Alien Module 6: Droyne

[Galadrion]

Okay, I was just looking in the forthcoming releases, and noticed this one (AM 6: Droyne) showing a November street date. The problem is, it's listed after Traveller: Prime Directive, which has a street date of December. Please tell me that this is just a placement issue, and that it doesn't mean we have more than a year to wait for this one! The Droyne have always been one of my two favorite non-human races in Traveller - the other one is the Hivers, and both for the same reason: these two races are incredibly suited to playing mind games on the players. (Well, the Hiver racial imperative is playing mind games, and the Droyne are just so damned inscrutable that they essentially are a mind game. Lots of twisty things a GM can get up to with these cards in his hands...)

 

[AndrewW]

No idea on placement but at least part of Droyne has already been written so I doubt it would be more then a year away. Also Mongoose Publishing isn't in the habit of showing releases that far out.

 

[Galadrion]

Okay, that's good news. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[GypsyComet]

... the Droyne are just so damned inscrutable that they essentially are a mind game...

While I have played NPC Droyne that way, I've usually been at a loss for how to play them as PCs. I think it is because we know a lot about the racial backstory, but next to nothing about their "now".

 

[domingojs23]

The module should compile favorite Droyne recipes, such as:

1. Kentucky Fried Droyne
2. Droyne-Fil-A Sandwiches
3. Thanksgiving Stuffed Droyne
4. Droyne Fajitas

etc.....

 

[Galadrion]

I can just picture the Hiver-"recruited" K'kree marching around with signboards reading "Eat mor Droyne"...

 

[domingojs23]

Sorry, the one thing I despised about the OTU, which I otherwise love, is the Droyne. Almost as annoying as Gungans. To paraphrase Nigel Powers: "There are only two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures... and the Droyne."

 

[GypsyComet]

Almost as annoying as Gungans.

I'm not sure they've ever been given enough personality to be as annoying as Gungans. Can you elaborate?

 

[domingojs23]

Almost as annoying as Gungans.

I'm not sure they've ever been given enough personality to be as annoying as Gungans. Can you elaborate?

Well, if they were given a personality then they would in all probability be just as or more annoying than Gungans. They just look pathetic, like something you would end up with when you use one of those kids' random segmented character makers - insect body, bats' wings, motorcycle helmet head.

 

[domingojs23]

But I do like the other OTU sophonts - K'Kree, Aslan, Vargr, and Hivers, and the human offshoots - Vilani and Zhodani. I just dislike avian sentients ! I also loathed that bird-man guy in the 80's Buck Rogers 2nd Season.

 

[AndrewW]

I also loathed that bird-man guy in the 80's Buck Rogers 2nd Season.

Hawk. I preferred the earlier ones myself where they where on Earth.

 

[SSWarlock]

I just dislike avian sentients !

The only avian sentient race I've seen treated with a decent nod toward bioscience and non-human-like cultures (IMO, of course) was done by Poul Anderson in his anthology, "Earth Book of Stormgate". It was a great study in first-contact adventures for me for use in Traveller. In fact, I highly recommend all of Poul Anderson's writings for anyone putting together an exploratory merchant campaign. But that's just me. Caveat emptor, etc.