Barely edging out the Malifaux expansion, "Rising Powers," as the game that this year's GenCon got me the most excited about was Catalyst's "Leviathans". A steampunk (I won't say VSF because, as some have correctly pointed out, the era is properly Edwardian and not Victorian) miniatures boardgame featuring clashing flying pre-dreadnoughts, it benefits from not only some outstanding imagery but a solid and easy to grasp set of rules.
Unfortunately, the game is a bit of a piecemeal affair at this point. While the basic rules, stat cards for introductory fleets, and standup ship counters are all available (and at a bargain price at RPG Now!), production costs and company restructuring within Catalyst have seen a proper release delayed for some time now. Of course the game is perfectly playable in its current incarnation, but the promise of a boxed set release, complete with plastic models for the French and British fleets, has had me waiting in great anticipation.
With any luck, that wait has a definitive end now. Yesterday Catalyst announced their intent to have the game released in time for the 2011 Origins game fair. And to further whet our appetites they released pictures of the CAD drawings for both the British and French Type 4 ships. Anticipation is now at a renewed high, and provided they meet this goal it looks like at least a day-trip to Columbus is in store for me next summer.
