The War of the Worlds (Gold Rush Games)

The game is set in 1898 England, during the events of Wells's novel, but it expands the narrative to allow player characters to become active participants rather than passive observers. The Martian invasion unfolds across the southern counties, with the game providing a timeline of events from the first cylinder landing at Horsell Common to the eventual defeat of the Martians by earthly bacteria. The setting emphasizes the social and technological context of the Victorian era, including the limitations of communication and transportation, which shape the characters' ability to respond to the crisis.

The game includes detailed descriptions of the Martian war machines, the handling machines, and the red weed, as well as the Martians themselves, drawing directly from the novel's descriptions. It also introduces elements not fully explored in the book, such as the fates of secondary characters and the broader impact of the invasion on the British Empire. The tone is one of survival and horror, with rules for fear and sanity that reflect the psychological toll of witnessing the destruction.

The War of the Worlds uses the Fuzion system, a generic role-playing engine that combines elements of Hero System and Interlock. Character creation is point-based, allowing players to define skills, attributes, and advantages that fit their chosen Victorian archetypes, such as soldiers, scientists, journalists, or aristocrats. The system uses a 3d6 roll-under mechanic for skill checks, with critical successes and failures adding drama to key moments.

Combat is detailed and lethal, reflecting the danger of facing Martian heat rays and black smoke. The game includes rules for vehicle combat, including the use of artillery and naval vessels, as well as rules for the Martian tripods themselves, which are treated as powerful adversaries. The sanity system, called 'Resolve', tracks a character's mental stability, with exposure to the horrors of the invasion potentially leading to breakdowns or phobias. The game also provides guidelines for running campaigns that diverge from the novel's plot, allowing game masters to create alternate outcomes.

The game was published as a 128-page softcover book, with a cover price of $20.00. It was released at a time when the role-playing game industry was seeing a resurgence of interest in Victorian-era settings, following the success of games like Castle Falkenstein and Space: 1889. The game received generally positive reviews in the gaming press, with critics praising its faithful adaptation of the source material and its effective use of the Fuzion system. Some reviewers noted that the game's focus on survival and horror was a departure from more action-oriented RPGs, but this was seen as a strength in capturing the novel's tone.

Despite the positive reception, the game did not achieve widespread commercial success, and it remains a niche title. It was one of several licensed adaptations of Wells's work produced in the 1990s, including a board game and a miniatures game. The game's publisher, Gold Rush Games, later released a supplement titled 'The Martian War' which expanded the campaign with additional scenarios and rules for playing as Martian characters. The game is now considered a collector's item, with original copies fetching high prices on the secondary market.

One of the game's more obscure features is its inclusion of a 'Mars' chapter, which details the Martian homeworld and society, based on Wells's descriptions and extrapolations. This chapter allows players to run scenarios set on Mars, either as Martians or as human explorers in a future era. The game also includes a detailed map of the invasion routes, based on the novel's geography, which has been praised for its accuracy.

Another notable detail is the game's treatment of the 'black smoke' as a chemical weapon, with rules for its dispersion and effects on different terrain types. The game also includes statistics for the 'fighting machines' and 'handling machines', but notably omits the 'flying machine' that appears in the novel's later chapters, a decision that has been debated by fans. The game's cover art, by Eric Hotz, depicts a tripod looming over a Victorian street, and is considered one of the most iconic images in RPG cover art. The game was also one of the first to use the Fuzion system, which was later used in other games such as Champions: The New Millennium and Fuzion.

Fuzion

A generic role-playing game system that combines elements of Hero System and Interlock, used in this game.

Tripod

The Martian war machine, a three-legged fighting vehicle armed with a heat ray and black smoke projector.

Heat Ray

A Martian weapon that projects a beam of intense heat, capable of incinerating targets.

Black Smoke

A poisonous gas used by the Martians, which kills all living things it envelops.

Red Weed

A fast-growing Martian plant that spreads across the English countryside, choking native vegetation.

Resolve

A game mechanic representing a character's mental stability, which can be eroded by witnessing horrors.