Forums of the Megaverse®

Didn't Palladium used to have a logo?, I seem to remember some kind of starburst or dragon or something.

Maybe something similar to the Megaverse United print would look well on a shirt, preferably the back, with a large image of characters form all the game worlds.

I like the name Legionaries, makes it sound like theres a bunch of us and are willing to go the extra mile for our cause.

As for perks, at leats in my opinion it doesn't have to be anything too flashy or anything, apart from a shirt and some form of ID, maybe just an extra heads up on pre-orders, like maybe getting them 1 or more weeks before anyone else, and maybe a small token discount on direct orders from the company store.

I'll admit, the thing that most screams "Palladium!" to me is still a Glitter-Boy...

EDIT: The names not to important to me, just that we have one.
"Legionnaires" works fine for me too. We just have to avoid Megaversal Legion, since that's already in SA2...

I agree, the Glitterboy pretty much screams Palladium.

However, I also recall the half dragon/demon and half cyborg/glitterboy image from (i think) the RIFTS CCG. That too would make a decent mascot for Megaverse Ambassadors.

As for the name, I like the sound of Megaversal Ambassadors. But whatever name/title you agree upon, I would carry it with pride.

Just don’t go with anything like Palladium Megaversal Spokespersons. "Hi, I’m the local PMS representative." *shudder*

I'd like to see a spiffy logo, perhaps incorporating whichever mascot folks like. Let's face it, logos and mascots are fun, cool parts of it all--might as well have fun with it. Perhaps an inconic face shot of one of the power armors or robots?

Unfortunately, many people might not know what a Legionnaire is. I stand by Zack and his name Ambassadors, because that's what we are doing. We are representing Palladium and introducing it to people. Missionaries would be a better word, but they don't have a good history when it comes to "convert or else."

The Power of Kevin Compels You!

Call of Cthulhu uses Missionaries for their demo team.
Privateer Press has the Press Gang
AEG used to have Bounty Hunters
Waste World had Rangers
Warhammer has Outriders
SJ Games has MIBs (men in black)

Palladium Ambassadors is not a bad name. I don't think you want to say "Megaversal Ambassadors" since you are not championing the mechanics of a game system, but the company and its product lines. The goal is to get the name "Palladium" out to people who may have never heard of the company before.

Well, if you look at the above names, like MIB or Press Gang (both excellent organizations and a source of inspiration), they don't include SJ or Privateer. Fully, the name can be Palladium's Megaversal Ambassadors, if folks like. Like I said earlier, this is a topic I'm putting forth to Kev directly.

Welcome by the way. I usually only see you over at the Purple Site. Hope you decide to stick around and make yourself at home.

My vote's still going for Megaversal Ambassadors, at this time...

So how about a logo? Anyone artistically inclined wanting to take a stab at it?

I cause trouble where I can!

I am a big believer in gaming communities and this whole legal mess sparked the PB fans into action in a way I haven't seen before. It was very inspiring and after years of not checking out PB books (I played Palladium 1e and loved it in my teens), I decided to spend a few bucks and so far, I am impressed by the products.

As for the arguments of system issues and MDC/SDC over at RPG.net, I couldn't care. As a GM, I tailor everything I buy to fit my style of storytelling so I am more interested in cool bits and strong drama elements. The company that give me that gets my money, and a company that gives me an engaging community gets my loyalty.

As for the Ambassador program, there is no question that the most powerful advertising is word of mouth and conventions provide a great space to promote and engage new fans. I know I have bought games based on conversations I had with people who played demos and I imagine I am not alone. So your one con game with 6 people could easily spread the word to a dozen more....which is why you have to do your best to put on a great demo because word of mouth goes both ways.

Here is a little something a threw together at work, you know instead of actually working

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3994/glitamb1uq.jpg

its a logo, its a pet, and does enough mega damage to annoy a gargoyle

That's cute. I like it. Maybe adding some smoke coming from the barrel

Sweet love of Gawd!
That is so frelling perfect!
A+ picture, Juankis!

That logo looks pretty nice, but I see a few small problems with it. The word "Ambassadors" is spelled incorrectly and it would be better if actually said "Megaversal Ambassadors" instead of "Ambassadors of the Megaverse".

Seriously, this stuff with trying to change the name around is getting out of hand. This was Zachary's brainchild and "Megaversal Ambassadors" is what he wants to call it. That should be the end of the discussion.

Sorry, my bad, got it wrong, no biggie, got it fixed now.

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/1186/glitterfixed0wb.jpg

I also added the smoking boom gun

Edit: Changed the image a bit as the word MEGAVERSAL looked a little of center, shoudl be fixed now

hehe...
"Speak softly, and carry a BOOM GUN, BABY!!!"

Very nice!

This would even make a pretty awesome t-shirt.

That is pretty great.

Oh, I also wanted to tell everyone, in addition to the Frappr, we're also planning an online directory of MAs, so folks can locate one in their local area. Don't worry--your phone # and address won't be given out. We're also looking at an expanded gaming store and converntion directory.

I've also brought up to Kevin the idea of an incremental awards system, but of course, that's his call. You know, after x amount of sessions ran, a t-shirt, after x more, a coupon for the Palladium store, after x more perhaps a larger coupon...but it all depends on what he wants to do. Folks who want to take part in such will have to fill out a little form for each session they do, sort of how the RPGA does (only not nearly as strict). I figure after folks run enough game, they've definitely spent something of their own money & time doing it, and have reached a lot of potential fans, so it'd be nice to have a little something for their efforts. But, as I said, that one is Kev's call, of course.

Nice image.

I love the image. I agree, it would make a great T-Shirt.

You are also going to have to figure a way to keep this under control, as incremental sytems are always prone to abuse, even when there is no real incentive to doing so (just look at all the post count hogs).

I hope it's alright that I used that picture to make a sign that I put up around my school. I'll probably be introducing some people to Palladium next week and running a game the week after. I already got two guys interested right now and one of them is borrowing my Splicers book and writing up a special character for.

Well, not only would what I propose be limited in scope, but folks would have to fill out a report for each session and mail or scan it in. If people really want to cheat the system, they always can, but it'll be a lot more work to do so. But it might be moot, since the proposal itself in is Kevin's hands.

Jsut a brief update:

Heard from Kevin! He said everything looked good at first glance, and I also CC'd Wayne for a further opinion. He's at the convention this week, but wants some time to seriously study everything next week. He also said the logo idea sounds cool. So all in all, things are looking bright, and hopefully I'll have a little bit more of an update for you next week.

Keep the ideas and enthusiasm coming!

Don't forget Origins and GenCon. Although it is too late to sign up an official game, you can still do great demos in their Open Gaming areas.

Usually there is an posting board near the Open Gaming area where you can advertise your game and if Palladium has a booth at the convention, you may be able to advertise with them as well.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember Open Gaming being free so people who are tired of buying $4 tickets for everything may be happy to demo something at no charge to them. And after your demo, you can tell them to toodle into the dealer's room and buy the game, spending almost half of what most hardcover's cost.

I think the GenCon SoCal event signups start in June.

Absolutely! Palladium has several official games going on for GC Indy, but I'd really like to see us have an Open Gaming Presence as well (also at Origins and SoCal). As it gets a little closer, we'll have to see where we're at, who's going, and who's willing to run what. Excellent thought--thank you!

OK, sent off a reminder e-mail this morning to Kevin & Wayne so they can review the proposal and website text for MAs, just to keep you posted. Kev respinded back and said I should hear something from them in a day or two. So that's great news.

Also, I'm working on a convention database so we can ensure that as many conventions as possible have a MA running some sort of Palladium game if at all possible. If there's a convention in your area or one you attend, regardless of size, email me the name, dates, and website if you know of one. We'll do our best to match up voluneteers with conventions.

Thanks, and while we're waiting for all the details to be worked out, remember to keep pushing forward! There's a lot of friends, gaming buddies, and FLGSs left in the world, and we're just the ones to introduce them to the Pure Unrefined Awesomeness that is Palladium.

I'll be at KublaCon in San Francisco, on Saturday the 27th.
It'll be a "pick-me-up" game, since registration ended like 3 months ago...

Yeah, that's all good...I'm thinking of doing some pick-up demos at Gen Con, if I can find some fellow volunteers. THe idea would be that when enough folks are interested, we could go out and run a quick 2-hour demo. There's also the scheduled PB games, so I might wait and see how full some of those get first. Just a thought, really, at this point.

Seeing as how it is easier to introduce people to ideas or concepts using ideas that they might already know how to use (just think of Christian missionaries and how they tend to "replace" the ideas of gods), I propose the following for your consideration...

I would even go so far as to suggest a Palladium d20 conversion book.

Let's face it - WotC has the #1 selling RPG system.

Lots of people have d20 stuff and may have never heard of Palladium (yes, this is not only possible but not that unlikely).

It has also been said on other boards that people enjoy the Palladium books not necessarily for the game mechanics that they bring to the table, but because they have neat ideas.

What better way to get people to buy existing Palladium books but give them a book that would easily convert the systems back and forth?

Keep in mind - this wouldn't necessarily be something that the die-hard Palladium fan might want to purchase, but it would be good for getting people who might not otherwise want to use Palladium books (because they were not overly "compatible" with the d20 system).
The intended audience for such a product would be "the d20 gamer" - of which there are more than just Palladium gamers.

I'm not sure that there would be a down side to such a book.
Heck, it could even be the first pdf that Palladium made available for sale...

Thanks for the suggestion, but that's a bit above our heads/level. If such a product is ever designed, its something that will come direct from KS and the folks at PB. However, if folks out there think its a good idea, I urge them to write up a proposal in a letter to Kevin himself. He's very good about responding to mail, and even if it isn't the answer you want, at least he'll know your interest in such a product.

Thanks again

I really think Palladium should create some PDF previews so I can print them out and hand them out. If I could afford it, I'd give a copy of PFRPG to all the D&D players that frequent Middlebury.

I know its been suggested, but that's all I can say...

I know this has come up before and each time it has been shot down. Kevin is very protective of his intelectual property (as well he should be), and lending his babies over for a D20 makover would like puting ones kids up for adoption.

Palladium has their hands full with existing products, just think of what it would be like to remake everything for d20!

Not gonna happen.

D20 Rifts could have been a profitable venture back in 2000-2002 when everyone was D20 crazy and the D20 market was very strong. That isn't the case any longer.

Vast numbers of tabletop gamers - especially those tied to 3.X - have abandoned gaming for WoW. The remaining marketplace has segmented into D20 WotC and non-WotC. Keep in mind that most D&D 3.X players do not buy third party D20 products anymore - they stick with stuff from what's official from WotC and most only play D&D. Not all, but most.

The rest of the non-WotC gamers are Palladium's target audience. These are the people who play multiple games, multiple systems and try new stuff even though Dragon Magazine hasn't given them marching orders.

Palladium demos will do fine. If you run a good game that clicks with the players, they will want to seek out whatever you ran and take a look at it in the gamestore or the dealer's room.

You are NOT going to convert the D20 hardcore or the D&D-Only crowd and that's okay. They are not worth your energy. The people you want are the curious ones, the ones who say "what the heck, I'll try this game" and show up with an open mind. Spend your energy on them and maybe one of them per demo will buy a PB game in the future.

That's your goal.

Hey guys, I appreciate the responses, but if we could keep this thread more focused on things the Megaversal Ambassadors could feasibly do to attract more players (demos, adventures, outreach, prgrams, incentives), I'd appreciate it. We have or will have nothing to do with d20 or any choices on the matter--thats all Kevin and the folks at Palladium. Thanks for understanding, and keep the MA feedback/ideas coming.

I have to say... WoW is a poor fill-in for actual role-playing, especially with the fact that the majority of people on RP servers don't even know what RP means. When I started there was at some point each day where I saw at least one person asking what RP ment. I'm done with that game anyways since it's so heavily built to be a Grief&Grind fest and is less and less supporting its casual players. Diablo2 is better.

If the Robotech liscense does come back that could really really help Palladium. Of course if they could get some other popular anime liscense as well... I heard somewhere that Gundam was already taken... There was already a DBZ rpg system (and was probably as good as something for that could be)... I can't think much else at the moment...

I'd like to pass out a sheet or three that contains settin info/summary. Do I need to be worried about IP violations for the text that I'd be using and quoting?

Swag, baby, swag!

Maybe some .pdf flyer templates we can fillout with demo information that we can drop off at our FLGS, school commons, bullentin boards, etc.

Ugh.... I waited for over two hours and not a person showed up for gaming... What bothers me about it is I talked to several people that appear genuinly interested... Well... I'll just have to try again next week.

If you're cutting text from the book, then you need to talk to Alex or Wayne, I'm thinking. If you're describing stuff in your own words, go for it.

Yeah, that happens. But its good you're not quitting--stuff comes up, people forget. Sooner or later, you'll reel 'em in.

Baby sit for kids old enough to game.

Well its my turn, I'll be runing either a Chaos Earth or AtB2 game at my local con this weekend, lets see how it goes.

Best of luck--if you need any last minute ideas or whatever, feel free to post or shoot a PM this way.

Well, the weekend came and went and my CE demo game had to be psotponed, I wasn't able to attend the con due to work issues. I'll upload the adventure/characters later if anyone wants to take a look.

Cool, though I'm sorry you weren't able to attend the Con.

I ran a little 'shoot holes in the Coalition' chez moi this weekend. Two of my five hadn't played before, and none owned any Palladium product. They all seemed to like it, and may buy some books if I promise to run more for them.

Excellent. Keep uo the good work--one (or eight) gamers at a time, this fanbase is growing.