‘Runefire’: Pathfinder & Catalyst Game Labs Team Up for a Narrative Deckbuilding Game
Paizo has partnered with Catalyst Game Labs to bring you Runefire, a new Pathfinder-based narrative deckbuilding game coming soon.
Catalyst Game Labs, whom you might recognize as the publisher behind BattleTech and Shadowrun, is partnering with Paizo to release a new cooperative deckbuilding game coming to crowdfunding later this year. Titled, Runefire, the new game will blend the Pathfinder universe and all its sprawling history, with a fast-pacd, deckbuilding game that will see you adventure through Golarion.
The announcement revealed that the game would be seeking crowdfunding later this year. Because that’s how anything gets done anymore. Why make the big publishing companies take a risk when they could instead just pass that on to you? Not to knock crowdfunding, just to take a moment and look at how the corrupting tendrils of capitalism have made everyone who can afford it risk-averse. But tell me again how this is breeding innovation.
Future prospects of humanity aside, here’s what we know about the game so far.
Pathfinder: Runefire – Deckbuilding Dungeon Delves
It’s a pretty good combination. Deckbuilding is an extremely satisfying itch, and having a narrative to build your deck around is a fantastic extra level to play around with. After all, sometimes it’s nice to know who you’re pasting with your unstoppable combo, and why.
And in this case, there’s a whole lot of answers to those questions. Since the game will be drawing on all of Pathfinder’s considerable lore, as both Paizo and Catalyst reveal in their announcement:
Runefire combines the vast lore of the Pathfinder universe with the fast play of this narrative deckbuilding game. Players choose from several ancestries, from dwarf to elf, halfing to human, and assume one of the quintessential classes of cleric, rogue, fighter, or wizard. Equipped with weapons, spells, and magic items, players begin their adventure in the Inner Sea region, journeying through lands such as Cheliax, Numeria, Taldor, and more! Along the way, they can level up their characters, find additional equipment, learn new feats, and much more. All while experiencing a unique story where players’ actions and decisions through each Adventure impact the next!
And that all sounds good. But how does the game actually play? Well, as it happens, there are two good examples already. Because Runefire will be built on the same game system that powers Shadowrun: Crossfire and Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonfire, both deckbuilders in their own rights. But CGL wants to take things a little bit further with this one:
Building upon that [system], Catalyst Game Labs is carefully crafting this new experience for those who love Golarion and Pathfinder. The game delves deep in the lore as well as the new Remastered Player Core, GM Core, and Monster Core to ensure the best experience. When players open a copy of Runefire at the table, regardless of what they enjoy playing—RPGs, deckbuilder games, or both—they’ll find a complete box of fun.
The game will have plenty more behind-the-scenes peeks in the upcoming crowdfunding campaign. So you’ll be sure to get a good look at how the game works. In the meantime, keep an eye out for more as we get closer to the campaign launch day.
Pathfinder: Runefire will head to crowdfunding later in 2024!
