On the first day of Adepticon 2026, as I wandered in a jet-lagged haze past Catalyst Game Labs' booth and the Battletech pods on the ground floor of the Baird center, my eye was caught by something unexpected: a tiny demo table, a cabinet of new miniatures, and a games designer the size of a phonebooth. This, it turned out, was the first reveal of Partha Wars, an upcoming wargame being developed in partnership with Catalyst Game Labs, based on a science fantasy novel by athlete turned actor turned games designer Tommy Rice - I had to know more.
The setting for Partha Wars, which debuted in Rice's novel 'The Lok', is high-key nerdy. The alien Razium came to the world of Partha Terra hoping to seize the rare rune-bound metal Arcanium. They were expecting a backwater world with no defenses: instead they're greeted by a welcoming party of elite Spartan Paladins opening a portal directly onto their bridge. The truce that follows sees magic and technology trade hands, and the two foes unite to fight back an ancient dragon threat - only for the Razium to shatter the peace by murdering the high king.
A peak set-up for a wargame, frankly. Rice calls it "high science fantasy", a world where jetfighters can dogfight with dragons, and an orc in power armor can duel head to head with a high tech Spartan.
Rice has an adolescent enthusiasm when he describes it to me, and I mean that in the best possible way: there's no self-consciousness getting in the way of his imagination. He's thrown everything into the setting, from werewolves to Oni to a red-panda wizard. And frankly, if you're too old to think 'Spartans in power armor' are dope as hell, you're too old for life.
3D printed test models, sculpted by industry veteran Javier Ureña, were on display in the cabinet. Ureña has sculpted for both Warmachine and Infinity before, and the pedigree shows - for such cartoony concepts these are very real feeling decides. The team at Catalyst is still deciding what material the finished releases should be produced in, and with Warhammer 40k 11th edition on the horizon, there's no appetite to rush the game out before GenCon.
Rice provided me with the current work in progress rules, and I think GenCon would definitely be too early - the manuscript needs a big edit. It's an expansive rules-set for an expansive fantasy, with base sizes going from 25mm light infantry up to 200mm for heavy tanks and large fliers.
There's a big emphasis on the 'mass' of units, with larger units able to throw, trample into, or bulldoze smaller foes out of the way when they charge into melee. There's definitely a trace of Rice's athletic career in this design - as a footballer he made it to try-outs with three NFL teams, though recurring injuries prevented him getting any further.
Unsurprisingly for someone who is both a wargamer and a sports nerd, Rice loves Bloodbowl, particularly the back and forth momentum of plays, something he's hoping to carry into Partha Wars. The game uses alternating activations, and there are many reactive powers that allow units to respond during your opponent's activation.
Heroes can go into overdrive, chewing through their activations and burning through their resources to smash into the enemy - picture a huge American footballer explaining this to you with massive hand gestures for the full experience I got at Adepticon - but there's a risk they'll finish their activation out of position and off the objective.
That's the promise, anyway. The sculpts for Partha Wars already match the bombastic vision, and I'm keen to see how the rules shape up when they've had more time to cook. Catalyst Game Labs has demonstrated strong stewardship of the BattleTech brand, and it will be very interesting to see how it handles a 30mm wargame. Call this "one to watch".
I'm always on the lookout for new and undiscovered wargames, so if you think there's something I shouldn't miss, come and say hi in the official Wargamer Discord community!