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GURPS Classic Mars MARS The Red Planet Written by James L. Cambias Additional material by Kenneth Peters Edited by Scott Haring Cover art by Christopher Shy Illustrated by Paul Daly GURPS System Design ! Steve Jackson GURPS Line Editor ! Sean Punch Managing Editor ! Andrew Hackard Project Administrator ! Monique Chapman Production Manager ! Heather Oliver Creative Director ! Philip Reed Production Artist ! Heather Oliver Production Assistance ! Alex Fernandez Page Designer ! Jack Elmy Print Buyer ! Monica Stephens Sales Manager ! Ross Jepson Errata Coordinator ! Andy Vetromile Lead Playtester: Steph Pennington Assistant Lead Playtester: Devin L. Ganger Playtesters: Frederick Bracken, Nelson Cunnington, Jeremiah Genest, Anthony Jackson, M.A. Lloyd, David Morgan-Mar, Kenneth Peters, Bill Stoddard, and Constantine Thomas Special Thanks to: Dr. Diane A. Kelly, Dr. Geoffrey A. Landis, Richard Wagner, and Dr. Keith Watt. And thanks to everyone who provided information or commentary. GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Mars is copyright © 2002 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Some art copyright www.arttoday.com. Some art courtesy of NASA/JPL/Caltech. Printed in the USA. ISBN 1-55634-534-8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 STEVE JACKSON GAMES CONTENTS Introduction . 4 Looking for Life . 30 Fortean Mars . 46 Invaders from Earth. 30 Velikovskian Mars . 47 About the Author . 4 The Martian Meteorite. 30 Capricorn One . 47 1. Mars Observed . 5 GETTING TO MARS . 31 Spiritualist Mars. 48 THE RED STAR . 6 Mars Direct . 31 Illuminated Mars . 48 The NASA Design Early Theories and Observations . 6 4. Domed Mars . 50 Percival Lowell: A Man, Reference Mission. 31 COLONIES ON MARS . 51 A Planet, A Canal . 6 Trajectories . 32 The First Base. 51 Naming Names. 7 New Rocket Engines . 33 Chryse Colony 2050 . 52 Gulliver’s Travels and Mars One-Way . 33 Chryse Planitia 2050 . 52 the Moons of Mars . 8 Regular Service: Other Colonies in 2050 . 53 MEN AND MARTIANS . 9 The Mars Cycler . 34 Domed Colonies in 2050 – Western The War(s) of the Worlds . 9 The Cycler Spacecraft . 34 Hemisphere . 54 Sword and Planet. 10 The Mars Lander . 35 Domed Colonies in 2050 – Mars in Classic Science Fiction . 10 Getting Around on Mars . 36 Eastern Hemisphere . 54 Space Age Mars . 11 Mars 1956 . 37 Deimos Base . 56 Martians and Popular Fears . 11 Life Under Glass . 56 Mars Probes. 12 Somebody Else Is On Mars . 57 2. Mars in Reality . 13 Secret Colonies . 58 ECHNOLOGY BASIC PHYSICAL DATA . 14 T . 58 The Planet . 14 Ground Vehicles. 58 Motion . 14 Mars Rover . 58 CONDITIONS . 15 Vehicle Statistics . 59 Time on Mars. 15 Pressurized Rover . 59 What to Wear . 15 Power Unit Trailer . 60 Calling Home. 15 Aircraft. 61 Climate. 16 Mars Blimp . 61 Atmosphere . 16 Robots . 61 The Mean Datum . 16 The Mars Launcher . 61 MARS PIONEERS . 62 Soil . 16 3. Mars in Fiction Water . 16 Administrator. 62 Resources. 17 and Myth . 38 Astronaut . 62 Mars Suits . 62 Hazards . 19 DIAL M FOR MARTIAN . 39 What Mars Doesn’t Have . 19 Hard Science vs. Colonist . 62 FEATURES . 21 Planetary Romance . 39 Mission Specialist . 63 Uplands and Lowlands . 21 Primitive vs. Advanced . 39 Prospector . 63 Tharsis and Elysium . 21 Silly Mars. 40 Rebel . 63 The Caverns of Mars? . 21 Three Little Men From Kids on Mars? . 63 Topographic Map of Mars in 2002 – Mars Are We . 40 Scientist . 64 Mercator Projection . 22 Dying World vs. New Frontier . 41 Weapons . 64 Technician . 64 Topographic Map of Mars in 2002 – MYSTIC MARS . 41 Stereographic Projections . 23 Mars in Astronomy . 42 Vehicle Operator . 64 Martian Geography . 24 Mars and the Cabal . 43 ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, Channels and Valleys. 26 The Mars Effect. 43 AND SKILLS . 65 Crater Basins . 27 Space Gods From Mars?. 43 Advantages. 65 The Polar Caps. 27 Mars in Alchemy . 44 Master Minds of Mars . 65 Missions to the Moons. 28 Worlds in Collision . 44 Disadvantages . 66 THE MOONS OF MARS . 28 Mars in Magic . 44 Skills . 67 Phobos . 28 Sailing Through the CAMPAIGNS AND ADVENTURES . 67 Deimos. 29 Crystal Spheres . 45 Disaster! . 67 Martian Gold Rush . 68 LIFE ON MARS? . 29 WEIRD MARS . 45 Conditions in the Past . 29 Pyramids of Mars?. 45 Return of the Martians. 68 Where Life Might Survive . 29 Artificial Moons?. 46 Independence . 69 2 CONTENTS Other GURPS Settings . 69 Attack Saucer. 96 Squatters. 70 Transport Saucer . 97 About GURPS Martian Marshal . 70 The Tripod Expeditionary Force . 97 Martian Tripod. 97 Steve Jackson Games is committed to 5. Terraformed full support of the GURPS system. Our CHARACTERS . 98 address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX Mars . 71 Martian Character Types . 98 78760. Please include a self-addressed, Preserving the Old World . 72 Martian Mutants . 100 stamped envelope (SASE) any time you What if it Goes Wrong? . 72 Advantages. 100 write us! Resources include: TERRAFORMING . 72 Disadvantages . 101 Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Why Terraform?. 72 Skills . 101 Our online magazine includes new GURPS What Mars Needs . 73 CAMPAIGNS AND ADVENTURES . 102 rules and articles. It also covers Dungeons Big Jobs . 73 Invaders From Mars . 102 and Dragons, Traveller, World of Darkness, Biology. 75 Invaders From Earth . 103 Call of Cthulhu, and many more top games Mars Needs . Um . .. 75 Other GURPS Settings . 104 – and other Steve Jackson Games releases THE NEW WORLD . 75 Rival Planets . 105 like In Nomine, Illuminati, Car Wars, Toon, Phase One . 75 The Solar Federation. 105 Ogre Miniatures, and more. Pyramid sub- Phase Two . 76 The Martian Campaign . 105 scribers also have access to playtest files online! Phase Three . 76 7. Dying Mars 106 New supplements and adventures. The New Landscape . 76 . The Landscape. 107 GURPS continues to grow, and we’ll be Hydrographic Map of happy to let you know what’s new. A current Terraformed Mars . 77 How a Planet Dies. 107 catalog is available for an SASE. Or check Time Scale . 78 The Past – or the Future? . 107 out our website (below). Martian Organisms . 79 Canals and Territories of Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, MARS COLONISTS . 79 Dying Mars . 108 including us – but we do our best to fix our Planet of Roofs. 80 Inhabitants . 109 errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all Moving Mars . 80 CITIES AND KINGDOMS . 111 GURPS releases, including this book, are Society on Terraformed Mars . 80 The Marineris Cities . 111 available from SJ Games; be sure to include Humans into Martians. 81 Map of Marineris Cities . 111 an SASE. Or download them from the Web The Skyhook. 82 The Underground Empire . 112 – see below. Elevator Car . 82 Ruins and Lost Cities. 112 Gamer input. We value your comments, for new products as well as updated printings Genetic Engineering Packages . 83 The Acidalian Theocracy. 113 The Hellan Empire. 113 of existing titles! Characters . 84 Internet. Pirates of Mars . ..
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