As always, Catalyst Game Labs will be at Gen Con 2016! We’ve got a bevy of great gaming and games to check out at booth 929.

THE SPINE MOSAIC IS COMPLETE!



After many years, the spine mosaic begun with the publication of Total Warfare will be complete with the final rulebook publication in Campaign Operations. A perfect rulebook-endcap to one of the most audacious rulebook series ever!

ENCOUNTERS: SHADOWRUN

“Encounters: Shadowrun is an interesting twist on a press-your-luck dice game. There’s still luck, but there’s also a bit more strategy and a good helping of take-that and messing with your opponents..” – Jonathan H. Liu, GeekDad

If you’ve not played Encounters: Shadowrun, stop on by to give it a try!

Encounters: Shadowrun is a 1-8 player fast-paced, pushed-your-luck dice and card game. Players take the role of Mr. Johnson, arranging the megacorps’ dirty work and adding new shadowrunners to their already-assembled teams. They send their teams into the shadows of the mean sprawl streets of the Sixth World, collecting though paydata to beat down their rivals. Grab some dice, make a team, and show ’em who’s the boss.

VIKINGS

Purchase a copy of our Vikings boardgame and receive a pack of 6, unique Personal Quests!



Vikings: The Board Game is a strategy game of exploration and raiding for 2-5 players based upon the hit History Channel series that allows players to embrace their inner Viking. Each winter players scheme to acquire appropriate resources while convincing heroes such as Ragnar Lothbrok, Lagertha, Rollo and Floki to support them as they put their longships in the water to raid each summer. Complete quests, plunder spoils and claim foreign resources across modular tiles as you forge your path to victory. It’s a different game each time you play!

VALIANT UNIVERSE DECKBUILDING GAME



Our newest deck builder is being flown in for the show…stop on by and play this unique deckbulder with moving cards and miniatures…includes the promo Rai figure!



In Valiant Universe: The Deck-Building Game you command an organization attempting to seize the secret Alcatraz base. Purchase cards to craft a unique deck, and battle your way through the ever-changing Facility grid that moves during play to gain access to a card or damage another player. Maneuver your superhero miniatures to battle it out with other superheroes for ultimate control!

WRATH OF DRAGONS

Each purchase of Wrath of Dragons will include a Copper Dragon promo, but only while supplies last!

In Wrath of Dragons, each player will assume the role of a dragon that, over the course of many centuries, flies into different regions of the Old World to lay waste to settlements, scorch fields, snatch livestock, take gold, and capture nobles. After 6 centuries have passed, the devastation, destruction, and fear that the dragons have caused is scored, and the dragon that earns the most Victory Points is the winner!

THE DUKEDOM



“…this is one of the best abstract strategy games I have ever played.” -Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower

We’ve brought it back again! Come play a larger-than-life version of The Duke with 18 inch tiles on a 10 foot x 10 foot board! Or sit down at one of several The Duke tables and give this fantastic tile-laying game a full try.

THE GAMING HALL



The Catalyst Demo Team will be running an avalanche of events for our awesome players. For all of your roleplaying and Crossfire action, visit ICC Room 122-124 (it’s across the hallway from Hall C, catty-corner to the North West), while all your miniatures/other TableTop action can be found in Hall B .

We will have tons of Shadowrun Missions with Fifth Edition goodness, Cosmic Patrol for rockets, rayguns and robots, become a superhero and battle deadly villains in the Valiant Universe RPG, both BattleTech: Alpha Strike and BattleTech: Total Warfare for all your BattleMech destruction. We will also be running a wide range of Shadowrun: Crossfire games, as well as a The Duke tournament.

And we’ve some additional games focused on specific games and communities. Shadowrun GM Bootcamp-Basic will provide a GM the tools and advice they need to start running Shadowrun; attend the Advanced Bootcamp to gain insight into solving problem areas of GMing Shadowrun.

CATALYST BOARD GAME ZONE

This year we have the Catalyst Board Game Zone in the miniatures area of Hall B; want to try one of our boardgames, stop on by! More fun if you bring a group of friends with you. We also have some additional gaming:

Challenge the Duke!

Play the Duke of Catalyst Game Labs: Loren Coleman! He will play against all opponents at the same time in either The Duke or Jarl!

Duke Tournament

Levy! Maneuver! Capture! Challenge your rival Dukes for in our tournament to determine who stands supreme.

Wrath of Dragons Tournament

Take on the mantle of a most powerful dragon. Awaken & lay waste to settlements & cities. Burn crops! Consume flocks! Hoard treasure! Pass into legend as the greatest dragon of any age!

Please peruse the Gen Con Event listings: www.gencon.com.

GAME DESIGNS AND ART PORTFOLIO REVIEWS

Randall N. Bills, Catalyst’s Managing Developer, will be in-booth for reviewing game designs from 2PM to 5PM Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Brent Evans, the Catalyst Art Director, will be in-booth specifically for review of art portfolios Thursday through Saturday, 10AM to Noon and 2PM to 4PM.

NEW BOOKS/GAMES

As usual, a good chunk of the Gen Con experience is diving into the plethora of new games released just for the show. Below is what we hope to have for our various communities.

(As always, a few caveats: A. We are trying to get all of these items to the show, but there’s a chance some might not make it: simply the luck of the draw when trying to coordinate this many items through five printers from three different countries around the world; B: Some of these items are convention exclusives; C. Non-exclusive items won’t be available in-stores until a later time; once we have Street Dates for any items available to stores we’ll post updates with that data.)

In no particular order, the following are brand new to the show (or only recently released):

Shadowrun Court of Shadows



You have seen it. You have felt it. The dream where you are falling, falling, and you cannot see the ground but you know it is there waiting. You may try to brace yourself, you may try to force yourself awake—you do anything to avoid the impact that keeps rushing toward you.

The Seelie Court is the realm of the hidden, the rumored, and the unknown. Fairies, spirits, and enchanted creatures mingle there, building alliances, plotting, scheming, toying with the realm of humans—and with each other. The Court has long held a distant attachment to the material plane, in uencing it like a dream influences our waking hours. But now a new connection has emerged, allowing humans to in ltrate the courts and in uence its proceedings. At a time when magical power is ever in the rise, the mix of human and fae could set both worlds into a calamitous plunge, and no one will want to be awake when they hit bottom.

Court of Shadows is an alternate setting for Shadowrun, Fifth Edition, emphasizing the magic and intrigue of the Seelie Court. With full setting, character, and plot details, as well as information on using SR5 characters in the Seelie Court, this book presents all-new ways to play Shadowrun and to live in the mystical intrigue of the planes of fairy, capturing the magic of the dream world—and seeing if they can prevent its fall.

Development Blog: We’ve been running a series of Tumblr posts on the development of this book.

Shadowrun: Anarchy Prototype



Shadowrun. The Sixth World. Orks in pinstripe suits with uzis; mohawked dwarves jacked into vehicles racing through megasprawls at breakneck speed; humans casting fireballs at corporate-trained paracritters; elves hacking the Matrix for a datasteal of the latest tech or working to topple an upstart corp. It’s where man meets magic and machine.

The Shadowrun: Anarchy Prototype previews 48 pages of a new way to get into the best cyberpunk/ urban fantasy role-playing action around. Based upon the narrative-based and easy-tolearn Cue System, the Anarchy Prototype offers an advanced look at the core rules, a handful of characters and NPCs, and scenarios from the upcoming full version of Shadowrun: Anarchy. Jump into the prototype and get ready for a new way to harness Sixth World action!

Gen Con Only: This print booklet will currently only be available at Gen Con.

Seattle Sprawl Box Set



It’s the shadowrunning capital of the world for a reason. Seattle offers an unparalleled intersection of corporate, political, and criminal powers. This is where icons are made—like the Ancients, the Halloweeners, the Finnigan Crime Family, the Skraacha, Dante’s Inferno, Renraku Arcology, the Big Rhino, and the Alabaster Maiden. And this is where runners like Dodger, Sally Tsung, Dirk Montgomery, Jake Armitage, Twist, Kellan Colt, and James Kincaid made their names, sometimes made their fortunes, and occasionally experienced horrible losses. This is where you go to test your mettle. This is how you show you’re at the top of the heap.

A sprawl this big can’t be contained in a single book, so we made a box. Inside you’ll find:

Emerald Shadows , a book outlining the geography of the sprawl and the notable powers and locations in each district;

, a book outlining the geography of the sprawl and the notable powers and locations in each district; Ruling the Queen City , a deeper examination of the power and history of Seattle, including a look at the people who rule over the city—and the people who control them;

, a deeper examination of the power and history of Seattle, including a look at the people who rule over the city—and the people who control them; Tangled Threads , holding plot hooks and adventures to help launch or continue your Seattle-based game;

, holding plot hooks and adventures to help launch or continue your Seattle-based game; Character cards, fully statted out cards of Seattle denizens that can be used as easy-reference NPCs of even pre-generated PCs;

Modular map cards, a deck of cards showing maps of different types of rooms that can be combined into a never-ender variety of buildings;

Gang reference card, providing a quick listing of gangs of the sprawl, their colors, and where they operate;

And a poster-sized map of Seattle like Shadowrun has never seen before.

All this will bring the sprawl to life while making it easier for players and gamemasters to dive into the shadowy depths that make Seattle legendary—and see if they can keep their head above water.

Shadowrun Sixth World Tarot



Look Closer!

When you look at this tarot deck, what do you see? You can’t miss the 78 cards with gorgeous, original art by Echo Chernik, that adapt tarot arcana to Shadowrun’s Sixth World. But look closer. Examine the details. Explore connections. Do you see them? Are you catching everything the cards have to tell you?

Are you seeing enough?

The Sixth World Tarot is a complete deck of Shadowrun-themed tarot cards, useful as game props, plot hooks, or any other purpose tarot cards are for!

Gen Con Only: This is a Gen Con edition; a slightly different edition will be available outside Gen Con at a later time.

Drawing Destiny: A Sixth World Tarot Anthology



The Awakened Tarot, a mystical divination deck of cards, has appeared in the Sixth World. It works its will on anyone who finds one of its magical cards, from runners surviving on the street to corp executives battling in the boardroom. And not just people’s lives will be changed, for the Awakened Tarot is more than just a formidable magic item, it has an agenda all its own, and will use those it comes in contact with to set its plans in motion…

Drawing Destiny is the latest original Shadowrun anthology, feature twenty-three original stories about this brand-new artifact introduced into the game universe. Featuring stories from Michael A. Stackpole, Jennifer Brozek, Chris A. Jackson, Lucy A. Snyder, Aaron Rosenberg, R.L. King, Russel Zimmerman, Josh Vogt, and Jason M. Hardy, and fourteen others, these stories reveal how the Awakened Tarot will impact the Sixth World for better, and sometimes, for much worse…

Gen Con Only: This print book will currently only be available at Gen Con.

Development Blog: We’ve been running a series of Tumblr posts on the development of this book, including a look at more than a dozen cards from the Sixth World Tarot featuring art from the amazing Echo Chernik.

Shadowrun Crossfire: Las Vegas Pack



Bright lights cast the deepest shadows, and nowhere are the lights brighter than the streets of Las Vegas. Wanna run there? Great. You’re going to need a boost, because Vegas will throw obstacles at you that you’ll be happy you’ll never see anyplace else.

The special Las Vegas Pack for Shadowrun: Crossfire presents a brand-new way to hit the shadows. With eight specially designed obstacles, a new mission, and upgrade stickers to be used specifically as part of the Vegas Mission, the pack gives a fun way to take your Crossfire game to a new locale—and see if you can walk away from what Vegas will throw at you.

Gen Con Only: This print pack will currently only be available at Gen Con.

BattleTech Campaign Operations



Forge your forces and prepare to fight any battle across the Inner Sphere! Campaign Operations completes the core rulebook series begun in Total Warfare. While previous rulebooks detailed game play at various levels—from a single MechWarrior, to a BattleMech company, to entire armies—this final volume focuses on the forces a player will build and run through any level of play.

Campaign Operations contains rules for creating and running forces, whether a down-on-their-luck mercenary battalion, or a fully-supplied House regiment. The volume also contains complete rules for devising solar systems, allowing players to recreate existing star systems or craft all-new worlds to challenge each other. The final sections of the book bring several options to the table for campaign play. Building off of previous sections in Total Warfare and Strategic Operations, the Narrative Campaign, Map-Based Campaign and Chaos Campaign rules allow players to build exciting, fun campaigns of almost any stripe for their newly-minted forces!

Combat Manual: Kurita



Some soldiers fight for money, some to spread their version of liberty, still others for a sense of adventure. For the men and women of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery there is only one reason for service: the honor of the Dragon.

From the moment Shiro Kurita raised the Dragon’s banner, the soldiers of House Kurita have remained dedicated to the warrior’s path above all others. For seven centuries they have spread fear and respect in equal measure, expanding and protecting the Dragon with loyalty and honor tempered by the ancient code of bushido and forged in battles on a hundred worlds.

BattleTech Combat Manual: Kurita contains information on these warriors. This manual examines the combat commands of the Draconis Combine, detailing their histories, tactics, unit crests, paint schemes, and notable personnel. This Alpha Strike expansion includes special rules for unique character abilities, faction-specific rules, force-building, and a mini-Technical Readout—everything you need to field your favorite Draconis Combine unit on the tabletop, or create your own.

BattleTech Alpha Strike: Mercenaries Cards



For Love of Money!

Alpha Strike is a new, fast-playing form of the BattleTech game of armored combat. Alpha Strike Mercenaries Cards includes 36 double-sided cards with all the game stats players need to instantly take to the battlefield. The cards reflect the Units listed in a wide variety of eras. Full-color and laminated for dry-erase use, you just need miniatures and you’ll be playing BattleTech like never before!

Gen Con Only: This print deck will currently only be available at Gen Con.

BattleTech Alpha Strike: Kurita Cards



For Love of Honor!

Alpha Strike is a new, fast-playing form of the BattleTech game of armored combat. Alpha Strike Kurita Cards includes 36 double-sided cards with all the game stats players need to instantly take to the battlefield. The cards reflect the Units listed in a wide variety of eras. Full-color and laminated for dry-erase use, you just need miniatures and you’ll be playing BattleTech like never before!

Gen Con Only: This print deck will currently only be available at Gen Con.

Betrayal of Ideals, Novel



Every member of modern Clan Society knows of the Notnamed Clan, the Clan that was erased from history for perpetrating acts of heresy against the Way of the Clans. But what truly happened to Clan Wolverine?

Long before the Clans invaded the Inner Sphere in 3049, their ancestors escaped the brutal Succession Wars by braving uncharted space and forming a new society, only to plunge back into the ravages of war once more.

The year is 2822. The Pentagon Civil War is long over, and Operation Klondike saw ilKhan Nicholas Kerensky’s twenty Clans victorious over the petty warlords who had conquered the Pentagon worlds. But with no true enemies left to fight, the nascent Clans have lost their laser-sharp focus, and began straying from the ilKhan’s vision.

Khan Sarah McEvedy, leader of the progressive Clan Wolverine, sees the dangerous path the ilKhan is steering his Clans onto, but she cannot follow them without compromising her beliefs or her honor. Unsure whom to trust among the scheming Clans, she must navigate the political waters of the Grand Council with caution and resolve, or suffer the deadly consequences. As her enemies seek to engineer her Clan into the ultimate scapegoat, Khan McEvedy must do everything she can to ensure her Clan survives, or they will all be hunted down and destroyed.

Written by BattleTech veteran Blaine Lee Pardoe, Betrayal of Ideals tells the complete story of Clan Wolverine’s true history.

Gen Con Only: This print book will currently only be available at Gen Con.

Front Lines: BC Anthology Volume 6, Novel



Inhuman cybernetic soldiers invade a peaceful world, bringing terror and misery in the name of a new flag. A young soldier, part of the most maligned military machine in history, struggles to find meaning in his service. And the prince of a star-spanning empire discovers that not even he can protect the people he loves.

Ten stories of combat, honor, betrayal and death fill the pages of FRONT LINES: BATTLECORPS ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 6.

Savvy readers will recognize familiar names in BattleTech lore among the authors: Steven Mohan, Jr., and Blaine Lee Pardoe, who welcome newer writers such as Jason Hansa, Christopher Purnell and Craig A. Reed, Jr. These writers have shaped the direction of the BattleTech universe. In 2009, they told the stories that demonstrated the indomitable will that has carried BattleTech readers across more than 25 years of publication.

Gen Con Only: This print book will currently only be available at Gen Con.

BattleTech Poster



We’ve also got the first all-new BattleTech poster in…well…a good many years. And two for the price of one, it’s double-sided! Make sure you stop on by and grab yours!

Valiant Universe: The Deckbuilding Game

Hidden beneath Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary is a massive, hidden research installation run by the secretive organization known as project Rising Spirit. This mysterious installation, code named “the Facility,” uses unknown energies to morph and transform itself at will to keep horrid villains, dangerous creatures, alien entities, and top-secret research projects trapped within. Rumors of the Facility’s existence and its most prized possessions have leaked, and the Valiant Universe’s most powerful organizations—The Harbinger Foundation, the Renegades, GATE, and more—are taking an interest. The world may never be the same.

In Valiant Universe: The Deck-Building Game you command an organization attempting to seize the secret Alcatraz base. Purchase cards to craft a unique deck, and battle your way through the ever-changing Facility grid that moves during play to gain access to a card or damage another player. Maneuver your superhero miniatures to battle it out with other superheroes for ultimate control!

Encounters: Shadowrun

The year is 2078. The worlds’ megacorporations straddle the sprawls of the Sixth World, goliaths that intimidate even nations as they suck in souls in their drive for the almighty nuyen. Between the cracks, shadowrunners carve out a living as deniable and disposable assets that megacorps fire at each other for datasteals, personnel extractions, or even wetwork. Whether casting manabolts of magic, riding the electrons of the Matrix with just the brain, or slinging good, old-fashioned flying lead while firing at speed enhanced by the latest in bio-engineering, runners live dangerously and hope their skills are good enough to let them survive another day.

Encounters: Shadowrun is a 1-8 player fast-paced, pushed-your-luck dice and card game. Players take the role of Mr. Johnson, arranging the megacorps’ dirty work and adding new shadowrunners to their already-assembled teams. They send their teams into the shadows of the mean sprawl streets of the Sixth World, collecting though paydata to beat down their rivals. Grab some dice, make a team, and show ’em who’s the boss.

Miscellaneous



And if you think that list of books/games is awesome, we’ve got even more stuff for you to check out. Our usual new t-shirts, enamel pins, dice and more!

The following additional items are on sale in the Catalyst area:

Shadowrun Q-workshop dice

BattleTech Q-workshop dice

New BattleTech acrylic dice

BattleTech and Shadowrun patches

Old and new BattleTech lapel pins

Old and new BattleTech and Shadowrun T-shirts