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Innovative worker-placement game features push-your-luck dice rolling mayhem in the Sixth World

(SEATTLE – May 23, 2018) The magic and high technology of the Sixth World are now open to tabletop gamers with today’s launch of “Shadowrun: Sprawl Ops” exclusively on Kickstarter through June 19.

The innovative gameplay of “Shadowrun: Sprawl Ops” combines worker-placement mechanics with push-your-luck dice rolling for three to four players, evoking the mayhem and split-second decisions of the internationally-loved Shadowrun setting.

“Shadowrun: Sprawl Ops” was created by game designer and Shadowrun author Dylan Birtolo; Lynnvander Studios, creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Board Game”; and Catalyst Game Labs, makers of the Shadowrun role-playing game.

“I’ve been a fan of Shadowrun for as long as I can remember and creating a board game for such a compelling universe is a dream come true,” said Birtolo. “I’m excited to help introduce this world to new fans and give them a taste of this one-of-a-kind cyberpunk universe.”

Full details of the rules and mechanics, along with gameplay videos, are available on the Kickstarter page. Backer rewards for various levels of support include a 5-6 player expansion pack and a cooperative play expansion pack. Stretch goals include additional gameplay cards, dice, and a foil game board, with more to come.

The designers of “Shadowrun: Sprawl Ops” will be live tonight, Wednesday, May 23 at 7 p.m. EST, on the official Kickstarter page to introduce the campaign and provide details for prospective backers.

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. Catalyst Game Labs is an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC, which specializes in electronic publishing of professional fiction.

Dylan Birtolo is a game designer, writer, and professional sword-swinger. He’s one of the designers for Dragonfire and the developer for both Shadowrun Sprawl Ops and Henchman the Game. On the writing side, he’s written everything from novels to short stories for game worlds such as Shadowrun, BattleTech, Exalted, Legend of the Five Rings, and Pathfinder. He trains with the Seattle Knights, an acting troop that focuses on stage combat, and has performed in live shows, videos, and movies.

If you are the type of person who likes Shadowrun—and we kind of assume you are, what with you reading this and all—you should watch this space in the next day or two for some exciting news. Even if you’re busy on some kind of complicated operation deep in the sprawl, you might want to make time to check this out!

We’ve heard that some players have had trouble finding the Shadowrun, Fifth Edition core book recently, and we’re happy to announce that the drought should be over. The latest printing of SR5 is appearing in stores all over the place, and you have four new covers to choose from. What do those covers look like? I’m so happy you asked. Here they are!

Some new errata has been included in this book–here’s a link to the changes. And if you like the new covers, we have word that some new wallpapers might be in the works–stay tuned!

But that’s not all the news! A wild new adventure called Toxic Alleys has been released electronically (Catalyst shop, DriveThruRPG), and it has plenty of challenges for all sorts of shadowrunner teams. Here’s a little plot info for you:

IT’S GOING DOWN

In any given sprawl, there are a few million people who hate a few million other people in an endless cycle of grudges and hostility. What keeps the peace is that most of the people lack the power to do anything about their anger, so a status quo of simmering tension is maintained. Problem is, if some of the angry parties got their hands on enough power of any kind, those simmering tensions would explode. DeeCee, the UCAS capital, is full of all kinds of power, and enough factions are grabbing for it that the prospect of open fighting or worse is growing.

This is especially worrisome since some of the factions have nothing on their mind other than utter destruction. The law firm of Stark, Theissen, and Van Der Mar is making too much money from the status quo to want it to change, and they’re about to discover that shadowrunners might be the only thing that can stop the advancing secret plots from plunging the sprawl into complete disaster.

Toxic Alleys is a complete adventure for use with Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. While it draws on existing plot lines, it stands on its own and can be enjoyed by any team of runners looking for a challenge.

So there you go! Have fun! Play Shadowrun!

It’s time to launch a new Shadows in Focus series of ebooks, giving a deep look at an area that has not gotten much coverage before in the Sixth World. This time, we’re looking at Morocco, and the nation book is on sale now (Catalyst shop, DriveThruRPG). More books–city books on Casablanca-Rabat and Tangier, adventures, and fiction–will be following! But let’s look at what’s in this one first:

A Dream of Shadows

What do you want from a nation you’re going to run in? How about a place with access to cutting-edge technology while also retaining a firm footing in old traditions? How about a population focused on cutting deals and making things happen? How about a system of government that can be appallingly harsh but also, when they can be made to see the benefits, rather forgiving? And how about access to a dragon’s hoard worth of goods flowing into and out of the nation daily?

If all this sounds like the shadowrunning haven of your dreams, then you want to run in Morocco. Shadows in Focus: Morocco provides an overview of this nation, with details on how to get in, how to get out, where to go, who to meet, and what to do. It also details some of the ways you might get into trouble and offers some hints on getting out of it.

With plenty of tips for running games in this country as well as rules for building Morocco-based characters, Shadows in Focus: Morocco adds a new element to Shadowrun, Fifth Edition games. The setting information can also be used in Shadowrun: Anarchy games.