Announcing: Flynn's Guide To Alien Creation...

[Flynn]

Have you ever wondered what kind of alien species would live on the worlds of your own Traveller campaign? Referees, are you tired of variations on the same old theme, of “people in rubber suits” or “humans with rubber foreheads”, when creating aliens for your new campaign setting? Are you looking for a way to play the aliens that are mentioned only in passing in your favorite Traveller rule books? If so, look no further!

Flynn’s Guide to Alien Creation offers Traveller Referees a complete system for alien species creation, starting with only a Universal World Profile and two six-sided dice. With examples taken from the forthcoming Azri Drakara Campaign Setting, Referees are guided through the process of generating their own interesting and varied alien species for their Traveller campaign settings. There’s even advice on how to further define your alien culture, adding a rich and rewarding depth to the new alien species you have created using Flynn’s Guide to Alien Creation.

This new product from Samardan Press supplements the 2D6 open-gaming system presented in the Traveller System Reference Document, and requires the use of the Traveller main rules book, which is available from Mongoose Publishing.

Flynn’s Guide to Alien Creation is available in both PDF ($4.99) and Print-On-Demand ($9.99) at the Samardan Press storefront:
http://stores.lulu.com/samardanpress

Or directly from its webpage:
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/flynns-guide-to-alien-creation/7156076

 

[rust]

I have downloaded it, and it looks rather interesting and useful. I will use
it to "Travellerize" the aliens I designed for my setting with GURPS Space
to see how the system works and what the results are like, but I am al-
most sure I will like it. :wink:

 

[Flynn]

Thanks, rust. I hope you find it helpful. I look forward to hearing more about your experience with the system.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[rust]

Meanwhile I have played around with the system, and I really like it.

It provided me with some nice ideas to add to the aliens of my setting,
and it took me only a couple of minutes to design an interesting aqua-
tic species.
As for the system itself, I especially liked that 2d6 is used throughout,
which makes the design process easy to handle. The design process
was not difficult at all to understand and follow, and the results were
plausible.
The process somewhat favours the design of comparatively "normal",
not especially "alien" aliens, but this also favours the design of playab-
le species, and tweaking the results in any direction by "intelligent de-
sign" instead of the random dice rolls is very simple.
So far I have not found any problems, not even very minor ones.

However, I have a comment: It could be useful to give aquatic species
a high chance to get the Blindsight (e.g. sonar or electric sense) trait,
and perhaps also a higher chance to get the Cold Resistance trait. This
is of course easy to add, but it would be a nice touch if it were a part of
the design process.

 

[Klaus Kipling]

Just downloaded it. Only had a quick skim, so far, but it looks like it'll come in reet handy. Good to get more for less, too!

 

[Bygoneyrs]

Flynn what about your Robot book, is that out also in paperback?

Penn

 

[Flynn]

Sadly, I got somewhat overwhelmed with work and the prospects of designing my own robot system, and dropped the ball on that one. I do intend to break it up into more manageable pieces and got for monthly releases. When I've got it all out in PDF, I'll pull it all together and offer a compilation (with some extra material) as a Print-On-Demand. For now, however, I am going to have to take that one in steps. My most sincere apologies for this delay, and I hope that the new plan offers something to keep you interested and will support your game while the entire work is completed and compiled.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[EDG]

From the looks of the preview, your design system seems to have a similar approach to the ones used in both editions of GURPS Uplift (i.e. randomly generate type of creature, number of limbs, lifespan, cultural baggage etc). I'm quite happy with the GURPS Uplift system myself, but I'm wondering if your system offers anything more (or different) to that one?

(I guess you'd only be able to answer that if you're familiar with the GURPS Uplift system, though).

 

[rust]

The main difference between the GURPS Uplift system and the system of
Flynn's Guide is that the latter uses the Traveller terminology and produ-
ces values that can be used in a Traveller campaign.
For example, the Uplift system begins with the creature's home environ-
ment, the Guide system with the homeworld UWP data.

Another difference is that the Uplift system concentrates more on Perso-
nality Traits, while the Guide system offers more Species Traits. Both are
similar, but the Uplift system tends to describe typical individual behavi-
our, while the Guide system more describes cultural tendencies.

There are more and more subtle differences, for example the Uplift sys-
tem gives a little more room to very exotic properties of creatures (e.g.
12 different special visual powers) while the Guide system gives more
room to examples of the design process that demonstrate each step of
the process.

In the end, the Uplift system with its ca. 16 pages (including the uplift pro-
cess rules) and the Guide system with its ca. 27 pages (legal info etc. not
counted) are very similar in scope and produce equally valuable results,
the Uplift ones perfect for playing GURPS, the Guide ones equally perfect
for Traveller.

I hope this gives an impression (at least of how I see it).

 

[EDG]

Ta rust . So it sounds like they might actually compliment eachother...

Flynn, is this available for download on DTRPG?

 

[towerwarlock]

Flynn YOU ROCK!!!!!!!

This is something that I feek every edition of traveller has needed to truly be a scifi rpg. GURPS Traveller had the Gurps system but when used it made it to chunky and frankly, having to pay points in GURPS Traveller for something you buy with your money was really lame I thought. This will be excellent.

 

[Emperor Herdan]

Flynn;

Just as a question... When I downloaded the pdf, it just had a black and white title page, and not the image on your storefront... Is the image on the ordering page only for the printed version?

Or should the PDF have had the same cover?

Take care,

E. Herdan

 

[Flynn]

Good Evening, All:

Thanks, rust, for the excellent overview and comparison between Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation and GURPS Uplift.

EDG, this is only available at the Lulu storefront. I do not have a DTRPG account, nor do I think it's beneficial for me to get one at this time.

Emperor Herdan, the images are currently only available on the print version, but I will post the images at the storefront for free download this weekend. My apologies for not taking care of that earlier.

Thank you, All, for your interest in the Guide, and I look forward to hearing how you are able to use it in your campaigns.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

Good Morning, All:

I've now made the covers for Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation available at the following site:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/covers-for-flynns-guide-to-alien-creation/7160636

I hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[EDG]

What is the difference between a "Lesser Race" and a "Dominant Race"? It's mentioned on page five but I couldn't see any definitions anywhere.

And I'm a bit confused by the "Is this a homeworld?" part. Isn't the whole point of the exercise to design a race on its homeworld? And if Garden worlds are the only ones that are suggested to be homeworlds (there's no practical difference between those and Agricultural worlds) then why are non-Garden world sizes and atmospheres described later? How could sentient aliens even evolve on worlds that are dry size 1 vacuum worlds?

 

[Emperor Herdan]

Good Morning, All:

I've now made the covers for Flynn's Guide to Alien Creation available at the following site:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/covers-for-flynns-guide-to-alien-creation/7160636

I hope this helps,
Flynn

It does indeed (smile)
Many thanks for both a quick reply and a fast response (/salute)

Take care

E. Herdan

 

[Jeff Hopper]

Just ordered the print version, can't wait for it to arrive!

 

[Flynn]

What is the difference between a "Lesser Race" and a "Dominant Race"? It's mentioned on page five but I couldn't see any definitions anywhere.

And I'm a bit confused by the "Is this a homeworld?" part. Isn't the whole point of the exercise to design a race on its homeworld? And if Garden worlds are the only ones that are suggested to be homeworlds (there's no practical difference between those and Agricultural worlds) then why are non-Garden world sizes and atmospheres described later? How could sentient aliens even evolve on worlds that are dry size 1 vacuum worlds?

Minor Race and Major Race, in that particular context, are considered Product Identity, at least as far as I can tell. So I am using the terms Lesser Race and Dominant Race to cover similar concepts.

In answer to your other questions:

1. Some people can choose a homeworld arbitrarily. Some prefer more concrete rules. That's the point of that particular step.

2. The non-Garden world sizes and atmospheres are described later because I wanted to cover combinations that may arrive from arbitrary homeworld assignment. Personally, I use a different method entirely, but I can't reproduce it in the book, because it comes from closed content in a previous edition of Traveller, but I felt it was important to put something there as a place holder.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

It does indeed (smile)
Many thanks for both a quick reply and a fast response (/salute)

Take care

E. Herdan

I aim to please, when I can, at least.

With Regards,
Flynn

 

[EDG]

2. The non-Garden world sizes and atmospheres are described later because I wanted to cover combinations that may arrive from arbitrary homeworld assignment. Personally, I use a different method entirely, but I can't reproduce it in the book, because it comes from closed content in a previous edition of Traveller, but I felt it was important to put something there as a place holder.

I think this is something that the book is missing though. IMO it would have been nice to have had a section about "what if you choose a non-habitable world" and then you could discuss about how certain combinations would be impossible (I really doubt that there is any way for a sentient race to evolve in a vacuum environment), or what the effects of various types of atmosphere or levels of oxygen would be on life on that planet (which may be intrinsically wrapped up in the tables themselves, I don't know).

Like at the end, when you talk about "applying common sense"... the problem is that many people probably wouldn't know what "common sense" is in this context. How would someone who had no idea about aliens or biology or planetary environments be able to tell if a race is acceptable or not, or if it fits into its environment or not?