Catalyst Game Labs Announces He Who Fights with Monsters Dice Game

Catalyst Game Labs has announced City of Fallen Echoes, the first in a series of games created in partnership with Travis “Shirtaloon” Deverell, author of the He Who Fights with Monsters LitRPG series of novels.

Set in Pallimustus, the game is a push-your-luck dice game built about Catalyst’s Encounters system, previously used in Encounters: Shadowrun and BattleTech: Encounters. Players will encounter characters, powerful items and monsters from the series, including the tidal troll and the shab, and can level up alongside Clive Standish and his wife.

The cards will also feature items such as the Trowel of the Blood Cult. Deverell has been closely involved with the project, personally reviewing and approving the llustrations for its items, adventurers and monsters.

“I’ve been a fan of He Who Fights with Monsters for years,” said Loren Coleman, CEO of Catalyst Game Labs. “I jumped at the opportunity to bring Clan Asano to gaming tables everywhere.”

The announcement coincides with the release of the thirteenth book in the series, released on Kindle, Audiobook and in Paperback on Tuesday 6th October 2026. He Who Fights with Monsters, by Travis Deverell (aka Shirtaloon), is a immensely popular series that was first published in 2021.

The series follows Jason Asano, an ordinary Australian middle-management retail worker, who is magically transported to an alternate video game-like fantasy world after an accidental ritual. Waking up naked, confused, and lost in this magical world, Jason spends his first day dodging cannibals, cultists, and low-level monsters while hunting for a pair of trousers.

Catalyst first announced the partnership at the end of July, with the news that a Tabletop Roleplaying Game and an, at the time, unnamed board game where in development. That roster has now been added to, with the news that at least another two further board games are currently in development for the 2027-28 window, though Board Games Director Mike Richie sounded less certain about the workload, saying “Two more? You know I never agreed to that! What about Runefire?”

In regards to the roleplaying game, Jason Hardy, Catalyst’s Director of Roleplaying Games, praised Deverell’s involvement, saying “Working with a licensor like Travis is a dream - he understands the genre in a way few do, and he’s a gamer so he knows the language.” Deverell has also participated in alive playtest of the RPG.

City of Fallen Echoes is scheuled to release in the first half of 2027, with a retail price of $19.99.