Barsoom RPG ?

[cornichon]

Should Mongoose try to negotiate with the ERB estate, and publish a "Barsoom RPG", as based on the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs such as "A Princess of Mars" ?

 

[MaxSteiner]

I would freaking cream my pants if they were to do that, I think it should be required reading for anyone into Sci-Fi (And especially anyone into Dune :lol.
Definatly one of the more impressive VSF novels.
It'd work well having it released in setting books as well, since theres good reasons why people don't travel throughout the world.

Id also like to see William Hope Hodgson's Night Land adapted to a RPG while we're on the subject, an absolutly incredible piece of scifi if you can wade through the romance in the first chapter

 

[Da Boss]

sounds a fun game

 

[Bewildered Badger]

It's a grand idea, but I don't think they'll get anywhere. Adamant Entertainment tried to get the license, but the ERB estate were non cooperative. It seems that they had bad experiences licensing Tarzan, and are unwilling to go through all the legal hassles.
As a result Adamant have bought out there own RPG, 'Mars', which is about as close to ERB's works as you could get without infringing any copyrights (though I have no doubt lawyers have perused it most carefully!). For example, Burrough's green martians have four arms, whilst the 'Mars' versions have only two. Otherwise they are very similar.

 

[Tal]

I buy it in a heartbeat if it RQ or a RQ derivative.

 

[stutwothousand]

I have the Adamant book, and it's pretty good. But if there were a lushly detailed RQ book, I'd love it better.

 

[xeoran]

It would be awesome.

 

[cornichon]

It's a grand idea, but I don't think they'll get anywhere. Adamant Entertainment tried to get the license, but the ERB estate were non cooperative. It seems that they had bad experiences licensing Tarzan, and are unwilling to go through all the legal hassles.
As a result Adamant have bought out there own RPG, 'Mars', which is about as close to ERB's works as you could get without infringing any copyrights (though I have no doubt lawyers have perused it most carefully!). For example, Burrough's green martians have four arms, whilst the 'Mars' versions have only two. Otherwise they are very similar.

Yet - correct me if I err - Adamant's RPG is not hardback-published ('xcept through lulu.com) and, most of all, it is not a licensed game, which does limit its popularity. IMHO a licensed RPG expanding on Barsoom's setting would appeal not only to gamers into planetary romance but also ERB fans, and therefore may hold an interesting potential for RPGing in that setting. Not only this, ERB conceived his books as interdependent : The Moon cycle, the Venus cycle, the Barsoom cycle, Pellucidar, Tarzan ; the events of all these books occur in the same setting - only not necessarily in the exact same timeline.

I think the potential for a closed line (à la Infernum) is there.

Sure Space 1899 allows this and is a good game, but to me drawing out the Space 1899 rulebook for one's players does not seem as... Evocative and exciting as drawing out an ERB RPG with big badass Conan-like rules...