The Glitterbois

#122 – Our Favorite OCCs

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In response to another listener request, we spend this episode talking about our personal favorite OCCs in Rifts and a few other Palladium properties ...

#121 – Rifter 9-and-a-Half Review

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back to the Rifter series, we're finally at the april fools issue, Rifter 9 1/2. This is a great read, and a book that belongs in every collection. As...

#120 – Rifts Manhunter

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We're back from a life break to release more fun discussion on Palladium's gmaes, yay! This time we're looking at the first and only (for a long time)...

#119 – Reskinning "Attacks" as "Action Points"

17 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We're here this time talking about a very simple cosmetic "house rule" change to the core Attacks per Melee mechanic. It's a long chat, and meanders w...

#118 – On Perception Rolls

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's fairly rambling discussion episode is (mostly) about the idea of "Perception Rolls" in Palladium's games. It's a contentious subject, and afte...

#117 – Rifts Dimension Book 3: Phase World Sourcebook

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We return to the Phase World setting with the third Rifts Dimension Book, aka the Phase World Sourcebook. This is a companion piece to the previous bo...

#116 – Rifter #9 Review

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our march through the Rifter series takes us to Rifter #9, which brings about the end of the TMNT license for Palladium Books. It was a sad event for ...

#115 – 2023 New Year Review Roundup

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A very happy new year to everyone! We wanted to kick this year off with a hefty dose of positivity. To accomplish this, we wanted to finally spend an ...

#114 – Homogenization of the FLGS

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we gnash our teeth over the growing trend of "homogenization" of our once-great "Friendly Local Game Shops" (FLGS). By this we mean the trend of...

#113 – Rifts Dimension Book 2: Phase World

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After much listener requesting, we're finally pushing into the next Rifts Dimension Book: Phase World! It's Rifts taken to an even greater power level...

#112 – Titan Robotics Kickstarter with Sean Owen Roberson

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're excited to be joined by Sean Owen Roberson, the new creative director at Palladium Books! Sean's here to answer all our questions about th...

#111 – Palladium Fantasy Book 3: Adventures on the High Seas

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this session we look at both editions of the third book in the "big three" first books of the amazing Palladium Fantasy RPG. We compare and contrac...

#110 – Rifter #8 Review

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Next up in our look through the run of Palladium's Rifter magazine is issue #8. There's some really cool stuff in here, especially if you're a fan of ...

#109 – Rifts World Book 7: Rifts Underseas

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've had a lot of demand for an episode on Rifts Underseas, and we've finally made it to its place in the long sequence of World Books. This one's no...

#108 – OCC Spotlight on the Rogue Scientist (Rifts)

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hooray, our schedules finally re-aligned so we could record some more episodes! This time we have a chat about the Rogue Scientist core OCC from the R...

#107 – Rifts World Book 6: South America

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chugging onward through the Rifts World Book series, we make it to possibly the coolest one yet: South America! There has always been a lot of convers...

#106 – Rules Talk: Missiles Again: How they Actually Work: For Real This Time

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Folks wrote to let us know that our previous episode on Missiles didn't actually explain how they worked. So we recorded this one as a follow-up, hopi...

#105 – Palladium Fantasy Book 2: Old Ones

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We venture back into the mystical lands of the Palladium Known World for a look at the second book in the Fantasy RPG product line: Old Ones. My frien...

#104 – Rifts Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Following on the heels of our episode on Rifts Book 5: Triax, we now dive into its companion book, Rifts Sourcebook 3: Mindwerks. This excellent tome ...

#103 – Rifts World Book 5: Triax and the NGR

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our progress through the long series of Rifts World Books continues with Book 5: Triax and the NGR. This continues the ongoing trend of giving your pl...

#102 – Character Spotlight on Breetai (Robotech)

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take a look into the life and story of one of the more complex characters of the Robotech universe, Breetai the Zentraedi warlord. Initially ...

#101 – TMNT RPG Character Creation with Basem & Cranny

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're making characters for the TMNT and Other Strangeness RPG! Will we ever actually play them in anything extended or worthwhile? Who knows! If you ...

#100 – A Look at TMNT and Other Strangeness, with Basem and Cranny

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We made it to episode 100! Hell yeah. Joining us to celebrate are our good friends Basem and Cranny from the Turtle Power Pod, to talk about the late ...

#99 – Mass Combat in Rifts Games

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this session, Jacob and NPC jam out their ideas on and approaches to handling large-scale combat and warfare in Palladium games (and namely Rifts)....

#98 – Beyond the Megaverse: Thundarr the Barbarian

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"In the year 1994, From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction! Human's civilizat...

#97 – Why 1st Edition Fantasy is So Awesome

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome back friends! Today NPC is joined by retuirning guest host Just Jacob to talk more about Palladium's metal-as-heck Fantasy RPG, focusing solel...

June 2022 News Updates

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Apparently these recurring monthly updates are becoming a regular thing! Getting serious for a sec, Matthew was in a pretty bad wreck and needs to tak...

#96 – The Glittery Guide to Game Prep

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we respond to listener email! This episode's topic comes from Douglas, who asks for some advice on making game prep easier. Matthew and NPC both...

#95 – The Long Joyous Path to Expertise

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are not experts on anything that we talk about. Just fans - really passionate ones with a lot of experience in the subject, but still just fans. Bu...

#94 – Rifts Inspiration from Marvel's Avengers

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a fun thought experiment, in which we take the characters from Marvel's Avengers (primarily the MCU versions) and use them as root inspira...

May 2022 News Updates

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another news post! We'll be releasing these occasionally as new things come up that we want to keep folks more immediately notified on. In this issue:...

#93 – Rifts Sourcebook 2: The Mechanoids Review

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Mechanoids are back! ARCHIE-3 dun goofed and now our favorite villains from the Megaverse are invading Rifts Earth! That's right, we're looking at...

#92 – Rifter #7 Review

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our Rifter look-back series continues with issue #7! Give us a listen, then join us on Discord to let us know your favorite parts of this issue! Drop ...

April 2022 News Updates

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Assorted news and events updates for our studio as of April 2022: Wagoncon! Let's plays! Youtube podcasts! And More! Drop us a line! You can follow us...

#91 – Book Club for 2022 Q1: Robotech Genesis by Jack McKinney

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What began as our "February Book Club" is now wrapped up in this episode (totally released on time thanks to the magical science of imaginative revisi...

#90 – A Look at the Dead Reign RPG

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we talk about one of Palladium's more unexpectedly popular game titles, Dead Reign. Both of us somehow missed out on this game when it launched,...

#89 – OCC Spotlight on the Operator

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's time for another look at the character classes of Rifts, this time with the Operator as the subject of our focus. This rugged post-apoc mechanic ...

#88 – Rifter #6 Review

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our dive into the long-running Rifter periodical continues with a look at Rifter #6. This one is packed with goodies, including the first of a short s...

#87 – Rifts England Review

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our slow march through the Rifts books, we're now at World Book 3: England. Give us a listen to find out what this book is all about, and h...

#86 – House Rules: Stat-Based Skills

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're back with another free-form house rules discussion. This one starts off focused on the idea of converting to "stat-based skills" in Palladium ga...

#85 – A Look at the Systems Failure RPG

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a look into the innards of Palladium's oft-forgotten Y2K-themed apocalypse game, Systems Failure. I can't help but assume that if you are ...

#84 – Spotlight on Captain Gloval, and a New Book Club

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In our newest Character Spotlight, we're turning the shine to Captain Henry J. Gloval, commander of the great SDF-1 from the epic animated series Robo...

#83 – Real Life and Gaming

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a comedy of errors involving terrible internet service providers, we have finally found opportunities to record again in the new year. So welcom...

#82 – OCC Spotlight on the NEMA Soldier

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're taking another look at the Chaos Earth campaign setting this time, and shining a spotlight on one of the more versatile Rifts classes out there:...

#81 – Rifts Sourcebook One (Revised) Review

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following on the theme of our last episode, this time we're looking at the Revised edition of Rifts Sourcebook One. This one adds some delicious new g...

#80 – Rifts Sourcebook (Original) Review

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this review episode, we take a look at the first ever expansion book for the original butts edition of Rifts. That's right, it's time for the Rifts...

#79 – Beyond the Megaverse: TSR's Alternity RPG

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This time we're taking a walk Beyond the Megaverse, in what we expect will be an occasional series on the show where we look at properties and media r...

#78 – Holidays in Rifts North America

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we go a bit free-form again, and brainstorm what special holidays might exist in the setting of Rifts North America. While our convers...

#77 – Character Spotlight on Whiff the Muskrat

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first in what we hope will be a recurring series of character spotlights pulled directly from fan submissions. This one is inspired by our...

#76 – Character Spotlight: ARCHIE-3 (Rifts)

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a look into ARCHIE-3, the notorious insane AI villain in Palladium's Rifts setting. There is a massive hoard of potential for using AR...

#75 – Re-imagining Rifts Earth

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We spend this episode in a free-form idea-jamming discussion on ways to re-imagine certain "logistically problematic" elements of the default Rifts Ea...

#74 – Rifter #5 Review

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Moving forward with our time capsule review of the long-running Rifter magazine, we now look at the contents of issue #5. This one's got a little some...

#73 – OCC Spotlight on the Borg

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back after another unexpected break, we continue our ongoing OCC Spotlight series with a look at yet another "iconic" character from the Rifts RPG: Th...

#72 – OCC Spotlight on the Cyclone

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're finally back to doing another Robotech episode, and this time we're taking a deeper look at the awesome Cyclone. These soldiers with their trans...

#71 – Rifts Atlantis Review

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our trek through the Rifts World Book series continues with World Book 2: Atlantis! Another fantastic entry in the new (at the time) Rifts game line, ...

#70 – On Mega-Damage

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we're having a longer discussion about one of Palladium's more notorious game mechanics: Mega-Damage. What is it, how does it work, wh...

#69 – A Look at the Splicers RPG

29 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Responding to a request from our listener "jonesy" we are taking a deep look at a somewhat more obscure title from Palladium: the Splicers Role-Playin...

#68 – Other 90s RPGs that Inspired Us

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Palladium's role-playing games have always been - and probably will always still be - our biggest RPG loves. But at the same time we were really getti...

#67 – Rifts Wormwood Book Review

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Now we dive into the line of spin-off "Dimension Books" for the Rifts Roleplaying game, starting with the official first of that line: Wormwood! Kicki...

#66 – Palladiu-mon - Gotta Collect 'em All!

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Let's face it: we have a problem. It's an addiction, and a fierce one. As long as our Palladium collection is incomplete, so are we. Need more! In thi...

#65 – Rifter #4 Review

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rifter Issue #4 is a damn good one if you're a fan of Palladium Fantasy, Nightbane, and Rifts. There a whole lot of great content here to digest, so i...

#64 – Vampire Kingdoms Review, Part 2 - Revised Book

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our look into the Vampires of Palladium's Rifts setting, with a review of the Revised Vampire Kingdoms book. If you have been interested i...

#63 – Vampire Kingdoms Review, Part 1 - Original Book

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our talk about all things vampiric in the Palladium Megaverse, we're now diving into the pages of the primo book on everyone's favorite blo...

#62 – OCC Spotlight on the Psi-Stalker

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back with another look at the core character options of the Rifts RPG, this time our focus is on everyone's favorite pseudo-vamp, the Psi-Stalker! If ...

#61 – Why You Should Bookmark Page 361

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is short and to the point: if you're running Rifts, and especially if you're new to it, then you should go bookmark page 361 right now. L...

#60 – Dealing with FUTURETECH! ...of the 1990s

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this more conversational episode, we muse over ways to reconcile the contrast between the expectations of technology in Rifts - which was written l...

#59 – Rifter #3 Review

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our semi-historical dive into the long-running Rifter series continues! In issue #3 we see a huge flood of love for the Ninjas & Superspies RPG, i...

#58 – Matthew Explains Robotech's Eras

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We haven't had a good talk about Robotech in a while, so we're back for another round of it. This time, Matthew explains the universe story, mainly fo...

#57 – A Look at the Rifts 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Hardcover

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since both of us recently acquired copies of the super-limited black-and-gold Rifts 30th Anniversary hardback edition, we're here (nominally) to revie...

#56 – Inspirational Fiction for Rifts

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're back to talk about inspirational fiction for helping you get into the "Rifts mindset!" When running any new RPG campaigns, we find that it can b...

#55 – Intro to RECON

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Just Jacob's guest run with us concludes (for now) with a guided look into one of the "oddities" among the Palladium catalog: RECON, the RPG of the Vi...

#54 – Intro to Beyond the Supernatural

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest host run with Just Jacob continues! This time we're delving into the secrets of Palladium's modern investigative horror RPG, Beyond the Supe...

#53 – Intro to Ninjas & Superspies

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Just Jacob continues with us again as we dive into some of the Palladium properties that we're less familiar with. This time we're looki...

#52 – Intro to Heroes Unlimited

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a lot of listener requests, we're again taking a look at other Palladium RPG properties. Since there is a handful of them that the two of us are...

#51 – OCC Spotlight on the Juicer

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our journey through the core Rifts RPG OCCs (occupational character classes) continues! This time we're talking about everyone's favorite chemically-f...

#50 – Intro to the Coalition States (Rifts)

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've made it to episode 50! Huzzah! To celebrate we're doing a longer episode, talking about the default villains of the Rifts RPG: the Coalition Sta...

#49 – OCC Spotlight on the Ley Line Walker

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing through the core line-up of Rifts RPG character classes, in this episode we focus on the de facto "wizard" class of the game: the Ley Line ...

#48 – OCC Spotlight on the Hatchling Dragon

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

IN RIFTS YOU GET TO PLAY AS A BABY DRAGON. YES, YOU HEARD ME: A BABY DRAGON. The should be all I need to say, but fortunately there's more than enough...

#47 – OCC Spotlight on the Cyber Knight

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our OCC Spotlight series continues as we take a gander at another, ahem, iconic character class from the fantastic Rifts role-playing game. The CK is ...

#46 – OCC Spotlight on the Rogue Scholar

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're continuing our look into the Rifts OCCs with the skill-heavy Rogue Scholar. This is yet one more "iconic" class from the game, and it's a damn g...

#45 – Rules Talk: Unskilled

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're back from an unexpected short "deal with life issues" hiatus! This episode is our first listener-response episode, based on a question sent to u...

#44 – OCC Spotlight on the Dog Boy

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this issue of the OCC Spotlight series, we're looking at another core (and iconic) Rifts character class, the Psi-Hound - better known as the "Dog ...

#43 – Insanities in Palladium

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Palladium's games almost always have a built-in system for driving your characters bonkers. We're here to look at that appropriately-named "Insanity" ...

#42 – Rules Talk: Frelling Missiles - How do They Work?

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Much like magnets famously do to a pair of rapping clowns, missiles in Palladium have mystified and frustrated players for 30-odd years now. We're fin...

#41 – Rules Talk: Attacks Per Melee

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this issue of the Rules Talk, we're breaking down the rules for "Attacks per Melee" in Palladium RPGs, and explaining how they are calculated and u...

#40 – Rules Talk: The Acronyms of Combat

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Combat can be somewhat intimidating to new players, especially with all the new acronyms being thrown around. We're here to explain the four basic acr...

#39 – Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy, Part 3

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With this episode, we conclude our unintentional trilogy of episodes looking into the great collected Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy book. This was a real...

#38 – Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy, Part 2

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our unexpectedly multi-part dive into the wonderful Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy continues! Spoilers: we ain't even done yet. This time we're looking in...

#37 – Mechanoid Invasion Trilogy, Part 1

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We're going all the way back to where it started: THE MECHANOIDS! Specifically, we're taking a look at Palladium's collected "The Mechanoid Invasion T...

#36 – On Character Death

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following recent events in our home games, today we're taking a bit of a somber turn, addressing the topic of Character Death in RPGs. How do you appr...

#35 – OCC Spotlight on the Nightbane

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing from our last episode, this time we're taking a deeper look into the Nightbane OCC from the RPG of the same name. This is one of the most u...

#34 – Intro to Nightbane

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Hey, we're back with another "Intro to" episode! This time around we're getting into one of Palladium's most unique games, the modern body horror RPG ...

#33 – Character Creation Part 6: Finishing Touches

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We wrap up our Character Creation walk-through by taking care of the final touches, such as totaling stats, deriving bonuses, and noting down importan...

#32 – Character Creation Part 5: Choosing Your Skills

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As our journey through the Rift chargen process continues, we pick skills for our new dog boy, DB-421. We go through different options for skill choic...

#31 – Character Creation Part 4: Running the OCC

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In our fourth part of the Character Creation series, we walk through the OCC steps for the Dog Boy, fleshing out the core abilities and powers of our ...

#30 – Character Creation Part 3: OCC Selection

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our trek through the character creation process, we take a look at the various OCC choices presented in the Rifts Ultimate Edition, and go ...

#29 – Character Creation Part 2: Rolling the Stats

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Our character creation series continues with us rolling the stats for our brand new sample character. What do the fates decree for DB-421's starting a...

#28 – Character Creation Part 1: Name and Alignment

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As promised, we're here to begin our short mini-series on character creation. Join us for a walk through our own character creation process, as we mak...

#27 – Rules Talk: House Rules

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our Rules Talk series, we're here to talk about "House Rules" - what they are, and why we use them. We detail a few of our own, and hope to...

#26 – Rifter #2 Review

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our trek through the archive of Rifters, we're moving on to issue #2 of Palladium's long-running supplemental magazine. This one starts wit...