I’ve always been a a big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom novels , set on his dying, fanatstic version of Mars. There has been a good number of role-playing games set on Barsoom. Here’s the list I’ve put together so far.

Let me know if I’ve missed anything in comments.

John Carter of Mars

This is the big one. John Carter of Mars – Modiphius’ lavishly illustrated RPG, with the official backing of Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. It uses the same 2d20 system that their other games use (Conan, Star Trek). They’ve published multiple supplements, minaiatures, tile sets, and a GM screen. This is the big one.– Modiphius’ lavishly illustrated RPG, with the official backing of Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. It uses the same 2d20 system that their other games use (Conan, Star Trek). They’ve published multiple supplements, minaiatures, tile sets, and a GM screen.

Even if you’re using another system, anyone interested in gaming on Barsoom needs to pick this up. There’s a lot of background material for running a game on Barsoom, in a clear usable format.

Warriors of Mars: The Warfare of Barsoom in Miniature

In 1974, Gary Gygax and Brian Blume put out wargaming rules for Barsoom, including individual man-to-man combat. You can get it for free at the Internet Archive. In 1974, Gary Gygax and Brian Blume put out wargaming rules for Barsoom, including individual man-to-man combat. You can get it for free at the Internet Archive.

Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of Mars

This is a free, fan-made supplement designed to run Barsoomian games using original D&D rules. It’s even formatted to look like one of the original D&D books.

Savage Mars

A unofficial fan hack of Savage Worlds

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars: Shadows of a Dying World (An OGL Guide to Monsters, Races, and Beasts)

work with most D20 systems. Skirmisher Publishing put out an OGL version of Barsoom that shouldwork with most D20 systems.

Heroes of Mars

Jeffrey Kazmierski put together a version of Barsoom for the FUDGE system. It’s no longer online, but you can still see it on the Internet Archive

A Dream of Mars

Little Red Goblin Games has a cheap ($1.00) adaptation of Barsoom for Pathfinder Little Red Goblin Games has a cheap ($1.00) adaptation of Barsoom for Pathfinder

Lords of Mars

Ray Otus made a simple hack of Tunnel Goons set on Barsoom. It’s only a few pages long, but includes rules for mass battles and airship conflict. I made a character sheet for it here

In addition to games set explicitly on Burrough’s Mars, there are many games set on fictional versions of Mars that are clearly inspired by Barsoom.

Warriors of the Red Planet

Night Owl Workshop puts out several games using Original D&D-style rules for variety of genres, including Warriors of the Red Planet. It’s set on a thinly-disguised Barsoom. It has rules for airship combat, underground exploration, and sorcery. It has a particularly nice “Appendix N” section, listing almost every Sword & Planet novel ever published, including a lot of obscure stuff more casual fans probably haven’t heard of. Night Owl Workshop puts out several games using Original D&D-style rules for variety of genres, including Warriors of the Red Planet. It’s set on a thinly-disguised Barsoom. It has rules for airship combat, underground exploration, and sorcery. It has a particularly nice “Appendix N” section, listing almost every Sword & Planet novel ever published, including a lot of obscure stuff more casual fans probably haven’t heard of.

Revelations of Mars

Exile Games had an expansion to their Hollow Earth Expedition set on their pulpy version of Mars, using their Ubiquity system. Exile Games had an expansion to their Hollow Earth Expedition set on their pulpy version of Mars, using their Ubiquity system.

Cavaliers of Mars

Onyx Path Publishing’s fantasy Mars setting. Onyx Path Publishing’s fantasy Mars setting.

Mars

Adamant Entertainment put out two versions of this. One is a D20 version, the other is in Savage Worlds. Adamant Entertainment put out two versions of this. One is a D20 version, the other is in Savage Worlds.

GURPS Mars

Steve Jackson Games’ GURPS supplement covers several different versions on fictional Mars. Chapter 7 – “Dying Mars” describes how to design and run a Barsoom-like game.

B/X Mars

Setting for old-school D&D\OSR games. Lovely B&W illustrations Setting for old-school D&D\OSR games. Lovely B&W illustrations

Space 1899

This Victorians-in-space game features a very Barsoom-like Mars. There have been a few different versions:

The original GDW game

The Savage Worlds edition – Red Sands

And the Modiphius version using their Ubiquity system

***UPDATE – Almost forgot, the original D&D, specifically Book 3 – The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures does include an encounter table for Mars, for both animal and human encounters

Please list anything I missed in the comments.

***UPDATE 01/20/2020

I’ve gotten a bunch of suggestions from Reddit and elsewhere. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions

Rocket Age – Blood Red Mars

Rocket Age’s Mars is clearly Barsoom-like with an ancient, dying Martian civilization.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/123288/Rocket-Age–Blood-Red-Mars

Suggested by roninnemo from Reddir/rpg

Thought Lords of Mars

This one looks out of print as far as I can tell. I think it’s a supplement for John Harper’s Dnager Patrol

https://www.nobleknight.com/P/2147759277/Thought-Lords-of-Mars

Suggested by omnihedrom from reddit/rpg

Adventures on Dungeon Planet

A supplement for Dungeon World that helps to create a Sword & Planet like world. Easily adaptable to Barsoom

https://redboxvancouver.wordpress.com/dungeon-world-stuff/

Suggested by J_Standberg on Reddit/rpg

Jarkoon – Adventures on Planet X!

An OSR game for Sword & Planet

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/254446/Jarkoon–Adventures-on-Planet-X

Suggested by Simon W at gamingtavern.eu

Swashbucklers of Mars

A Searchers of the Unknown hack available for free at

https://retroroleplaying.com/content/searchers-unknown-rpg-collection/

Suggested by RedwoodRhiadra at reddit/rpg

Under the Moons of Zoon

This is its own light RPG system, with a strong Burroughs influence on thw world.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/119991/Under-the-Moons-of-Zoon

Suggested by RedwoodRhiadra at reddit/rpg

Distant Worlds

The Pathfinder supplement Distant Worlds lists some of the other planets in the Pathfinder universe. One is Akiton, clearly a take on Barsoom.

https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Akiton

https://paizo.com/products/btpy8qib?Pathfinder-Campaign-Setting-Distant-Worlds

Suggested by high-tech-low-life on Reddit/rpg

Update *** 01/21/2020

Found this one. It’s a free add-on to the man-to-man tactical game Swordplay. It’s more of a wargame than a RPG, but it’s close enough.

It’s called John Carter For Swordplay (free PDF)

Update *** 2/13/2020

Goodman games put a series of adventures for Dungeon Crawl Classics called the Purple Planet series. It’s set on an dying alien world, with a clear Barsoom influence.

Suggested by hodaza on Reddit/rpg

Update *** 03/29/2020

Planets of Peril: The Sword & Planet Role Playing Game This is Keith Vaughn’s sword & planet adventure game – much of it is Barsoom-inspired. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/99255/Planets-of-Peril-The-Sword–Planet-Role-Playing-Game Suggested by the author in the comments below. Update *** 6/6/2020 Iron Lords of Jupiter A D20 Modern setting published in Dungeon Magazine – issue 101 https://archive.org/details/Dungeon_Magazine_101 Update *** 6/14/2020 John Carter, Warlord of Mars A RPG put out by Heritage Models, Inc. in 1978. It’s currently out-of-print, and I don’t believe there’s a PDF available anywhere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carter,_Warlord_of_Mars_(role-playing_game) Update *** 06/18/2020 Sword & Planet: An Old School Roleplaying Game of Planetary Romance This is an OSR game by Jason “Flynn” Kemp designed for general Sword & Planet adventures, but the core rules are designed around Barsoom. You can get a free rough draft version at https://flynnwd.blogspot.com/2012/03/fantasy-friday-sword-planet-rpg-first.html Update *** 06/28/2020 Deserted Cities of Mars (article)

Not a full game, but an interesting article in the August 1975 edition of the Strategic Review, the gaming fanzine TSR put out before Dragon magazine. Its called the Deserted Cities of Mars by Jim Ward. It’s got a description of the ancient cities of Barsoom, along with some generation tables.

https://archive.org/stream/TheStrategicReviewDec1975/The%20Strategic%20Review%20-%20Autumn%201975#page/n5/mode/2up