What's wrong with Palladium?

[bubba smith]

Wow... this was some particularly bizarre thread necromancy... and it wasn't even from Bubba!

at least i'm not the only one

[Spence]

at least i'm not the only one

But we'll blame you anyway.....it's easier that way

[Shoutybloke]

Odly, I've really enjoyed every game of palladium that I've played. I think if it didn't have a class/level based system, the rest of the rules are okay.

Heroes unlimited sucks though. 5 pages of setting advice, a combat system, and the rest of the book is character classes? Fail.

[Roter Baron]

Heroes Unlimited was my first superheroes game (got it from the "used items" bin back in the days). Gmed a very short while, bought the second edition, needed adventures, bought Champions 3rd Edition module "Target Hero", saw rules for knockback (very much missed in Heroes Unlimeted - now introduced in a very clunky fashion), and got me some Champions!

I do have some Palladium stuff (gonna get me Dead Reign on Tuesday), but I do not consider to play any of it. Just too bothersome.

One problem I always had with Heroes Unlimted was (aside from game balance questions): Do you really have to slug like stupid on each an everyone till he finally gives in and say "Uncle" or drops dead? Any other way to defeat a villian than to pummel him down to negative hit points? And waht about the pcs? Are they only defeated if they are almost killed?

Still don't like that in a supers game.

And I am still looking for a good system for TMNT&OS (nope, not HERO - need something Fast & Furious but Savage Worlds it ain't either). Any ideas?

[Spence]

And I am still looking for a good system for TMNT&OS (nope, not HERO - need something Fast & Furious but Savage Worlds it ain't either). Any ideas?

If you are looking for something other than Hero, I like the mechanics for 'Two Fisted Tales' by Precis Intermedia. It has a fun quick play feel with simple mechanics and resolution.

[Sketchpad]

I'll agree that Palladium has some neat ideas ... but that's where it stops for me. The system is antiquated and really needs someone else at the helm to guide it into a better place (as well as someone to do the layout and put things in easier to find places). But the ideas are kind of neat. I looked at the new Dead Reign game and there's some neat things to use in it.

[Captain Obvious]

And I am still looking for a good system for TMNT&OS (nope, not HERO - need something Fast & Furious but Savage Worlds it ain't either). Any ideas?

Unisystem is pretty fast moving and easy to learn. There's not a generic Unisystem rulebook that I'm aware of, but there are several games in print that use it (Terra Primate, All Flesh Must Be Eaten) and the core of the system is easily separated from setting specific stuff.

[incrdbil]

Palladium has had some nice settings.

Sadly, it has pathetic rules, no game balance, and a creator with an ego that now has a measurable gravitic effect due to its size.

Some of the core concepts of the game were out-dated by the 80's. The inability to change may have somethign to do with the effects of gravity mentioned above.

Other problems with their products comes from the anytiquated, even amateurish layout, editing, and proofing. I've seen home-printed game modules with higher production values than Palldium product.

The sad, clunky, poorly made rules are badly organized and hard to reference. I'd rather have an atomic wedgie while wearing course grade sandpaper underwear than run or play another Palladium game.

[Spence]

I'd rather have an atomic wedgie while wearing course grade sandpaper underwear than run or play another Palladium game.

There should be laws about saying things like that.....

I just spewed coffee through my nose......

[penemue]

I liked the first Palladium Fantasy Game. I liked the races and the coin system. Wolfen were cool and had an interesting background. Some nice pencil work in that core book. The fairies and the dragons were most memorable. I also liked the fact that experience was given for role playing, not just looting and slaying. I quickly switched from AD&D to Palladium after I read the Parrying and Dodging rules. It became a house rule when my group wanted to play D&D again.
I picked up Heroes Unlimited, Beyond the Supernatural, the spy game they had, but drew the line at Rifts. It just looked too.. .munchinky for me. I could not imagine running anything like that as a GM.
I liked that the Palladium Fantasy game had merchants and noble classes. There were some good ideas in that book, too bad everything went to hell so fast.
Interesting that this thread has revived since the whole concept of retro gaming has become so popular.

[Admiral C]

I've only played one Palladium game ever, not long enough to judge. But I did try and run a Rifts game once and looking through the book was maddening. Disjointed was the best way of describing it. I remember discovering the saving throws in the middle of the Hand to Hand combat section and just sitting there blankly staring at the page trying to reconcile why it was there and having that thought crowded out by some of the other rules I saw that were concretely connected to other rules but no information on how/when to use them.

I'm a pretty thorough person when I start a game even if I have to be quick and another thing that stuck with me was that equipment had no list formatting where I could pick and choose things pretty quickly.

That said I do have a Palladium fantasy book somewhere and a few cheap sourcebooks. Some good ideas, some nice artwork. I was trying to shoehorn the Wolfen Empire into Turakian Age with no success.

[Susano]

Mystic China is loaded with neat ideas -- once you dig them out.

[Admiral C]

Mystic China is loaded with neat ideas -- once you dig them out.

Isn't there two of these books? I bought Rifts Japan and wanted to do a HERO version but I remember that it talked about Rifts China as being far to dangerous to visit, ever. But from what i could tell all the Rifts books were like that, if the book you were reading mentioned it it was too dangerous to go to, until the book for it was published.

[Susano]

Mystic China is a different book. There's also Rifts Japan and Rifts China... actually, I think there are two Rifts China books.

[Lord Mhoram]

Other problems with their products comes from the antiquated, even amateurish layout, editing, and proofing. I've seen home-printed game modules with higher production values than Palladium product.

Apparently up until the "Crisis of Treachery" Kevin did cut and past layout by hand. He didn't use the computer. Even 3 or 4 years ago. From what I have heard, a computer is used now though.