Nothing about it seems particularly original to modern sensibilities, but the gleeful blend of so many different ideas produces something that can’t easily be found in tabletop gaming. The world Burroughs created is saturated with violence and honour in equal measure it’s a world of radium-infused rifles and jewelled princesses, where multi-limbed monsters roam the wastes and airships drift over blue canals.
Dreamed up by Edgar Rice Burroughs – also known for creating Tarzan – the Barsoom books are packed with tales of derring-do and impossible heroism that would be a shameless power fantasy if it wasn’t for the air of cheerful sincerity it exudes. It’s a refreshingly blunt take on the pulp adventure genre, but in all truth it’s probably the only real way to match the tone of the setting. Everything from combat to character creation encourages players to leap out of windows, ride chandeliers and pause a pitched battle to challenge the enemy commander to an honourable duel.
The entire game emits waves of pulp-tinged excitement like a ball of madly grinning radium, and it’s clear that the designers made a conscious decision to ditch any idea that didn’t mesh with the theatrical heroics of the original Barsoom stories. Once you dig a little deeper, however, you soon find that what the game lacks in bells and whistles it more than makes up for with a sheer, unwavering commitment to having fun. Buy your copy of John Carter of Mars RPG here.Īt first glance there doesn’t seem to be anything too special about John Carter of Mars – there’s no unique mechanic or complicated gimmick to help it stand out from the crowd.
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