What happened to FASA back then?

[Argonor]

Excuse me for bringing this - probably common knowledge - issue up, but I saw Battletech mentioned elsewhere around here, and it occurred to me that I own a cardboard box filled with all kinds of rules, technical manuals, and other source material for Battletech and Mechwarrior, and the I also remembered stuff like Shadowrun, and Earthdawn...

It all went away before I started roaming the internet, and I suddenly realized, that I haven't got the faintest idea as to why FASA ceased to exist....?

[JollyBob]

Hello Niels, nice to see you again! 

I'm afraid I can't answer what happened tto FASA, but a lot of their stuff is still available through Ral Partha Europe. Perhaps they were bought out just before RP scaled back their output, so they never really got promoted again like they deserved?

[TheMightyFlip]

What is this FASA you speak of?

[Operator5]

From Wikipedia:

FASA unexpectedly ceased active operations on April 30, 2001,[2] but still exists as a corporation holding intellectual property rights, which it licenses to other publishers. Contrary to popular belief, the company did not go bankrupt. Allegedly the owners decided to quit while the company was still financially sound in a market they perceived as going downhill. Mort Weisman had been talking of retirement for some years and his confidence in the future of the paper-based games business was low. He considered the intellectual property of FASA to be of high value but did not wish to continue working as he had been for the last decade or more. Unwilling to wrestle with the complexities of dividing up the going concern, the owners issued a press release on January 25, 2001 announcing the immediate closure of the business.

[Vinlander]

And a sad day it was...

 However, Battletech and Shadowrun are both very much alive! Catalyst Game Labs are currently producing/expanding the Battletech game (I'm not sure who has Sharowrun currently) with Iron Wind Metals producing the miniatures range. Doing a great job too, especially considering the SMALL staff they have. A lot of very interesting new product lately!

I myself am a Btech player and have been since 1985 so, naturally, I am delighted that the game is still doing well. There's a very active Btech community here where I live, including the only "commando" (promo guy) in all of eastern Canada. Personally I find the current rules edition good but still too clunky to handle larger games in a reasonable amount of time. However,they are fine for small battles of 4-8 units per side. Small combined arms fights at that scale are very much my preferred game using these rules!

There is a Btech mod for the Future War Commander rules set out there. I'd be curious to know if anybody has tried it?

[Plynkes]

Can't say I ever really cared for Battletech, though my mate Chronoglide used to make me play it a bit. I am grateful to FASA for something, though. These were my two favouritest games they ever made...





Hours of fun from both of them. And I'm not really all that much of a Sci-Fi fan, let alone a Star Trek one.

[Doc Twilight]

I loved the FASA "Renegade Legion" series of games. Tried a few years ago with a friend to buy the rights to them. We were told that they were owned by Bullfrog Games, which subsequently went belly up. We tried again to buy the rights, FASA reps said they'd be willing to talk, and then nothing else happened. No emails, returned phone calls, etc. Real pity. Loved that game series.

-Doc

[Bravo Six]

I'm with Plynykes. Those two are my most favourite titles from FASA, though I much prefer the later Starship Combat Tactical Simulator rules to the STIII ones.

-Todd

[Vinlander]

I hear you lads. I played the STCS to death back in the day. Very like Starfleet battles but less fiddly and more cinematic. I still have my old copy, I couldn't bring myself to throw it out.

Renegade Legion was also an awesome system, I especially liked the way damage worked (more realistic than Battletech I thought). We played 'Leviathan' mostly. Small patrol squadron games. My cruiser, the Mercenarius, was the terror of Shannedam county theater!

I have 'Centurion' but sadly never got to play it...