Margaret Weis Productions
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Game publishing |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Margaret Weis, Don Perrin |
| Headquarters | Williams Bay , United States |
| Products | Tabletop role-playing games, board games, e-books |
Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a game publishing company located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 2004 by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin following their separation.
Games
The primary focus of Margaret Weis Productions is on Tabletop role-playing games, alongside publishing e-books authored by Margaret Weis. In 2008, the company launched the board game Dragon Lairds, designed by James M. Ward and Tom Wham. The majority of their role-playing games are officially licensed and utilize either the Cortex System or Cortex Plus frameworks.
In 2006, Margaret Weis Productions took over the production of Dragonlance d20 supplements from Sovereign Press, both companies being under Margaret Weis’s ownership and management.
Cortex System games
MWP’s inaugural release was Serenity in 2005, coinciding with Joss Whedon’s movie Serenity. Due to licensing constraints, only characters featured in the film were permitted for use. This title garnered the Gamer's Choice Best Roleplaying Game of the Year at the Origins Award and received a Gold Medal for Best Production Values at the 2006 ENnie Awards. Its expansions, Serenity Adventures (2009) and Big Damn Heroes Handbook (2010), also secured Origins Awards for Best Roleplaying Game Supplement.
Following that, MWP released the Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game in 2007, then the Demon Hunters Role Playing Game in 2008, and subsequently the Supernatural Role Playing Game in 2009.
Cortex Plus games
In 2010, Margaret Weis Productions introduced the Smallville Roleplaying Game, utilizing the innovative Cortex Plus system. This game earned the Judges Spotlight award at the 2011 Ennies. The company followed up with the 2011 launch of Leverage: The Roleplaying Game, which received a nomination for best RPG at the 2011 Origins Awards.
February 2012 saw the debut of Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, marking MWP’s fourth licensed RPG based on Marvel Comics. This title won the 2012 ENnie Award for Best Rules and earned silver awards for both Best Game and Product of the Year. In 2013, its core set was honored with the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Game, while its Civil War Event Book won Best Roleplaying Supplement. Nevertheless, due to financial considerations, Margaret Weis Productions chose not to renew their Marvel license later that year.
On November 8, 2013, MWP announced a new Firefly RPG available for pre-order following a playtest session at Gen Con 2013. This edition employed a different system than their earlier Serenity RPG and featured only characters from the original Firefly television series.
On November 1, 2016, Margaret Weis Productions revealed that designer Cam Banks and his company Magic Vacuum had acquired licenses for both the original Cortex System and Cortex Plus system to oversee future development and publishing efforts. This handover coincided with Margaret Weis’s retirement from RPG design to concentrate on writing novels and film projects. A Kickstarter campaign successfully raised $84,430 to fund a new edition named 'Cortex Prime.' Subsequently, on September 19, 2019, Fandom purchased rights to the Cortex system from Margaret Weis Productions and took over fulfillment of all related crowdfunding rewards.
List of games
- Serenity Role Playing Game (released in 2005)
- Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game (published in 2007)
- Cortex System Role Playing Game (introduced in 2008)
- Demon Hunters Role Playing Game (2008, inspired by movies from Dead Gentlemen Productions)
- Dragon Lairds (board game launched in 2008)
- Supernatural Role Playing Game (issued in 2009)
- Leverage: The Roleplaying Game (debuted in 2010)
- Smallville Roleplaying Game (came out in 2010)
- Marvel Heroic Roleplaying (2012 release)
- Firefly Role-Playing Game (published in 2014)