Changes: FASA

Revision as of 17:21, 11 March 2015

Template:Realworld

The FASA Corporation (commonly referred to as FASA) was a company that produced role-playing, text, board, and video games and was founded around 1980 by Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III. The "FASA" acronym stood for "Freedonian Air and Space Administration". Some of FASA's most popular and extensive lines included the Shadowrun, MechWarrior, BattleTech and Star Trek games.

FASA gaming miniatures assortment — Assortment of painted FASA gaming miniatures

In the early 1980s, FASA was licensed by Paramount Pictures to produce a role-playing game (RPG) based on Paramount's Star Trek films and Star Trek: The Original Series which was released as Star Trek: The Role Playing Game. Star Trek: The Animated Series was also influential to the game's content and was covered by FASA's licensing, and the game also included some content from non-canon Star Trek novels and comics. A major contributing factor to the success of their game was their separate release, starting in 1983, of a line of accompanying, highly imaginative – where their non-canon starship designs were concerned – pewter gaming miniatures, which have proven to be highly popular in their own right.

Conversely, information and designs from the FASA game have been influential in subsequent Star Trek novels, comics, and games. Despite the non-canonical nature of the game, content created by FASA designers has even influenced some elements in early canon Next Generation-era filmed Star Trek productions. FASA's Star Trek RPG, became a major competitor at the time to Task Force Games' Star Fleet Battles RPG, which, as the first of its kind, had started its releases a few years before FASA's.

FASA also produced four Star Trek "Micro-Adventure" games that incorporated some of the RPG's elements into smaller, less complex games. With the advent of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987, FASA geared up to incorporate the new production into their game frame work and released a season one supplemental sourcebook, Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual, published in 1988. FASA was already in the process of manufacturing accompanying gaming miniatures based on the production, when its contract with Paramount ended shortly thereafter due to licensing difficulties.

FASA closed its doors around 2001 after twenty years in operation, but the creators continue to license new games based on earlier FASA releases. Meanwhile, Star Trek gaming has continued to evolve and been licensed to other companies including Last Unicorn Games, Decipher, and WizKids.

External link

FASA at Wikipedia

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 {{realworld}}
-[[File:FASA.gif|right|FASA logo]]
+[[File:FASA logo.png|right|200px|FASA]]
-The '''FASA Corporation''' (often referred to simply as '''FASA''') was a company which produced [[role-playing]] [[games]], other text and board adventures, as well as video games in later incarnations.
+The '''FASA Corporation''' (commonly referred to as '''FASA''') was a company that produced [[role-playing]], text, board, and video [[games]] and was founded around 1980 by [[Jordan Weisman]] and [[L. Ross Babcock III]]. The "FASA" acronym stood for "{{w|Freedonia|Freedonian}} Air and Space Administration". Some of FASA's most popular and extensive lines included the ''Shadowrun'', ''MechWarrior'', ''BattleTech'' and ''[[Star Trek]]'' games.
+[[File:FASA gaming miniatures assortment.jpg|thumb|Assortment of painted FASA gaming miniatures]]
-Founded around 1980 by [[Jordan Weisman]] and [[L. Ross Babcock III]], two of FASA's most popular and far reaching game lines are ''Shadowrun'' and ''MechWarrior/BattleTech''.
+In the early 1980s, FASA was licensed by [[Paramount Pictures]] to produce a role-playing game (RPG) based on Paramount's {{Star Trek films}} and ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' which was released as ''[[Star Trek: The Role Playing Game]]''. ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'' was also influential to the game's content and was covered by FASA's licensing, and the game also included some content from non-[[canon]] ''Star Trek'' [[novels]] and [[comics]]. A major contributing factor to the success of their game was their separate release, starting in 1983, of a line of accompanying, highly imaginative &ndash; where their non-canon [[starship]] designs were concerned &ndash;  pewter [[Star Trek starship miniatures|gaming miniatures]], which have proven to be highly popular in their own right.
-In the early 1980s, FASA was licensed by [[Paramount Pictures]] to make a role-playing game (RPG) based on Paramount's ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Star Trek films|movies]] and the [[TOS|preceding series]] known as ''[[Star Trek: The Role Playing Game]]''. Influences of the [[TAS|animated ''Star Trek'']] were allowed in the license, and the game somewhat followed other non-[[canon]] ''Star Trek'' [[novels]] and [[comics]]. Conversely, information from the FASA version RPG has influenced and been included in later novels and comics, and games. Despite the non-canon nature of the game, information created by FASA designers has even influenced canon ''[[TNG|Next Generation]]''-era filmed productions produced by Paramount themselves. FASA also produced four ''Star Trek'' "Micro-Adventure" games that incorporated some of the RPG's elements into smaller, easy-to-play games.
+Conversely, information and designs from the FASA game have been influential in subsequent ''Star Trek'' novels, comics, and games. Despite the non-[[canon]]ical nature of the game, content created by FASA designers has even influenced some elements in early canon ''[[TNG|Next Generation]]''-era filmed ''Star Trek'' productions. FASA's ''Star Trek'' RPG, became a major competitor at the time to [[Task Force Games]]' ''[[Star Fleet Battles]]'' RPG, which, as the first of its kind, had started its releases a few years before FASA's.
-FASA's game evolved to a [[TNG Season 1]] sourcebook published in {{y|1988}}, but the contract with Paramount ended shortly thereafter, because of licensing difficulties.
+FASA also produced four ''Star Trek'' "Micro-Adventure" games that incorporated some of the RPG's elements into smaller, less complex games. With the advent of ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' in 1987, FASA geared up to incorporate the new production into their game frame work and released a [[TNG Season 1|season one]] supplemental sourcebook, ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual]]'', published in 1988. FASA was already in the process of manufacturing accompanying gaming miniatures based on the production, when its contract with Paramount ended shortly thereafter due to licensing difficulties.
-FASA closed its doors around 2001 after twenty years, but the creators continue to license new games based on the creations released under this company's names. Meanwhile, ''Star Trek'' gaming has evolved and been licensed to and released by other companies such as [[Last Unicorn Games]], [[Decipher]], as well as [[Task Force Games]]' ongoing ''[[Star Fleet Battles]]'' game.
+FASA closed its doors around 2001 after twenty years in operation, but the creators continue to license new games based on earlier FASA releases. Meanwhile, ''Star Trek'' gaming has continued to evolve and been licensed to other companies including [[Last Unicorn Games]], [[Decipher]], and [[WizKids]].
+==See also==
+* ''[[Star Trek: The Role Playing Game]]'' - detailed list and photos of all FASA miniatures
+* [[Star Trek starship miniatures|''Star Trek'' starship miniatures]]
+* [[Star Trek model kits|''Star Trek'' model kits]]
+* [[Rawcliffe]]
 == External link ==
-*{{Wikipedia}}
+* {{wikipedia}}
-[[Category:Game companies]]
 [[de:FASA]]
+[[Category:Game companies]]
+[[Category:Collectibles]]