Good Behavior
Just to be clear, this is always going to be a BattleTech blog. While I will likely pick up Leviathans and play a few rounds with friends, BattleTech will always be my wargaming bread and butter. But, I recognize when a company is shaking off the status quo and trying something new.
Late November Catalyst Game Labs released the Lieutenant’s Manual, the Quick Start rules for their new intellectual property Leviathans. For a $2.99 price tag you get 32 pages of material that include a novella primer, the basic game rules, a small map, and some well illustrated cut out counters. Everything you need to host your first skyward battle.
Catalyst has decided to license Leviathans under Creative Commons. Long story short, you are free to download and share the material to your hearts content. Catalyst has gone so far as offering a free and legal torrent for interested gamers to download the release.
The Lieutenant’s Manual at it’s core is the gaming equivalent of the BattleTech Quick Start rules. Quick Start rules are always free for every game Catalyst makes. BattleTech, Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase all have free Quick Start rules for free.
Catalyst is simultaneously generating positive buzz while bringing in money from a product that they would otherwise have given away for free. It’s brilliant. The few people who are throwing down three Washingtons are declaring themselves trend-setters and are rewarding what they see as good behavior by a game company they love. Given the amount of negative publicity generated by other gaming companies recently, the gaming community as a whole really needed a hug.
Do nice guys finish last? Sometimes yes, but in this case I hope not. Catalyst should be rewarded for it’s innovative business strategy. I’m voting with my wallet and I hope that you do too. Even if you are not a fan of the upcoming Leviathans release, with your $2.99, you can have your voice heard. Let them know that you appreciate a company willing to take chances.
Catalyst has broken the mold here and I hope that they succeed.
Posted under News
I <3 Steampunk. Any idea if it's related to the Leviathan novel of the same genre?
Steampunk anything = <3
I think this is a very good idea – alot of time and effort is done to create these rules – asking for a few quid isnt really asking for anything these days – i really hope this is successful for them