Palladium Books (sometimes called "Palladium Games") is a role-playing game publisher founded by Kevin Siembieda and Erick Wujcik, best known for their popular, genre-crossing Rifts gaming series (1990-present). Although not created to be a universal system, they were one of the first companies to have success creating role-playing games in multiple genres. This is why Palladium Books' house system is sometimes called "Megaversal" - "not universal, but more than just one world." Palladium Books is based in Taylor, Michigan. A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. ... Kevin Siembieda is a founder of Palladium Books, a designer of role-playing games (RPGs), a game publisher, and a former Guest of Honor of Penguicon. ... Erick Wujcik is a role-playing game designer. ... Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously by Palladium Books since then. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... A role-playing game (RPG, often roleplaying game) is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and collaboratively create or follow stories. ... The Megaversal system, sometimes known as the Palladium system, is a role-playing game system which involves roll-under percentile skill checks, roll-high d20 combat skill checks and roll-low d20 saving throws, and uses differing amounts of d4s, d6s, d8s, and d10s for damage, which is applied to... Taylor is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan. ...

History

Beginning

Their first game was The Mechanoid Invasion in 1981, followed by the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game in 1983 and Heroes Unlimited in 1984. Other popular titles included the role playing game adaptations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1985) and the Japanese animated series Robotech. Palladium was also one of the major distributors of Robotech merchandise for several years. Between the late 1990s and early 2000's, all of Palladium's licenses lapsed and were not pursued for renewal. Palladium does not presently possess any licenses to produce role-playing games based on intellectual properties they do not own, though they are currently finalizing negotiations on an RPG based on Robotech's Shadow Chronicles. The Mechanoid Invasion and its source books, supplements and sequels was the first role playing games from Palladium Books. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a game produced by Palladium Books. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Heroes Unlimited is a role-playing game based upon the Palladium Books Megaversal system; it is compatible with any other game on the Palladium system. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robotech is a science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series. ...

Palladium enjoys the support of a small but dedicated fanbase, who applaud what they feel are the company's innovative settings and their games' high levels of adaptability to various personal preferences, play styles and power levels. Palladium states^[1] that it was the first publisher in the industry to adopt the very sturdy and durable perfect bindings on its books, a move that has since been emulated by many other companies in the role-playing industry. Palladium also publishes most of its releases in paperback, whereas most other major role-playing publishers now publish mostly hardbacks. This format choice has allowed Palladium to provide full sourcebooks at lower prices than many other game lines. Old book binding and cover Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. ...

Palladium is aggressive in preventing wide distribution of fan-made conversions of their games to other systems (such as the D20 System), and also discourages converting the intellectual property of others into their system; while they cannot prevent it, doing so is not allowed in spaces owned by Palladium Books. Palladium Books also threatens legal action against fans who distribute conversions in other spaces. When asked why Palladium was so much stricter in regard to conversions than other game companies, Siembieda stated that the policy had been adopted due to advice from Palladium's lawyers, to shield Palladium from liability for conversions of other parties' intellectual property. ^[2] d20 redirects here. ...

Licensed properties

Palladium Books has licensed some of their intellectual properties to third-party developers. In 2000, Palladium's flagship line Rifts was licensed to the now defunct Precedence Entertainment for a collectible card game. In 2004 Rifts was licensed to create the Rifts: Promise of Power video game for the failed Nokia N-Gage gaming platform. Only one licensed role-playing game book has ever appeared using the Palladium engine, Rifts: Manhunter. For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (movie). ... In the video game industry, a third-party developer is a developer that is not directly tied to the primary product the consumer is using. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called trading card games (TCGs) or customizable card games (a phrase specific to two Decipher, Inc. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Nokia Corporation (OMX: NOK1V, NYSE: NOK, FWB: NOA3) is currently the worlds largest manufacturer of mobile telephones, with a global market share of approximately 36% in Q1 of 2007. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

As of 2004, Palladium Books optioned the Rifts film rights to Walt Disney Pictures. Jerry Bruckheimer Films is said to be developing the movie in conjunction with scriptwriter David Franzoni. As of 2006, there is no information regarding the movie available on IMDB. An April 19, 2006 press release ^[3] by Kevin Siembieda stated that "until Jerry Bruckheimer has a script he loves, the movie can’t get the green light." In the January 15, 2007 press release ^[4] it is stated that the movie option has been extended one year. In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement between a movie studio, a production company, or a producer (henceforth called the producer) and a writer, in which the producer obtains the right to buy a screenplay from the writer, before a certain date. ... Walt Disney Pictures logo (2006-present) Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: // Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since the death of Walt Disney were released under the name of... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... David Franzoni is a screenwriter. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) [1] is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...

Financial troubles

On April 19, 2006, Kevin Siembieda published a press release [1] stating Palladium Books' critical financial difficulties due to embezzlement and theft resulting in $850,000 to $1.3 million in damages ^[5] coupled with a series of delays in licensing their properties for other media (the N-Gage game, the still in-development Jerry Bruckheimer movie, a MMOG license, and other potential deals). They are attempting to raise money to continue operations by selling a signed and numbered (but not, strictly speaking, a "limited edition") art print by Kevin Siembieda, as well as urging fans to buy directly from their online store if their financial situation allows for it. April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... A massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) is a type of computer game that enables hundreds or thousands of players to simultaneously interact in a game world they are connected to via the Internet. ... The term special edition implies a kind of an extraordinary, rare quality. ...

An April 26, 2006 article ^[6] in the Kingsport, TN Times-News, revealed that Steve Sheiring, Palladium's former sales manager, had been sentenced in a plea bargain to a misdemeanor conviction, one year of probation and ordered to pay $47,080 in restitution to Palladium Books in connection with these thefts. It also provided more information about the thefts, which took place from 2002 to 2004 and were only discovered when Palladium took inventory. Kingsport is a city located in Sullivan County, Tennessee. ...

Responding to the controversy engendered by such a low settlement amount in relation to the large loss figure claimed in his earlier press release, Kevin Siembieda posted an open letter [2] to the Palladium forum explaining the matter. Siembieda stated that he had not wanted to make public Sheiring's identity out of the fear that overzealous fans might get into trouble by committing acts of reprisal. He explained that the heaviest punishment Sheiring had been likely to receive even without the plea bargain was probation. Siembieda had a choice between getting any amount of settlement money at all to pay critical bills, or spending more time and money to attempt to get his "pound of flesh" from a man who was reportedly broke anyway. Given the urgency of Palladium's situation, Siembieda did not feel he had any real choice but to take what little he could get.

During the week of May 7, Palladium announced that revenues from increased sales of its books, its Open House and the art print sales had covered most of the immediate-term damages incurred by Palladium.

Criticisms

Palladium's games are sometimes criticized for their older and somewhat abusable rules system, varying artwork quality, late releases, frequent typographical errors, frequent duplication of large amounts of text in the same book, and sometimes confusing layout. Some consider Rifts, Palladium Books's most popular line, to be the ultimate munchkin game, as it is quite easy to acquire game-breaking levels of power within the rules. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... A munchkin is a player who plays a normally cooperative game (usually an RPG) to amass as much power and as many kills as possible, whatever the costs to role-playing, the storyline, fairness, logic, or the other players fun. ...

Discussions of the company have tended to show that it is very difficult to consider Kevin Siembieda separately from Palladium; the company is run as a sole proprietorship in which the primary owner is also the sole shareholder in the company. Some writers who have been published by Palladium [3] [4] [5] [6] have previously stated that Kevin Siembieda's method of management was too centralized, and not adapted to the size the company had reached (no delegation, lack of dialogue with co-workers, bad human relationships); this was cited as a reason they were no longer writing for the company (though one of the writers has since apologized for his statements [7]). However, there are also many company employees and writers who are still with the company after more than twenty years. A sole proprietorship, or simply proprietorship, is a type of business entity which legally has no separate existence from its owner. ...

Game lines

• After The Bomb, a post-apocalyptic RPG based on a series of supplements for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG. In it, mutant animals struggle for survival, often against human supremacist nations.
• Beyond the Supernatural, a modern horror RPG along the lines of Call of Cthulhu. A second edition was released in early 2005, with more information about the world, which is assumed to be similar to the real world, but with supernatural happenings which no one notices.
• Chaos Earth, a prequel to Rifts, it is set immediately after a war triggers a magical apocalypse, unleashing dimensional gates, monsters, and magic upon a technologically advanced future Earth.
• Heroes Unlimited, a superhero RPG.
• Macross II, based on the anime of the same name. The Macross II license has lapsed and was not renewed.
• The Mechanoid Invasion, a science-fiction RPG, set during the battle between human colonists and the Mechanoids, a race of psionic, cybernetic beings who wish to exterminate humanoid life.
• Nightbane (formerly called Nightspawn), is a horror RPG set in the year 2004 (a near-future setting when the game was released). It differs from Beyond the Supernatural in that the supernatural elements are not as hidden and more open. The series is placed after "Dark Day," an event where the earth was plunged into an unnatural, starless night for 24 hours, and supernatural entities infiltrated or subverted various governments and organizations across the globe.
• Ninjas and Superspies is based on both martial-arts and spy movies with some science fiction mixed in.
• Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a fantasy RPG set in a unique world, which was the home of Kevin Siembieda's fantasy games.
• Recon, originally a Vietnam War-based RPG, It was later updated for modern-era combat involving Mercenaries in fictional hotspots mirroring places such as Africa and South America.
• Rifts is set primarily on Earth, four hundred years after a war-triggered magical apocalypse, opening dimensional gateways and heralding the return of magic, Atlantis, and numerous invasions by alien forces. Rifts is Palladium's flagship line.
• Robotech, based on the anime series of the same name. The Robotech license lapsed in 2001 and was not renewed; however a 26 August 2006 post on the company forums ^[7] stated Palladium's intent to reacquire the license due to the new sequel, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles. As of February 19th, Siembieda stated that contract talks were still in progress between Palladium and Harmony Gold ^[8], with a new RPG, based on Shadow Chronicles, projected for release in 3Q 2007.
• Splicers is a post-apocalyptic RPG where humans have turned to organic technology to fight a robotic threat.
• Systems Failure is a post-apocalyptic game in which the Y2K bug heralded the collapse of the power and telecommunications grids with the arrival of extra dimensional energy "bugs".
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness was based on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books. However due to waning sales (often blamed on the questionable quality of the original television cartoon's later seasons), the license was not renewed when it expired in 2000. Many concepts established in TMNT continue in both Heroes Unlimited and After The Bomb.
• Valley of the Pharaohs is a historical game set in Ancient Egypt.

After The Bomb is a role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 2001. ... Beyond the Supernatural is a horror role playing game published by Palladium Books External links Fan site Category: ... Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on the story of the same name written by H.P. Lovecraft and the so-called Cthulhu Mythos the story inspired. ... Originally intended to be an parallel dimension to Rifts where the massive deaths were cause a minute after midnight when the released PPE was as magnified. ... Heroes Unlimited is a role-playing game based upon the Palladium Books Megaversal system; it is compatible with any other game on the Palladium system. ... For the Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, see Super Hero (Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode). ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Macross II is the original sequel to Macross, and features a new cast of characters. ... The Mechanoid Invasion and its source books, supplements and sequels was the first role playing games from Palladium Books. ... Psionics is the practice of using a variety of psychic abilities. ... Cybernetics is the study of communication and control, typically involving regulatory feedback in living organisms, machines and organisations, as well as their combinations. ... Nightbane is a horror role-playing game and setting created by C.J. Carella and published by Palladium Books in 1995. ... Ninjas and Superspies is a Role-playing game by Erick Wujcik released in 1988 by Palladium Books, and uses the same game mechanics as their other releases. ... The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a game produced by Palladium Books. ... Recon is a role playing game. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Rifts is a multi-genre role-playing game created by Kevin Siembieda in 1990 and published continuously by Palladium Books since then. ... A line of Robotech pen-and-paper role-playing games based on the Robotech and Sentinels series were published by Palladium Books from 1986 to 2001. ... Robotech is a science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... At AnimeExpo 2004, Harmony Gold revealed that the latest Robotech sequel was scheduled for release in 2005, the 20th anniversary of Robotech. ... Systems Failure is a Role-playing game written by Bill Coffin and published by Palladium Books in 1999. ... The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug, and the Y2K Bug) was the result of a practice in early computer program design that caused some date-related processing to operate incorrectly for dates and times on and after January 1, 2000. ... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness is a role-playing game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Heroes Unlimited is a role-playing game based upon the Palladium Books Megaversal system; it is compatible with any other game on the Palladium system. ... After The Bomb is a role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 2001. ... The Valley of the Pharoahs is a role-playing game written by Matthew Balent and published by Palladium Books in 1983. ... Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ...

References

1. ^ Siembieda, Kevin (Feb 2001). Who is Palladium Books? (HTML). Palladium Books. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
2. ^ Meadows, Chris (2007-02-19). Kevin Siembieda Interview, Part 2 (mp3). Space Station Liberty. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
3. ^ Siembieda, Kevin (2006-04-19). Please Help Save Palladium from Going Under. Forums of the Megaverse. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
4. ^ Siembieda, Kevin (2007-01-15). Palladium Books® Press Release – January 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
5. ^ Siembieda, Kevin (2005). Can you help us track or recover goods stolen from Palladium? (HTML). Palladium Books. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
6. ^ Lane, Matthew. "Book publisher employee sentenced in embezzlement case" (HTML), Kingsport Times-News, 2006-04-26. Retrieved on 2006-09-07. 
7. ^ Siembieda, Kevin (2006-08-26). Palladium Survival Strategies. Forums of the Megaverse. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
8. ^ Meadows, Chris (2007-02-19). Kevin Siembieda Interview, Part 1 (mp3). Space Station Liberty. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.

Kevin Siembieda is a founder of Palladium Books, a designer of role-playing games (RPGs), a game publisher, and a former Guest of Honor of Penguicon. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kevin Siembieda is a founder of Palladium Books, a designer of role-playing games (RPGs), a game publisher, and a former Guest of Honor of Penguicon. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (117th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Palladium Books Home Page
• Publication list on Pen & Paper