Lofgeornost
Feeling Martian!
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2020
- Messages
- 3,446
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With apologies to Roy Walston, and all that...
With distant light visible at the end of the COVID tunnel, I've been thinking about campaigns I might run once I can begin face-to-face gaming again. I'm intrigued by the idea of a Sword-and-Planet game, based on pulp(ish) visions of 'Old Mars': a dying desert planet, with canals, ancient ruins, etc. Rather than bringing Earth humans to the setting, I think I might just focus on the native Martian cultures.
In the event, I'll probably concoct my own Martian setting, drawing a lot on older SF, but I'm interested in games that I can plunder for material or ideas. I'm aware of a number, and even own some of them, but I'm interested in people's reactions to and evaluations of them. So this is more of a 'what do you think of X' thread than a 'give me a list of games about X' thread, if that matters.
I'd be interested in hearing reactions to any of the following (or other Mars-like games you may have played):
With distant light visible at the end of the COVID tunnel, I've been thinking about campaigns I might run once I can begin face-to-face gaming again. I'm intrigued by the idea of a Sword-and-Planet game, based on pulp(ish) visions of 'Old Mars': a dying desert planet, with canals, ancient ruins, etc. Rather than bringing Earth humans to the setting, I think I might just focus on the native Martian cultures.
In the event, I'll probably concoct my own Martian setting, drawing a lot on older SF, but I'm interested in games that I can plunder for material or ideas. I'm aware of a number, and even own some of them, but I'm interested in people's reactions to and evaluations of them. So this is more of a 'what do you think of X' thread than a 'give me a list of games about X' thread, if that matters.
I'd be interested in hearing reactions to any of the following (or other Mars-like games you may have played):
- John Carter of Mars by Modiphius. I'm actually a bit less interested in this one, since I know Barsoom pretty well and don't plan to use it 'as-is' for the setting, though I may borrow some elements of it; I'm looking for something that's a bit more like Leigh Brackett's Mars.
- The Mars line by Adamant, available for D20 and Savage Worlds.
- Space 1889, which is available for at least 3 different systems these days. I played some of the original edition back in the day; my memory is that the game focused pretty heavily on the human presence on Mars and less on Martian culture. But maybe later editions have changed that.
- Rocket Age has a Mars sourcebook and adventures; I've never seen them.
- Hollow Earth Expedition has a Revelations of Mars book; again I've never seen it.
- Cavaliers of Mars, which I gather from the description is more 'musketeers in space' than pulpy in its inspirations.
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