Sample file Credits Artwork by: Charles Walton II Cover Pencils: Charles Walton II Cover Digital Painting: Eduardo Domínguez S. Cover Design: Wayne Smith Design & Layout: Wayne Smith Writing: Kevin Siembieda Charles Walton II Editing: Wayne Smith Alex Marcinisyzn Matthew Clements Conceived by: Kevin Siembieda Based on and inspired by ® and the many game worlds of , created by Kevin Siembieda. Splicers® RPG written and created by Carmen Bellaire. The cover is a digitally painted version of one of Charles Walton’s illustrations from Rifts® World Book 32: Lemuria. Pencils by Chuck Walton digital painted by Eduardo Domínguez, with input from Chuck. It depicts a Lemurian riding a Panther-Shark across one of the oceans of Rifts Earth, with Lemurian floating cities in the background.

Sample file First Printing – August, 2014

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Copyright 2014 Palladium Books Inc. & Kevin Siembieda

All rights reserved, worldwide, under the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity, without satiric intent, of characters or persons living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

Splicers®, Rifts®, ®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, ®, Phase World®, Chaos Earth®, Co- alition Wars®, After the Bomb®, RECON®, ®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game® and Palladium Books® are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Palladium Books Inc. and Kevin Siembieda.

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Future Visions™: The Artistry of Charles Walton II – Volume One, is published by Palladium Books Inc., 39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185-7606. Printed in the USA by McNaughton & Gunn.

2 A Word from the Illustrator Sample file I would first like to thank Kevin Siembieda for giving me this is one member of “the Crew” and it is nice to see that Palladium humbling and honorable opportunity. A chance to look behind Books has harvested such talent and experience, a testament to the scenes, to share in some of the inspiration, works in progress Palladium’s long-term inspiration, camaraderie, friendships and and concepts that I have enjoyed developing, co-developing and entertaining experiences. I would like to thank good friend and experiencing with Palladium Books, its innovative staff and in- fellow creator and artist, Mark Dudley, for being a true friend and credible roster of writers, artists, fans and visionaries. supporter of our art ventures. For those who don’t know, it was I would also like to give a Special Thanks to a close supporter; Drunken Style Studios’ Mark Dudley who made the first introduc- my biggest CRITIC and loving fiancéeSonja , for putting up with tion between my artwork and Palladium Books. artwork scattered everywhere and having the patience to deal with I have told Kevin many times that even though I have been an artist trying to stay afloat and everything that comes with that. drawing since I was a toddler, and am mainly a self-taught art- A special thank you to my daughter Janella for being that smile ist, that my illustrating in a professional manner (especially for and inspiration that helps me keep my eyes on the prize, through role-playing games) would likely not have happened nor been all adversity. Thank you to my only brother, Chris, for being a as focused, had it not been for my gaming experiences. Gaming long time friend and player in my stressful RPG campaigns. To experiences in which Palladium Books has had a major hand, and those crazy friends & gamers I have dubbed “the Crew,” who in which it still helps me to develop and persevere. Thank you have gamed with me since High School and beyond in the cos- Palladium for touching so many lives! mic campaign dubbed “the Game,” a campaign still open and on To the gamers and supporters of RPG entertainment and of the “pause” (you all are still in dimensional cryo-stasis within the art, I would like to say THANK YOU to each and every one of Aurora Frozen-Space quantum, lol). Thank you for being such you for your invaluable support, kind words, encouragement and epic, patient, creative players and allowing me to express such for making this experience enjoyable. visual inspirations and horrors on paper and test them on you – Charles Walton II, July, 2014 guys and gals. Fellow freelancer writer & artist, Irvin Jackson

3 Welcome to Future Visions™ The creative process The idea of doing a Charles Walton II art book was originally at Palladium Books mine. Palladium has a long history of working with a vast array of wonderful and truly talented artists. Though they are all skilled By Kevin Siembieda and talented, there always seem to be a few who truly capture the Designing and creating games, especially role-playing games, imagination and attention of our audience and become fan favor- is all about world building. It is not just Hero X saves Fair Maid- ites. Kevin Long, Ramon Perez, Mike Mumah, Amy L. Ashbaugh, en Y. There is a lot more to role-playing in Palladium’s games. Mike Wilson, Vince Martin, Keith Parkinson, , For me, role-playing games are all about characters and story, E.M. Gist and the color work of Scott Johnson immediately come set in a dynamic and evolving world. To make the gaming ex- to mind. Charles “Chuck” Walton is the latest artist to enrap- perience everything it can possibly be, I need to know how the ture the imaginations of gamers, and I can see why. His work is world works, who lives in it, how they relate, et cetera, et cetera. powerful and elegant at the same time. Whether it is a depiction By creating a vibrant, living and changing world, you create the of a beautiful woman, robot, alien or monster, it is fun, evocative illusion of a real place that the player characters understand and and dynamic. It draws you in and often makes you say “wow.” feel they are a part of; something bigger than themselves. A place Chuck has been truly “wowing” people, starting with his art- where they and their actions can make a profound difference. If work in Rifts® Lemuria™ and the two Rift® Northern Gun™ the world feels real and plausible, it makes for a much more im- titles. mersive experience. It accentuates the emotions and sense of ur- In 2010, Palladium Books held what I called a Creators’ gency. That’s why you will notice most of Palladium’s RPGs and Conference, an open forum in which I invited freelance writers sourcebooks give you – the players and the Game Master – the and artists to gather and discuss where we saw Palladium going, tools you need to explore that strange new world and live your why we do things the way we do, and what I wanted to see from own stories and adventures. We don’t often present fully fleshed them as fellow creators. No question was off the table. The con- out, “canned” adventures, but rather we give you the monsters, ference turned into a 3-4 day brainstorming session. During it, I villains, dangers and plots necessary to weave your own adven- challenged everyone – myself included – to push the envelope tures. You, via your character, are a part of a bigger story, but and take their craft to the next level. And we have been doing your characters may do things that reshape, save or doom an en- just that. The ideas, writing and artwork coming out now include tire village, city or continent – or the entire planet. It’s epic fun. some of the best work Palladium has ever produced. Everyone is And if that world is built correctly, the possibilities for adventure pushing themselves hard and elevating their work, a pretty awe- and fun are endless. some thing to see. There is truly nothing like a good RPG. In role-playing games, We have a number of book titles in the pipeline. I have ideas you help shape the story. You create and play the hero(s). If we that breathe new and well-deserved life into the Palladium Fan- give you the right tools, the right inspiration, and a dynamic, liv- tasy RPG® and ™ game lines, as ing world to play in, the adventures are potentially without end. well as support for ™, Rifts®, ®, You laugh and cheer with every triumph, and fret every time the ™, and Chuck’s personal favorite, SplicersSample®. tide file turns from your favor. You are challenged to make smart, Over the past several years, Charles Walton and writers Chris- fast decisions, and recover from your mistakes. The fate of one topher Kluge and Brandon Aten have been working on several or more (fictional) lives may hang in the balance. Heck, the fate new sourcebooks for Splicers®. I have to honestly say that if it of the entire world may rest in your character’s hands, and if you were not for these gentlemen, especially Chuck Walton, Splic- aren’t careful, all could be doomed. It’s great stuff. The stuff of ers® might have slipped into a state of limbo and been forgotten. legend. You are limited only by your imagination. However, the passion of these three guys and their love for the For a game designer and the writers of sourcebooks, the trick Splicers® setting, combined with their bold ideas and amazing is creating a plausible yet dynamic environment that maintains an artwork, have not only kept it alive with articles in The Rifter®, invisible game balance. That’s a lot tougher than you might think, but primed Splicers® for a major push of new releases. Very but that is a topic for another book. cool. Your artists help bring the world inside the writer’s head As a passion project, Chuck has created a mountain of concept to life. More importantly, each illustration is a window through art and illustrations for Splicers®. And I do mean a mountain of which the reader gets to see that world. Sure, the words convey work. When I placed it all in one big pile, it stood nearly a foot images, but as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand tall. So that’s what you’ll be seeing in Future Visions™, many words. A great illustration can convey power, majesty, horror, of the concept drawings and some of the finished artwork that drama, or humor, and helps tell the overall story. It’s the frosting will appear in future Splicers® sourcebooks – as well as a smat- on the cake. And not just a simple frosting, but the fantastic and tering of other things. fanciful designs you see on TV shows and cake competitions that I hope you like what you see. blow you away. I suspect I get my appreciation for artwork and artists from a – Kevin Siembieda, Publisher and Game Designer number of places. One, I’m an artist myself. I’ve been drawing as far back as I can remember. At age nine I announced to my parents that when I grew up I was going to be a comic book art- ist. I worked at honing my craft for three years at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, and I did my share of commercial art and comic book work, as well as illustrating many of Palladium’s 4 earliest books. I love art. I always have. Going to the Van Gogh should be an alive and flexible process, changing and evolving. In museum in Amsterdam was something akin to a religious experi- the end, it’s about making the most fun and dynamic product we ence for me, and the Louvre in France was like Disneyland for can make. We’re all gaming geeks just like you, so we know what this artist and history buff. This experience helps me be a good floats your boat and turns you on. If there was a hidden camera art director. It enables me to know when I can give an artist a lot placed at the Palladium offices, I’d be embarrassed by what you of freedom and when I need to provide an artist direction, as well would see on some days. You’d be sitting in your seat laughing as what kind of direction to offer. half of the time and scratching your head for the rest it. Palladium There’s another area of specialized appreciation at work here Books can be a silly place. We are just a bunch of gamer geeks as well. As much as I love artwork of all kinds, what really gets who get passionate and excited about our work and the stupidest my engine purring is visual storytelling. All forms of storytelling, stuff. You’d be sitting back and thinking, “Really? This is the actually, but especially those that blend words with visuals. Live magic behind the scenes?” Plus some of you would be surprised theater. Amazing. Film and television (when they are done well). to hear me swear like a trooper. There would be as many (or Astounding. Comic books, the love of my life (besides RPGs, of more) bleeps than you see in any Gordon Ramsay TV show on course). Why? Because to me they are the ultimate blending of the air. (And yes, I love that guy. Robert Irvine, too.) words and story, with art and dynamic visuals that take storytell- When Chuck and I get together, things really get crazy. There ing to a whole different level. are times when the ideas are flying so fast, I don’t know how It’s no surprise then that I love working with artists, especially we keep up with each other. It’s an awesome creative experience those who think about the images they are putting down on paper. that makes me a better writer and Chuck a better artist, because I’m not talking about just thinking about composition and de- that passion and excitement is evident in our work. We elevate sign elements, but artists who can tell a story with their art. Men each other’s state of mind and it gets translated into the finished and women who convey emotion, action, mood and character in product. their illustrations. The strength of Kevin Long’s robots and tech Don’t get me wrong, some projects come together fast and illustrations was that he, like Syd Mead (designer of Blade Run- simply. Other times, there is a ton of back-and-forth discussion, ner and so much more), gave thought to the mechanics of how building up concepts and designs and tearing them down when a robot or vehicle would move and function. Ramon Perez was they don’t work, or when something better comes along. Some- the consummate storyteller with details, movement and emotion times you have to go down a particular road to explore what it – seeming casual but saying so much in the details. You see that may have to offer just to realize it doesn’t work. But that’s okay. in the artwork of Amy Ashbaugh and Nick Bradshaw, too. Other Mental exercises such at that may lead to other cool, or cooler, Palladium artists are masters at capturing life and movement, still ideas you might have never considered if you hadn’t gone down others render technology that looks solid and real, or capture the that road. And in this business you can take that cool idea that scope and splendor of landscapes and cityscapes. Many encom- didn’t fit and maybe use it in a future project, so it is never a pass several or all of these things. I am lucky to have a great crew. waste. That process of thinking about the workings and story behind Other projects take a long time. Developing the concepts, an image is one of the things that takes the work of Chuck Wal- characters, story and world for the original Rifts® RPG took me ton (and other artists) to exciting heights. Not only does he think three and a half years to hammer out and fine-tune. The actual art about how a particular machine/alien animal/monster/hero/vilSample- and file production part was probably only a year. Rifts® Northern lain (or whatever it is) functions, but Chuck also thinks about Gun™ One and Two were two books that kept changing and how it works in the context of that world and fits into the story growing as Chuck Walton and I talked through the tech designs and emotions we want to evoke. and the look and function we wanted for the robots, power armor Chuck and I often spend hours talking about setting, charac- and other gear. Matthew Clements, the chief writer and guy who ters, story elements, backstory and how this stuff works. We are brought the idea for the two books to me in the first place, did a 100% open to each other’s new ideas and how they might make great job, but as Chuck and I explored his work deeper, many ad- an existing concept better. I have a similar give and take with ditional ideas and designs sprang to life. most of my artists and writers, but with Chuck Walton, the ideas People often ask me what is the most difficult part of game fly so fast and fluidly it’s like we are part of the same hive mind, design and writing, and my answer has always been the same: working toward the same goal. Not only that, but we inspire each Knowing when to stop. That’s harder than you might think. Es- other like crazy. We stoke the fires of each other’s imaginations pecially when you know your fellow gaming geeks are going to and walk away eager to dive into the work and get our ideas down love what you are dreaming up. on paper. I had a very similar relationship with , What you are about to see is just some (maybe a third) of the and I have a similar relationship with Matthew Clements, and it’s artwork and sketches Chuck has whipped up for future Splicers® awesome to be that in-sync and comfortable with each other. sourcebooks. This is one of those “work on it for years and ex- That approach and comfortable relationship applies to all the plore many avenues” projects. I hope you like this bit of an inside guys at the office. It doesn’t matter where the idea comes from glimpse behind the scenes at the creative process as much as you or who offers it up. It doesn’t matter if it changes the concept, as appreciate Chuck Walton’s wonderful imagination and artistry. long as the new avenue we’re exploring makes the product better. Enjoy. And all of us have the customer in mind. It’s not about any one person’s complete vision, it is about making the best darn gaming experience for you. There is no ego. There is no, “but that’s not my vision,” because in the concept stage, there shouldn’t be any- thing etched in stone (or at least very little). The creation process

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