Edgar Rice Burroughs was an author who often re-used ideas in his writing. Consequently, many of his plot devices were used again and again. For the Gamemaster who wants to keep his adventures as true to the spirit of Burroughs as possible, this can be an advantage. Merely identify some common devices and use them in your own adventures!
The following is a list of some very common plot devices in the Martian novels. I make no claim that the list is complete, nor that it is completely representative. The list is sorted by the order in which the elements typically occur in the books.
Each plot device is given with a short description and a number. The number indicates how many of the Martian novel that specific item appears in. Only the first ten books in the series are considered. Skeleton Men is not considered because it is unfinished, Giant is not considered because it was not written by ERB.
Early in the story |
In the middle of the story |
Late in the story |
|---|---|---|
| The hero sets out on a voyage through
unknown lands (9) A princess is kidnapped or captured (9) A ruined city is entered (5) |
A strange and unknown race is encountered
(7) A strange and unknown beast is encountered (6) The hero takes on disguise or assumed identity (10) The hero is held captive (9) There is a chance encounter with a friend (8) A sword fight against hopeless odds ensues (6) The hero's flier takes a hit in a buoyancy tank (6) The hero overhears a conversation (8) The hero is sentenced to death (8) There is a fight in the arena (3) Secret tunnels are used (10) |
The antagonist seeks to marry the
princess (4) A navy of Helium appears on the scene (9) A tyrant is overthrown (8) |
Care must of course be taken when making use of this list. After all, a game and a novel are very different media, and not all the above plot devices can or should be used. There is a risk that the players become too locked up in your planned series of events, or else that they do not react as you had thought.
Nevertheless, the above list can almost work as a complete skeletal structure. I am sure that you can flesh it out into a good, if slightly contrived, adventure even as it stands.
Of course, not all adventures can be alike. And I do not mean to suggest that all devices should always be used, nor necessarily in the above order. But throwing in a couple of them in each new adventure would certainly enhance the feeling of a true Burroughsian escapade. In fact, if you are in an unimaginative mood, you can use the list so that you roll d10 for each item. If the result is equal to or lower than the item's number, you will use that element in your adventure.
Another way to use the list is to keep it handy in case of an emergency. Are your players hopelessly outnumbered? Let the navy of Helium arrive in the nick of time. Are they clueless as to what to do next? Allow them to overhear two guards conversing about the location of the captured princess. Are they about to leave a place where you wanted them to stay? Let a band of green men ride by and shoot down their flier.