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evilsmurf wrote:
Why, is Mike providing the art for the game?

Ugh.

Is all that guy's art Poser crap, or just the stuff I randomly clicked on?

evilsmurf wrote:
Why, is Mike providing the art for the game?

Ugh.

Only if they've run out of tracing paper (and a library copy of a Gundam book) or can't find Kevin's refrigerator art again.

As for HG, as long as they get at least a wooden nickel from PB, it doesn't look like they'll give up what equates to free money (I mean, its not like its IP they created anyways, so why should they care if its reputation gets ruined?). Who else are they going to license it to anyways - FASA?

I had the same question about the artist.. The google search I did came up with a YouTube video of
Cameron interviewing Mike at some Palladium game day event..
You would think they would talk about the art process.. software he uses.. the theme of the art..etc..
Nope... It was a long discussion about how they are dealing with personal autism problems
and learning disabilities..

 Genoside07 wrote:
I had the same question about the artist.. The google search I did came up with a YouTube video of
Cameron interviewing Mike at some Palladium game day event..
You would think they would talk about the art process.. software he uses.. the theme of the art..etc..
Nope... It was a long discussion about how they are dealing with personal autism problems
and learning disabilities..

Wait ... Wuh?

Not to knock on any one with those issues (my wife has a learning disability, youngest son is bordeline autistic), but you'r going to have to link to that video. That's just bizarre to hear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwztfdTAktc

And Carmen doesn't have anything to do with Palladium games..
So don't think his company is a shell..

Uh, yeah - that was interesting. I usually hate watching podcasts but I gotta say, if we had gotten a regular sit-down video with the PB folks talking like that one, I'd probably be more chill with this whole situation.

But yeah, Carmen claiming he has no ties to PB is utter bullgak. He mentioned having to fight with dyxlexia, and I can guess who he's going to get to be editor for his game...

(Also, gotta give props to the big, silent guy standing in the background of that vid ).

You also have to consider the video is five years old...
And Palladium Games communicates every week but says nothing..

Yeah, but that weekly rag doesn't come across with a tenth of the personality that video had (which didn't really provide any information about Mike's art & process - you're just assumed to be familiar with it).

In the end, we'd still be in the same state as we are now, I just wouldn't feel so repulsed by Kevin's 'slimy businessman' writing style. I'm sure Kevin comes off a lot more personable in person, even if his actual business practices are atrocious - if you see what I'm getting at.

Aaaanyways, still no news on 'advancement' on RRT, and likely to never be at this point.

Aaaanyways, still no news on 'advancement' on RRT, and likely to never be at this point.

Didn't they slate it for the second half of 2017? You know just in time for con season and X-mas and Chinese New Year and all those other convenient excuses?

 ScarletRose wrote:

Aaaanyways, still no news on 'advancement' on RRT, and likely to never be at this point.

Didn't they slate it for the second half of 2017? You know just in time for con season and X-mas and Chinese New Year and all those other convenient excuses?

I hope you're being sarcastic. HG has a better chance of finishing the animated Sentinels cartoon before this thing delivers.

 Stormonu wrote:

 ScarletRose wrote:

Aaaanyways, still no news on 'advancement' on RRT, and likely to never be at this point.

Didn't they slate it for the second half of 2017? You know just in time for con season and X-mas and Chinese New Year and all those other convenient excuses?

I hope you're being sarcastic. HG has a better chance of finishing the animated Sentinels cartoon before this thing delivers.

I think ScarletRose is referencing Kevin writing in the PBWU's that the Robotech Wave 2 is listed in the "Coming Later in 2017 and 2018" section, rather than the "Coming Soon 2017". And has been since the Feb 3rd PBWU. The convenient excuses bit seems to come from the last Kickstarter Update, where Kevin complains that the "congested pipeline for quotes" runs from October through February.

If they put RRT onto the backburner until the second half of 2017, that means they only have about 3 months before there's a convenient 5 month excuse to not do diddly squat.

Personally, I don't think Kevin needs an excuse. He seems pretty comfortable just lying about "working on it", "not far from our thoughts" and "news to report soon!" (that never happens), among other completely transparent platitudes that he doesn't need an actual excuse, even if it IS utter bs (CNY is a month, six weeks at the extreme (to account for rush jobs, and companies that'll pay a premium, etc).

Morgan Vening wrote:
CNY is a month, six weeks at the extreme

The way Kevin acts Chinese New Year; the whole country of China shuts down for the month.
I traveled there and have family living in Hong Kong; they are lucky to get two days off for the
Holiday just like most people here at Christmas time.

But I agree.. No laws against what he is doing and Kickstarter has already got their money so no problem.
The only real back lash is what we already seen with Cameron trying to start a new Kickstarter and at the
end it just not investing your money with a company known for inaction..

 Genoside07 wrote:
The way Kevin acts Chinese New Year; the whole country of China shuts down for the month.
I traveled there and have family living in Hong Kong; they are lucky to get two days off for the Holiday just like most people here at Christmas time.

No laws against what he is doing

The only real back lash is what we already seen with Cameron trying to start a new Kickstarter and at the end it just not investing your money with a company known for inaction..

Most people get the week off for CNY, which nets out to be the same as most people in the US over the Xmas-NY break.

Actually they are, the issue is that those laws aren't being enforced. There's a difference between breaking the law, and enforcing the law (and collecting on a judgement). But make no mistake that Kevin has broken the contract, and broken a number of consumer protection laws - in the eyes of the law, Kickstarter *is* a store.

And deservedly so. If Kevin weren't such a scumbag, he'd actually take responsibility for Carmen's blood.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

And deservedly so. If Kevin weren't such a scumbag, he'd actually take responsibility for Carmen's blood.

Yeah, well, it looks like he's going to get another shot.

Merijeek wrote:

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

And deservedly so. If Kevin weren't such a scumbag, he'd actually take responsibility for Carmen's blood.

Yeah, well, it looks like he's going to get another shot.

"Another shot"?

With Carmen being a bipolar manic-depressive with suicidal tendencies, I hope that's figurative, not a literal suggestion...

Sorry, while my humor is usually unpleasantly toxic, in this car I was referring to Kevin getting the extra shot...

OK, just checking.

 Genoside07 wrote:

Morgan Vening wrote:
CNY is a month, six weeks at the extreme

The way Kevin acts Chinese New Year; the whole country of China shuts down for the month.
I traveled there and have family living in Hong Kong; they are lucky to get two days off for the
Holiday just like most people here at Christmas time.

But I agree.. No laws against what he is doing and Kickstarter has already got their money so no problem.
The only real back lash is what we already seen with Cameron trying to start a new Kickstarter and at the
end it just not investing your money with a company known for inaction..

I produce in China. Most of the migrant workers, and by that I mean the workers who travelled from their hometown to the factory, will have 2-3 weeks off just to go back and spend it with their family. This isn't a new phenomenon. You can ask anyone who produces in China, it's not really something you can 'see' just from visiting non-factories.

Once again from the Adepticon feed

AdeptiCon wants to give a shout out for Palladium Books, Rifts® Board Game Kickstarter – April/May 2017 – By Rogue Heroes Publishing, produced under license from Palladium Books.
A game of combat and skill, 2-6 players undertaking heroic missions against Coalition forces in the Chi-Town ‘Burbs. Play the Cyber-Knight, Juicer Assassin, Cyborg, the magical Ley Line Walker, or one of several other iconic Rifts® heroes.
Select from two distinct styles of gameplay:
A campaign style game where the Mission Director puts your heroes in the middle of a Coalition purge that pits you against the might of the CS Army.
Or a head to head skirmish game in which the players pit their handpicked squad against the elite force chosen by their opponent, to achieve a host of objectives set in a variety of mission locations throughout the ‘Burbs.
Comes with detailed 32mm miniatures of your favorite iconic Rifts® characters, rulebook, character cards, ability and weapon cards, and more. Played on a double-sided, full-color, 24x30 inch combat map (laid out in a standard one-inch grid and compatible with similar grid maps). Bring Rifts® to life as a fast, fun miniature game – typical game is 60-120 minutes – and use the miniatures in your RPG. Check out this and more at Palladium Books booth #23 or at www.palladiumbooks.com.

I got the same thing in my feed.. again Palladium games is a separate company.
So don't think this will end just like Robotech Tactics; that honestly will be coming soon
is what Kevin keeps saying..

And I am not a professional artist, but that ad just feels unfinished to me. Like someone
used a trial copy of photoshop slapped a few things on a page and said.. that's good enough.

4 mentions of Palladium Books, one mention of Rogue Heroes publishing in that blurb. For a totally not Palladium Books Kickstarter.

The only art there that isn't terrible was paid for decades ago..

But you can tell it's a PB product.TMs everywhere!

And part of the reason it looks so assed is because they have mediocre 3D models on a 2D board, but didn't bother putting the models in actual grid squares.

2-6 players, or head to head skirmish... is this thing literally just "Imperial Assault with a reskin job"?

Edit: I mean, maybe not mechanically down to the unique dice, but boy, they are laying it on thick with that comparison.

Custom dice are too expensive for a Palladium project...

 Forar wrote:
2-6 players, or head to head skirmish... is this thing literally just "Imperial Assault with a reskin job"?

Could be. When asked on the MegaVerse forum, Carmen called this game "dudes on a map".

If any of you are on BGG and have the slightest familiarity with this term, you may remove your palm from your forehead now.

Merijeek wrote:
Custom dice are too expensive for a Palladium project...

Umm...



Now, if you mean QUALITY dice, or ones that look like advertised, that's a different argument.

Did they ever actually produce them for sale? I thought they just farted around and went nowhere like typical PB project.

Merijeek wrote:
Did they ever actually produce them for sale? I thought they just farted around and went nowhere like typical PB project.

They're listed as in stock on PB's webstore.
https://palladium-store.com/1001/product/55101-UEDF-Dice-Pack.html
https://palladium-store.com/1001/product/55102-Zentraedi-Dice-Pack.html

I do find it a bit PB-ish that they're charging more than three times what Chessex do for 16mm opaques ($12 for 12, vs $3.85 for 12). Can't remember the rates Mike got for doing his Malcontent dice, but even with the customized facing, that seems kinda pricey given the bulk they were doing it in (12 dice x 17000 cores = 200,000 of each).

Basically, if you get a set of each dice ($12x2), the template/token pack ($15), and the rulebook ($20), at $59+shipping, you're arguably paying as much as a CSI core box (currently listed at $66). I can understand there's a multiplier factor (selling grouped is better value than selling separate, but still..). That's like charging almost as much for 4 tyres as you would for the car.

It would appear that the gRifts BG, is based around mangaing a hand of cards that are tied to specific characters/minions. IN addition to your set actions , these cards are also used for wounds inflicted on you. At least that is what I picked up from the brief overview Carmen posted on their site.

So far nothing gob smacking or original, the mapboards do look like they need a lot of work - they are functional and would have looked alright twenty years ago. The renders so far look nice and if the production models are are good this would be a plus, especially for the rpgers.

The one thing I cannot get my head around is that aparrt from the models and their artwork this could be any generic "map with dudes" games, it ceratinaly does not scream Rifts.

I still believe the Rifts rpg diehards will carry this over the line, but beyond the Kickstarter I cannot see it making a big commercial splash and so would seem to leave Carmen's fledging company struggling for funds - especially if kevin is taking his cut - if it wants to do more, unless its business plan it to continue to use Kickstarter to finance its ideas.

Never fear though their big brother is going to push this hard, or at least they will till it starts to falter, then PB can go back to discussing RTT at every moment, while sitting about doing nothing about it.

wilycoyote wrote:
It would appear that the gRifts BG, is based around mangaing a hand of cards that are tied to specific characters/minions.

Sounds like an interesting mechanic, although early card combat games weren't well-received because players felt that they were restrictive.

I think if Rogue / Palladium can get anything out the door (and Carmen doesn't fall apart from stress), it would be a win. Gamers still think KS is a store, so I'll see how much popcorn is left if it funds.