Something Special to Help Palladium

New! Megaverse® Insider Opportunities

Help us print Rifts® Lemuria and get special products in return

Everything is moving along well at Palladium Books on the creative front.

Our biggest concern has been funding. We need capital to print new releases, reprint out of stock titles, and advertise.

A number of people have been pointing to the success of something called “crowdsource funding” or “crowdfunding” popularized by websites such as Kickstarter, but the concept is being used all over the world in many different ways.

The basic idea goes something like this: You make a presentation for the project you want to fund, you provide a variety of levels of participation from a few dollars to hundreds, even thousands of dollars, each level provides a benefit or product(s), you set a realistic target goal, and you let the public know about it. If you get a couple hundred to several hundred people contributing, you can meet or exceed – sometimes vastly exceed – your goal. It’s called crowdfunding because rather than get one or a few investors, you raise much smaller amounts of money from hundreds of people who get a quick and tangible reward for their participation.

We’ve decided to try crowdsource funding right here, on our website, with you on upcoming releases starting with Rifts® Lemuria. We think we have come up with some very cool, fun and different (at least for Palladium Books) ideas for products and opportunities that are affordable, fun and exciting. I’m calling it the Megaverse® Insider Program.

You are a Megaverse® Insider by just being you and purchasing any of the items or “opportunities” being offered below.

● ALL of these items are only available during the short TWO WEEKS that we are offering them. Most will NEVER BE OFFERED AGAIN for that product. THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE TO GET THEM.

● Why limited availability? Because I want to make these “opportunities” truly special, rare, valuable and AVAILABLE ONLY TO YOU, our Palladium Insiders. That includes super-limited and rare, one-time-only products for you.

● The window of opportunity is small. Miss it now and you are out of luck.

● Remember, the purpose is “crowdfunding” – to raise working capital to produce and print a particular book. That means while there are many fun, cool things to purchase, they are not at discounted prices. Ah, but most will never be offered again (none anytime soon). They are exclusive to Megaverse® Insiders. That’s what makes you an “Insider.”

● Many of the higher priced items, like the hardcover editions, should become instant collectibles worth more than what you paid for them. Why? Because if we sell 230 copies, or 115, or even as few as 35 copies, then that (plus a few dozen for staff, friends and special promotions) is all we are printing. There are no more to sell in the months to come. There are no reprints planned. This is it. And ONLY those of you who buy one or two (+ a few dozen extra for Palladium’s own use) have a copy of that super-rare, super-limited, first printing of the book.

How cool is that?! It does not get more “limited” than print to order and no more. Only Megaverse Insiders have one, making you a true “insider” and the item special. That also means the “real value” of the book is whatever someone will pay for it. Since there are so few, the resale market value should be instantly more than what you paid for it. The Palladium RPG® Crimson Hardcover and the original Rifts® Gold Hardcover sell for $300-$500 on the collectors market, and they had press runs of 500 and 600 copies. (FYI: The Rifts® Ultimate Gold Edition had a press run of 1,500 copies and it still regularly commands more than the original selling price.)

● You make a difference by giving Palladium Books a shot in the arm, and you benefit with unique items and opportunities, acknowledgment in print and knowing you helped make it possible for us to make more of the books you love! That’s the cool thing about “crowdsource funding,” it’s a win-win situation and everyone benefits from it.

Our Insider Goal for Rifts® Lemuria

We want to raise at least $12,000 to help cover the cost of printing, production, shipping and advertising. FYI: That should be very doable with the unique Megaverse® Insider items below.

Our hope is to exceed our goal amount. If we should be so fortunate, that money could cover all costs to make Rifts® Lemuria and any amount left over will go toward the development, production and promotion of other Palladium products. There are a number of out of print titles, for example, we would love to get back in your hands as soon as possible.

Daily Progress Updates: At least once or twice a day, we will countdown and let you know the current number of Insiders (people who have made a purchase), the amount to date (including sales that exceed our goal of $12,000) and the time you have left to make your purchase.

The Megaverse Insider crowdfunding is an experiment. This is all an experiment. If it does well and you want to see us do this with more upcoming titles, let us know and we’ll do it again. As an experiment, it also means there may be some bumps and glitches, so please bear with us. I hope you will find this to be something fun and worthwhile and many of you become active Megaverse® Insiders to help Palladium grow.

For more insight and background about the Megaverse® Insider program/offer, see my Murmur from the Megaverse® on the subject.

One last thing, please spread the word to your gaming friends and post about it online wherever you can think of. We are only advertising this to YOU – our Palladium fans and insider – and the offer is for a very short time: February 9-24, 2012. I’m excited. Are you excited about this?

– Kevin Siembieda, Publisher and Your Inside Man

Megaverse® Insider Opportunities for Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria

Available only February 9-24, 2012

Project Title: “First Printing” of Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria

Target Goal: $12,000.00 or more.

Current Insider Sales: $30,841.31 and counting.

Number of Megaverse® Insiders: 352 (that’s every purchase, large or small).

Goal Achieved: 257%. Fantastic!

Time Remaining: The Megaverse Insider offer has ended.

Project Title Description: By now, all of you know all about Rifts® Lemuria. It is near completion and should go to the printer in a week or two, and ship a few weeks after that. If you are not familiar with this title, you can find the description in the Palladium store and in Weekly Updates. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.

ORDERING

You can order items offered by the Rifts® Lemuria Megaverse Insider exactly the same way you would place an online order for a game or sourcebook from our store. Each item has its own catalog number, price and page in the store. Telephone orders call 734-721-2903 (order line only).

You can order as many different items as you’d like, and you can place multiple orders for the same item.

PLEASE NOTE these Important Details:

1. The regular softcover edition of Rifts® Lemuria is NOT one of the items available in the Rifts® Lemuria Megaverse Insider Offer, because it has been and will continue to be offered all the time at cover price. Only Megaverse® Insider items are available through this limited time offer. If you want the softcover, place your order as usual.

2. Rifts® Lemuria “Softcover” Pre-Orders: Many of you have already pre-ordered a copy of the mass market, softcover edition of Rifts® Lemuria. That is awesome and we are counting on those sales. If your purchase of an Insider Item means you intend to cancel your pre-order (and we hope you don’t), PLEASE contact us by email or telephone to let us know before February 20, 2012. Otherwise, ALL pre-orders will be processed and charged to the credit card on file as usual when the book is ready to ship in a few weeks. Thank you.

3. Credit Card Processing. As this is a fund-raiser, all purchases will be charged to your card as soon as the order is placed. HOWEVER, it may be several weeks before your purchase arrives.

4. Product Shipping. Many items, such as the limited edition hardcover editions, may not ship until a few weeks (2-4) after the regular, mass market, softcover edition ships. (It takes longer to print and “bind” hardcover books.)

Insider items purchased as a “package” – meaning they include several items for the price – will not ship until ALL items are available.

We will ship everything as quickly as possible. With this being our first time doing something like this, we are hesitant to provide a definitive time frame. Note: The regular softcover edition is not part of the Megaverse Insider offer and it will ship as soon as it arrives in the Palladium warehouse.

5. Shipping Costs: As usual, the purchaser pays shipping. Cost varies per the method you choose.

6. Items Lost in the mail is YOUR risk. Since many of the items are being made to order, there are few additional copies to replace any that might be lost in the mail or damaged. Use a reliable shipping method. Likewise, original art and other one-of-a-kind items, or few-of-a-kind-items, may be impossible to replace. Note: Palladium Books will NOT refund any order nor replace any product lost or damaged when shipped via “Media Mail” – the purchaser assumes ALL risk. Media Mail is the least expensive method of shipping but is also the least reliable, it cannot be traced, and it takes the longest time to arrive (5-15 days).

Palladium has found UPS Ground to be the most reliable method of shipping. It is automatically insured for $100, takes 2-5 days to arrive (does not include weekends) and can be traced every step of the way. For customers in the United States, it is worth the extra few dollars. Parcel Post and First Class Mail are also reasonably reliable.

Insider Opportunities for Rifts® Lemuria

Inside Help: $5

Cat. No. 12001

Inside Help gets your name listed under “Inside Help” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. The Purchaser can list his or her own name or submit the name of a fellow player, Game Master, friend, child, sibling, spouse, parent, or loved one he or she would like to acknowledge. EACH name is a separate purchase and costs $5. Real names only, and it must be the first and last name, e.g. Joe Gamer. Note: You do not get a copy of the book with this purchase. The book is a separate purchase. All listings of Insider names shall remain in print for the life of the book, including reprints, for at least as long as Kevin Siembieda is the owner and publisher of Palladium Books. (Which we anticipate to be decades.) There is no shipping cost for this item.

In Memoriam: $5

Cat. No. 12002

You can list the name of a loved one who has passed away recently or long ago, but whom you’d like to acknowledge. This can be a fallen friend, Game Master, player, parent, sibling or other loved one. Their name gets listed under “In Memoriam” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book.

As an Insider, we trust that you will respect the sanctity of this category and not list “the living” nor “submit the name of fictitious characters” as a practical joke. It is impossible for Palladium to verify the truth of this submission, so we are trusting the sincerity and truthfulness of the purchaser. Do not list the name of characters you wish were dead. Offenders will be banned from future purchases of ANY Insider Opportunities. Note: You do not get a copy of the book with this purchase. The book is a separate purchase. There is no shipping cost for this item.

A “Real” Character Tribute: $10

Cat. No. 12003

The name says it all. You can list the name of one of YOUR favorite fictional RPG characters (not a literary character from a book, comic or film – but a fictional game character) you have played or one of your fellow gamers has played that you’d like acknowledged. Your character’s name will get listed under “A Real Character Tribute” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. Note: You do not get a copy of the book with this purchase. The book is a separate purchase.

There is no shipping cost for this item.

Cyber-Insider (PDF of book only): $18.71

Cat. No. 12004

You get your name listed under “Cyber-Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book and a PDF copy (not the print copy) 10-14 days after the physical book has shipped from the Palladium warehouse. There is no shipping cost for this item, as it will be delivered electronically.

ONLY INSIDERS have the opportunity to get the PDF of this book. It is not being made available as a PDF by any other means, nor elsewhere, anytime soon. This is the only way to get a PDF of this new release from Palladium Books, and the offer is only available for a limited period of time as part of the Megaverse Insider fund-raising offer. After that point, the PDF is no longer available. Note: This is one of the things that makes you an “Insider” – you have the opportunity to get stuff not available to the average gamer, during a limited window of time while we are raising funds.

Please, we ask that you do NOT share, distribute or post the Insider PDF anywhere, as it defeats the whole purpose of being a Megaverse® Insider and it can hurt, rather than help, Palladium. Thank you.

Remember, ONE: This PDF is only available for a limited time during this Insider fund-raising opportunity. TWO: The whole idea is to help Palladium raise money to produce, publish and promote the item being offered. Thank you, so much for your support!

Palladium Insider: $50 (Hardcover Edition)

Cat. No. 12005

You get your name listed under “Palladium Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book and you get this limited edition hardcover of Rifts® Lemuria.

The $50 hardcover edition has the same, color cover art as the soft cover and same interior. It is likely to ship 2-4 weeks after the softcover as it takes longer to get hardcover editions printed.

Collector’s Item/Super-Limited Edition: What makes this hardcover edition truly special, is that we print only what you order (plus a few dozen extra for staff and promotion). That means if we get 218 orders, we only print 218 copies of this book (plus as many as 48 additional for Palladium staff, friends and special promotions). If the number is 135 we print 135 (plus a few dozen extra). It’s hard to get much more LIMITED and special than this. And you own one of the very few in existence, because you’re a Palladium Insider. This book is only available via this Megaverse Insider offer. When the offer ends after February 24, 2012, no new ones will be printed. Note: This book is not numbered or signed.

Emerald Insider: $75 (Emerald Collector’s Hardcover Edition)

Cat. No. 12006

You get the following:

Your name listed under “Emerald Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. The limited edition “Emerald” hardcover of the book.

The Emerald Collector’s Hardcover Edition has a different cover. It is black leatherette with “green” foil printing on the front cover and spine (think gold edition printed in green foil instead of gold). Otherwise, the book has the exact same interior as the softcover. It is likely to ship 2-4 weeks after the softcover as it takes longer to get hardcover editions printed.

Rare and Super-Limited Edition: First, only Insiders who pay $75 or more get this book, which should keep the number printed low. Second, we print only what you order (plus two dozen extra for staff and promotions). That means if we get 70 orders, we only print 70 copies of this book (+24 for Palladium staff, friends and special promotions). If the number is 35 we print 35 (+24 extra). It doesn’t get more LIMITED than this. And you own one of the very, very few Emerald Editions in existence because you’re a Megaverse Insider. This book is available only via this Megaverse Insider offer. When the offer ends after February 24, 2012, no new ones will be printed. Note: This book is not numbered or signed.

Emerald-Plus Insider: $90 (Emerald Edition + PDF)

Cat. No. 12007

You get the following:

Your name listed under “Emerald-Plus Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. The Limited Edition “Emerald” Hardcover. The PDF version of Rifts® Lemuria. The book is autographed by Kevin Siembieda and available Palladium staff (and possibly a few freelancers).

The Emerald Collector’s Hardcover Edition has a different cover. It is black leatherette with “green” foil printing on the front cover and spine (think gold edition printed in green foil instead of gold). Otherwise, the book has the exact same interior as the softcover. It is likely to ship 2-4 weeks after the softcover as it takes longer to get hardcover editions printed.

Rare and Super-Limited Edition: First, only Insiders who pay $75 or more get this book, keeping the number printed low. Second, we print only what you order (+24 extra for staff, etc.). That means if we get 70 orders, we only print 70 copies of this book (+24 for Palladium staff, friends and special promotions). If the number is 35 we print 35 (+24 extra). And you own one of the very, very few in existence because you’re a Megaverse Insider. This book is available only via this Megaverse Insider offer. When the offer ends after February 24, 2012, no new ones will be printed. Note: The Emerald Edition for the “Emerald-Plus” purchase is signed by Siembieda and others, but is not numbered.

Top Insider: $145

Cat. No. 12008

You get the following:

Your name listed under “Top Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. The PDF version of Rifts® Lemuria. The $50 hardcover edition with the color cover. The $75 Limited Edition “Emerald” Collector’s Hardcover. Both hardcover books autographed by Kevin Siembieda and available Palladium staff (and possibly a few freelancers). Kevin Siembieda will draw a small, dragon head sketch inside the Emerald Edition. A signed and numbered, limited edition print by artist Chuck Walton, signed by Chuck Walton and Kevin Siembieda; 8½ x 11 inch size.

The Emerald Collector’s Hardcover Edition: See description under Emerald-Plus.

Rare and Super-Limited Edition: See description under Emerald Plus. Note: The Emerald Edition and the other hardcover edition are signed by Siembieda and others, but neither are numbered.

Ultimate Insider: $250

Cat. No. 12009

You get the following:

Your name listed under “Ultimate Insider” in the Insider Acknowledgment section of the book. The PDF version of Rifts® Lemuria. The hardcover edition with the color cover. The Limited Edition “Emerald” Collector’s Hardcover. Both hardcover books are autographed by Kevin Siembieda and available Palladium staff (and possibly a few freelancers). Kevin Siembieda will draw a large dragon head sketch (black and white) on a separate sheet of 8½ x 11 inch paper. A signed and numbered, limited edition print by artist Chuck Walton, signed by Chuck Walton and Kevin Siembieda; 8½ x 11 inch size. 8. Four prints of as yet “unseen” artwork from an upcoming Palladium release signed by Publisher Kevin Siembieda. May be reproductions of finished illustrations or concept art. A brief telephone call from Kevin Siembieda to chat about whatever you would like.

Benefactor: $500 (Limited to a total of 3 Benefactors)

Cat. No. 12010

You get the following: