Catalyst Game Labs has released some news that should please fans of Battletech, Shadowrun, and the Valiant RPG. The publisher has released the street dates for four of their upcoming sourcebooks. So if you are the kind of gamer who likes to be at your local game shop the day of release, this news is for you. Catalyst Game Labs will be releasing the first three of these products on May 25th, and you can read the details can be found below.
First up we have the BattleTech Combat Manual: Mercenaries, which retails at $34.99.
“Some soldiers fight for king and country, some for honor and glory, others for liberty or loved ones. We’ll fight for that too, whatever your cause, as long as the check clears.
For over forty centuries, mercenaries have plied their trade and been instrumental in toppling empires or holding the tides of war at bay. And as mankind expanded to the stars, soldiers of fortune rose to new heights of power. Business is booming, yet along with those riches comes a dangerous life and the scorn of many who see only filthy lucre-warriors. It’s a dangerous life, but as long as you keep your ’Mech intact and your bottom line balanced, the universe is yours!
BattleTech Combat Manual: Mercenaries contains information on the soldier-for-hire trade and their place in the Inner Sphere. This manual takes a look at some of the most renowned mercenaries of the 31st century, 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 mercenary command on the tabletop or create your own.”
Next, up we have Shadowrun: Market Panic which comes in at a reasonable $44.99.
“Chaos is horrible for business—unless your business is shadowrunning. The Big Ten megacorporations of the Sixth World are reeling, with scandals, disasters, and crippling attacks coming at them from all angles. NeoNET is scrambling to maintain AAA status, Ares is trying not to let the secret rot at the heart of the corp become public, while Aztechnology, fresh from taking on a dragon in Amazonia, is looking at a facedown with another great dragon. And that’s not all—every corp is a pile of schemes, turmoil, upheaval, and teetering chaos, because that’s how they operate.
Market Panic runs down the state of the Big Ten for Shadowrun, providing the background, story developments, and plot hooks players and gamemasters need to add excitement, intrigue, and Sixth World flavor to their adventures and campaigns. If you’re going to run for or against the big megacorporations—and that includes all shadowrunners—this is critical information to have so you know what you might get thrown into, who you’re going up against, and how you might obtain enough intel to survive. .”
Shadowrun: Undershadows, A Novel, is a novel… as you probably guess from the title. Which makes it stand out from the other offerings on the list. It can be yours for only $12.99.
“Vaquita has had a rough go of it lately. She was doing all right, building a career as a London-based rigger, when something went wrong inside her head. Suddenly the mental space that used to be hers alone was shared as a foreign personality carved out a section of brain for itself. It wasn’t exactly madness, but it sure felt like it.
It also made for some tough going for a time, and several lost jobs, but lately Vaquita’s gotten her swagger back. Her life may be a little trickier than the average runner’s, but she’s also got some skills she didn’t have before, not to mention new ways of bringing in the danger. And she has the perfect testing ground for her new abilities—the hulking, abandoned Angel Towers Arcology. Filled with squatters, gangs, vicious critters, and certain areas people only talk about in whispers, Angel Towers has enough danger and hidden caches of tech to keep a dozen teams of shadowrunners busy. And with her small, new team, Vaquita’s going to use it to not only rebuild her rep, but take it to the next level.
But the arcology’s secrets and dangers go far deeper than Vaquita realizes, and she’ll have to deal with the perils at every turn—as well as the people who put them there.”
This last one, Valiant Universe RPG: Transcendent’s Edge, will be hitting the streets on June 8th for $39.99
“In the depths of the Earth, something is hidden. Nurtured. Growing. And when it’s unleashed, will anyone be able to stop it?!
Hidden beneath Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary is a massive, secret Project Rising Spirit facility. Powered by unknown energies, it can morph and transform itself at will to keep horrific villains, creatures, and alien entities trapped within, while allowing endless experimentation. But rumors of the facility’s existence and its most prized possession have leaked, and the Valiant Universe’s most powerful organizations—the Harbinger Foundation, the Sect, the Abettors, and many more—are taking an interest. And the world may never be the same…
Transcendent’s Edge is a campaign book for the Valiant Universe RPG that’ll unleash a new set of adventures on any gaming table!”
Catalyst Game Labs is known for their high-quality products, and we can imagine that these releases will continue that tradition. For more news about your favorite tabletop-related news be sure to keep an eye on The Nerd Stash.
