Re: (TFT) Mars

[Jay Carlisle <maou.tsaou@gmail.com>]

Hi Chris

I certainly get your point about keeping the fantasy in fantasy role-playing
games.
I am not trying to advocate against that.
However, the way I view things, if Mars is invoked as opposed to Planet-X
then Im going to expect much of what I know about the planet to be
incorporated in the game-world and hope to be surprised by a few things I
didnt know perhaps.
Change the fundamentals too much and the whole experience becomes more
frustrating than entertaining.
Its like going to see a movie called Starship Troopers and pretty quickly
realizing that very little of the namesake book is in the film.
Call the flick Space Marines and that problem goes away, elseif give me what
the title promises.
http://www.google.com/mars/
I know where the ocean is on Mars, as for the canali are you using
Schiaparelli, Lowell, or something else entirely?
Or has perfidious Albion reached Mars before 1877?

Speaking of the empire, when dealing with alternate historys a big point of
the thing is that everything went along the same for everybody UNTIL
In the case of the circle it was landing the first man on the Moon.

According to the Dean, if youre on Barsoom thats Timeline #1 represented
by Mobyas Toras and it was John Carter himself who made the landing.
TL-2, W.W. Smith, Leslie LeCroix
TL-3, Dr. Jubal Harshaw, Neil Armstrong
TL-4, Dr. Hilda Mae Burroghs, Ballox OMally
TL-5, Commander Ted Smith, DuQuense
TL-6, Captain John Sterling, Neil Armstrong (alternate)
Her Wisdom Star Arbiter of the Ninety Universes, composite Timeline Cyrano

Of course there are other groups besides the Circle of Ouroboros like the
Time Lords, Scene Changers, Black Hats, Revisionists, the Monkey Gang, etc.
but you dont need to worry about that stuff unless you allow time-travel or
Mnorens, etc. in play
What I do want to have a clear idea of in an alternate history type game is
where the jumping off point is.

I actually find it much simpler to leave as much of the foundations of my
game-worlds as possible in the objective reference materials that are
readily available.
Theres already enough problems with fantasy concepts as it is without
adding the additional burden of trying to basically make a planet out of
whole cloth so to speak.
I figure if I ever get THAT good old Slartibartfast would look like a spring
chicken in comparison to me.

Arthur Dent: The Earth!
Slartibartfast: Well, the Earth Mark II, in fact. We're making a copy from
our original blueprints.
Arthur Dent: Are you telling me you originally made the Earth?
Slartibartfast: Oh, yes. Did you ever go to a place - I think it was called
Norway?
Arthur Dent: No. No, I didn't.
Slartibartfast: Pity. That was one of mine. Won an award, you know. Lovely
crinkly edges.

Not to mention my personal philosophy

Slartibartfast: Perhaps I'm old and tired, but I always think the chances of
finding out what really is going on are so absurdly remote that the only
thing to do is to say "Hang the sense of it" and just keep yourself
occupied.

Slartijayfast; mostly harmless regardless of what Heinlein says about living
mythmakers.
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