Michael Gibbons brings Mars to B/X
Science fantasy adventure on the Red Planet
I’ve previously discussed the important, if subtle, influences Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series has had on Tom Moldvay’s 1981 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook. In my review of the first Barsoom book, A Princess of Mars, I propose a few scenarios by which a DM can introduce a science fantasy Mars to their players, or vice-versa.
Any DM who wants to expand their B/X campaign in this way will need to adopt, adapt, or create a setting with which their players can engage, or which they can fully explore. For those who don’t want to homebrew an entirely separate world, I know if no better resource than the Michael Gibbons 2019 release, B/X Mars.
Gibbons is an amazing artist, with a unique sketch style centered on deep, dark, blacks. Just looking at the cover of B/X Mars makes me want to go there.
He’s also passionate about the material. His world of Zerzura (what the natives call Gibbons’ version of Mars) is a creative reimagining of Burroughs’ Barsoom, with those characteristics thrown into sharp relief by elements from other resonant sources, such as Frank Herbert’s Dune, John Buscema’s and Roy Thomas’ run of the Conan comic, and the movie Heavy Metal.1
B/X Mars opens with Part 1: “Final Days of the Red Planet”, which includes a very brief forward (p. 5), and “Mars Facts of Life” (p. 6). These two sections establish the tone of the setting, conveying just how bleak and harsh Zerzura can be. “Mars Facts of Life” includes “Inspirational Media”, a short bibliography of science fantasy, and a loving homage to the similar section in Moldvay Basic.
In Part 2: “Character Generation”, Gibbons covers everything DMs and players need to build adventurers on Zerzura, including various types of Martians, and “Terrans” (which is what player characters from a regular B/X game would be, if transplanted into the B/X Mars setting). In general, I think Gibbons does a good job evoking the feel of his source material, while at the same time preserving substantial fidelity to standard B/X rules.
One area where I would take a different approach is psychic powers. Called “mind warp” in the game, these talents play a significant role in B/X Mars—a more significant role, in fact, than in the Burroughs stories that inspired the setting. All characters in a game of B/X Mars have a new ability score called “warp”, which measures psychic strength (warp replaces wisdom—I would have just increased the number of abilities to seven.) Players can also choose a new class—the “menton”—which focuses specifically on mind warp powers (fully detailed following the class description.) I’m a big fan of Richard LeBlanc’s B/X supplement, PX1: Basic Psionics Handbook, and would have made the mind warp powers fully compatible with that resource. B/X Mars, however, isn’t an OGL work, and Gibbons has chosen to develop his own system. It’s not a bad call—the menton class is well-designed, and definitely embodies the B/X principle of simplicity. I expect it plays perfectly well.
The second area where I take issue with the rules is a more serious oversight. Unlike Warriors of the Red Planet (WoTRP), a Barsoom-inspired setting designed for 0D&D by Al Krombach and Thomas Denmark, B/X Mars doesn’t provide a class option for the “mad scientist” archetype prevalent in science fantasy. Although I don’t really care for the manner in which the class as implemented in WotRP, it’s a credit to the designers that they included it. When I use B/X Mars, I expect I will import a modified version for use in my games.
B/X Mars really begins to shine in Part 3: “Zerzura, Under the Mad Sun”, where Gibbons brings his influences together, creating a complex, alien society on a dying world. This includes “Life On Mars”, describing the weird, alien ab-gods, how much food and water characters need, where they can find it, how money is used, etc. Perhaps the most useful section is “Factions and Powers”, detailing the groups that control Zerzura, the goals of each, and who they hate, among other specifics.
The last two-thirds of the book really showcase Gibbons’ illustration skills. Part 4: “Atlas of Zerzura”, gives an overview of his version of Mars, including a beautiful picture-map covering an area large enough for a campaign of indefinite duration. Part 5: “Cities in the Sand” drills down to present four exotic Martian locations—three cities controlled by Red Martians, and part of a ruined megalopolis of indeterminate size. Each city receives its own lush picture-map, and each is delightfully bizarre in its own way—wildly different from any place typical B/X characters are likely to have visited. Part 6: “Denizens of the Dry Sea” is a Martian bestiary, featuring evocative drawings of many people, plants, and beasts found on Zerzura. A special section shows and describes the ab-gods—awesomely powerful, alien beings who control most of Zerzuran society.
Gibbons ends the book with an appendix presenting many ancient technological devices that can be found on Zerzera, and a “mappendix”, showing picture-maps of the adventure locations used during play testing.
A new (but very old) world for your B/X player characters to explore
B/X Mars is obviously a passion project for its designer/author/illustrator. Every page clearly demonstrates his love for the subject matter, and the artistic exercise required to bring it to life on the page.
It’s also an excellent expansion of the original B/X rules, and a valuable sourcebook if you want to give your players something they haven’t necessarily seen in your games before.
If you love the science fantasy roots of Dungeons & Dragons, and the simple, streamlined design of B/X, do yourself a favor, and pick up a copy of B/X Mars, by Michael Gibbons. You won’t be disappointed.
I’m convinced—primarily due to the nature of the ab-gods—that the D&D 2e setting Dark Sun is an uncredited influence, but I may be a victim of recursion here. Some of the same sources probably influenced Tim Brown and Troy Denning, when they created Dark Sun. In any case, if B/X Mars can be considered a Dark Sun setting for B/X, I’m fine with that.