

Shadows of Light^™ – A Nightbane^® Sourcebook

– Back in Stock – just for the Holidays

The forces of Light and Darkness clash as never before in the modern setting of the Nightbane® RPG.

• More info on the Lightbringers, Nocturnes, and other factions.
• Fallen Guardians and the mystery of the Reapers.
• Psychic Agents and new psionic powers.
• Introducing the angel-like Athanatos.
• The vampire conspiracy and an outline for adventure.
• 11 (optional) O.C.C.s, many are part of Project Pandora.
• Astral Realm of Tophet and city of Pittsburgh, NPCs and more.
• 160 pages – $22.99 retail – Cat. No. 734. Back in print just for the holidays. Available now!

 

New! Rifts^® Bestiary^™: North America, Vol. One

A series of books that collects all the notable monsters, dinosaurs and creepy crawlers and creatures of Rifts® North America (US, Canada and Mexico) into two juicy volumes with a number of new creatures. Each volume includes maps and new creatures, large and small, to help or plague player characters. Between them, these two volumes compile all the beasts of Rifts North America (unintelligent monsters, predators, notable animals and intelligent beings that are monstrous or animal-like in appearance or behavior) from all current World Books and Sourcebooks. In addition, Kevin Siembieda, Chuck Walton and Greg Diaczyk are adding some new monsters to make life in the wilderness interesting. Presented in alphabetical order, with maps showing their range and location, in two big books.

Both volumes are being worked on simultaneously, right now, so that Volume Two will quickly follow Volume One. Other volumes, like a Bestiary of Spirits and the Supernatural, are likely to follow.

Future volumes will include spirits, ghosts and entities, another on dragons, other volumes on creatures in other parts of Rifts Earth, and so on.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks. Predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• Some new creatures, but most are existing creatures.
• Updated information where applicable.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Fully illustrated.
• Art by Chuck Walton, Siembieda and many others.
• 192-224 pages – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 896. In production.

 

NEW! Rifts^® Bestiary Volume Two

More notorious Rifts® monsters and animals, old and new, everything updated and expanded.

• Monsters and animals of Rifts North America organized in two big, easy to use sourcebooks.
• Updated descriptions and information for existing monsters.
• Updated and uniform stat blocks.
• New predators, exotic riding animals, beasts of burden, alien horrors, giant insects and more.
• A map for every creature showing where it is found.
• Fully illustrated, much of the art by Charles Walton II, along with Siembieda and many others.
• 192-224 pages each volume – $26.99 retail – Cat. No. 897 (Volume Two). In production.

 

COMING: In the Face of Death^™ – A Dead Reign^® Sourcebook

“People will tell you no one can survive in the big cities. They are wrong.” – Brad Ashley, Leader of the Road Reapers in the Zombie Apocalypse.

This sourcebook is all about inner city survival. Survivor colonies finding a way to live and prosper in the big city. The conventional wisdom is that living in the big population centers is impossible. These survivors prove otherwise.

• Inner city survival.
• Living on the rooftops.
• Surviving in big cities crawling with zombies.
• Death Cults, a different type of danger.
• Gangs, street runners, the new underground, and more.
• Heroic Masked Lunatics as player characters.
• Take your zombie campaign to new heights!
• Cover by E.M. Gist. Interior art by Nick Bradshaw.
• Written by Kevin Siembieda. Adaptable to other settings.
• 96-128 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 237.

 

UPDATE: Garden of the Gods^™ – A Palladium Fantasy^® Sourcebook

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.

• The Garden of the Gods described in detail.
• Godly insight and visitations.
• Gifts of magic and knowledge.
• Sanctuary and more.
• The Black Pit, a place of evil and dark secrets. Is it a counterbalance to the good of the Garden or a trick of the Old Ones?
• Written by Kevin Siembieda.
• Final page count and price yet to be determined, but probably 96 pages – $17.99 retail – Cat. No. 475.

 

Back in Stock – Beyond the Supernatural^™ RPG – available now

Beyond the Supernatural™ RPG is supernatural horror in the modern world. A plausible modern horror setting that makes sense and will have you wondering if this stuff could be for real. Play ordinary people, psychics or paranormal investigators.

• 14 Psychic Character Classes.
• 42 occupations for “ordinary” people.
• 100+ psychic abilities, including Fire Walker abilities.
• Creatures of darkness, the Lazlo Agency, and more.
• Three new sourcebooks planned for 2019.
• 256 pages – $26.99 – Cat. No. 700 – available now.

 

Back in Stock – Rifts^® World Book 18: Mystic Russia^™ – available now

Rifts® Mystic Russia™ – setting information, key people and places, demons, monsters, gypsies and magic galore.

• 18 Archaic Russian Demons and 10 monsters.
• Russian magic including Fire and Bone Magic & magic weapons maker.
• Magic O.C.C.s including Night Witch, Hidden Witch, Mystic Kuznya, Fire Sorcerer, Old Believer and Necromancer.
• 9 Gypsy O.C.C.s, vehicles and more.
• 176 pages – $22.99 – Cat. No. 833 – Available now.

 

Back in Stock – Rifts^® Game Master Guide^™ – Available now

The Rifts® Game Master Guide™ is a massive 352 page reference book with short stats and description on every Rifts® robot, power armor, body armor, vehicle, weapon, gadget, skill, experience table, and map that appears in Rifts® World Books 1-23 and Sourcebooks 1-4, plus a bionics index, an O.C.C.s and R.C.C. index, rules clarifications, combat examples, advice on how to run a game and more.

• 500+ weapons.
• 300+ skills.
• 290 pieces of equipment.
• 180+ vehicles.
• 100+ suits of body armor.
• 80+ suits of power armor.
• 352 pages – $28.99 retail – Cat. No. 845 – Available now.

 

Other core Rifts^® titles to remember:

• Rifts® Rifts® Ultimate Edition RPG, Hardcover – core rules, epic setting of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in a future Earth post-apocalyptic setting. 30+ player characters – play a Dragon Hatchling, Cyborg, Juicer, Crazy, Cyber-Knight, Power Armor Pilot, Psi-Stalker, Dog Boy and others! Magic, psionics, weapons, bionics, and more. If you can imagine it, it can happen in Rifts®. 376 page hardcover – $41.99 retail – Cat. No. 800HC – available now.
• Rifts® Book of Magic™ – 900+ magic spells, plus Techno-Wizard devices, Magic Tattoos, Nazca Lines, Whale Songs, Herbs, Symbiotes, Bio-Wizard Weapons, Rune Weapons, magic items and more! 352 pages – still $26.95 retail – Cat. No. 848 – available now.
• Rifts® Adventure Guide™ – 150+ adventure ideas, Random Rifts, making towns, cities, merc companies, and traveling shows, gaming tips and much more. 192 pages – $24.95 retail – Cat. No. 849 – available now.
• Rifts Conversion Books 1, 2 & 3.
• Rifts® Bionics Sourcebook.

 

Fun and Notable Podcasts and Sites that feature Palladium Books

• Questwise and the Rifts® Explorer’s Guide – See product reviews and videos about Rifts® and other Palladium Books games as well as fun contests and gaming insight. New videos post regularly. Check it out for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_3MGRJW9QooUXF29F5tF-A
  The Questwise Rifts® Explorer's Guide series travels the Megaverse® to reveal information about notable locations in Rifts®. The video about Northern Gun and Michigan's Upper Peninsula can be found it here: https://youtu.be/0lU9byK5G4g
• The Guides to the Megaverse® podcast consists of a Palladium group with a collective total of over 100 years of gaming! The crew’s Actual Play format consists of long term campaigns in Heroes Unlimited™, Robotech®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Beyond the Supernatural™, with occasional games in other settings. There are more than 90 episodes available for download. Check them out here: https://guidesmegaverse.podbean.com/
• Through Gamer Goggles – Matt Lemke’s podcasts and YouTube videos cover the gaming industry. In fact if you haven’t seen them yet, check out his many Gen Con interviews: http://gamer-goggles.com/blog/category/conventions/gen-con-2018/
• HippoTV on Twitch.tv. The good folks at HippoTV (https://www.twitch.tv/HippoTV/) host a wide variety of games most days of the week. For fans of Palladium Books® they feature a Heroes Unlimited™ and an After the Bomb® space game. The gamers playing these games come from all over the world, are very enthusiastic, and represent a wide variety of experience with Palladium's games.

 

If you are doing a Palladium fan-based website, podcasts, YouTube programming, etc., please let us know so we can take a look at what you are doing and so we can give you a shout out. We do not have the staff and resources to do everything we want to do, so we appreciate the fan sites that feature Palladium Books’ games and settings and promote the RPG hobby. Awesome. We are happy to support you when we can.

 

What’s Coming (in production or development):

• The Rifter® #83 – source material for Rifts®, Heroes Unlimited, etc.
• Rifts® Bestiary™, Volume One – Coming soon.
• Rifts® Bestiary™, Volume Two – Coming soon.
• In the Face of Death™, Dead Reign® Sourcebook – Coming soon.
• Rifts® Chaos Earth®: Psychic Scream
• Rifts® Antarctica
• Garden of the Gods™ (Fantasy)
• The Rifter® #84 – Coming.
• Rifts® The Disavowed™
• Rifts® Chaos Earth®: First Responders
• Rifts® CS Arsenal™

And much more in development for Rifts®, Palladium Fantasy RPG®, Heroes Unlimited™, Dead Reign®, Beyond the Supernatural™, Splicers® and more!

 

Copyright 2019 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, Heroes Unlimited, Ninjas & Superspies, Minion War, Mysteries of Magic, 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.