HyperRPG!: Death From Above and Shadowrun Corporate S.I.N.S.
What a brilliant time to be a BattleTech and Shadowrun fan. I can’t remember any time in the last almost two decades when there’s been more awesomesauce for both universes across a wide platform of ways to enjoy these games we love.
An avalanche of amazing: from the continued roll-out of our new print game books (including new print fiction!) to the return of fiction Legends in ebook format (of the 130+ original BattleTech and Shadowrun novels published, we’ve released three Shadowrun and fourteen BattleTech, with more releasing every Legends Tuesday!); additional cool paraphernalia such as new BattleTech dice from Q-Workshop to new tabletop games on the horizon for experiencing these universes in all-new ways; numerous brilliant computer games, from the series of award-winning Shadowrun games from Harebrained Schemes and Shadowrun Lockdown from Cliffhanger Productions, to the continually growing MechWarrior Online from Piranha Games (which recently announced a $124,500 price pool World Championship!) to the wildly successful BattleTech turn-based computer game Kickstarter, in development for release next year; and now have two live Twitch shows from HyperRPG to further enjoy BattleTech and Shadowrun.
What’s Twitch? (I know, I know, but I run into people that still don’t know that name, so no reason not to provide a quick definition.) Twitch is the leading online platform for sharing games while you play and for people to watch those games. While its primary focus is video games, there’s been a push to include tabletop games as well.
Whats HyperRPG? It’s the brain-child of Jordan Weisman, co-founder and CEO of Harebrained Schemes (and the creator of BattleTech and Shadowrun), Zac Eubank, CEO of HyperRPG! (former showrunner of Geek & Sundry); and Mitch Gitelman, co-founder of Harebrained Schemes (he’s worked on a slew of BattleTech and Shadowrun computer games. Here’s a great article that really delves into what HyperRPG is trying to accomplish.
So first up is BattleTech: Death From Above!
Time: Part 1, TableTop Roleplaying, 6pm PST, Tuesdays
Time: Part 2 TableTop Miniatures Play, 6pm PST, Fridays
This great show is split into two. The first, Tuesday, is all about tabletop roleplaying in the BattleTech universe. Then on Friday, the second part unfolds. Not only do they play out battles that occur using brilliant, over-sized miniatures, but as damage occurs, the BattleMechs are actually cut, burned, and drilled! I kid you not…watch it and laugh out-loud with joy as that AC/20 tears a arm right off a BattleMech…and they cut it off live on the show!
Not to mention, they’ve got a nice selection of BattleTech tabletop books and games from Catalyst that they’re continually giving away on the show.
If you’ve never played BattleTech but enjoy what you’re watching, you can grab a great, free PDF Primer that delves into the universe. On that same page you’ll also find free quick-start rules for both the board game and the roleplaying game, so you can try it while watching!
Next up is Shadowrun: Corporate S.I.N.S!
Time: 6pm PST, Wednesdays
Whether you’ve read the novels or played the computer game, at it’s heart Shadowrun is a tabletop roleplaying game. If you’ve ever wanted to check out Shadowrun (or just a tabletop RPG in general), this is the show the watch!
Once more, they’ve got a nice selection of Shadowrun tabletop books and games from Catalyst that they’re continually giving away on the show.
Even better, the gamemaster, Lauren Bond (along with HyperRPG) are releasing a series of wonderful instructional videos. Not only do they immerse you into the Shadowrun universe, but they walk you through the rules of Shadowrun: Fifth Edition in a nice, easy way.
As with BattleTech, if you’re liking what you’re seeing and want to give tabletop Shadowrun a try, grab the free PDF of the quick-start rules (the icon link on the left hand side)!
So many years ago when I started playing and falling in love with both of these universes, I never imagined we’d be able to turn our smart phones on (might as well call them comlinks!) and watch great, fun entertainment of these games being played.
If you like what you see, spread these as far and as wide as possible!
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