INTRODUCTION
So the Palladium Books Megaversal setting has been in place for over 30 years, and we’ve largely not seen any significant update to the rules system. The only ones to have been updated to the point of calling it an edition change has been Palladium Fantasy RPG (PFRPG), Heroes Unlimited, Beyond the Supernatural, and (arguably) Rifts Ultimate Edition which might best be described as more of a version 1.5.
The base rules remained fairly constant across all game systems, but present various nuances, or certain rules are fenced-off within their respective game. So, we have a baseline system that promotes itself for allowing inter-system game play, but differentials in the rules from one to the next present friction points for the GM and Players. I feel there is a Core Rules System that Palladium could put together that would provide for a truly fluid inter-game experience. The pieces are all there, it’s just a matter of organizing, editing, and formalizing the information, represented in a more modern way. If this is the kind of thing you'd like to participate in, have a read through and send an email to the account created specifically for this project.
MARKET CHANGES
Production Technology. Publishing industry breakthroughs support more complex and immersive printing layouts. Electronic publishing software allows for dynamic design, allowing greater flexibility to publishers. Color printing and upgraded paper production provides even more elaborate printing capabilities. Gone are the days of typing columns and gluing them to a base to produce printer plates. Of note the majority still retain the two-column approach, which seems to be the industry standard; exceptions, however well done, typically prove the rule. I’m not suggesting a shift to color printing.
Players’ Expectations. Long ago, Players had a much more segregated TTRPG experience. There was no internet and print media/snail mail was the only way to express complex ideas for game or adventure development. Despite this, GM/Player imagination roared through to success. GMs made things work, despite the editing, slow pace of development, lack of genre culture support, or the luxury tax that TTRPGs had on personal finances.
TTRPG Games. Pickings were slim in the “Back Then Days,”™ the TTRPG landscape largely dominated by the big names: AD&D, Traveller, Bushido, Vampire: The Masquarade, Call of Cthulhu, and any number of IP-related games (e.g. Star Wars). A flurry of smaller publishers existed, but none that really challenged for shelf space at book and comic shops. That said, there was a time where ROBOTECH, TMNT, and Rifts were all abundantly available in my local markets.
Product Quality. Aside from the physical aspects of the books, Players want something imaginative, an immersive experience that hooks them. They want in-game storyline or plot elements that drive adventure design and create long-lasting and impactful campaigns. Games based on IP had a head start (e.g. ROBOTECH, TMNT), but TTRPGs based on bespoke worlds need to have a good reason to attract Players (e.g. Dragonlance, Warhammer Fantasy RPG, Star Wars).
Game Design. Even in the “Back Then Days,”TM there was myriad dice mechanics available. The mainstay remained AD&D, with the eponymous THAC0 (To Hit Armor Class Zero), but alternate rules existed; most outside the genre would have little idea what a d20 or d12 was; they certainly would never know the pain of mistakenly stepping on a d4.
Genre Entertainment. It goes without saying that genre entertainment has propelled things forward. Sci-fi and fantasy books and comics have now been adapted into extremely popular television shows and movies. Genre media is now an accepted norm for cinema; one could argue over-saturated now. But the commercial success and the plot lines provide GMs with immense resources to create engaging and immersive adventures. A GM can literally adapt any adventure movie into an adventure.
Number of Players. By this I mean two very different things:
Consumers. The market has definitively expanded. Once relegated to ‘the boys’ at a dining room table, basement den, or university dorm rooms (and the like), mass market developments made TTRPGs a mainstream topic. The T.V. show Stranger Things, and Critical Role building upon the success of the 5th Edition of D&D, propelled D&D to the forefront; it helped make TTRPGs a more accepted hobby, with greater diversity in players. It also has presented the annoying factor of being a market defined by one game (e.g. “Want to try a new RPG?” “No thanks, I’m not into D&D”).
Gaming Companies. Back in the 1980s/90s era, there were several TTRPGs available, but the majority of the market was largely limited. Palladium Books was up there during its zenith, punching well above its weight; ROBOTECH, TMNT, and the bottled lightning that was Rifts made it common on the FLGS bookshelves. Enter the Open Gaming License (OGL) and there was a rash of d20 products that flooded the market. Palladium Books faded away from the consciousness of older Players, rarely a mention to new ones.
Conflation Issues. One of the greatest issues facing the TTRPG market has been the inject of the term into the gaming console market. Google the biggest RPGs in any era and see how long it to find links discussing something other than video games. While they certainly embraced aspects of the TTRPG to create a more engaging game experience, classifying Fallout, Baldur’s Gate, Witcher, and the like, as RPGs is misleading. Sure, you take charge of a character and perform tasks to accomplish goals or missions, there may even be a social aspect to the game play. The issue I have is that, by virtue of the medium, the narrative is preprogrammed to an outcome (or presents negligible differences). Do they present an immersive environment and game play? Perhaps. Are they role-playing games? I would argue no, they are not.
CALL FOR BETA READERS AND TESTERS
What is the Core Rules System (CRS)? The CRS is a passion project. It formalizes an editing pass over the core rules from each of Palladium’s games and combines them to create one system applicable across all their game settings. Unsurprisingly 90% (or more) show commonality; little to nothing differentiates them. This makes for an excellent start! The remainder of the rules were marshalled from various games, then normalized so the language works equally well within an old-world style setting (PFRPG), to a modern on (HU2), to a futuristic one (Rifts).
How Were They Combined? Most of it is already compatible. I simply took each Section and cross-referenced every game. I then normalized the language and impact of the rules. A second pass removed extraneous language and presented information and rules, as much as possible, in point form/bullets.
Marshalled Rules. In some cases, rules for certain aspects of the game were siloed within one specific game, or updates were provided in one spot, yet not applied to others. These ‘shadow updates’ were folded into the CRS as a baseline. There were also various rules hidden in odd sections (e.g. Perception and Horror Factor buried in Psionics in Combat).
Addressing Variations. Certain rules in various games operated differently. A baseline was chosen to apply to all games moving forward (e.g. Armor Rating).
Beta Reader. Not the same as Play-Testers, the Beta Reader is more interested in the flow of the language, the syntax. I'm asking for anyone with a sharp set of eyes for the following:
Spelling Errors. There remain some words my American English spell-checker misses.
Intuitive Language. The challenge is presenting key information with as little fuss possible. The message may get sacrificed for brevity. Show me where the language doesn’t flow well.
Look and Feel. The intangible aspect. Does the text still look and feel like a Palladium Books product? Are you able to recognize that it came from currently available products?
Play-Tester. Not the same as Beta Readers, the Play Tester is more interested in confirming the in-game mechanics. Let me assure you, more than 90% are unchanged. There are specific variances that I’d like checked out/challenged:
Commonality. I’m looking for GMs and/or Players willing to dice out a few scenarios with the new rules (across various the games) and provide commentary on how it went. Both the positive and the negative.
Playability. Do the proposed changes make sense to you and your Players? I’ve been playing a lot of these, and they seem appropriate. I want to hear your commentary.
Roles - Occupations - Classes. A slight change to the dynamic, it formalizes Classes into certain pools to better define Class Transfer opportunities/limitations. It also takes hundreds of O.C.C.s and sacks the repetition, updating them to the new dynamic (e.g. how many Merc Soldier with 6-10 MOS specializations do we really need?). Let's see if the revamp of the Classes accomplishes the intent!
Normalization. Several proposed rules changes are just a formalization of what’s there (e.g. critical hits, Vulnerabilities). Others require a one-over-the-other change (e.g. how A.R. works). Still others are adaptations I’ve included because I thought it made sense.
Keyword Index. A Glossary with a Keyword Index to normalize terms across all the games. Does the updated Keyword Index work?
Terms of Reference. To assist potential Beta Readers or a Play Testers, I’ll be drafting some Terms of Reference to assist. More so for Play Testers, I’m looking for specific rules interactions to define any friction points.
Timelines. This project is something I’d look to kick off in the New Year. I still have a couple of spots to rejig, but I’m hoping to start collecting feedback in January 2025. Each Section would have a recommended timeline associated with reviews.
SO WHAT THE DID I CHANGE?
General Rules. As I’ve iterated, 90% of this is unchanged, most everything remains pretty much what you would expect.
Backward Compatibility. One of the key tenets has always been to keep older books relevant. Palladium Books has been able to keep with (largely) a single version of their mainstay games. I know the pain in the butt (and bank account) a new edition would be. The hope is that an updated system would reinvigorate older Players, entice Players to return, or new Players to expand Palladium’s reach! For that reason, nothing presented negates previous publications. When required, Conversion Notes would be provided to ease GMs into an updated dynamic.
Part 1 – Choose A Setting
Defining levels for Technology, Magic and Psionics in each setting
Defining effects when moving from High to Medium to Low (impacts)
Part 2 – Character Generation
Generating Attributes; defining Exceptional and Prodigious ones
Determining Hit Point & S.D.C. or M.D.C.
Recovery, Treatment, Surviving Coma/Death
Part 3 – Selecting a Class (Psionics example)
Presenting Role-Occupation-Class dynamic (R.O.C.)
Formalized Class transfer dynamic
R.O.C.s for Rifts (from 400+ O.C.C. variants to ~125 Classes)
Part 4 – Selecting Skills (Brewing example)
Formalizing Skill Synergy, Attribute Modifiers, and Specialization
New Secondary Skill dynamic
Perception and Pressured Skill Checks
Part 5 – Magic
How Magic Works (all in one spot)
Influence of Ley Lines and Technology on Magic
Part 6 – Psionics
How Psionics Work (all in one spot)
Influence of Ley Lines on Psionics
Part 7 – Combat
S.D.C. and M.D.C. "re-defined"
Defined Vulnerability/Resistance Effects
Combat refined and normalized
Part 8 – Bionics
Defines Partial and Full Conversions
Part 9 – Optional Rules
Various Rules (e.g. Effects of Cold Weather, Injury Tables, Insanity)
Part 10 – Keyword Index
Defined Keywords that show up across the totality of the CRS
Implications. First off, Palladium Books has zero obligation to do anything with this, but I would certainly submit to see what they have to say. The following would be my suggestion:
Core Rules System. A book that baselines the rules across all the systems. Add in some additional GM-related material for Adventure Design, running game sessions and the like.
CRS Adventure Module. Something in the works as well. Essentially a dungeon crawl (with a twist), it’s an adventure module GMs could use to run through the updated mechanic (S.D.C. or M.D.C.). Once polished enough to share, I’ll ask for anyone interested to Beta Reader or Play Test. Basically an adventure that allows Players to run their character through various rules interactions to get a feel for how various rules work.
Core Game Books. Without the tax of reproducing game rules, PB saves massively on page count. A Redux of each Core Game Book could provide more world building, concentrating on game elements that reinforce immersion, or introduce meta-plot changes in those 40+ pages saved in each main book.
Future Proofing. By centralizing the rules, Palladium Books could make further updates to the Core Rules without having to edit up to about a dozen game system books.
Application Development. This also provides the opportunity to leverage application development (e.g. online Character Development app, electronic Character Sheet).
I WANT TO PARTICIPATE
Hey, if this isn't your cup of tee, that's fine. But if this strikes you as something of interest, I've set up the email below for this project. Just click the link to send an email. I just ask that you specify what role you'd want to assume (Beta Reader or Play Tester). Emails from that account with the first few files will be sent in the January 2025 timeframe.
CONCLUSION
It’s not like the Palladium Books Megaversal Rules are bad; far from it. I love the way the games play! The interconnectivity of the games though, don’t necessarily meet the ends I believe it is trying to achieve. Whereby D&D 5E has a rules-set that allows it to traverse various settings, they keep the base rules and adapt the setting to match. Palladium’s system presents as largely unchanged throughout the decades but suffers from several friction points. I firmly believe that given the market fluctuations of their competitors, the reaffirmation of TMNT into their product line, and the bottled lightning that remains Rifts, there is a huge potential for Palladium Books to become a major player.
It has been years now that anecdotal evidence suggests a Core Rules System Redux would be a mega-sale item for Palladium. I think we’re much closer than many realize. Perhaps this project could be considered step 1 in the process, getting us to something modern yet still viable with the library of products. It could also provide Palladium a revamp to hype their games for those looking to escape from d20 systems. I have every intention of submitting to see what Kevin and Sean think; at the very least, it’s a proof of concept! For now, it remains a single person’s passion project. I’d like to see how many people would like to contribute making it a more polished product.
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