The inspiration for the Fate World of Adventure Red Planet is Soviet pulp science fiction. In this science fiction setting, communist idealists have developed the philosophy of progressive materialism and traveled to Mars to found the Union of Materialist Republics there. Arriving at Mars, however, they first had to overthrow the Martian dictatorship and convince the Martians to join the Union. Over the following centuries, the Union has expanded over large parts of the solar system - from Venus, overgrown with jungles, to icy Pluto. But the Union still has many enemies: the corporate-dominated capitalist USA, the corrupt USSR, and the two-dimensional aliens of the Geometrists.

Characters first choose a class, each giving them a bonus to skills. In addition to scientists, soldiers, bureaucrats, etc., there are also preserved brains, cyborgs and uplifted animals. The skill system features a few minor changes, where Pilot replaces Drive, and Renown is introduced. Pilot is necessary for flying within the atmosphere and in space, while Renown reflects the fame and reputation that can help get respect and help. Since Red Planet wants to convey a utopian idealism, one rules mechanic revolves around how to convert people to the Union (instead of taking them out by force). The book introduces a few vehicles and technologies, as well as typical enemies. As usual, there is a sample adventure in which the player characters must foil a plot of the Geometrists threatening Earth and Mars. A few ready-to-play characters allow you to jump right in.

Red Planet offers a classic pulp science fiction setting, where the planets of the solar system are not only habitable but have their own species. The setting deliberately goes the route of capturing pulp flair with dinosaurs, dirigibles, four-armed gorillas, etc., and foregoes any illusion of realistic science fiction. The idea of combining the pulp genre with the utopian "progressive materialism" is fitting. The book also quite clearly distances itself from real-world communism and its historical atrocities (and also from capitalism), presenting a fictional utopian philosohpy (after all, in this setting, both the USA and USSR are the antagonists of the Union). The author clearly states that Red Planet is about a fictional role-playing world rather than a hidden attempt at political propaganda in any direction.

The book thus offers an interesting pulp setting with a space opera touch and a unique perspective.

(Björn Lippold)

If you're a person who cares about human liberation, and are worried that this book will contain a lot of black-book anti-communist propaganda BS, you are right to be worried. It does contain a lot of that. The author at least purports to take as a given that the "black book of communism" is a reliable source of data, despite the ease with which its factual claims are dispelled with even a moment's consideration, and despite the utter lack of support for its intentional claims.

If anyone reading this thinks I'm full of shit, please actually take a gander at the black book itself, and then review any of the many, many refutations of its wantonly ludicrous claims by genuine historians such as Jean-Jacques Becker, J. Arch Getty, Alexander Dallin, Amir Weiner, Ronald Grigor Suny, Jens Mecklenburg, Wolfgang Wippermann, Michael David-Fox, Peter Kenez, Michael Ellman, Hiroaki Kuromiya, or Mark Tauger. Even slightly-more-shamefaced virulent anti-communist propagandists (Courtois' main contributors) Karel Bartosek, Jean-Louis Margolin, and Nicolas Werth were very critical of the level of obvious nonsense in the final edit.

All that said, I can imagine that even if an author or publisher were to understand this, it might be easier to take the "enlightened centrist" route that this book does...being dedicated to "the victims of capitalism and communism" (I mean FFS, come on). Even now, right here, are reviews so wrapped up in anti-communist propaganda that they are upset that communism is treated as anything other than inherently evil. If this was an attempt to go "out on a limb" then perhaps slapping in some anti-communist BS was the easiest way to make this product a little more palatable to folks who will not take the time to seriously consider the garbage they have had shovelled into their heads when going to school in capitalist states during or soon after the Cold War.

So overall, why four stars? Well, if you can stomach knowing that garbage is there, and manage to avoid being upset by it, it's a fun setting. There are some nice ideas in here for how to run a pseudo-utopian science fiction game, and what adventures in such a world might look like. The simple additions are great. Starships are straightforward but very usable. The stunts are well-designed. The "conversion" rules are neat. The precon character's are fun. And very important to me, the art is excellent. Honestly, I feel it's worth the price of admission just for the art! Plus, it triggers the "snowflake" fascists, so that's kind of nice. So I reccomend it, but with all the caveat I've just spent about two hundred words giving. Be ready to hold your nose at some bits and be pleased by other bits.

I bought the book, but I read no further than page 5 because it used tired old citations from a book without a source.

Mcarthyism the rpg.

An exciting and well conceived pulp "rocket ships and ray guns" type sci fi setting for Fate Core Rpg. The thing that makes it particularly interesting and different from standard fare, is the basic premise that the players characters are all heroic loyal citizens of a Utopian Mars colony. Adventures will have them struggling against oppression from Earth, and against implacable alien foes. Like the best of the Fate "Worlds of Adventure" books, Red Planet gives just enough setting detail to provide a springboard for GMs and players to create hours of interplanetary adventure. As with other "Worlds" books in the series, there are character generation rules with a few sample setting-appropriate character stunts, some details of the technology available, and rules, or subsystems to add flavour for the particular setting. In this case the new rules are concerned with detailing political and philosophical debate or "conversion", which leads me on to the subject of the controversy that has accompanied the release of this book. What has made this a contraversial setting, and has led to some fairly rabid reviews of it, and critical ccomments about it, in certain discussion groups, is that the Utopia depicted is a communist society. Some of these critics seem to have taken it as implicit, that the society depicted in this game as "communist", to be an endorsement of 20th Century earth communist states. As if the game is attempting to promote the idea that these are somehow utopian or admirable societies. That is not my reading of it however, as the Red Planet book clearly explained the Martian Communist Utopia has amongst it's enemies the earth based Soviet Union, as well as capitalist America. (and incidentally The book also includes a fairly lengthy sidebar detailing the very real evils of the historical Soviet style Communist regimes), clearly indicating that the team involved in its production, at least, are well able to distinguish between real world societies, and their real problems, and playing games; role-playing in fictional worlds, with fictional problems). Interesting, and saddening, that this setting with its depiction of an idealised Communist Utopia with lofty goals of working for the common good, should be more offensive, than, say, the default sci fi RPG mode of "space bastards" making money. But of course, each to their own. Well done Evil Hat, and author Jess Nevins, for packing so much setting, intrigue, and down right "this would make an awesome game" into such a small package. Good work!

Based on comunist sorry usa usa usa !! Who makes this up? Not in my games and not in anything that I actually would pay money for. What does this teach us nothing but a false doctrine of hate ie Comunistic proproganda. Why do they even have this up on site should be banned.

First, I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars not for any production issue or for any game play issue. I am a Patreon supporter of the Worlds of Adventure for Fate Core and FAE. This setting meets or exceeds all the game play criteria of any of the Evil Hat Settings out produced to date.

There are some well thought out new additions to Fate's version of skinning the cat. If you are a Fate fan you know that the is game is all about fun and not so much about the rules. The first or Golden Rule of Fate is to describe what you are trying to do before trying to come up with the "proper" mechanics. Fate is flexible on so many levels in dealing with obstacles, problems, dice rolls etc. Skills, or aspects, or even declarations of fact (using Aspects and Fate Points) can solve problems. So when a setting introduces new mechanics (or a new way to solve a problem) it is fun to see how Fate can accomodate those new mechanics. Pilot Skill isn't really something new. It is Drive skill reskinned. Several other settings include a very similar reskinning of the Drive skill. Renown skill is new in that it kind of mashes up some effects of Rapport, Contacts, and Resources. It represents your fame and how readily you can cash in on it. This is important because your characters live in a Communist Utopia. Resources no longer represents personal wealth; you don't have any. Resources represent how readily you can acquire the use of resources from the state to achieve your missions.

Conversion rules is an interesting wild card. You run some pretty typical Fate challenge to get NPCs to join your cause (Communism). You can do this even while the death rays are splattering the hull all around you. These rules add a fun touch to the pulp action for characters who aren't necessarily combat heavy types. How much more fun can you have as a Commisar than engaging in materialist dialectic with evil Americans while your brawny New Woman takes apart uses her immense combat prowess to pulp the less enlightened American mooks.

Here is where the four star rating comes in. Ideology. If you are an older gamer who remembers the Cold war and Communist rhetoric a bit more immediately than younger gamers who only know it from history books; this setting may leave you a bit cold. Jess Nevins always does a stellar job on his settings. He even dedicated a page to the evils of real life communism. That page can not make up for a lack of real life experience of communism's heinous record. On the Fate Google+ community there have been commentators that feel this setting seems akin to playing Nazi PCs. Those individuals who lived through the Cold War are probably going to have some strong reactions to the premise of this setting.

Remember once you have it, it is yours to change. It is a pulp setting so it doesn't really invite you to look under the hood at ideology all that much; it is about square jawed heros punching weak chinned ne'er do wells. If the setting doesn't tickle your fancy change it up. Maybe the Communists in the setting are more akin to the Empire of Space Opera fame and your PCs look more like a Rogue unit trying to throw a wrench in the works. So all the setting material in the book becomes self promoting propaganda instead of the actual truth. The great thing about Fate is its ability to mimic just about anything you care to throw at it. Frankly the price is right.