Publishers | FASA |
---|---|
Publication | 1988 |
Circus Imperium is a light-hearted science fiction chariot racing board game published in 1988 by FASA.
Circus Imperium is a game based loosely on Avalon Hill's Circus Maximus in which players are charioteers of the future, controlling anti-grav chariots pulled by carnivorous beasts. [1] The object of the game is to defeat the other racers by either crossing the finish line first, or more typically by knocking them out of the race or getting them eaten by the monsters. Outcomes of player actions are often random and unpredictable, and players can get points for eliciting laughs or the loudest cheers from other gamers.
In the 1980s, FASA published a series of Renegade Legion board games set in the 69th century. The fifth in the series was Circus Imperium, designed by L. Ross Babcock, III, Sam Lewis, and Jordan Weisman, and published as a boxed set by FASA in 1988. [2] Unlike previous games in the series, this tongue-in-cheek game was played strictly for laughs. Ral Partha produced a series of lead figures for the game, including chariots, senators and imperial guards.
Alan R. Moon reviewed Circus Imperium for Games International magazine, and gave it 3 stars out of 5, and stated that "The game is quicker than Circus Maximus because there are fewer rules and special situations, there is generally less to think about, and players are not allowed to interrupt their movement to attack. This is a big plus, as the last few Circus Maximus games I played in took forever." [1]
Neal Roger Tringham called it "a comparatively light-hearted board game", not in keeping with the more serious tone of other releases in the Renegade Legion line of tabletop games. [3]
GM magazine praised the inclusion of some game components that were lacking in Circus Maximus– large track, cardboard buildings, tokens – while noting their flimsiness. Circus Imperium was recommended for its replayability. [4]
FASA Corporation was an American publisher of role-playing games, wargames and board games between 1980 and 2001, after which they closed publishing operations for several years, becoming an IP holding company under the name FASA Inc. In 2012, a wholly owned subsidiary called FASA Games Inc. went into operation, using the name and logo under license from the parent company. FASA Games Inc. works alongside Ral Partha Europe, also a subsidiary of FASA Corporation, to bring out new editions of existing properties such as Earthdawn and Demonworld, and to develop new properties within the FASA cosmology.
Traveller is a science fiction role-playing game first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop. Marc Miller designed Traveller with help from Frank Chadwick, John Harshman, and Loren Wiseman. Editions were published for GURPS, d20, and other role-playing game systems. From its origin and in the currently published systems, the game relied upon six-sided dice for random elements. Traveller has been featured in a few novels and at least two video games.
Warhammer 40,000 is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, and the 10th and current edition was released in June 2023.
Michael Austin Stackpole is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his Star Wars and BattleTech books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from the University of Vermont. From 1977 on, he worked as a designer of role-playing games for various gaming companies, and wrote dozens of magazine articles with limited distribution within the industry. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.
BattleTech is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark is currently owned by Topps and, for videogames, Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios; Catalyst Game Studios licenses the franchise from Topps.
Lunar Lander is a genre of video games loosely based on the 1969 landing of the Apollo Lunar Module on the Moon. In Lunar Lander games, players generally control a spacecraft as it falls toward the surface of the Moon or other astronomical body, using thrusters to slow the ship's descent and control its horizontal motion to reach a safe landing area. Crashing into obstacles, hitting the surface at too high a velocity, or running out of fuel all result in failure. In some games in the genre, the ship's orientation must be adjusted as well as its horizontal and vertical velocities.
Renegade Legion is a series of science fiction games that were designed by Sam Lewis, produced by FASA, and published from 1989 to 1993. The line was then licensed to Nightshift games, a spin-off of the garage company Crunchy Frog Enterprises by Paul Arden Lidberg, which published one scenario book, a gaming aid, and three issues of a fanzine-quality periodical before reverting the license.
Charles Lewis Grant was an American novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror". He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fenn, Simon Lake, Felicia Andrews, Deborah Lewis, Timothy Boggs, Mark Rivers, and Steven Charles.
Circus Maximus is a board game that was originally published by Battleline Publications in 1979, but is better known for the 1980 Avalon Hill edition. The game has become very popular at gaming conventions in an oversized form, with 10-foot (3.0 m)-long boards and baseball-sized chariots.
Grenadier Models Inc. of Springfield, Pennsylvania produced lead miniature figures for wargames and role-playing games with fantasy, science fiction and heroic themes between 1975 and 1996. Grenadier Models Inc. is best known for their figures for TSR, Inc.'s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, collectible Dragon-of-the-Month and Giants Club figures, and their marketing of paint and miniature sets through traditional retail outlets.
Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars is a 2002 video game set in Ancient Rome featuring chariot racing. Players compete against other chariots, each with a horse and a gladiator, and in death matches where players use their gladiator to fight others to the death. The game takes its name from the Circus Maximus outdoor race track in Rome.
Marc Gascoigne is a British author and editor.
Challenge was a role-playing game magazine published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) between 1986 and 1996.
Air wargaming, like naval wargaming, is a niche specialism within the wider miniatures wargaming hobby. Due to the relatively short time over which aerial combat has developed air wargaming periods tend to break down into three broad periods:
Formed in 1975, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, is now known as Ral Partha Legacy Ltd. and produces miniature figures in 25 mm, 30 mm, 15 mm, and 54 mm scale. The company's products are made by spin-casting metal alloys which depict soldiers, adventurers and creatures that have been inspired by history and fiction. Their miniatures are sold at gaming conventions, in hobby shops, and by internet and mail order for use in role playing games, wargaming, dioramas, competitive painting, and collecting.
David Ladyman is an American game designer of board games such as Car Wars, and role-playing games such as GURPS.
Legionnaire is a role-playing game published by FASA in 1990.
Heritage Models was an American game company that produced role-playing games, metal miniatures, and game supplements.