In August 2017 we presented the Palladium Fantasy Bundle featuring the 1984 Revised Edition of The Palladium Role-Playing Game, Kevin Siembieda‘s vintage FRPG from Palladium Books. This bargain-priced collection had everything you need for a complete campaign in Old-School style using the Palladium rules system that also powers the Rifts® RPG.
The Palladium RPG launched the company and served as its flagship game before Rifts. James Maliszewski, on his Grognardia blog, discussed The Palladium Role-playing Game in the context of the Old School Revival: “Re-reading the game recently, I was struck less by its specific affinity with D&D and more by its connection to Old School design principles more generally. The Palladium Role-Playing Game is not one that frets about ‘balance’ or shies away from ‘swinginess’ or any of the other buzzwords of contemporary RPG design. This is a game very much in the mold of the early days of the hobby, a joyous goulash, equal parts randomness and brilliance, that wasn’t tailored to provide a particular kind of play experience. It’s a toolbox, filled with more than any single referee could ever possibly need for a single campaign; but, since its designer doesn’t know — let alone mandate — what each referee might need, he includes it all and allows the referee to pick and choose as he wishes. […] When Dungeons & Dragons was abandoning the Old Ways, Palladium was still there, keeping the faith and providing gamers with the kind of stuff that first attracted me to the hobby in the first place.”
This collection included the core rulebook, the first six supplements, and more. There were six titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $49.50) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including The Palladium Role-Playing Game core rulebook Revised Edition (retail price $12.50), Fantasy Game Master Kit (retail $5), and Game Shield (retail $4.50), plus Book VI: Island at the Edge of the World (retail $10.50), the early adventure The Arms of Nargash-Tor (retail $5), and two sets of Paper Miniatures with standup figures for every Occupational Character Class — Set #1, O.C.C.s Male, and Set #5, O.C.C.s Female (retail $6 each, total $12).
Those who paid more than the threshold (average) price also got our entire Bonus Collection with seven more titles worth an additional $60.50 that vastly expand the range of characters, the world, and the scope for adventure: Book II: Old Ones (retail $12.50), Book III: Adventures on the High Seas (retail $12.50), Book IV: Adventures in the Northern Wilderness (retail $8), Book V: ‘Further’ Adventures in the Northern Wilderness (retail $5), and Book VII: Yin-Sloth Jungles (retail $10.50). After launch we added two more sets of full-color print-and-assemble Paper Miniatures — #2 Monster Races and #3 NPC Encounters (retail $6 each, total $12).
