"Левиафаны!": команда разработчиков

[Hobbit]

Biographies

The following individuals make up part of the core Leviathans Crew developing the universe and game system.

Randall N. Bills has worked in the Adventure Gaming industry for a decade and a half. With two Origins Awards and an En World Award to his credit, he’s lead the development and publication of over a hundred sourcebooks, rulebooks, box sets, and game aides. In an addition to writing eight novels and a host of on-line fiction, he’s been the continuity editor for over forty novels—as well as a half million words of online fiction—set in the sprawling, dynamic BattleTech universe, celebrating 25 years in 2009.

He’s currently the Managing Line Developer for Catalyst Game Labs, overseeing the strategic development of the perennial BattleTech and Shadowrun properties and coordinating the launch of a new novel publishing program. Additionally, he’s overseeing the development of several new core hobby related properties, as well as directly developing a host of casual games.

He’s the line developer for Leviathans.

Steven Mohan, Jr. is a writer and a former line officer in the United States Navy. He left the service as a lieutenant qualified in surface warfare and enlisted submarine warfare.

Steve has written more than a half-millions words for BattleTech, MechWarrior, Shadowrun, Eclipse Phase, and now, Leviathans. Catalyst Game Labs tapped him to write the lead publication of their new novel publishing program. A Bonfire of Worlds is due out in late 2009.

His original fiction has appeared in Interzone, Polyphony, and a number of DAW anthologies, as well as many other places. His stories have won honorable mention in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and he’s a former nominee for the Pushcart Prize.

Blaine L. Pardoe is the author of over 50 books covering a broad range from science fiction to military history. He has been a writer in the BattleTech/MechWarrior line since the first technical readout.

Blaine is the author of two military non-fiction books, both covering naval warfare (The Cruise of the Sea Eagle) and aviation (Terror of the Autumn Skies) during the Great War. Blaine is a highly recognized 20th century military historian and has been a featured speaker at the U.S. National Archives, the U.S. Naval Museum, and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. Blaine has appeared on the O’Reilly Report, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR and CBS News and numerous radio programs speaking about his books.

He has another book coming out in the next year on World War One aviation, titled Final Fate. Blaine brings to Leviathans a strong background in the gaming industry combined with a keen understanding of history during this exciting period.

John Haward was born (according to carbon dating evidence) some time before the wooly mammoth became extinct on the icy plains of southern Ontario, Canada. Due to his father’s job as corporate razor-man for a multinational company, he spent the first twenty years of his life spending no more than 3-4 years on any one continent, finally settling in Australia.

John studied Meteorology at university, being (for some years in the 1980s) Australia’s leading expert on the paleoclimate of the planet Mars (due mainly to lack of competition).

A long-term wargame grognard, the first wargame he purchased was Jutland by Avalon Hill, marking his lifelong passion for giant floating things with guns. He was introduced to RPGs at University, yet avoid the whole LARP thing thanks to a chance encounter with a boxed game bearing the image of a Macross Excalibur on the cover, under the name Battledroids. This marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for giant stompy robots with guns which continues to this day.

He’s a minor minion, occasional fact-checker/contributor and frequent nuisance to The Powers That Be of Catalyst Game Labs. So when inspiration struck in 2008, it was only fitting that he send an email entitled “A Modest Proposal” to Catalyst, and thus was born Leviathans.

Jim Rapkins started wargaming with FASA’s BattleTech back in the 80’s, before moving onto other games like Advanced Squad Leader and Warhammer 40K. University brought about a hiatus in gaming, and an increased interest in low-intensity conflicts, specifically those fought in the post-Vietnam era. Studying Politics and International Relations, Jim developed a keen interest in the Transcaucasus and break-up of the former Soviet Union.

It was this interest that led to positions working with several commercial computer wargames developers, most notably John Tiller’s Squad Battles series for HPS Simulations. This experience led to further roles working with professional milsims developers, with a specific focus on Operations Other Than War (OOTW).

Returning to his wargaming roots, in mid-2006 Jim started as a writer, fact-checker and general gofer for the then FanPro US BattleTech line. Since then he has worked on numerous projects for Catalyst Games Labs, often bemoaning the time difference between his native Australia and the Pacific Northwest.

When not working, Jim can be found holding onto what little hope remains for supporters of the Melbourne Football Club.

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