John Carter: Warlord of Mars
John Carter: Warlord of Mars is a two-player board game published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1979 that is based on the Barsoom novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs featuring the hero John Carter. Description. Edgar Rice Burroughs began to write Barsoom stories starring the transplanted Earthman John Carter in 1911, and the setting became one of his most popular over the next three decades. The board game "John Carter" is based on the works of Burroughs, and is divided into three separate games in a semi-modular format. Components. The game components are : Gameplay. The overall game is subdivided into three smaller games: Publication history. "John Carter" was designed by Eric Goldberg and Mark Herman, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen and artwork by Don Maitz. It was released by SPI in 1979, and was on SPI's Top Ten list for four months. Reception. In the inaugural edition of "Ares" (March 1980), David Ritchie rated the game an above average 8 out of 9, commenting, "Like Burroughs' original heroes, their cardboard counterparts must win only by fair means. To win by engaging in foul acts – which, among other things, loses the  love and respect of your lady – means that, in game terms, you've lost the whole "enchilada". For the first time in the history of the hobby, a game has been built around such themes as love, romance, treachery, remorse, hatred and friendship." In Issue 25 of "Phoenix" (May–June 1980), John and Deidre Evans were impressed by the "stunning" cover art, and also found the counters and map colorful. However, they found several problems in each of three games, thought the rules were poorly organized, and several rules were ambiguous. Nonetheless they rated the game highly, concluding "If you  think you'd like swashbuckling excitement and you're prepared to bear with the rules layout, we think you'd enjoy "John Carter, Warlord of Mars": play it for fun." In the October 1980 edition of "Dragon" (Issue 42), Tony Watson thought it was "an interesting game, and remarkably true to its sources." However, Watson had issues with the frequent duels, which he found "a bit repetitious" and "less than exciting" due to the simplicity of the combat rules. He also pointed out the imbalance of the game, saying, "The chance for a villain to win is infinitesimal; the question  is not if a hero will win, but when." But he concluded that there was a market for the game: "Players who are interested in the game as a way of participating in the adventures on Barsoom will be able to overlook these points and fully enjoy the game."