Megaversal Flavor

Flavor?  What flavor?  I thought you said Palladium was bland as a paper plate on cardboard sandwich, Dave Bone??

Well, it is, taken by itself.  It takes some good ol' luvvin to get that old engine warmed up, but we've got some GM's who are capable and ready to take us back in time to when the rules didn't always connect, because they weren't really well thought out.  That's a huge penalty to it's credibility as a system, and thus raises questions as to it's longevity here at the Wargate, because rules are bread and butter to us - we love them, and they love us.  However, we're done talking about rules today because...

Today's topic is flavor, more specifically, the kind you sprinkle (pour by the bucketload) into Palladium's Megaverse to get it to taste like anything resembling something you actually want to have.  We're going to talk about a few different incarnations of the Megaverse, and their respective flavors - you're going to have some of it, so we might as well warn you about it!

We've recently done Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition.  Mechanically speaking, it's basically the same as some other Palladium games, and at the Wargate we combine Beyond the Supernatural, Ninjas & Superspies and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness into this category because they are so similar to each other. These games depict an ordinary world fraught with extraordinary things.  They are also S.D.C. worlds, putting them all on the same base power level.

The different flavors can be appealing!  For basic Heroes Unlimited, the style can be any kind of superhero adventure.  Beyond the Supernatural can have a Cthulhu-style bent to it or be more "orthodox" in it's approach to horror.  Ninjas & Superspies is fraught with James Bond style intrigue and action, but also brimming with 80's style ninja assassins!  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may be the epitome of gonzo comic action.  You can take the basic system and alter it a lot by changing the flavor, mixing and matching any of these games or using the system to do a different kind of genre, like pulp action from the 30's or even stranger settings that you find or dream up.  It's quite adaptable on the base level.

Palladium Fantasy has a lot going for it, as there's a ton of books out there.  It's your basic D&D adventure setting, with a lot of character types to choose from.  The setting material seems as good as any other Palladium books product, maybe better thought out than a lot of the Rifts line.  The characters and information in this book could fuel a number of campaigns in any number of different lands, just like other games of it's type.  In fact, the first time we play this, Mr. Smith will be running us through a game in the Dalelands...

Rifts has a strange setting and flavor that can't be easily explained.  It's post apocalyptic, but it can be all sorts of genres.  It's a melting pot of settings and conventions, and has a massive amount of support and material.  In fact, of the material available, most of it makes the setting more diverse by exploring new areas and worlds, introducing new classes and powers and generally doing as much as possible in as small a space as possible.  Depending on which of the many settings you choose, you can have a very different game every time.

What it all means is that as we explore the Palladium Megaverse, you're going to get to see a lot of these different games and genres pop up, but by no means can we get to all of them.  Don't be confused by the disparate rules spread throughout the Megaverse, and just try to accept it for what it is - wildly chaotic and all scrambled up.  If the combat rules are bothering you, cheer up - we're going to be stabilizing our part of the Megaverse with a compendium of rules for use in our games.  

We hope this will clear up some frequently asked questions and put a finer point on the combat mechanics, as well as spice them up a little bit to bring them into the 21st century.  Until then, you can place requests for items to enter the rules compendium here on this post.

Adios!

Genesis Syndrome: Extraterrestrial Encounters

Joe Kool's campaign is over for the time being, and quite a bit happened to our intrepid team of super beings.  Lord Balefire explains, starting with this bit taken from the Campaign Page.  The Palladium Megaverse will pass to Sir Smythe, who will be taking us to Faerun for a short jaunt!  Keep your eyes peeled for an update to the Palladium Megaverse page!

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In 1985, the world changed in the span of a single day. It all started when an apparently alien being arrived at planet Earth in a very large craft that defied conventional physics and even went beyond human description, seemingly made of light and power. He was so spectacular in his radiance that we people couldn't even look at him. He performed miracles, amazing things...and called himself "God". Yeah, the biblical sort.

Shortly after "God"'s arrival, he began to get agitated and seemed, well...frightened. Then, a similar craft appeared, only it was ten times as large and spectacular as "God"'s. It was...unreal. He left, making sure we all knew he'd be back shortly. He turned toward the other ship, and as "God"'s sky carriage lifted into the sky, it was vaporized by a blast of incandescent energy whose light was brighter than the sun.

The victorious newcomer...ascended slowly. We thought it was leaving. They later told me it simply went inside the highest layer of the atmosphere to begin it's attack. At the apex of the world, it bombarded the planet with a kind of chemical agent that was completely unknown to us. No remnants of this chemical exists for us to test or study - it was all lost soon after the attack as it was quickly dispersed in the atmosphere.

Global panic ensued after the apparent destruction of "God", and almost instantly the dying started. The alien ship simply left after the attack, and it is guessed that their purposes had been served since they did not even wait to see the results that their weapon would have on the planet. They have not returned.

People began to contort, reshape, dissolve, desiccate, inflate and die. All sorts of horrid manners and modes of death were visited upon folk, and we don't know why at all. In days, over thirty percent of the entire population was dead. Scientists later speculated there were some sorts of biological or chemical agents in the weapon system the alien ship deployed in the atmosphere, and these agents somehow began to work on our biology. It was posited that this systematic attack had been carried out in the past, and it was only due to some peculiar evolution on the part of homo sapiens that such a large portion of the populace lived at all.

It wasn't just the deaths that make this new world so different from the last. It isn't even the knowledge that we're not alone in the universe. Of the surviving humans, everyone had been ill during the attack with various maladies, but about ten percent had physically changed. These individuals experienced expression of superhuman, paranormal or supernatural abilities and in many cases had dramatic physical transformations occur.

Of that sizable portion of the population, almost two percent expressed abilities or transformations that are considered threats to national security. The world's powers tremble and desperately scramble to consolidate what's left of the world, new powers arrive in the vacuum left by the near collapse of world civilization. These "Alpha-Level" humans are at the forefront of what will become a new battle for survival amidst the changes wrought by the "Outsiders" attack, which weigh heavy on the minds of all.

Nigel S. Clooney, A.K.A. Lord Balefire

21 September, 1985

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I'll now elaborate on what I have started affectionately calling "The Agency".  The United States Department of Extra Biological Affairs was formed earlier this year as a commission to investigate and control citizens who have changed due to the unknown alien agent.  They are calling this phenomena "Genesis Syndrome" to account for the fact that the changes are sudden, and that the alien agent progresses without a pathology we can isolate or understand.

They have put me in a team with several other "super-beings", even though I repeatedly tell them that I am no super being.  I am a man of magic.  I call forth the balefire from the center of the universe, channeling it's power through and directing it's course through the force of my soul and will.  That's all.

I'm not so convinced about the others either.  In fact, it seems even though they say we have been "displaying" effects of the Genesis Syndrome - I have my doubts.  Perhaps all the alien agent actually did was increase the tendencies that were already apparent within our beings.  Perhaps it is metaphysical in nature, for if it was meant to destroy us and instead made certain specimens into "superbeings" with strange powers...how could that happen, biologically?  Certainly, the alien civilization could make a chemical weapon that could kill humans - we ourselves are capable of that.

Take Metalhead.  He's a cyborg from North Korea.  Aside from being state of the art (except for the defunct IB-BNGN) there's nothing supernatural about him.

Psyren is clearly a master psionic.  This is familiar area for me, as the occult areas of my expertise so often overlap.  I have a theory that the Genesis Syndrome enhances her powers, as they do mine.  However...the ley lines are always near, so that could be affecting us in subtle ways as well.

Dr. Darko has a mystical power over darkness.  It's better than my own magic...he can see through the unnatural magical blackness, and can create far more of it than I can.  His control over it is better as well, though his techniques are not arcane or psionic in nature.  Perhaps he is the closest to what they call a "superbeing".

The Master has spent many years in some sort of training.  There's no magic or superpowers, simply trained techniques.  Though he is a paragon athlete of olympic level...his hubris will likely get him killed.  If not by accident, perhaps through intent.

Overgrowth is another strange case like Darko.  No magic, or psionics that I can tell...but he seems to have a mystical connection to plants.  They grow at incredible speed, and behave like extensions of his body to batter and crush.  Never before have I witnessed so devastating a use for acorns.  Overgrowth, like Darko...might be "superbeings".

For lack of a better explanation.

Nigel S. Clooney, A.K.A. Lord Balefire

26 September, 1985

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It's now post-op.  We interrogated the ratman we managed to drag up from under the pier.  Psyren and I interrogated him using what I'm sure will become a staple technique, a combination of her telepathic powers and mind magic.  It was quite fruitful.

I was able to locate the celestial event and draw the mystical line between the heavens and the earth, specifically the universal alignment and the San Andreas fault line.  It took a few hours to arrive at this conclusion, but with information taken from the ratman I was able to figure out what was happening...the mystical energy at San Andreas could be used to create an earthquake of immeasurable intensity.

We went to a rent in the fault under the constellations that were aligning, using mystical triangulation.  There we found a wizard (who escaped me) and his minions, including a superbeing calling herself Backlash and a horde of the ratmen.  They decided to give battle, and we obliterated them in honourable combat.  The wizard, however...escaped. 

The ground began to quake, and I felt the tactical situation was dire if we remained in the canyon.  A strange light was coming our way down the canyon, and we hurried the retreat back up the trail to the top of the ridge.  As we withdrew, Overgrowth remained behind to cover our escape.  A portion of the canyon collapsed, and the rocks seemed to crush our companion underneath a cascade of deadly stones.  

We were helpless to intercede because of the continuous quaking, but at that moment - what was apparently a glowing, floating, alien craft appeared.  It was disc shaped, just like they tell you.  It was emitting an intense light, and alien beings emerged from the craft.

They appeared as - robots...not sure if that's their real form or an environmental suit, but they seemed robotic.  They retrieved the mystic platform the wizard was using in conjunction with the drill to create the quake...and they found Overgrowth.  Unable to mount an effective attack, we were forced to watch as they returned with him and the dais to the craft...which then abruptly left.

This matter is far from over.  I'll stop at nothing to understand what's happened.  I can't let an honorable and powerful ally like Overgrowth to be taken by those who would see themselves as my masters, and force their will upon my species.

I am Lord Balefire, you know.

Nigel S. Clooney, A.K.A. Lord Balefire

29 September, 1985

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Great game by Joe Kool, who's now the de-facto GM for heroic comic book action!  Stay tuned for more stories in the Genesis Syndrome series, and some other cool news.  

For now, take a look at Mutants & Masterminds, a D20 game of super-action!  The next Genesis Syndrome game will be using that ruleset!

Lord Balefire's Journal: Late September, 1985

It's been only a short while since we joined the USDEBA, and we've had our first combat action as a team.  

We had been tasked by the Agency to investigate attacks by mutants in the San Francisco Bay area, right near the old Alcatraz prison.  Creepy enough place, but intelligence said several vicious gang attacks had been carried out upon hapless citizens who wandered too close to the Fisherman's Wharf. 

                                                                    

In a derelict building on Pier 35, we've run across a den of vermin.  I don't mind rats, unless they are more than 6 foot tall and armed with guns and machetes.  That's exactly what we found, once we got it out of the smaller and weaker ratmen who had crowded into the building.  Evidently, there were two castes of ratmen, and one set had a slight amount of organization.

The ratmen had guns and blades, and one of them wore a uniform.  They were belligerent and did not attempt to parley.  It was soon after we saw them that combat was joined...

So I prepared some more BALEFIRE.

Deeper down, we a group of the larger ratmen and discovered a sort of underground complex.  There was a distinct electrical vibe in the air, and the ground began to shake as if from an earthquake.  It is then we decided to bring our new ally, Old Ben the Ratman, back to the compound for questioning.  

We are rearming ourselves for an adjusted operation beneath the pier.  I must convince these Americans to help fund my research...they love weapons just as much as I do.  My Balefire weapon designs will give us the edge we need - my breakthroughs have thus far led me to a position of importance...but I am far from nailing down what I am missing to accomplish my more promising enchantment designs.

In the meantime, my balefire spells will be put to good use in the Rat Hole.  I will gain a lot of practical experience...perhaps soon my Balelock Pistols, Balefire Rounds, Soulseeker Rounds, Balefire Grenades and Balefire Flares can become a reality.

Back to the Megaverse!

My oh my, what is there to say about the fabled Palladium Megaverse?  Where should I even begin?  At the beginning perhaps, when I was 12 years old in 1991?  Should I even tell the story about how my very first rpg game was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness?  I could, perhaps...but since that mirrors the experience of several folk my age, I'll leave it at the pondering stage.  Suffice it to say we're about to move into territory that is both near and dear to me when we begin talking about the games published by Palladium Books.

Several folk in my gaming groups (since that fateful day I happened to pick up Mutants of the Yucatan at a friend's house and began to ask questions) have had their encounters with this system / place.  We've run Palladium Fantasy Role Playing Game, Ninjas & Superspies, a plethora of various worlds in Rifts, and a lot more besides.  There's a lot of nostalgia here for us, and the whole reason I'm bringing it up is because one of our GM's has decided to revive this system for us to use now at the Wargate with a new set of adventures for Heroes Unlimited!

It's been a long, long time since we've even thought about Palladium.  First of all, let me say the biggest complaint we have had are the problems with the system itself.  You know what I'm talking about - Glitter Boys and Rogue Scholars, anyone?  We at the Wargate are competitive wargamer types who play in a large group so this sort of thing cannot be handwaved away.  Strict rules must apply all the time to every player, and we've found that for us that is the best approach that elicits the best satisfaction from most of us.  Palladium isn't the best for that, and the combat system can be tiresome when it drags on through thousands of MDC.

Aside from all that, Palladium isn't known for it's awesome book layouts or really anything technical about the process of making books.  For the most part, they really suck in quality - shoddy paperbacks whose lamination peels off pretty quickly.  I hate them.  They never last.  More hardbacks for this line would be much appreciated and might even move a few units in my neck of the woods, but that sort of quality is kind of lost on the works themselves in which the text itself tends to be - let's say - much more personal than professional.  For myself, I prefer a more professional text in my RPG's that distances itself from the audience like an encyclopedia or textbook.

I also am more prone to buy a book if it is hardcover and looks slick, and these books from a time gone by look like pieces from a comic shop than professional gaming books, though I understand that might be part of the point.  I don't like it at all that the books are still being produced this way.

Hence the decline of Palladium Books since the early 1990's.  You might can present a few figures that show that Palladium once or twice had a "good" year, if those exist for developers in this niche publishing zone.  More likely you will turn up barkings on Google about the "Crisis of Treachery", which made me sick when I first read the publisher's letter to his fans.  This has it's own place in the Wikipedia entry, and is best examined on your own time.  Take a look at it. No really, if you don't know what it is, go read that paragraph or two about it.

After that I wanted nothing more to do with this publisher, other than perhaps to help Palladium commit ritual seppuku by cutting off it's head.  I ceased all support for the company in reaction to what I perceived (as a loyal fan) as gross mismanagement of the company akin to what happened to TSR, only basically a lot worse.  Already having been disgruntled by all sorts of problems with the systems in every single Rifts book I bought (and I bought all of them), I basically sold the entire collection for a pittance.  Good riddance to heavy comics, said I.

There are a ton more criticisms that one could level at Palladium, but oddly enough this post isn't meant to rag on the Megaverse as much as I have been.  I actually want to talk about what we are going to do with the whole thing here at the Wargate, and I'm glad to say - I have great news.

We do lots of systems and worlds here, and the Megaverse (by which moniker I will now refer to the entirety of Palladium's lines from now on) has a lot of potential for us.  Rifts practically oozes the entire premise of the Wargate itself, and I'm kind of sentimental for it anyways.  Now, being free to examine the Megaverse from the Wargate, we'll get to see a lot more of the coolness that was inherent in those books come out as we focus on tiny pieces of the Megaverse during our campaigns to come!

Heroes Unlimited will be kicking off our return to the Megaverse and the beginning of our support for this venerable line of rpg books.  That said, we'll be making our houserules and general conversion notes available online, as well as a smattering of original material in the weeks and months to come.  Expect to see the State of Play emerge for Genesis Syndrome, the starting point for our players to enter the Megaverse - many for the first time!

We've already passed several Heroes Unlimited, 2nd Edition books around, and the game is starting to get a move on.  We are going to be very careful about what we add to our particular game, and all those other groups out there are cautioned to do the same - don't allow random Megaverse books into your game!  We'll talk about other books later as we widen our options with the massive amount of books out there.  For now, expect to see The Compendium of Contemporary Weapons and Aliens Unlimited on the table in the near future.  We're going to milk this thing for all the awesomeness it's worth!

I'm going to leave off today with a list of demands for Palladium's publisher that he should seriously consider complying with.

1. Clean up your system and give us a corebook that's hardcover.  You don't need to reprint all the rules in spells in each book - that's a cheap copout and wastes my bookshelf space.  If it's that integral, make a corebook.
2. New editions are a good thing.  Good for you, the publisher / good for me, the gamer.  Reorganize the line so the old ones are collectors items and the new ones can be gobbled up by today's gamers.
3. Format your books and do them all the same.
4. Hardcovers.  Right now. Of every single book you've ever published.
5. Clean up your house and set things straight for the future, before you die and leave all this mess.

I have thought many times about converting to D20, I know others have done this but I'll be honest - I won't use a fake system for a published game.  Palladium, you need to try using a different model for your lines. This tired devotion to an ancient and only partly successful business model is really hampering your growth, and ours.