Runescape...how would you extract metal on Mars?

There's tons of iron oxide on Mars, albeit rusted iron oxide. The fastest way to extract it is with Hydrogen. Use a nickel catalyst to reform steam, then use the Hydrogen to reduce the hot iron oxide, producing free metal and water, H2O.

You'll need some kind of reactor to make fuel in order to heat the water. Build a Fischer Tropsch reactor to make butane, propane, gasoline, etc. Dig 2 ditches, drop in some pipes which are connected to toilets and let the methane gas buildup. It can then be piped into the steam reforming unit of the FT reactor. Use cobalt raneys.

Don't forget to bring a set of magnets to protect yourself from COSMIC rays. You'll need some Bar magnets (200-300 gauss), Samarium Cobalt Rare Earth magnets (1 Tesla) and a Superconducting Magnetic Ring (4 to 14 Tesla).

I would take a sack of aluminum or magnesium filings or powder. Stir well into a pile of blueberries (hematite). Ignite with flare (thermite reaction). The oxygen in the blueberries will react with the aluminum leaving behind molten iron at the bottom of the puddle. If you then blow a large volume of Martian air through it the CO2 will leave enough carbon to make it into a low carbon steel. If you have time, work harden it into a thin plate and sharpen. Should make a decent sword or axehead. If you heat it again to red hot and blow martian air at surface (95% nitrogen) you will have an even harder surface that would keep the edge longer.

Wack 'em once for me!