Monthly Archives: November 2013

Lone Wolf To Release Shadowrun, Fifth Edition Data Package for Hero Lab

Catalyst Game Labs is pleased to announce that Lone Wolf Development will release Shadowrun, Fifth Edition data package files for Hero Lab in the first quarter of 2014.

“We’ve gotten off to a fantastic start with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition,” said Randall N. Bills, Managing Developer of Catalyst Game Labs. “We’re starting to get out a series of Runner Resources—such as the Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen and Gear and Spell decks—in support of Shadowrun 5 to make the game easier to use than ever. But for digital space nothing beats Hero Lab and its ability to easily customize and upgrade your character during game play…we can’t wait for this brilliant support to be available. “

Released almost a decade ago, the ENnie award-winning Hero Lab includes an easy-to-use, intuitive interface atop a versatile database engine. Data packages for more than a dozen different role-playing games from a wide range of publishers are already available. Users can add their own custom content to existing games or even create data files for entirely new game systems. The combination of powerful, user-friendly software and the diverse RPGs it supports make Hero Lab one of the most successful character management tools ever released.

“We’re thrilled to be adding support for Shadowrun, Fifth Edition to Hero Lab” said Rob Bowes, President of Lone Wolf Development. “We’re very happy to continue our relationship with Catalyst and bring the newest edition of Shadowrun to the world of digital tools. As one of our most popular game systems, we’re proud to give new and experienced Shadowrun players and GMs a way to quickly and accurately create characters for use in their games.”

About Catalyst Game Labs
Catalyst Game Labs is dedicated to producing high quality games and fiction that mesh sophisticated game mechanics with dynamic universes-all presented in a form that allows beginning players and long-time veterans to easily jump into our games and fiction readers to enjoy our stories even if they don’t know the games.

Catalyst Game Labs is an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC, which specializes in electronic publishing of professional fiction. This allows Catalyst to participate in a synergy that melds printed gaming material and fiction with all the benefits of electronic interfaces and online communities, creating a whole-package experience for any type of player or reader. Find Catalyst Game Labs online at www.catalystgamelabs.com.

About Lone Wolf Development
Lone Wolf Development specializes in creating innovative digital tools for the tabletop gaming industry, allowing players to streamline game preparation, eliminate errors, and spend more time playing the games they love. With Realm Works, the company has created an entirely new vehicle for RPG publishers to distribute their material to fans. With an ever-growing suite of tools, including the award-winning Army Builder® and Hero Lab® products, Lone Wolf’s digital tools are the industry standard and are in regular use by tens of thousands of gamers, from miniatures games to role-playing games. Find out more about Lone Wolf Development at www.wolflair.com.

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November Street Dates

The following products have a Street Date of NOVEMBER 20TH, 2013:

CAT27400_SplinteredState_Cover_190wide
Splintered State ($19.99)
Federal Agent Seth Dietrich has a secret. Actually, multiple secrets. One of them made him go underground, hiding from the people desperate to learn just how much he knows. And the other is keeping him from surfacing, because he’s found he can’t even trust himself.

If Dietrich were in his right mind, he’d cover his tracks like a pro, and no one would find him. Especially not shadowrunners getting their feel for life on the streets. But he’s not in his right mind, which means a group of shadowrunners finds themselves in possession of some very valuable information—information the highest powers in Seattle want for themselves. What started as a simple job turns into a scramble for their lives, a scramble that could become profitable if the runners play their cards right.

Splintered State is an introductory adventure for Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. Whether you have played previous Shadowrun editions or are new to the setting, this adventure helps players and gamemasters learn the new rules while wrapping themselves in the intrigue, excitement, and danger of running in Seattle.

Shadowrun, Fifth Edition Core Rulebook
Shadowrun, Fifth Edition ($59.99)
There are cracks in the world. They’re slender, dark, and often cold, but they are the only things that keep you hidden. Keep you alive. They are the shadows of the world, and they are where you live.

You are a shadowrunner, thriving in the margins, doing the jobs no one else can. You have no office, no permanent home, no background to check. You are whatever you make yourself. Will you seek justice? Sow seeds of chaos? Sell out to the highest bidder? It’s up to you, but this much is certain—if you do nothing, the streets will eat you alive.

You can survive—even flourish—as long as you do what it takes. Sacrifice part of your soul for bleeding-edge gear. Push the limits of your will learning new and dangerous magic. Wire yourself into the Matrix, making your mind one with screaming streams of data. It’ll cost you something—everything does—but you can make it worth the price.

Shadowrun, Fifth Edition is the newest version of one of the most popular and successful role-playing worlds of all time—a fusion of man, magic and machine in a dystopian near-future. With rules for character creation, magic, combat, Matrix hacking, rigging, and more, you have everything you need to face the challenges of the Sixth World.

NOTE: Shadowrun, Fifth Edition is once again available.

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Shadowrun GM Screen and Other Runner Resources Preorders Available

Good news, Shadowrun players, especially those of you playing Fifth Edition! We have all sorts of new things available now to make playing with the new rules faster, easier, and altogether more fun, and there are a number of ways for you to get a hold of them. Take a look at the wealth of options below, and make sure you check out the free wallpapers we just put out. What free wallpapers? Read on!

Shadowrun, Fifth Edition GM Screen - Dante's Inferno

Every shadowrunner knows the value of good information. The right fact, the perfect piece of data, can be the difference between success and failure on a run, between life and death. And in the right hands, information can be more than valuable—it can be powerful.

The Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen provides a collection of useful tables from Shadowrun, Fifth Edition for ease of reference in game play. With range tables, action lists, combat modifiers, social modifiers, and more, this is a critical game aid to make your Shadowrun games faster and more fun. And to provide that all-important secrecy so that the players don’t know what you’re up to.

This screen is for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition.

Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen (Pre-order From BattleShop)

You can download a zip file of a plethora of different sizes of wallpapers:

Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen Wallpapers (Free From BattleShop)

Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen Wallpapers (Free From DriveThruRPG)

Or you can find the wallpapers here.

(Photo of the Shadowrun Gamemaster Screen, with its packaging wrap.)

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Shadowrun Gear Cards, Series 1

Shadowrun5GearCards
The right gun, the right vehicle, or the right piece of equipment can be the difference between life and death. Shadowrun Gear Cards provides quick reference to 54 different pieces of gear. Containing game stats and illustrations of guns, vehicles, drones, and more, these cards will help keep the game moving and make sure characters have what they need to come out on top.

Shadowrun Gear Cards PDF (Buy From BattleShop)

Shadowrun Gear Cards Print Preorder & PDF Combo (Buy From BattleShop)

Shadowrun Gear Cards PDF and/or POD (Buy From DriveThruRPG)

Shadowrun Spell Cards, Series 1

Shadowrun5SpellCards
Everyone in the Sixth World wants to geek the mage first. Your job is to make sure that won’t happen by being faster, deadlier, and more powerful than they are. Shadowrun Spell Cards make spell casting faster and easier, with easy-to-reference game statistics for 54 different spells. Grab a pack and use it to call down a whole hellstorm of mana when you need it most!

Shadowrun Spell Cards PDF (Buy From BattleShop)

Shadowrun Spell Cards Print Preorder & PDF Combo (Buy From BattleShop)

Shadowrun Spell Cards PDF (Buy From DriveThruRPG)

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Crossfire: Decking With Style

Shadowrun 5 Crossfire Logo

In the Shadowrun: Crossfire adventure deck-building game, the Decker is all about data. We hack into terminals to bypass security and search the Matrix for that crucial piece of intel. Unlike a Street Samurai and their ability to protect your back in a fight, the Mage with their arcane wisdom, and the Face who seems to always have “a guy” for anything, I’m the true master of information and technology. You want the latest tune before it’s released? I’m your man! I’m also the guy to get you through the door, disarm the security systems, and retrieve the megacorps’ most prized information.

The Decker’s role color is green and the green cards are all about fun combos. Get the right set of cards in hand and you can do some crazy damage. Some of those combos are easy and basic, such as Icon Grab.

Icon Grap
Play Icon Grab with another Hacking card and you get 2 damage out of the card instead of one. Plus that second damage gives you a choice of colors, which can be critical for knocking out pesky obstacles in your way.

Retrieval Agent
The next card, Retrieval Agent, is also fun to combo with.

Using the Retrieval Agent card allows you to bring back Hacking cards you used in previous turns. Remember that cards played this turn don’t go into the discard until later, barring effects that have discard a card as part of their cost, such as Pair Programming.

Pair Programming
Pair Programming lets you play with the other runner’s discards. And to combo it with Retrieval Agent, discard a Hacking card to use Pair Programming on an expensive card, and then play Retrieval Agent to put the card you discarded back into your hand.

What was that? You want to play with your own discard pile? For that we have Jacked In.

Jacked In
When you play Jacked In, it just does its damage. But once it’s in your discard, you can get it back by discarding another card from your hand. This is a great way to upgrade the damage from a basic card, or a good option if you only have a red card in hand and you need to do additional green damage. Because Jacked In can provide a constant source of green damage, it’s very popular with non-Deckers that want to interact with the Matrix. Don’t expect to use Jacked In more than once a turn, however, because after you play it you’ll have to wait until the end of your turn for it to be in the discard.

Next we have Backdoor.

Backdoor
Played normally, it does a hefty 2G damage. But play it on another runner’s turn and you get the assist ability instead. Played that way, you can cancel the ability text on any obstacle and deal G damage. It’s perfect for neutralizing obstacles that can heal or that place restrictions on your team.

Finally we have my favorite Hacking card—Hack the World.

Hack The World
You get to reach into the Black Market and play something for free! On top of that, you get 2GG damage as well. The card gives you the ultimate flexibility since you can usually get exactly the card you need for any given situation.

Well, we’re back. Look’s like no one else has shown up yet, so I think it’s time to dig into some ramen!

-Conan E. Chamberlain

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