Runners Unite!

Good news for you all–we’ve got a free book for you today! And it’s not just any book, it’s Rigger 4! Yes, we burned the midnight oil and more than a few brain cells to produce this fine product for you, and it is now available for download (Battleshop, DriveThru). If you need more than the title and the word “Free” to whet your appetite, here’s a summary:

We love riggers. We want them to have toys. But when we gathered the freelancers at the clubhouse (saltines are free, but bring your own beverage. And a chair), we quickly noticed that they were struggling to come up with ideas.

This puts us in a pinch. We thought we could try making our scary face at them to intimidate them into genius creativity, but we have been told in the past that our scary face looks like a mildly peeved newspaper delivery boy, so that wasn’t really going to get us anywhere. Besides, we like to offer carrots instead of sticks whenever possible. Though as we thought more about it, the whole concept of sticks seemed alluring. Maybe we could beat them into creativity!

So we set about them, making sure to work the torso and not leave any marks on their beautiful faces. After a while they started complaining that they’d really like to lie down for a while, so I broke out the sleeping bags and had them settle down on the clubhouse floor. I hoped that once they woke up, the genius would start flowing.

As you’ll see in these pages, our hopes were well and truly met—and then some. While this compilation may be slightly shorter than rigger books of past editions, we think you’ll agree that no rigger book in the history of Shadowrun has presented a series of vehicles and drones quite like this one. Only the right minds, treated the right way, could come up with the information this book contains. So it is with great pride that we present you: Rigger 4! Enjoy!

Oh, have we got some fun for you today! Intrigue, double-dealings, addictions, nefarious deeds, secret plots, dark magic, and loads of attitude–all the things we love about Shadowrun spread over three books now ready for your enjoyment!

We start with the final plot book for Shadowrun, Fourth Edition–Storm Front! Not only is this book now available for PDF purchase and print pre-order, (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG), but its street date is fast approaching–you’ll be able to get it in print on March 27! Covering the end of the Aztlan-Amazonia war, the climax of the conflict between dragons, intrigue in Denver, a political crisis in Seattle, and more, Storm Front summarizes and updates the major ongoing plots in the Sixth World, while introducing a new thread that will shake the world in the near future. Serving as a bridge between Fourth Edition and Fifth Edition, Storm Front is a wealth of plot ideas and hooks to enliven any campaign.

Here’s the full summary:

All-Shaking Thunder

It’s been a tense couple of years (or couple of decades, if we’re being accurate) in the Sixth World. Aztlan and Amazonia have been slugging it out. Great dragons have turned on each other, testing old alliances and forging new ones. Governor Kenneth Brackhaven of Seattle is facing pressure unlike ever he’s ever seen, and scandals seem on the verge of overwhelming him. In Denver, a powerful dragon and an angry elf are set to butt heads in ways that will shake up the whole city—and provide new opportunities for an old enemy. And on top of that, a new plague is spreading through the world, and the denizens of JackPoint aren’t immune to its effects.

All this tension has been building up, and in Storm Front, it breaks.S torm Front provides background and updates on these and other plotlines changing the shape of the Sixth World. The shadows are shifting, and runners need to move fast if they want to earn a paycheck—or if they want to keep from being crushed as the powers of the world slug it out. The world is changing, but some things remain the same. Power will corrupt. Money will flow to those who already have it. And shadowrunners will scramble to make a living without selling their soul.

Storm Front provides plot information as well as adventure hooks that are compatible with Shadowrun, Fourth Edition while also laying the groundwork for the upcoming Shadowrun, Fifth Edition. As a bridge between the two editions, this book is useful to all Shadowrun players, setting the stage for explosive stories and memorable campaigns.

Next up we have our latest e-book, a dive into the simsense and BTL world called Sim Dreams and Nightmares (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG). Here what it’s got:

Feel More. Do Less.

The Sixth World is full of seductions, and perhaps no siren song is sweeter than that of simsense. Feel the rush of new love without the work of having to date another person. Skydive from the upper reaches of the atmosphere without leaving your couch. Experience every emotion humans are capable of feeling, and do it with a greater intensity than most humans will ever feel. Just don’t spend too much time wondering what it’s doing to your brain.

Alleys and backrooms of every major sprawl in the world are littered with better-than-life junkies who can do nothing but think about their next fix. Reality is nothing more a pale shadow of the vitality and energy they experience with the right chips and downloads. Their need is deep—which, in the hallowed tradition of the Sixth World, means they are ripe for exploitation.

Sim Dreams and Nightmares contains information about the full range of simsense offerings, as well as new qualities and addiction rules to fully reflect the toll that simsense and better-than-life offerings can take on users. Runners can learn how to deal with the addicts out there—and explore how deep into the seamier side of the Sixth World they want to get.

Sim Dreams and Nightmares is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

And finally, we have a classic release for you–that treasure trove of information and attitude, The Neo-Anarchist’s Guide to North America (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG)! Here’s what it packs:

See the Sights!

Take a tour of North America with the slightly warped. Learn the ins and outs of major cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. Make your next vacation an exciting one, one they’ll never forget.

The Neo-Anarchist’s Guide to North America details the countries, states, and politics of Shadowrun’s North America. This sourcebook covers the laws, relative costs of goods, what to smuggle and to whom, corporate activity, who’s bought whom and just what are they really up to, and life in general and how to screw it up in style.

Note: This file is scanned from the original 1991 printing.

Late February winter blahs getting you down? We’ve got some explosive new Shadowrun e-books to heat things up! First we have a new sourcebook, 10 Mercs (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG), that provides details on ten lean and mean Sixth World mercenary corps:

Cynical, Sold-out, and Skilled

Hired guns. People without a country who know no loyalty. Opportunists, bottom-feeders, scavengers, vultures. Soldiers without a soul who will go to the worst hells on Earth and do just about anything for a buck.

That’s how they talk about mercenaries. But that’s how they talk about shadowrunners, too.

There’s a fine line between mercenaries and shadowrunners, and it’s a line that gets crossed repeatedly. Sometimes runners will find themselves in the battlefield, working with a mercenary group and doing their best to survive as all kinds of fire rain down on their heads. Other times, they’ll find themselves in the sights of a skilled and deadly mercenary corps, trying to stay alive against superior numbers and firepower.

Either way, they should know about the mercenary units out there, to either improve their bargaining position or help them stay alive. 10 Mercs profiles ten different mercenary outfits, including Ryan Mercury’s New Assets, the unconventional skill of Bravo Company, and the deadly magic of Task Force Magus. These groups present an array of threats or a bounty of opportunities—depending on which end of the barrel you’re at.

Along with the unit profiles, 10 Mercs provides NPC stats for each unit along with information on vehicles used by many of the units. If mercenaries are going to play a role in your campaign, 10 Mercs is a critical resource for adding flavor, plot hooks, and rules to your Shadowrun game.

10 Mercs is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

Next up, a new Mission is out! SRM 04-12: Showcase (Battleshop, DriveThruRPG) brings the Great Seattle Artifact Rush to a head in grand style:

Shock Compression

The players are lined up. The goals are clear. The waiting is over. The ultimate rush is beginning, and it’s going to pull a lot of dangerous elements closer and closer together until they explode.

The shadows of Seattle have been heaved this way and that in the Great Seattle Artifact Rush, and a fair number of artifacts have been collected (in exchange for a handful of deaths and a helping of destruction). The powers of the magical world have been alerted, and they ready to get their hands on as many artifacts as possible. This means shadowruns, which means plenty of runners are about to be caught up in one of the worst mana-based drek-storms to hit the city in a long while.

What starts as an investigation into a museum heist rapidly grows into a conflagration that could consume a good part of the sprawl. Clever players will need to see if they can survive, and how much nuyen they can wrangle out of the fight. Hopefully they’ll get enough for a nice vacation or significant medical treatment, because chances are that they’re going to need both.

SRM 04-12: Showcase is the latest in the Shadowrun Missions living campaign. Whether you’ve been playing the whole fourth series of Missions now and are ready for an explosive turn to the ongoing story, or you are new to the series and are looking for a high-stakes, high-danger run, Showcase is ready for you, with the full adventure details and NPC stats needed to give players one of those shadowruns they’ll be talking about for years.

SRM 04-12: Showcase is for use with Shadowrun, Twentieth Anniversary Edition.

The Topps Company and Catalyst Game Labs are pleased to announce a long-term extension for the Shadowrun and MechWarrior/BattleTech licenses. This deal facilitates Catalyst’s goals of continuing to support and grow the MechWarrior/BattleTech and Shadowrun brands and will see them continue to produce high quality role-playing games and outstanding fiction.

“Everyone involved at Catalyst has a decades-long love affair with these two fantastic universes,” said Randall N. Bills, Managing Developer for Catalyst Game Labs. “To work creatively with hundreds of writers and illustrators around the world, and driving the game and storylines forward remains a dream come true. In this Year of Shadowrun, that dream has reached new heights as we’re working with phenomenal industry veterans from Mike Elliot to Rob Heinsoo to Ross Watson (and a host of others) to bring Shadowrun to gaming tables in all new ways. To see that vision and dedication recognized by Topps through a license extension is incredibly gratifying.”

Catalyst Game Labs continues its full support of BattleTech through numerous, already announced book titles. Additionally, 2013 is The Year of Shadowrun, with Shadowrun Fifth Edition announced, along with Crossfire, an adventure deck-building game, Sprawl Gangers, a table-top miniatures game of gang warfare, and more.

“The folks at Catalyst have a passion and enthusiasm for these brands that is hard to match”, said Adam Levine, Topps’ Licensing Manager. “Our continued association illustrates our commitment to our most important partners as well as our renewed focus on the MechWarrior/BattleTech and Shadowrun brands.”

Catalyst Game Labs offers a variety of online sources for information, from its company website, www.catalystgamelabs.com, to its BattleTech-related websites in www.battletech.com (all things BattleTech-related) and www.bgbattletech.com (the board game), to its Shadowrun-related websites in www.shadowrun.com (all things Shadowrun-related), www.shadowrun4.com (all things Fourth Edition-related) and www.shadowruntabletop.com (all things Fifth Edition-related, as well as Crossfire, Sprawl Gangers and more).

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 The Topps Company, Inc.
Founded in 1938, The Topps Company is the preeminent creator and brand marketer of sports cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps leading sports and entertainment products include Major League Baseball, National Football League, English Premiere League, Bundesliga, Indian Premier League, WWE, UFC, Mars Attacks, Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The Company’s top confectionary brands include “Ring Pop,” “Push Pop,” “Baby Bottle Pop,” “Bazooka” bubble gum, “Sharkies” and “Juicy Drop Pop” products.