In the near future, Earth has become an unfit home for the human race. We have colonies on Mars, but life on the red planet is not always straightforward. Intrigue, deceit, and murder are the unsavory reality of doing business, and it's easy to get caught in the middle.

Dark Side of a Red Planet is a one-shot tabletop roleplaying game for 2-5 players plus a game master. It uses the Action System by Mac10 and Katana (Mac10andKatana@gmail.com). The rules of play and the entire story are in this .pdf file, so all you need to bring are pens, paper, and two 6-sided dice.

The game master introduces the players to the game world, and the players control characters. They take on the role of scrappers working for the Red Planet Salvage Company, sent on a job to recover military-grade pharmaceuticals from a recent convoy crash in the martian desert. As is often the case, what starts out as a simple salvage operation quickly spirals into dangerous dealings and high-speed chases.

If you like this scenario, you might also enjoy Europan Prisoner Transfer, found by visiting the Solstice Team Games page. Feel free to download and play with your friends as much as you like. If you enjoy the game, please consider donating!