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DIRECT FROM PALLADIUM - I SOOO Wanted to say something for soo long!!
Start Spreading the Word
The big news of this Update is Palladium is about to launch its biggest, boldest product line in more than a decade. We will need your help with a real Kickstarter to make a strong, bright future for Palladium Books a reality.
For most companies, an opportunity like this happens only a once or twice in a lifetime, if at all. An opportunity to make and build upon something that you, yourself, love as a fan. The privilege to make something that you know other fans of that property will love as well.
Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is such an opportunity.
We are especially fortunate, because this is the fourth time Palladium will have had an opportunity of such significance with a licensed property. The first was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles® RPG game line (1985). The second was with the original Robotech® RPG game line (1986). The third was bringing fans the rest of the Robotech® TV series on VHS tape for the very first time (1989) – Southern Cross/Masters, New Generation, and Robotech® II: The Sentinels – uncut and unabridged, and proving there was a market for anime in North America. Each one of those events was a milestone for that Intellectual Property and for Palladium Books. Each one was a fan-pleaser and a bestseller, because we knew what the fans wanted and gave it to them. Each one helped grow Palladium Books® and enable us to make the games you love.
Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a product Robotech® fans have been wanting for more than 25 years! A gaming experience that expands into making game pieces of all your favorite mecha and provides rules for mass combat battles that capture the flavor and fun of the Robotech® TV show and role-playing games.
Our partner in this venture is Ninja Division which brings together the design talents of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios, makers of the popular and fun Super Dungeon™ Explore, Relic Knights™, Helldorado™ and Anima Tactics™. Together we are working to bring you the best quality game pieces, design and rules for Robotech® RPG Tactics™. Anyone who knows miniatures and table-top gaming knows these guys are all about quality.
Every one of these Robotech® mecha has been sculpted with painstaking attention to capture not only the accuracy and detail of these iconic Robotech® war machines, but to capture their power and movement as well. Every aspect of the product line has been created with Robotech® fans in mind. They are designed to appeal to wargamers, role-players and Robotech® fans of all ages and gaming preferences.
We have brought in talented sculptors, artists, game designers and writers from around the world for the creation of this expanding realm of Robotech®! We have drawn upon the top caliber talents and creative minds of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios via Ninja Division, as well as Palladium Books® and Harmony Gold®! The tactical rules have been play-tested again and again, examined under a microscope, tweaked and improved, play-tested again, and tweaked some more to capture the Robotech® experience.
For the first time ever, we plan to bring you ALL eras of Robotech® mecha in one consistent scale – 1/285th scale. If the market wants it, we’ll produce a secondary line of game pieces at a larger size, such as Cyclones at 28 mm.
In the end, we want to release a product line that will delight Robotech® fans and gamers, and even appeal to people who have never heard of Robotech® or played RPGs or tactical games. I think we have accomplished that. I hope you will agree.
Why this? Why now?
Some Palladium fans have questioned why we have been spending so much time and resources on expanding the Robotech® game line, especially when we are so behind on book releases.
Three reasons:
1. As noted earlier, Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a rare and precious opportunity to make something epic for fans like us.
2. Robotech® RPG Tactics™ gives us a chance to work with the wonderful talent pool at Ninja Division (the creative wizards of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios). Again, you don’t pass up an opportunity to work with talent of this caliber.
3. The success of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ could be huge for Palladium Books as a company. A successful launch of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is the final piece of the puzzle to make Palladium Books® strong again. A successful launch will enable us to eliminate debt and give Palladium the resources to hire more staff and more freelance talent and do so much more for ALL our game lines. I already have a dream team of creators lined up to bring on board. They can hardly wait. The excitement is electric.
Please be assured that Palladium is a role-playing game company, first and foremost. RPGs shall always remain our primary business. In fact, the success of Robotech® RPG Tactics™ will enable us to do more of the role-playing game releases you love. There is a reason I’ve been designing and writing role-playing games for 32 years: I love them more than anything. For business and marketing reasons, I cannot reveal to you our every plan months or years in advance. I can tell you we have big plans and dozens of RPG products in the pipeline and on the drawing board. Plans that I believe can carry role-playing to new heights and new markets. In fact, I have plans to do things with role-playing games others may have not yet considered. And that’s why we can’t talk about all our plans for new systems of play, RPG products and marketing ideas. They have to remain top secret until we have the resources to make them a reality. The release of a greater number of RPG books and bold new ventures like Robotech® RPG Tactics™ will enable us to make that happen.
March Kickstarter to Launch Robotech® RPG Tactics™
We will need to do a real Kickstarter to make Robotech® RPG Tactics a reality. We already have distributors lined up to carry the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ product line. Heck, I think some of them are as excited about this game as we are. One distributor who I confided in back at Gen Con last year was so excited he hugged me and said it was the best news he had heard all year.
However, to do Robotech® RPG Tactics™ right, to manufacture the box set and expansion packs at the awesome level they should be, will cost a lot more money than Palladium has available to it. Enter Kickstarter. If we can get gamers and Robotech® fans to participate in our Kickstarter, we should be able to garner the funds we need to make this game epic. If we exceed our goals in a big way . . . we can do so much for it and all our product lines. The possibilities will be incredible. One is to make all Palladium Robotech® products available to fans and gamers around the world.
Be the first. Don’t forget, your participation in the Kickstarter will get you a wide range of game pieces, product and cool collectibles before any of it ever hits store shelves. And let me say, Robotech fans, there will be a lot of things you will want. I know, because I want them. We are working with Ninja Division, right now, to figure out all the cool swag you’ll be able to get in this offer.
We need you. PLEASE start to spread the word about Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and its Kickstarter coming next month; probably mid- or late-March! We want role-players, wargamers, Robotech® fans and collectors to know about this exciting Kickstarter opportunity coming their way. We want those of you who may be interested in the game line to be prepared for the Kickstarter to get all the goodies you may want. Heck, as a Robotech® fan, I’m geeked just to be able to get the game pieces to display on my shelf, let alone the different game applications.
We don’t want to reveal too much before the Kickstarter, because we want it to blow you away. But I will try to sneak you more information over the next four weeks and even some photos of a couple of Robotech® game pieces. Man oh man, they are looking sweet.
Again, together, we can make dreams come true. Help us make this become a reality and make Palladium a juggernaut in games for a new generation. Thank you so much.
Closing Thoughts
Be excited. We are. The expanding Robotech® product line means so much to Palladium’s future. Its success will affect and advance all our plans for role-playing releases and other fun products. As always, thank you for your support.
– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher, Writer and Gamer
Robotech® RPG Tactics™
Prepare for invasion! Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is a fast-paced, strategy battle game that expands on the popular Palladium role-playing system to enter new realms of adventure.
Mecha vs Mecha. Take command of the fighting forces of the United Earth Defense Force (UEDF) valiantly defending Earth from alien annihilation. Or lead the massive clone armies of the Zentraedi Armada to recover an alien artifact of immense power and enslave humankind.
● Collect your favorites from an expanding range of world-class game pieces and relive the massive battles on your tabletop at home to enhance your Robotech® RPG adventures or as a stand-alone tactical game.
● 1/285th scale game pieces with detail
● Robotech® RPG Tactics™ is designed in partnership with Ninja Division. Ninja Division brings together the design talents of Soda Pop Miniatures and Cipher Studios, makers of Super Dungeon™ Explore, Relic Knights™, Helldorado™ and Anima Tactics™, to bring you the best quality game pieces, design and rules for Robotech® RPG Tactics™ and all of your Robotech® adventures.
● Stay tuned for news about the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter Campaign, coming this March! Support our goals to bring you this exciting product and an expansive range of quality game pieces.
● Palladium Books and Ninja Division will showcase the game pieces and reveal all with the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ Kickstarter Campaign; tentatively scheduled to launch next month; probably mid- or late-March. This is a product line Robotech® fans have wanted for decades! If you are one of those people, please spread the word and support this upcoming Kickstarter.
● The final details and cost of the Robotech® RPG Tactics™ box set and expansion kits are still morphing and changing at this time. They will conform to industry standards for pricing and packaging.
