 | |
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| Industry | role-playing games |
| Headquarters | United States of America |
| Products | Eclipse Phase |
Posthuman Studios is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements, primarily for the transhumanist role-playing game Eclipse Phase .
Posthuman Studios was founded by Brian Cross, Rob Boyle and graphic designer Adam Jury. Cross and Boyle had met while exploring the goth subculture and subsequently created material for the dystopian near-future role-playing game Shadowrun , first at FASA, then at FanPro. [1] Cross, Boyle and Jury decided to start up their own company to gain creative control over their own projects. As Boyle noted, this allowed them to "work together collectively, and push ahead with new models of publishing." [1]
Posthuman's first project was Eclipse Phase , "a game of post-apocalyptic transhumanist conspiracy and horror." [1] This was published by Catalyst Game Labs in 2009 as their fourth role-playing game line. [2] : 437
As noted by the Italian games magazine Game, "Eclipse Phase presents itself as an intriguing and interesting game, especially thanks to the breath of fresh air it manages to bring." [3]
Other critical reception was also good, and at the 2009 Origins Awards, the game was awarded "Best Roleplaying Game". [4] The following year, the game was a finalist for "Best Free RPG" at the 2010 Golden Geek Awards. [5]
All the company's subsequent publications have been supplements and adventures for either the first or second edition of Eclipse Phase.
Open gaming is a movement within the tabletop role-playing game (RPG) industry with superficial similarities to the open source software movement. The key aspect is that copyright holders license their works under public copyright licenses that permit others to make copies or create derivative works of the game.
Transhuman Space (THS) is a role-playing game by David Pulver, published by Steve Jackson Games as part of the "Powered by GURPS" line. Set in the year 2100, humanity has begun to colonize the Solar System. The pursuit of transhumanism is now in full swing, as more and more people reach fully posthuman states.
Keith Baker is an American game designer and fantasy novel author. In addition to working with Wizards of the Coast on the creation of Eberron, he has also contributed material for Goodman Games, Paizo Publishing and Green Ronin Publishing. In 2014, Baker and Jennifer Ellis co-founded the indie tabletop game company Twogether Studios.
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced.
Many of the tropes of science fiction can be viewed as similar to the goals of transhumanism. Science fiction literature contains many positive depictions of technologically enhanced human life, occasionally set in utopian societies. However, science fiction's depictions of technologically enhanced humans or other posthuman beings frequently come with a cautionary twist. The more pessimistic scenarios include many dystopian tales of human bioengineering gone wrong.
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