So, yea, Mars. Mars sucks. Its the seat of power for a totalitarian government run by the solar system’s richest mainframe, by which I mean a rich jerk who had is brain downloaded into a computer (truly amazing that in our modern world, some real live rich jerks think this is the way to go). The civilized regions are ruthlessly oppressed into an efficient work force kept pacified by the promise of fiscal security, blood sport and the threat of imprisonment, conscription or worse. The wilderness, meanwhile, is full of “monsters.” It’s hard to figure out which is worse. Winninger paints this portrait with zero subtlety: Buck and his rebels need a machine to rage against. Here is that machine.

It is tempting to read the whole thing as a satire of TSR’s c-suite. You’re probably expecting me to be like “but nah,” when really, go ahead: read the whole thing as a satire of TSR’s c-suite.

The post Mars in the 25th Century (1990) appeared first on Vintage RPG.