Fitting Martial Arts into your Palladium Megaverse game

Discover how to blend martial arts into any Palladium Megaverse setting! 🥋 Our video guide dives deep into integrating combat skills that will bring your RPG to life. 🌐 Join the adventure! #PalladiumRPG #MartialArts

Ninjas & Superspies Step into the vast realms of the Palladium Megaverse, where martial arts breathe life into every corner of your adventures. This video offers a detailed overview of fitting various martial arts into any setting within the Palladium Books universe, from the gritty streets of Rifts to the mystical lands of Fantasy. Enhance your campaigns with expert tips on incorporating…

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Tomorrow I start GMing my first Savage Rifts game, I'm excited.

I'm a long time Rifts fan, it was a fundamental RPG for me as a child (as well as many other Palladium games) however I haven't played it in over two decades because of just how much I don't actually like playing in Palladium Megaversal (Designing? Yes. Making Characters? Yes. Playing? Nope!)

So tomorrow is a session zero for my first Rifts game which will run for a few months, the characters/players are:

??? the Royal Frilled Dragon Hatchling, the player is new to Rifts and, I think, to Savage Worlds.

Cazador the Anti-Monster, the player is new to Rifts, well versed in Savage Worlds.

Ferryn the Four-Armed D-Bee Power Armor Ace, the player is somewhat familiar with Rifts and somewhat new to Savage Worlds.

Chuck the Rhino-Buffalo riding Grackle Tooth Barbarian Tundra Ranger, new to Rifts, well versed in Savage Worlds.

??? the Dogboy Mind Melter, character is familiar with Rifts but not at all familiar with Savage Worlds. This guy is also the only person that is a complete rando (never met him before he joined the game)

Hopefully we'll have time to dip into some mechanics as well, and to acquaint the players I have set up a quick in-media-res encounter where they've been ambushed by a coalition patrol that jumps them while they are trying to enter the Federation of Magic which will lead to a Chase scene with some SAMAS just to get a brief familiarization with the system.

After Mechanoid Invasion (1981), Palladium produced a number of “historically accurate” medieval arms and armor books for use with "ANY” game (read: D&D). The success of those led to The Palladium Role-Playing Game (1983, though this is the 1984 revised second printing).

It’s essentially a highly customized D&D. Sometimes you really need to squint at a thing and maybe scrape a couple layers of paint off, but D&D it almost always under there somewhere near the core. It has far more options, though — 13 playable races, 19 classes, 7ish systems of magic. Even at this date, you can see the game growing (mutating?) into something different, bigger, wilder. It isn’t enough that they are characters classes, they have to be Occupational Character Classes (OCCs) and that’s just the start of the abbreviations. Rifts and the larger Megaversal system will always be Too Much for me, but I was genuinely surprised looking through this book and seeing even back in 1984, Palladium was already Too Much.

In typical fashion, I don’t really care about the system and am won over in the end by all the delightful art. There is no clear credit and I don’t recognize any of the names and honestly, I think there are more styles here than artists, which makes me think that this was sort of a dumping ground for art that didn’t make it into other projects. That gives this book a strange sort of charm that later Palladium books lack — I still like the way those books look and they are certainly more cohesive, but they definitely feature a much more rigid art direction.

Bonus: I like the source material here for the world. It’s none of it revolutionary, but it makes for a sturdy standard. There are cool monsters and gods, too!

hiiii what are ur thots on the megaversal system? i’m currently in the midst of hyperfixation revival for TMNT, and i found there’s a TMNT rpg from ‘85 that uses that system, as well as one called ‘after the bomb’ that i think is a more open-ended version? (like not limited to just post-nuclear NYC jsgskdh)

the lifelong, childhood fan in me is like MUST HAVE ALL TMNT CONTENT while the Grown Adult is like. homie the chances of this rpg book from the 80’s being something you’ll actually enjoy reading/making a character for are Very Low

also there is not a lot out there abt this game jsgskdh like there was a pretty popular kickstarter last year, but the funding period ended so no luck there rly, and from one of the reviews i saw, they liked the world building/story side of things, but would’ve preferred the gurps system… which i am also unfamiliar with 🫣 oh and the game is called ‘teenage mutant ninja turtles & other strangeness’ if ur interested at all jsgskdh

but yeah do u think the megaversal system is like. approachable for newcomers to rpgs in general? i’m familiar w 5e, blades in the dark, and kids on brooms, but looking at all the unfamiliar terminology for megaversal is. intimidating 🤧

(also totally feel free to ignore this if it’s like way too much info to look into jsgskdh i do not want to take up your time 🫡)

okay, so I haven't actually played any Megaversal System games, but I am familiar with their reputation. Based on what I've heard the games that utilize it (RIFTS, Palladium Fantasy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, Heroes Unlimited, and After the Bomb [which is basically the TMNT RPG but with the licensing removed once they lost the license]) are barely functional but have a strange charm to them! One of my favorite podcasts, System Mastery, are intimately familiar with the system and hearing them describe it is always a blast. If you want to learn about the games from two really funny guys for whom those games were a formative experience, I recommend checking them out!

So anyway those games are apparently pretty wild. I think they're decipherable by relative newcomers if you're willing to accept a bit of extremely eighties design. I don't know how much of that will be rectified in the upcoming rerelease. But don't take my word for it, because the internet is a beautiful place and with a little bit of digging on your local free-rpg-pdfs-legally-i-swear dot gov slash co dot uk you should be able to find PDFs of the original game

But now is when I yap about a completely different but related game, because as it happens game designer Julian Kay's first RPG as a child was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, and as an adult Julian decided to make an homage to that game called Mutants in the Now. Now, unlike Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness I have actually read Mutants in the Now, and what I can say based on simply reading it is that it is a fantastically written RPG with a lot of love for its subject matter and the game system actually seems functional! The character creation system is wild, consisting mostly of rolling on random tables to discover who your character is, and the actual game system owes a lot to 13th Age (a modern D&D clone that Julian has written for and that is actually pretty dang good!) in addition to the Megaversal System. There's a few quirks that are mostly there out of homage to the Megaversal System to my knowledge (skills are d100 roll under, while combat pretty much works like any ol' D&D with d20 rolls to hit and various types of dice for damage) but ultimately it is a very coherent system.

Anyway the presentation in Mutants in the Now was so strong I immediately ordered it and its supplement Mutants in the Next, and I don't have a single regret about my purchase. I actually liveblogged the (admittedly intensive) character creation process. You can find them if you look under the tag #mutants in the making. Now Mutants in the Now is slightly more complex than 5e, but most of the complexity is front-loaded into character creation. The gameplay is about on par with 5e in terms of complexity.

Anyway I'm not sure how helpful that is but it at least gave me a chance to gush about one of the coolest games I've discovered during the last year. If you're interested in a game with actual TMNT branding I recommend looking into the original game if you can find it before you make any decisions or wait for word from Kickstarter backers about the revised edition whether it's good or bad. But, like, Mutants in the Now is also there if you're not too particular about the branding and just want to play cool mutant animals and enjoy random character creation where you get to really experience finding out who your character is during the process of creation.

Dusting off and revising this borg for some Roll20 RIFTS inspiration. #dnd #dnd5e #PathfinderRPG #mydailyart #golem #golems #robots #robot #characterdesign #adventuretime #instaart #illustration #instaartist #illustrationartists #tabletopgames #stockart #monstermanual #cyborg #sciencefictionart #sciencefiction #tabletoprpgs #skeleton #fantasy #dungeonsanddragons #warhammer40k #rifts #rpg #riftsRPG #palladium #megaverse

Dragon Magazine #189 The Palladium Megaverse

One of my all time favourites, the Palladium Fantasy Roleplaying Game, by the extremely prolific Kevin Siembieda. It’s a great resource for new ideas in your game, even if you don’t use the system itself. One of the coolest things about it is that it’s compatible with the rest of the Palladium Megaverse, which includes, but is not limited to, Heroes Unlimited, Robotech, Rifts, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This allows for some potentially strange encounters, and is especially great for one-shot adventures.

September 1985: TMNT & Other Strangeness

Palladium books published a role-playing game, it features original comic strips and illustrations by Eastman and Laird. The rules and gameplay are based on Palladium's Megaversal system.

After Hours Episode 56: Palladium Skills

After Hours Episode 56: Palladium Skills

Too many RPGs have bloated skill lists, but not the games of the Palladium Megaverse. Special guest Chris, Aaron, Tom, and I go through some of the Palladium games and discuss the merits of their skills from fly fishing to entomological medicine. Find out which game has the worst and best (?) skills!

Song: Path by Dark Bandwidth

Click here to download the episode.

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Hey peeps it's almost Extra Life weekend! I'll be streaming with the rest of the Thread Raiders, we've got 55 hours of content planned! (including my first time GMing, Saturday morning!) We'll be doing D&D 5e, Honey Heist, Palladium Megaverse, Vampire the Masquerade, and more! The Nerds From Nowhere will be having a live show of their podcast and DeathByMage will be running his original game Broomsticks and Wands! Full schedule at our Extra Life page.

How to use Martial Arts in your TTRPG

Elevate your tabletop RPG battles with martial arts techniques! 🌟 Our latest video shows you how to integrate thrilling combat moves into your game sessions. 🎲Ready to level up? #RPGCombat #TabletopGaming

Ninjas & Superspies Embrace the path of the warrior with our comprehensive guide on integrating martial arts into your tabletop RPG. This video illuminates the seamless ways to weave hand-to-hand combat and philosophical teachings into your game’s fabric, enhancing the depth and realism of your characters’ experiences. Whether you seek the balance of aikido or the ferocity of muay thai, this…

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Rifts of horror! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we look at Beyond the Supernatural (1987), Palladium’s horror RPG that anticipates a bunch of mechanics and lore that would be important for Rifts and the Megaversal system. Richard Corben on the cover, Steve Bissette doing tons of interiors, this books is worth it for the art alone.

Available only from March 22 to April 8, 2019

Note: Please read the full store description for complete details and to avoid any possible misunderstanding. We know many of you are probably new to the Megaverse Insider Offer and we didn’t want you to miss out. Offer ends April 8, 2019, and some bundles are limited to just one or a dozen. See full details at palladiumbooks.com.

Inside Help: $5 – Cat. No. 12031 – (Name listed in the book)

In Memoriam: $5 – Cat. No. 12032 – (Name listed in the book)

A “Real” Character Tribute: $10 – Cat. No. 12033 – (Character’s name listed in the book)

Cyber-Insider (PDF of book only): $16 – Cat. No. 12034 – (Name listed in the book + the bookmarked PDF at least 6 months before it is made available to the general public)

Palladium Insider: $50 – Cat. No. 12035 – (Name listed in the book + you get one Limited Edition Hardcover Edition – Color Cover)

Crimson Beast Insider: $75 – Cat. No. 12036 – (Name listed in the book + you get one signed and numbered, Limited Edition “Crimson Beast” Collector’s Hardcover)

Enhanced Crimson Beast Insider: $90 – Cat. No. 12037 – (Name listed in the book + you get the PDF + signed and numbered, Limited Edition “Crimson Beast” Collector’s Hardcover)

Top Insider: $145 – Cat. No. 12038 – (Name listed in the book + you get both limited edition hardcover books, signed, PDF, dragon head sketch, print)

Ultimate Insider: $200 – Cat. No. 12039 – (Name listed in the book + you get both hardcover books signed, PDF, Siembieda dragon head sketch, Walton monster sketch in book, 5 prints, 2 Raw Editions)

Benefactor: $500 – LIMITED to 12 Benefactors – Cat. No. 12040 – (Name listed in the book + you get both hardcover books signed, PDF, Siembieda dragon head sketch, Walton monster sketch in book, something Top Secret, 10 prints, your name as an unstatted character in the book, AND an original concept art sketch)

Ultimate Benefactor: $1,400 – SOLD OUT!!! – Cat. No. RB-UB1 – Name listed in the book + you get both hardcover books signed, PDF, Siembieda dragon head sketch, Walton monster sketch in book, something Top Secret, 10 prints, your name as an unstatted character in the book, 2 original concept art sketches – the original pencil art of the cover – AND you get to create a creature to appear in Rifts® Bestiary Two!)

Nightbane, Stranger things en mode adulte!

Nightbane, Stranger things en mode adulte!

Hello mes p’tites patates nocturnes! Je reviens dans le megaverse de la maison d’édition Palladium, qui nous propose également Rifts, pour vous toucher deux ou trois mots concernant la gamme la plus stimulante, à mon humble avis, j’ai nommé, Nightbane!

Développée par CJ Carella (auteur de Witchcraft également), la gamme Nightbane propose un pan du megaverse à tendance post-apo et horrifique – ou…

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Updating this monster for my Patreon Creature Feature. It's an attempt at a Hound of Tindalos from the Cthulhu Mythos. #dnd #dnd5e #PathfinderRPG #mydailyart #alien #mythos #cthulhu #lovecraft #characterdesign #adventuretime #instaart #illustration #instaartist #illustrationartists #tabletopgames #patreon #monstermanual #sciencefictionart #sciencefiction #tabletoprpgs #gaming #fantasy #dungeonsanddragons #warhammer #rifts #rpg #riftsRPG #palladium #megaverse #mutant #monster #houndoftindalos #carcosa

Ninjas & Superspies: Martial Arts Styles

Unlock the secrets of martial arts in Ninjas & Superspies! 🥋 Watch our video to explore the diverse styles from Palladium Books and how they can enhance your RPG experience. 🎲Don't miss out! #NinjasAndSuperspies #TabletopRPG

Ninjas & Superspies Uncover the ancient and mysterious martial arts styles in “Ninjas & Superspies” by Palladium Books. In this video, we delve into the diverse array of combat techniques featured in this revered tabletop RPG. From the silent steps of a ninja to the striking force of a samurai, each style is meticulously explored. Discover which martial art resonates with your spirit and learn…

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