War of the Worlds: Martians

[Michael Hopcroft]

I'm thinking about H.G. Wells' Martians right now as Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds plays in the background. Given that the author had to pull an outrageous deus ex machina to prevent the human race's inevitable extinction, they would be beyond the ability of contemporaries to Wells to fight. Well, fight effectively at least.

 

So how do you stop the Martians if they were to show up in your Victorian Hero game? Or, dare I say it, a steampunk game?

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

If I was running it, the invading Martians would be the entirety of their civilization. They would be hard to kill, but not invulnerable, and would not have sufficient force to defeat a united humanity. (They might be able to defeat a divided humanity, but they're too arrogant to consider that.) If humanity was to travel to Mars afterwards, they would find only incomprehensible devices, indecipherable texts, and deserted cities.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

My favorite variation on the WOTW was written by our own John "Proditor" Ivicek Jr. for Digital Hero #39: War of the Worlds Champions. His very clever campaign premise was that the Black Dust used by the Martians, while lethal to very nearly all humans, in a very small percentage actually caused superhuman mutations, creating mankind's most powerful weapon against the invaders.

 

You can read a free sample from the article, describing the campaign background, on this archived webpage (you might need to click on the "Impatient?" link). You can also view some of D.T. "Sketchpad" Butchino's awesome art for the article on this forum thread.

[sinanju]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

My favorite variation on the WOTW was written by our own John "Proditor" Ivicek Jr. for Digital Hero #39: War of the Worlds Champions. His very clever campaign premise was that the Black Dust used by the Martians, while lethal to very nearly all humans, in a very small percentage actually caused superhuman mutations, creating mankind's most powerful weapon against the invaders.

 

So...the Martians deployed Xenovirus Takis-A (aka the "Wild Card" virus)? BIG mistake....

[clsage]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

I'm thinking about H.G. Wells' Martians right now as Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds plays in the background. Given that the author had to pull an outrageous deus ex machina to prevent the human race's inevitable extinction, they would be beyond the ability of contemporaries to Wells to fight. Well, fight effectively at least.

 

So how do you stop the Martians if they were to show up in your Victorian Hero game? Or, dare I say it, a steampunk game?

 

Hmmmm. Well, IF my GM were using this version:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsbook/hgwells/WOTWmartian.html

 

as the villains....Given that they have, as one of their disads "No sense of smell"....If my heroes could deduce that it would lead me to use area denial chemical warfare (ie: chlorine gas, etc) against them. They (unlike humans) would be unable to prepare for the attacking agents since they cannot smell they telltale odors. And as long as they have a respiratory tract and breath, chlorine and similar agents that could be manufactured with Victorian era tech should be as effective on them as they were in the trenches of WW I. IMNSHO, that is.

 

Even if they enclose themselves within such gear as:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsbook/hgwells/WOTWwarmachine.html

 

or this:

 

http://surbrook.devermore.net/adaptationsbook/hgwells/WOTWhandlingmachine.html

 

to eat the blood of their captured human prey, they will still need to exit their vehicles. So it becomes a case of "die from starvation or potentially die from the gas attacks"...A no win situation for them. And given their use of the black smoke against humanity, potentially a rather poetic turn of events.....

 

-Carl-

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

In the original story, the Martians were vulnerable when outside thier machines, and the machines were vulnerable to artillery (and explosives?). Guerrilla warfare: partisans, snipers, ambushes... and a gas mask to keep out the 'Black Dust'. Since PCs are very good at guerrilla warfare, that would be the campaign (after the initial invasion).

[McCoy]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

I'm thinking about H.G. Wells' Martians right now as Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds plays in the background. Given that the author had to pull an outrageous deus ex machina to prevent the human race's inevitable extinction, they would be beyond the ability of contemporaries to Wells to fight. Well, fight effectively at least.

 

So how do you stop the Martians if they were to show up in your Victorian Hero game? Or, dare I say it, a steampunk game?

Suicide bombers. Volunteers would have explosives surgically implanted, with a "dead-man" switch linked to their heart beat. After the incisions heal, they allow themselves to be captured for "processing." Explosion goes off inside the Martian War machines.

 

Yes, I have thought about this way too much, why do you ask?

 

 

When we saw the version with Tom Cruise, as soon as I saw prisoners were being taken alive I whispered to Number Three Son about using suicide bombers to set off explosions inside the force fields. When there was an explosion inside a force field in the movie, he just said "You scare me sometimes."

 

[tkdguy]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

In the Castle Falkenstein game, the War of the Worlds actually did happen, but it was limited to Sussex (I think). Given the Steampunk nature of that world, not to mention the powerful magic there, Earth would stand a good chance of successfully turning back the Martians.

 

John Carter exists in the CF world, so there's some contradiction between his adventures in Barsoom and the War of the Worlds. I think this was done intentionally to let the GM decide the truth of the matter himself.

[Susano]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

So...the Martians deployed Xenovirus Takis-A (aka the "Wild Card" virus)? BIG mistake....

 

No. They had no idea the Black Dust would affect people in that fashion.

[Susano]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

In the Castle Falkenstein game, the War of the Worlds actually did happen, but it was limited to Sussex (I think). Given the Steampunk nature of that world, not to mention the powerful magic there, Earth would stand a good chance of successfully turning back the Martians.

 

John Carter exists in the CF world, so there's some contradiction between his adventures in Barsoom and the War of the Worlds. I think this was done intentionally to let the GM decide the truth of the matter himself.

 

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has several Martian races existing all at once. IIRC, the WOTW Martians are chased off of Mars by John Carter and his allies.

[RexMundi]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

I'd handle it.....this way......

 

 

~Rex

[Manic Typist]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

...I whispered to Number Three Son about ...

 

....is that your third child, or your third son?

[McCoy]

Re: War of the Worlds: Martians

 

....is that your third child' date=' or your third son?[/quote']

Both. I adopted three boys.