 Goto [ Index ] |
The Good: The general setting description is good and does a great job of evoking images of the dying red planet.
The Bad: The editing is awful.
The Physical Thing
At $34.95 this 192 page black and white hardcover showcases poor production values compared to similar RPGs. The artwork is appropriate for the setting, and the table of contents results in easy navigation. Unfortunately, the artwork is repeatedly reused within this book which is surprising given the middling quality of the black and white artwork. The text contains frequent errors that should have been easily caught by the proofreader. The formatting ranges from good, simple work to poor quality material where text has a lot of white space in and around it to try and make it fit the page. Those who are annoyed by such things should avoid this book.Under the Cover
Broadly, the book is split into three parts. The first third presents the setting, a savage martian landscape choked with the ruins of its dying peoples. Next we have the Savage Worlds mechanics for supporting this setting. Finally, the book offers useful setting support such as plot hooks and an example adventure. Let's take a look at each of these in turn!The setting is inspired by pulp serials and planetary romance fiction, painting an image of Mars where quick witted adventurers foil evil plots and survive unlikely odds. Players can take on the role of any of the inhabitants, thanks to the game's support for each, though humans and the civilized Red Martians are the most likely player characters. The Red Martians once built a great empire across Mars, making use of advanced technology to create something near to a utopia. Over the centuries, however, Mars has cooled. This has resulted in a world less and less habitable, and now the Red Martians have taken their dwindling numbers and pulled back their territory in a base attempt at survival.
While the Red Martians are the most advanced, so much so that they built great canals to provide resources to their few remaining cities, they are not the only inhabitant. The Green Martians are a tough barbarian people, savage in nature and well equipped with a tough hide and claws to deliver on their nature. Once driven to near extinction by the Red Martians, they now flourish as their hardy people move into regions once controlled by the Reds.
The white apes were used as a slave labor force for much of Red Martian history. The loss of the forests they once called home, combined with the retreat of the Red Martians, has resulted in a population that has little option but to live as raiders and warriors. The resources on Mars are very limited, so ape tribes are forced to find other ways – typically through armed aggression – to provide for food and other needs. The white apes are particularly dangerous because circumstances have led to their unifying as a large, organized group.
The final group of note are the Grey Martians. These octopus-like creatures are ancient, though today they are few in number and largely live underground. While Red Martians control most of the current technological wonders of the world, nothing can surpass the incredibly destructive technology employed by the Greys. Their war tripods, for example, disintegrate all they encounter and are the stuff of nightmares. The Grey Martians offer a nice contrast to the plots offered by the other species in that they can serve as the unknowable, sinister aliens behind the truly evil plots.
Wastes, dwindling forests, city ruins, and a few bastions of civilization make up the setting for Mars. The locations briefly discussed are iconic and do a good job of bringing the dying red planet to life. The culture and peoples of a variety of different regions are briefly discussed, providing enough background material for the GM to have a basis for crafting a living setting. Note that the setting material here is a little sparse at times and the GM will need to add in details all their own to make this setting really work. Mars gives you the general idea and then asks you to run with it.
The mechanical support for this action packed setting is acceptable, though not particularly impressive and sporting some mechanically questionable options. Many of the options are simple and are clearly derived from existing mechanics that work. Sword and Blaster, for example, works the same as the normal dual wielding Edge except with the obvious change of weapons. Doctor is a super-healing option, giving both a +2 to Healing and upgrading the Wild Die to a d8. Brute Warrior receives +2 to damage and +2 to Toughness for the penalty of -1 to Parry, a strong overall bonus. Other mechanics are a little bit shakier, such as the Criminal Edge which does little more than allow a character to make a Streetwise check to locate a needed item in a city – something that strikes this reviewer as already well within the domain of Streetwise. A few tables of new gear, which tends to keep with what Savage Worlds already provides, wraps up the majority of the mechanical support.
The GM support varies in quality, but I'm comfortable saying that there's enough support here to make it easy on me to get started with a campaign. A variety of martian creatures are included along with stat blocks for common NPCs, and a mix of plot hooks and sample adventures aids in giving the reader a feel for the setting and what sorts of opportunities it offers. The adventures aren't a lot to write home about, unfortunately, with one in particular featuring large walls of text to paraphrase or read to the players and both involving fairly vanilla adventure bait.
