GMT Games:
RED DUST REBELLION Coin Series #12 NEW MINT in Original Shrink
Original retail Price:
$95.00
Components
PUBLISHED 2024
DESIGNER J. Carmichael
DEVELOPER Adam Blinkinsop
GRAPHICS Marcos Villaroel Lara & Terry Leeds
Description
“200 years of Earth rule.
200 years of being told what to do by people on some distant blue orb in the
sky. A pampered planet populated by soft people. Earth politicians playing golf
on a sunny day while sipping French champagne and eating grapes dare to tell us
how to live? They don’t know us because they are not us! We are the sons and
daughters of Mars! The children of the red planet! We were born in the red
dust, and we say no more to Earther rule!” -Aroha
Thompson, Red Dust spokesperson and Mining Union organizer.
------------
It is 2250, and the
bicentennial celebrations of the first human colony on Mars are about to begin.
200 years of human achievement, but also 200 years of hardship. Mars is an
unforgiving world, a barren wasteland on the surface; therefore the people live
in vast underground cities known as labyrinths.
Over the years, the
people of Mars have formed their own culture and identity and want more say in
their own rule. To many, Earth is a remote world with too much control over
Martian affairs. Furthermore, Earth’s corporations have too much power over life
and death. Some long for a green Mars, covered in oceans and life, while others
recoil at the idea that humanity will destroy the climate of another planet.
Red Dust Rebellion tells the story
of the Martian revolts of the 2250’s and the rise of Martian nationalism. Up to
4 players will take part in this game and control the following factions:
The Martian
Provisional Government (MG) believes
it has the best interests of Mars at heart. Made up of bureaucrats appointed
from Earth and locally-elected officials, they are walking a political
tightrope of representing Earth interests while keeping the local population
happy. They need the support of Martian locals to effectively administer the
planet. The MG has the backing of Earth and access to their resources, but
Earth is far away, and shipping is a time-consuming process, so they will need
to manage their flow of resources carefully. They will rely on their
sometimes-allies the Corporations to help stabilize Mars and protect against
raids from the Church of the Reclaimer.
Mars is the future for
humanity, and with rampant climate change events on Earth, the push to further
colonize and terraform Mars is growing. The Corporations (CORP) are
Earth-controlled companies with vested interests in Mars. And while they have a
bottomless amount of resources to commit to the conflict, they ultimately have
to answer to their shareholders. This means that profits are their primary
motivation. Replacing units costs money, so they want the Mars Government to
fight their battles for them. The Corporations also wish to extend their
infrastructure to ready the planet for eventual terraforming.
Native-born Martian
workers form the backbone of the Red Dust (RD) movement.
The so-called "Dusters" demand a government for Martians, by
Martians, without Earth interference, and they are willing to take it by force.
Nominally a worker's movement, the Dusters are an organized and determined
force within the labyrinths of Mars and must rally the unions, guilds, and
various popular assemblies to their cause to force the Earthers out and secure
a free Mars for Martians.
And finally, many look at the mistakes
of old Earth and do not wish to repeat them. We have poisoned our home world
and are planning on poisoning another. Human history is a process of making the
same mistakes over and over again. These ideas have created The Church of the Reclaimer (CR). A post-humanist
faith, they seek to adapt humanity to Mars, not the other way around. And
they are opposed to all terraforming and further colonization on Mars. While
the moderates of the faith seek to block this progress using peaceful protest and
political action, the more extreme elements are not above using violence to
achieve their goals—a Mars returned to its natural state
with human impact kept to an absolute minimum.
Unique features of Red Dust
Rebellion
A hostile world – Dust storms will appear
and block access to different regions for extended periods of time. Fighting in
the densely-populated labyrinths can end up damaging life-giving
infrastructure. And the vast surface of the planet means forces can just
disappear in the dust.
The unpredictable raiders – The CR does not use Resources
or appear on the standard order of activation. Instead, they use a new system
to the COIN series that allows them to interject and decide when they wish to
act, allowing for less frequent but sudden moves.
The Aldrin Cycler – Earth is a long way from Mars. Many
COIN supplies and replacements will take a long time to get from Earth to Mars,
forcing those factions to plan for the long term.
Multiple
battlefields – Red Dust Rebellion takes place across 3 major
theaters on Mars: The Noctis Labyrinthus, The Hellas Basin, and Arabia Terra.
Between these areas is the vast wilderness of Mars, largely unpopulated with
barren wastes as vast as the total landmass of Earth.
Satellite warfare – The COIN forces control a
network of surveillance satellites, but there are rumors that some are equipped
with mass drivers and orbital assault pods as well.
Everything is
connected – All of the major
cities on Mars are connected by spaceports. If you control both locations, you
can freely move forces back and forth, allowing for sudden changes in the
complexion of each theatre.
The Earth Governments (EG) form a 5th faction that
maintains elite forces and an extensive satellite network. Control of the EG
forces changes between the MG and CORP based on how much Earth trusts the
Martian government to manage the rebellion.