So, what's good from Palladium?

KingCheops · June 13, 2018, 01:48:56 PM

I can't really think of too many bad systems/settings from Palladium (caveat that I've never played Fantasy). My favorites, probably in order:

Rifts
Ninjas and Superspies
Nightbane
Beyond the Supernatural
Manhunter

Edit: sorry I should add that just about EVERYTHING from Palladium has been used in Rifts.

TheShadow · June 13, 2018, 07:58:50 PM

Nothing wrong with Palladium Fantasy 2e, the fluff didn't really fall off. Pretty much all Bill Coffin's work will make you want to get into a game and start rolling dice like a 14 year old again.

Omega · June 14, 2018, 12:26:33 AM

Quote from: CRKrueger;1043688Say No in Rifts? Trim the tree? Rifts is the one game I've never had to say No or Trim. Rifts is where you can run a Magnificent Seven campaign where the seven are:
A Robotech Master
A Dragon
Boba Fett
A Cosmo-Knight
A Space Marine Librarian
Thor
Joe the Vagabond

I've never said No myself. But for some DMs I know handling that sort of disparity would be a hassle or impossible.

I ran a year long session of Rifts with all sorts of characters. A dragon borg, Some sort of hypermagic fox, some weird alien from Phase World, a Robotech pilot sans her mech, some sort of cyborg horse man, and a few others I'd have to check the play log to remember as its been a decade+.

Omega · June 14, 2018, 12:34:27 AM

And some more I have/had but never gotten to run.

Palladium Fantasy: Interesting setting. not sure what version I have. Probably 2nd. Book is not handy to check.

Recon: This one is weird as it started out as more a wargame than an RPG and then evolved over iterations. Much like Boot Hill did. Interesting game and a look at early Palladium. Original Mechanoids is something I'd like to get ahold of some day. The Rifts expansion book is interesting though.

Nerzenjäger · June 14, 2018, 02:43:40 AM

Quote from: The_Shadow;1043821Nothing wrong with Palladium Fantasy 2e, the fluff didn't really fall off. Pretty much all Bill Coffin's work will make you want to get into a game and start rolling dice like a 14 year old again.

Correct. It unjustly gets some splash damage from people who don't like Rifts/Megaversal, but I think it's one of the most unique and complete FRPGs out there. I might be one of the few people who actually prefer it over 1E. Some of the best Palladium Fantasy setting books have been specifically written for 2E.

Plus, it has some of the best black and white interiour art in any Fantasy RPG ever.

Just Another Snake Cult · June 14, 2018, 02:58:35 AM

TMNT has a lot of charm and was probably their best overall game.

Ninjas and Superspies has an awesome "Generate the spy agency you all work for" system.

Spinachcat · June 14, 2018, 05:09:20 AM

Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1043696I trust your authority on this, but the only thing that I find messy is the integration of hit locations.

I've seen some GMs talk about using the RQ hit locations with Palladium's AR system.

Malleustein · June 14, 2018, 01:11:06 PM

I like all the Palladium Books games to some degree.

The rules are neither streamlined nor elegant. Though I argue they are not bad, merely idiosyncratic and poorly laid out. Scattering rules, errata and FAQ among sourcebooks and issues of The Rifter is Palladium Books' preference. However, a couple of sessions play is enough to understand them.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness and Systems Failure were good entry level games. Both were slim books with a narrow focus (crime fighting mutant animals and alien occupation resistance respectively) and easily understood rules.

Dead Reign is my zombie apocalypse game of preference. The outbreak, collapse of society and the nature of the undead is given a lot of thought. The variety of zombies make them an evolving threat and they are (as many of my players have discovered over the years) extremely dangerous! The sourcebooks are, with the exception of Graveyard Earth, all good.

I found both incarnations of Robotech highly playable. It is true that mecha are tougher than in the anime, but I don't consider it a hanging offense.

There is a lot to like in Palladium Books' games if you can accept the occasionally obscure rules.

Moracai · June 14, 2018, 05:01:06 PM

Adventures on High Seas is my favorite book from them. I have had fun playing TMNT and Heroes Unlimited, but my tastes have changed and now I like more consistent systems.

NYTFLYR · June 14, 2018, 05:40:46 PM

I always enjoyed Palladium Fantasy, 1st edition, loved the wide array of OCCs and playable character races.
the weapons compilations were very useful.
ninjas and superspies was a lot of fun, as was TMNT, but really didn't like the Bio-E system.
Nightspawn was a lot of fun for the limited time we played it

Just Another Snake Cult · June 14, 2018, 07:46:20 PM

Their rules have a simple core and a hard-to-define, eccentric, very Midwestern, 80s-nerd-who-just-discovered-anime charm but they suffer TERRIBLY from poor layout and occasional unnecessary complexity, sometimes crawling way up their own ass.

The reason fans keep clamoring for a new edition is because a streamlined, simpler version really would be A GREAT MOTHERFUCKING FUN GOOFBALL GAME.

Omega · June 15, 2018, 01:40:28 AM

Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;1044031Their rules have a simple core and a hard-to-define, eccentric, very Midwestern, 80s-nerd-who-just-discovered-anime charm but they suffer TERRIBLY from poor layout and occasional unnecessary complexity, sometimes crawling way up their own ass.

The reason fans keep clamoring for a new edition is because a streamlined, simpler version really would be A GREAT MOTHERFUCKING FUN GOOFBALL GAME.

The core system is allready about as streamlined as it gets. It is the organization of those rules that can be a hassle.

Nerzenjäger · June 15, 2018, 01:57:17 AM

To get a grasp on the system, just have a look at the "From The Rifts" video series by youtube channel "Maloquinn". They cover Character Creation, the Game World, Combat, etc.; not in exhaustive detail, but good enough to grasp the core concept.

Palladium is a simple game. And most things kinda work how you would expect them to work with no bells and whistles.

It's super trad.

Luca · June 15, 2018, 02:26:13 AM

For all those stating Robotech had a decent ruleset, one question I kept wondering decades ago when I tried it: if multiple opponents shoot missiles at you (pretty common in the source material), how do you avoid getting instantly reduced to paste?

I vaguely remember there were some dodge rules but they weren't well conceived for combat with asymmetrical numbers on each side...?

Nerzenjäger · June 15, 2018, 03:23:42 AM

Quote from: Luca;1044057For all those stating Robotech had a decent ruleset, one question I kept wondering decades ago when I tried it: if multiple opponents shoot missiles at you (pretty common in the source material), how do you avoid getting instantly reduced to paste?

I vaguely remember there were some dodge rules but they weren't well conceived for combat with asymmetrical numbers on each side...?

You could shoot the missiles out of the sky or you could move faster. But yes, there's a good chance you're turned into paste.