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Kevin Siembieda

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Kevin Siembieda
Kevin Siembieda at Gen Con 2014
Born
Kevin Henry Siembieda

(1956-04-02) April 2, 1956 (age 68)
Detroit, Michigan, US
NationalityAmerican
EducationCollege for Creative Studies
Occupation(s)Author, designer, illustrator, and publisher of role-playing games at Palladium Books
Years active1979–2008
Notable workHeroes Unlimited
The Mechanoid Invasion
Palladium Fantasy RPG
Rifts
SpouseMaryann Donald (1985–2004)

Kevin Siembieda (born April 2, 1956) is an American artist, writer, designer and publisher of role-playing games.

Career

Siembieda is a third-generation Polish American.[1] He attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit from 1974 to 1977.[2]: 155  He wanted to be a comic book artist, but found the industry difficult to break into and published a small-press comic (A+ Plus, 1977-1978) with his company: Megaton Publications.[2]: 155  In 1979 Siembieda discovered the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook and joined a role-playing group, the Wayne Street Weregamers, which met at Wayne State University in Detroit (where he befriended Erick Wujcik, who ran the group).[2]: 155  Siembieda ran a game for the group, the Palladium of Desires, a combination of AD&D and his house rules.[2]: 155  By 1980 the Wayne Weregamers became the Detroit Gaming Centre, with Siembieda its assistant director and Wujcik its director.[2]: 155  Siembieda tried to interest gaming companies in his RPG with little interest; only Judges Guild made him an offer, but he accepted a job offer from them instead.[2]: 155–156  He was an artist for Judges Guild for four months before working as a freelance artist for other publishers and trying to sell his RPG to them.[2]: 156 

Siembieda is the co-founder and president of Palladium Books.[3] He founded the company in April 1981 to publish his fantasy role-playing game, but had insufficient funds to publish any books; the mother of Bill Loebs loaned Siembieda $1,500 to publish his first RPG book, The Mechanoid Invasion (1981).[2]: 156  By 1983 the company was successful enough for Siembieda to rent warehouse space and release his fantasy RPG, the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game[2]: 157  with a loan of $10,000 from his friend Thom Bartold who had also loaned him funds to print the other two books in the Mechanoid Trilogy, Journey and Homeworld in 1982. These were not just loans, but investments, and Siembieda established a system of paying royalties not just to the writers and artists, but also to those who lent him the capital needed to print the books: his investors. The following year, he extended his Palladium system to the superhero genre with Heroes Unlimited.[2]: 156  A freelancer contacted Siembieda about producing a licensed role-playing game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book. Siembieda obtained the rights, but was dissatisfied with the freelancer's product. Erick Wujcik redesigned the game in five weeks, and it was published in 1985 as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness.[2]: 158  Siembieda next obtained the license to publish a game based on the Robotech anime series, designing the Robotech role-playing game published in 1986.[2]: 158–159 

Siembieda wrote the RPG Rifts (1990) as a trade paperback in a two-column format which he laid out by hand.[2]: 160  He supported Wujcik in founding his own company, Phage Press.[2]: 160  In 1992, Siembieda sued Wizards of the Coast over its first RPG book, The Primal Order; GAMA president Mike Pondsmith helped the parties reach a compromise in March 1993.[2]: 161  Siembieda also disagreed with White Wolf magazine and GDW over their magazines' coverage of Palladium games.[2]: 161  He demanded that websites devoted to Rifts and Palladium be taken down, claiming that they violated his intellectual property, but softened his stance in 2004.[2]: 161  Siembieda fired Bill Coffin due to editorial differences and discontent with the Rifts Coalition Wars, which Siembieda and Coffin co-authored.[2]: 162  On April 19, 2006 he announced that Palladium Books was on the verge of bankruptcy, which he blamed on a former employee who was convicted of embezzlement.[2]: 162  Siembieda filed a lawsuit on May 7, 2010 against Trion Worlds for its MMORPG Rift: Planes of Telara, and a settlement was reached in October 2010.[2]: 163  Role-playing games Siembieda has created include Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (1983), Heroes Unlimited (1984), Robotech (1986), and Rifts (1990).[4] He is also an artist, known for occasionally illustrating Palladium Books products. Siembieda contributed art and cartography to several early Judges Guild products for the Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller lines.[5]

Siembieda's Robotech RPG Tactics Kickstarter[6] is one of the largest failures in table-top Kickstarter history. The project failed to deliver on its goals and raised over $1.4M. Despite not making its goal and unable to deliver Wave 2, Palladium did not refund money given to the project.[7]

Early illustration credits

Judges Guild

Dungeons & Dragons

  • Nevins, Paul; Faust, Bill (October 1979). Verbosh. Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Decatur, IL: Judges Guild. [JG 108]. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Front cover, interior art; maps (with B. Faust)
  • Mayeau, Michael E. (1979). Operation Ogre. D&D. [JG 109]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Front cover; interior art (with Gerald Busby and Ed L. Perry)
  • Hinnen, Bryan (1979). The Mines of Custalcon. D&D. [JG 111]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Front cover (with Ken Simpson and Rick Houser)
  • Karczag, Paul (November 1979). The Maltese Clue. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). [JG 114]. - Interior art.
  • Emigh, Dave (1980). The Sword of Hope. D&D. [JG 118]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with Aaron Arocho, Michael D. Reagan and Paul Jaquays)
  • Emigh, D. (1980). Tower of Ulission. D&D. [JG 119]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with A. Arocho, Bob Bingham and P. Jaquays)
  • Pruehs, Allen V.; Pruehs, Ree Moorhead (1980). Escape from Astigar's Lair. AD&D. [JG 124]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Front cover; interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Bledsaw, Bob; Hippenhammer, Creighton (1980). City State of the World Emperor. D&D. [JG 150]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Bledsaw, B.; Hippenhammer, C.; Kraft, Rudy; Miner, Clayton (1980). City State of the World Emperor—Book I: Map Guide. D&D. [JG 155]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Bledsaw, B.; Hippenhammer, C.; Kraft, R.; Miner, C.; Holmer, Mark (1980). City State of the World Emperor—Book II: Shops. D&D. [JG 156]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art
  • Bledsaw, B.; Hippenhammer, C.; Kraft, R.; Miner, C.; Holmer, M.; Hinnen, B. (1980). City State of the World Emperor—Book III: City. D&D. [JG 157]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Dale, Geoffrey O. (March 1980). The Treasure Vaults of Lindoran. AD&D. [JG 190]. - Front cover (with Bill Hadley); interior art (with P. Jaquays).[8]
  • Kraft, R. (1980). Portals of Torsh. AD&D. [JG 260]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with Brian Wagner, David Allen, Robert Bledsaw, Jr., and Carol Lind).
  • Hinnen, B. (1980). Spies of Lightelf. D&D. [JG 270]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Jaquays, P. (1980). Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches. D&D. [JG 300]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Bledsaw, B.; Adams, Gary (1980). Modron. D&D (5th printing, 2nd ed.). [JG 34]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art (with Pixie Bledsaw, E. L. Perry, and K. Simpson)
  • Mayeau, M. E. (1980). The Dragon Crown. D&D (2nd printing, 1st ed.). [JG 76]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Blake, R. J. (1980). Of Skulls and Scrapfaggot Green. D&D (4th printing, 2nd ed.). [JG 80]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Kraft, R. (1981). Portals of Irontooth. AD&D. [JG 560]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with K. Simpson, Erin McKee, A. Arocho and E. L. Perry)
  • Mattson, John (1981). House on Hangman's Hill. AD&D. [JG 670]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Front cover; interior art (with E. McKee, E. L. Perry and K. Simpson)
  • Kraft, R. (1981). Portals of Twilight. AD&D. [JG 770]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with E. McKee, R. Houser, K. Simpson, Paul W. Vinton and the Sorceror's Guild)

RuneQuest

  • Kraft, R. (1979). Broken Tree Inn. RuneQuest. [JG 107]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with P. Jaquays and A. Arocho)
  • Nevins, P.; Faust, B. (1980). City of Lei Tabor. RuneQuest. [JG 310]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Front cover; interior art (with A. Arocho and B. Faust)
  • Kraft, R. (1980). Duck Pond. RuneQuest. [JG 380]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Front cover

Traveller

  • Nevins, P.; Faust, B. (1979). Dra'k'ne Station. Traveller. [JG 105]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Front cover; interior art (with P. Jaquays)
  • Sering, Dave (1980). Tancred. Traveller. [JG 330]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with A. Arocho and Peter Jenkins)
  • Harm, Ray; Reagan, M. D.; Hauffe, Dan (1980). Darthanon Queen. Traveller. [JG 340]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Interior art (with P. Jenkins)

Universal Fantasy

  • Wilson, Charles M. (1981). Masters of Mind. [JG 690]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with K. Simpson and E. L. Perry)
  • Mortimer, Edward R. G.; Mortimer, Diane; Mortimer, John (1982). Prey of Darkness. [JG 840]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Front cover; interior art (with R. Houser, P. Jaquays and J. Mortimer)
  • Hinnen, B. (1982). Shield Maidens of Sea Rune. [JG 1010]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help) - Interior art (with K. Simpson, J. Mortimer and P. W. Vinton)
  • Hinnen, B.; Hauffe, D. (1982). Pirates of Hagrost. [JG 1030]. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help) - Back cover

Judges Guild Journal

  • Anshell, Charles; Gooding, Penny, eds. (August–September 1979). "Judges Guild Journal" (16). Decatur, IL: Judges Guild. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 103]
  • Anshell, C.; Gooding, P., eds. (October–November 1979). "Judges Guild Journal" (17). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 110] - Front cover, interior art.
  • Anshell, C.; Gooding, P., eds. (December 1979 – January 1980). "Judges Guild Journal" (18). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 121] - Interior art
  • Anshell, C.; Gooding, P., eds. (February–March 1980). "Judges Guild Journal" (19). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 160] - Front cover, interior art
  • Anshell, C.; Bledsaw, Bob, eds. (April–May 1980). "Judges Guild Journal" (20). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 200] - Interior art

Dungeoneer Journal

  • Anshell, C.; Reagan, Michael D., eds. (October–November 1980). "Dungeoneer Journal" (23). Decatur, IL: Judges Guild. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 390] - Interior art.
  • Anshell, C.; Reagan, M. D., eds. (December 1980 – January 1981). "Dungeoneer Journal" (24). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 450] - Front cover, interior art
  • Anshell, C.; Reagan, M. D., eds. (February–March 1981). "Dungeoneer Journal" (25). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 470] - Front cover, interior art

Pegasus

  • Reagan, M. D.; Anshell, C., eds. (June–July 1981). "Pegasus" (2). Decatur, IL: Judges Guild. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 610] - Interior art
  • Reagan, M. D.; Anshell, C., eds. (August–September 1981). "Pegasus" (3). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 620] - Interior art
  • Vinton, Paul W.; Mortimer, Edward R. G., eds. (February–March 1982). "Pegasus" (6). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 870] - Interior art
  • Homer, Mark S., ed. (December 1982 – January 1983). "Pegasus" (11). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 1190] - Interior art
  • Maddin, Mike, ed. (February–March 1983). "Pegasus" (12). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) [JG 1210] - Interior art

FASA

TSR

Palladium role-playing games

References

  1. ^ "Likewise, though I am of Polish descent, I am third generation American and can speak virtually none of the Polish language and know little about "traditional" Polish customs." Kevin Siembieda, Rifts Conversion Book, 1991.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
  3. ^ "Palladium Books Personalities: In-House Staff". Westland, MI: Palladium Books. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ^ Houghton, Z. (July 13, 2009). "Mega-Interview with Kevin Siembieda". RPG Blog II. Mountain View, CA: Google / Blogger. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  5. ^ "Judges Guild Booty List". The Acaeum. Chicago, IL: HostForWeb. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  6. ^ "RRT Kickstarter".
  7. ^ "RRT Kickstarter is a Disaster".
  8. ^ Fawcett, W. (December 1980). Jacquet, J (ed.). "The Dragon's Augury: Here Comes the Judges Guild". Dragon (44). Lake Geneva, WI: TSR: 75. ISSN 0279-6848. The art by Kevin Siembieda is excellent and adds to the text in several places
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