If you're a fan or in any way care about Palladium, you'll want to check this out and possibly step up to help out. For the anti-PB crowd, please try to remember even if it isn't your cup of tea, it is for a lot of folks, and it also represents the possibility of unemployment for some folks, so be kind.

EDIT:  My site entry on same, for those interested.

Ouch.  Although I really haven't been a fan of Palladium's stuff for several years now, I still hope they manage to rally and pull through this right spot.

Three things...

1. I had no idea Palladium was even still around! I hope they can make it.
2. Palladium produced one of the most useful gaming products ever, that big book on Arms and Armor, and for that they will always have my respect.
3. Knighsky's song of the moment, "Breakdown" by Alan Parsons, is a kickass song from a kickass album. Now I'm playing it too.:bow:

I'd like to join in wishing them a recovery from their crisis. And I hope there is always a place in the world for an old school game company like them.

The Palladium Weapons and armor series

The original version of these books were Palladium's first products, during the early 80s (prior to the printing of the 1E Unearthed Arcana, and its "nomenclature of pole-arms" appendix). Most of the non-gun books were, at one time, consolidated into a single perfect-bound book like the CoCW (the top book on the catalogue page), but were in recent years split back into the smaller books with some modifications.

The Palladium Fantasy RPG was published in 1984, by that time only showing its use of a D20 for strike rolls and having a "Palladin" character class to show its roots in a late-70s, VERY-home-rules, variant of what started as a OD&D game in Detroit. One interesting aspect was its inclusion of a skill/action-based experience point gain system, that seemed to be the inspiration for the AD&D 2E optional experience system from the DMG. It also featured a system to choose a second character class and (unlike later Palladium products, or D&D prior to 3E) the ability to switch between classes for advancement. Its set of monsters (And playable races) was far different than its D&D contemporaries, and, again, it took 3E to match it in terms of playability of "non-standard" races. The RPG was updated to the standard Palladium SDC+HP (analogous in many ways to Champions' division of health points) in the 90s, after initially having only hit points. If you really want to throw your 3E players a curve, get one of the versions of the PFRPG's "Monsters and Animals" book, and convert some of the more bizarre creatures into 3.5 stat blocks (just don't put the conversions on the web - Palladium is a bit overprotective of their copyrights). The Zavor would probably drive any D&D party into spastic fits.

This really sucks. Palladium has long been a good example of a company that does a just makes cool stuff, hipsterism and "cutting edge" be damned.

I had way too much fun with the TMNT RPG back in the day.

Quote from: mearlsThis really sucks. Palladium has long been a good example of a company that does a just makes cool stuff, hipsterism and "cutting edge" be damned.

I had way too much fun with the TMNT RPG back in the day.

Damned right.  But it also has legions of fans willing to step up to the plate and try to right the ship.  We aren't quite through yet.

And yeah, the Weapon Compendiums have been crazy useful.

I hope they recover. For as long as i have been gaming it seems like Palladium has been around.

I really dig their Adventures in the Northern Wilderness sourcebook. One of the most interesting and useful books in my collection - and i dont even used their system. I have always found something for me in their product list and hope this trend will continue.

 I hope they recover form this.

Regards,
David R.

Quote from: ZalmoxisKnighsky's song of the moment, "Breakdown" by Alan Parsons, is a kickass song from a kickass album. Now I'm playing it too.:bow:

Wow.  That sucks.  Since I first started gaming, the Rifts setting has been a constant source of inspiration for my games.  Even if I don't really like the man that much, I wish KS and the rest of the folks at Palladium the best.

I was referring to this Palladium book specifically...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091621138X/002-1505668-7742439?v=glance&n=283155

Quote from: ZalmoxisI was referring to this Palladium book specifically...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091621138X/002-1505668-7742439?v=glance&n=283155

My friend Tetsubo bought that for me as a birthday present.  One of the nicer gifts I've ever gotten, really.    I had an older, comic book sized book of theirs that had many of the weapons in it, but the armour section was totally new (and cool) to me.  I actually understood how armour is constructed after that.  

Rifts sucks ass, but they've done so many other cool things that this really sucks.  

Kevin Siembieda: "Suffice it to say that betrayal of trust, theft, and embezzlement has inflicted what we estimate to be $850,000 to 1.3 million dollars in damages to Palladium."

Does anyone have any clue what this is about?

By the way, Kevin Siembieda shares the same initials as King Stannis.  Coincidence or Not?

Quote from: NicephorusBy the way, Kevin Siembieda shares the same initials as King Stannis.  Coincidence or Not?

Dun dun dun!!!!  ~que ominous, Therimin-based music~

Quote from: NicephorusKevin Siembieda: "Suffice it to say that betrayal of trust, theft, and embezzlement has inflicted what we estimate to be $850,000 to 1.3 million dollars in damages to Palladium."

Does anyone have any clue what this is about?

Not knowing any of the players other than Kevin, I can't say exactly, but clearly one of the people who runs Palladium stole serious $$$.  Since my employer is STILL building a case against an employee who emezzled money back in 2004, I can see how Palladium would just write off the money as lost and assume they will get no recompense in time to save the company (if they get any ever).

In other words, they really are as screwed as they are saying.

Quote from: ZalmoxisI was referring to this Palladium book specifically...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/091621138X/002-1505668-7742439?v=glance&n=283155

That's a great book. I've had it for years. One of the best references of its kind.