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Character: John Carter of Mars


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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Good stuff' date=' Susano. I wouldn't say that he changes a whole lot in books past the first three. John pretty much peaks when he's declared Jeddak of Jeddaks.[/quote']

 

Is "Jeddak of Jeddaks" a title John Carter actually holds? I remember "Warlord", but not the others.

 

And actually, if he changes at all, he just gets better. By the end of the series, he had to be severely pressed to draw steel on anyone, because he felt there was little honor in it. It was tantamount to signing the other man's automatic death warrant, ie not sporting.

The last time he had a real challenge was the Okaran who controlled the big polar magnet switch. Again, as you said, before being elevated to Warlord.

 

Keith "A wandering panthan I..." Curtis

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

The only other thing I might suggest adding is a small bit of Life Support. Burroughs mentions once (I think) in the introductory preface that his friend John Carter told him that he has always been an adult, and always in the prime of his life, though he had fought in several wars. This hints at LS: Aging (and probably Disease as well). Burroughs was pretty good at slipping LS vs Aging onto his characters without people noticing; few people think to add it to their Tarzan write-ups either, but its there.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Otherwise this is dead-on accurate! Great work! :D

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

The only other thing I might suggest adding is a small bit of Life Support. Burroughs mentions once (I think) in the introductory preface that his friend John Carter told him that he has always been an adult' date=' and always in the prime of his life, though he had fought in several wars. This hints at LS: Aging (and probably Disease as well). Burroughs was pretty good at slipping LS vs Aging onto his characters without people noticing; few people think to add it to their Tarzan write-ups either, but its there.[/quote']

 

Just wondering, but isn't there a Philip Jose Farmer book that covers all sorts of info on Burroughs' various characters, and that also drags in a few dozen more from just about every dime novel/pulp series/superhero comic that was ever published?

 

I think I've seen it on the Bison Frontiers of Imagination page, but I can't recall the title.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

The only other thing I might suggest adding is a small bit of Life Support. Burroughs mentions once (I think) in the introductory preface that his friend John Carter told him that he has always been an adult, and always in the prime of his life, though he had fought in several wars. This hints at LS: Aging (and probably Disease as well). Burroughs was pretty good at slipping LS vs Aging onto his characters without people noticing; few people think to add it to their Tarzan write-ups either, but its there.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Otherwise this is dead-on accurate! Great work! :D

 

Well, I gave him this:

 

5	"Not Aged Apparently A Moment":  LS  (Longevity: Immortal)

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Just wondering, but isn't there a Philip Jose Farmer book that covers all sorts of info on Burroughs' various characters, and that also drags in a few dozen more from just about every dime novel/pulp series/superhero comic that was ever published?

 

I think I've seen it on the Bison Frontiers of Imagination page, but I can't recall the title.

Tarzan Alive.

And the whole Wold-Newton Universe.

 

Keith "PJ Farmer rocks on research" Curtis

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Just wondering, but isn't there a Philip Jose Farmer book that covers all sorts of info on Burroughs' various characters, and that also drags in a few dozen more from just about every dime novel/pulp series/superhero comic that was ever published?

 

I think I've seen it on the Bison Frontiers of Imagination page, but I can't recall the title.

 

Tarzan Alive.

And the whole Wold-Newton Universe.

 

Keith "PJ Farmer rocks on research" Curtis

 

Yup, Tarzan Alive and others. The Wold Newton page can be found here, and my own Modified Wold Newton Superhero Universe can be found here and on Susano's site with somewhat nicer formatting HERE.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Tarzan Alive.

And the whole Wold-Newton Universe.

 

Keith "PJ Farmer rocks on research" Curtis

 

Yup' date=' Tarzan Alive and others. The Wold Newton page can be found here, and my own Modified Wold Newton Superhero Universe can be found here and on Susano's site with somewhat nicer formatting HERE.

 

 

Thanks to you both. I'll have to remember that Wold Newton link.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

May I also suggest that the disads included a code of honor' date=' will only respond to an attack with an equal or lesser weapon, and that the Radium pistol be statted out?[/quote']

 

 

 

This reminds me of a parody I read.

 

Samurai Cat!

 

Miowara Tomokato. :D:eg:

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

The only other thing I might suggest adding is a small bit of Life Support. Burroughs mentions once (I think) in the introductory preface that his friend John Carter told him that he has always been an adult, and always in the prime of his life, though he had fought in several wars. This hints at LS: Aging (and probably Disease as well). Burroughs was pretty good at slipping LS vs Aging onto his characters without people noticing; few people think to add it to their Tarzan write-ups either, but its there.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Otherwise this is dead-on accurate! Great work! :D

 

 

I remember Tarzan discussing this as he was preparing to Parachute into enemy held territory in WWII.

 

After he landed, I think he made a new loincloth out of Parachute silk.:D

 

 

My mind is a Sea of USELESS trivia. :(

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

I've been trying to think what an "Earthman On Barsoom" Package Deal might look like:

7 Earthman's Muscles: +10 STR, Only On Mars (+0); No Figured

Characteristics (-1/2)

10 Earthman's Muscles: +5 DEX, Only On Mars (+0); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)

10 Earthman's Muscles: +1 SPD, Only On Mars (+0)

5 Earthman's Muscles: +10 END, Only On Mars (+0)

10 Distinctive Features: 'White' Skin, etc. (Concealable; Noticed and

Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

 

Optional:

10 Social Limitation: Unfamiliar with Barsoom culture, customs (Frequently, Minor)

 

The physical enhancements are pretty self-explanatory; I decided to leave out the rest of JC's combat skills. But I can't remember if the Telepathy and Mental Def are supposed to be something all Earthmen have, or if it was unique to Carter? IIRC, the only other example we have to draw from is Ulysses Paxton from Mastermind of Mars (?), but it's been awhile since I read that one. Is anyone else's memory clearer?

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

I've been trying to think what an "Earthman On Barsoom" Package Deal might look like:

 

 

The physical enhancements are pretty self-explanatory; I decided to leave out the rest of JC's combat skills. But I can't remember if the Telepathy and Mental Def are supposed to be something all Earthmen have, or if it was unique to Carter? IIRC, the only other example we have to draw from is Ulysses Paxton from Mastermind of Mars (?), but it's been awhile since I read that one. Is anyone else's memory clearer?

 

Everyone on Mars has telepathy, and John soon gained it as well. The Mental Def seems to be either unique to John, or unique to Earthmen (it's not clear).

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

IIRC, Ulysses S. Paxton had a similar immunity (and origin).

 

Keith "Remembers reading that story with dismay..." Curtis

Which one? The guy who goes into the huge martian's body?

 

I read (I think) all the martian books.

I like Hal Hadron (from A fighting man of Mars)

I like The Warlord's Son

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Which one? The guy who goes into the huge martian's body?
No' date=' that was Vor Daj, from Synthetic Men of Mars who is transferred into the body of Tor-Dur-Bar. Ulysses Paxton (Barsoomian name, Vad Varo) did learn the technique of brain transplant from Ras Thavas, though.

I read (I think) all the martian books.

I like Hal Hadron (from A fighting man of Mars)

Tan Hadron of Hastor, a province in the nation of Helium.

I like The Warlord's Son

Carthoris.

 

Keith "Erbophile" Curtis

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Just wondering, but isn't there a Philip Jose Farmer book that covers all sorts of info on Burroughs' various characters, and that also drags in a few dozen more from just about every dime novel/pulp series/superhero comic that was ever published?

 

I think I've seen it on the Bison Frontiers of Imagination page, but I can't recall the title.

 

 

From what I recall, the Phillip Jose Farmer book is a "deconstructionist" look at the characters, and was NOT to my liking. I dont care to be shown Tarzan gettin' jiggy with Great Apes as a teenager, or flinging his own poo. Thats what the Farmer book seemed to concentrate on; the worst possible scenarios for characters in those situations, completely stripping them of their dignity or heroism.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

No, that was Vor Daj, from Synthetic Men of Mars who is transferred into the body of Tor-Dur-Bar. Ulysses Paxton (Barsoomian name, Vad Varo) did learn the technique of brain transplant from Ras Thavas, though.Tan Hadron of Hastor, a province in the nation of Helium. Carthoris.

 

Keith "Erbophile" Curtis

 

GEEK! Bravo! :thumbup:

 

Little story about the coolest 5th grade teacher ever, Miss Young. Not only was every Monday's classes pretty much dedicated to talking about NFL games and the Saturday Night Live previous, not only did the entire class play D&D as a class project, but she brought in her own complete run of Barsoom novels, the ones with Darrell Sweet covers, for the students to read and when it was obvious that there weren't enough to go around she brought in a second complete run to meet demand. Angels sing her praises.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

From what I recall' date=' the Phillip Jose Farmer book is a "deconstructionist" look at the characters, and was NOT to my liking. I dont care to be shown Tarzan gettin' jiggy with Great Apes as a teenager, or flinging his own poo. Thats what the Farmer book seemed to concentrate on; the worst possible scenarios for characters in those situations, completely stripping them of their dignity or heroism.[/quote']

 

His earlier Wold Newton stuff (Greatheart Silver, A Feast Unknown, a few others) was dark deconstructionist parody. Later, with the Grandith / Caliban sequels, and the actual Tarzan and Doc Savage books, he puts the characters back together again very well. Times Last Gift is a great little SF nod to what Tarzan might one day have become, and Escape from Loki is an excellent young Doc Savage novel that does full justice to the character. His process was a lot like Alan Moore's; he started out ripping into the stories, and ended up re-writing them as he thought they should have been done.

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

I remember Tarzan discussing this as he was preparing to Parachute into enemy held territory in WWII.

 

After he landed, I think he made a new loincloth out of Parachute silk.:D

 

 

My mind is a Sea of USELESS trivia. :(

 

Shouldn't Carter have some kind of Teleport Megascale Only Earth to Mars to represent how he can get there by just thinking about it? (IIRC -- I read these books when I was about 12.)

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Re: Character: John Carter of Mars

 

Shouldn't Carter have some kind of Teleport Megascale Only Earth to Mars to represent how he can get there by just thinking about it? (IIRC -- I read these books when I was about 12.)

 

[b]OPTIONS[/b]
35	[b]"May Traverse The Trackless Voids At My Will":[/b] Extradimensional Movement (any 
location in the Solar System)

 

The first time might have been some effect of the cave. Later it seems he can go anywhere in the solar system.

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