Palladium Fantasy was my first introduction to fantasy RPGs. I still have my original revised edition (black and red cover). I stopped using the rules years ago, but I still run my home brew and a Shadowdark campaign in the Known World setting. I also still use all of those illustrations of circles and wards for in game magic rituals and traps.
Woo hoo! So glad to see this game get some coverage here. I had a great deal of fun writing setting books for this game, though it was all for 2nd Edition. I did play 1st Edition for many years before I began writing for it, though. it's got its various weirdnesses, mechanically, but my group had a ton of fun with it, largely because the whole vibe of the game was "if it's not prohibited, it's allowed," whereas a lot of the vibe we always got from AD&D was "if it's not permitted, it's forbidden." (That might not be accurate, but that's how we internalized those games, and it's what got us playing PFRPG to the exclusion of other RPGs for something like 15 or 16 years.)
I'm currently reading through the Siege on Tolkeen for the fist time and just finished Cyber-Knights last week. It was my favorite of the series so far. Thank you for all your contributions to the Palladium Megaverse!
It's funny because I do think that the concept of not performing things that are "forbidden" is something a lot of groups internalized, despite a big part of D&D being based around the concept that "that anything can be attempted." A lot of us forget about that and how it's a game about improv at its heard, and how the DM is there to referee not just the rules, but unforeseen circumstances and ideas.
Wow, cool to have a comment from someone whose games I've covered before (in fact one of your was among the very first games I covered, Systems Failure). I've been lucky that most of my GM's tend to allow you to try anything no matter what system, but I can see what you mean about D&D and Palladium approaching it from different angles.
We played a lot of Palladium back in the day but for some reason I got round to Fantasy, so thanks for this. Maybe because we come across Palladium later and were keen for more sci-fi and contemporary settings, after spending years in MERP and Rune Quest?
Yes sadly it seems to have been one of the less recognised Fantasy RPG's, but has a wonderful tone of it own, which makes it very different and fun to the others.
I love this game and Palladium! I had the Crimson cover edition, but was used so much that it fell apart and gave the leftovers of the book to a friend after i bought to 2nd edition! Wolfen had an advantage over other races, since they had an extra die over other races for stats! I only knew about Palladium Fantasy, was because i went to a Toy Store to look at the D&D stuff they had and they had this game, and after checking out the black book with a Red Dragon on the cover and i bought it! After reading it, i realized that it had an alignment system that had rules unlike D&D, a better magic and psionic system and more choices! The World is also very interesting! I considered it a better system than Basic or AD&D!
I had to buy several copies because of the damage they suffered on a regular basis. My first copy was duct taped together. I gave that to a friend as well.
I think the advantage Wolfen have is supposed to be balanced by roleplaying as they're kind of the bad guys of the world. I played it as one of the guys in my group was a massive Rifts fan, so we ended up giving Palladium a go, and having a great time playing it.
6:44 Palladium also had a separate book on weapons and armor, it may be worth going over that one too. 15:20 Oh, I guess there was an ad for that near the end of the book. They're on DTRPG. It could be interesting to put affiliate links in the description.
Like in every palladium book you should remember " magic is not real." Lol. But in all seriousness, I have fond memories of palladium, but because of the layout and crunch, that's all it will ever be--a memory
Forgotten and underrated! I have the physical book and I use some of the rules for my homebrew. Love the worldbuilding.
So many fantasy RPG's just mimic D&D / Tolkien, but Palladium went it's own way which was brilliant.
Palladium Fantasy was my first introduction to fantasy RPGs. I still have my original revised edition (black and red cover). I stopped using the rules years ago, but I still run my home brew and a Shadowdark campaign in the Known World setting. I also still use all of those illustrations of circles and wards for in game magic rituals and traps.
Great to see so much love out here for a game I kind of thought that I was the only one who still had fond memories of. Great stuff.
Love the Palladium RPG! Played it for years and still have pretty much all of the books.
Been many years since I last played it, but have very fond memories of it.
Always nice to hear more about palladium. That was my system in the day
A great game and system, without just being another Tolkienesque fantasy game. Great stuff.
Woo hoo! So glad to see this game get some coverage here. I had a great deal of fun writing setting books for this game, though it was all for 2nd Edition. I did play 1st Edition for many years before I began writing for it, though. it's got its various weirdnesses, mechanically, but my group had a ton of fun with it, largely because the whole vibe of the game was "if it's not prohibited, it's allowed," whereas a lot of the vibe we always got from AD&D was "if it's not permitted, it's forbidden." (That might not be accurate, but that's how we internalized those games, and it's what got us playing PFRPG to the exclusion of other RPGs for something like 15 or 16 years.)
I'm currently reading through the Siege on Tolkeen for the fist time and just finished Cyber-Knights last week. It was my favorite of the series so far. Thank you for all your contributions to the Palladium Megaverse!
It's funny because I do think that the concept of not performing things that are "forbidden" is something a lot of groups internalized, despite a big part of D&D being based around the concept that "that anything can be attempted." A lot of us forget about that and how it's a game about improv at its heard, and how the DM is there to referee not just the rules, but unforeseen circumstances and ideas.
Wow, cool to have a comment from someone whose games I've covered before (in fact one of your was among the very first games I covered, Systems Failure).
I've been lucky that most of my GM's tend to allow you to try anything no matter what system, but I can see what you mean about D&D and Palladium approaching it from different angles.
We played a lot of Palladium back in the day but for some reason I got round to Fantasy, so thanks for this. Maybe because we come across Palladium later and were keen for more sci-fi and contemporary settings, after spending years in MERP and Rune Quest?
Yes sadly it seems to have been one of the less recognised Fantasy RPG's, but has a wonderful tone of it own, which makes it very different and fun to the others.
I love this game and Palladium! I had the Crimson cover edition, but was used so much that it fell apart and gave the leftovers of the book to a friend after i bought to 2nd edition!
Wolfen had an advantage over other races, since they had an extra die over other races for stats!
I only knew about Palladium Fantasy, was because i went to a Toy Store to look at the D&D stuff they had and they had this game, and after checking out the black book with a Red Dragon on the cover and i bought it! After reading it, i realized that it had an alignment system that had rules unlike D&D, a better magic and psionic system and more choices! The World is also very interesting! I considered it a better system than Basic or AD&D!
I had to buy several copies because of the damage they suffered on a regular basis. My first copy was duct taped together. I gave that to a friend as well.
I think the advantage Wolfen have is supposed to be balanced by roleplaying as they're kind of the bad guys of the world.
I played it as one of the guys in my group was a massive Rifts fan, so we ended up giving Palladium a go, and having a great time playing it.
6:44 Palladium also had a separate book on weapons and armor, it may be worth going over that one too.
15:20 Oh, I guess there was an ad for that near the end of the book.
They're on DTRPG. It could be interesting to put affiliate links in the description.
Interesting idea, the affiliate links for DrivethruRPG work pretty well, so definitely something I should do in future videos.
Like in every palladium book you should remember " magic is not real." Lol. But in all seriousness, I have fond memories of palladium, but because of the layout and crunch, that's all it will ever be--a memory
I can totally understand that, have great memories of playing Palladium, but in all likelihood, never will play it again.
Palladium fantasy tone-wise reminds me of Shrek. Feels like a more fairy tale-inspired setting.
Yes indeed, it's fantasy, but more base on fairy lore than tolkien, and that makes the game feel very different.