FASA

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FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and boardgames between 1980 and 2001, including The Doctor Who Role Playing Game. Originally the name FASA was an acronym for "Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration", a joking allusion to the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup.

Notable titles published by FASA include the BattleTech (later MechWarrior) franchise, the Star Trek Role Playing Game, Shadowrun, and Crimson Skies.

FASA unexpectedly ceased active operations on April 30, 2001, but still exists as a corporation holding intellectual property rights, which it licenses to other publishers.

History

FASA Corporation was founded by Jordan Weisman and L. Ross Babcock III in 1980 with a starting capital of $350. The two were fellow gamers at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Mort Weisman, Jordan's father, joined the company in 1985 to lead the company's operational management, having sold his book publishing business, Swallow Press. Under the new commercial direction and with the Mort's capital injection, the company diversified into books and miniature figures. After consulting their UK distributor, Chart Hobby Distributors, FASA licensed the manufacture of its BattleTech figurines to Miniature Figurines (also known as Minifigs, not to be confused with the Lego minifigure). FASA would later acquire the US figures manufacturer Ral Partha, which was the US manufacturer of Minifigs. While Mort ran the paper and metal based sides of the business, the company's founders focused on the development of computer-based games. They were particularly interested in virtual reality (particularly the BattleTech Centers / Virtual World) but also developed desktop computer games. When Microsoft acquired the FASA Interactive subsidiary, Babcock went with that company. After the sale of Virtual World, Jordan turned his attention to the founding of a new games venture called WizKids.

The Doctor Who Role Playing Game

Main article: The Doctor Who Role Playing Game

In addition to The Doctor Who Role Playing Game, FASA published two gamebooks, designed to be single-player adventures using the Role Playing Game's mechanics.

• Doctor Who and the Vortex Crystal
• Doctor Who and the Rebel's Gamble