Minor Races

[Jak Nazryth]

In the next week or so, I'm going to take a stab at creating an Ursa (Ursoid) what ever you want to call it. I'll have to dig out my old versions to Traveller to see what has come before. I have a couple of NPC encounters I'm planning that include Ursas when my game kicks off in March. I'll create a new thread when I'm ready for comments/suggestions. This won't be official MgT2 of course, just my suggestion and what I'll use IMTU.
Jak

 

[steve98052]

These are some terms used about sentient species in Traveller:

Major race: independently invented jump. Droyne, Vilani, Zhodani, Solomani, Vargr, Hiver, K'kree, Aslan, and possibly others that have vanished (including the Ancients, before they were discovered to be a population of Droyne). Both Aslan and Geonee are matters of controversy. Aslan claim independent invention, while some claim their jump drive was originally reverse engineered from a Solomani misjump wreck. Geonee claim independent invention, but Vilani claimed that the Geonee reverse engineered a Vilani drive. The Aslan are typically given the benefit of doubt due to the size of their territory, but Geonee are generally dismissed because the Vilani subjugated them long before their empire collapsed.

Minor race: any sentient species, human or not, that did not invent jump.

Minor human race: a human population that was transplanted from Earth to another world by the Ancients, but did not invent jump.

Variant human race: a human race that is genetically different from other humans to be a distinct species. In some cases, the distinction between variant human race and minor human race is fuzzy, for the same reasons that the distinction between species and subspecies is fuzzy.

There could be a term for uplifted species, but I don't know of any.

 

[Condottiere]

They work for fish.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

My NPC Ursa will also wear dark sunglasses and play the bass saxophone.
His name is "Bahloo"

 

[Condottiere]

One that works as a park ranger and moonlights as a R&B singer could be called Smokey.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

One that works a crime ring, stealing imported, alien food from Travellers, but also teaches transcendental meditation philosophy could be called "Yogi"

 

[Condottiere]

If he's actually a Traveller, his name would be Paddington Brown (Bear).

 

[Jak Nazryth]

HOLY CRAP!!!
I knew I had discussed this before.. I just couldn't remember if it was on this board or one of the others.
i posted about this very subject 4 years ago!
I guess I failed my "memory" stat check when I hit 48! lol
Didn't realize I had been gone from the boards that long...

http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=55334

 

[mancerbear]

So far we've had mention of Newts, 'Phins, Ursids, Florians, and Virushi. Any others?

Genoee would be good I think.

 

[Condottiere]

Evolution.

 

[Epicenter]

Major races are those that invented jump drive on their own. Vargr, Aslan, K'kree, Hivers, Solomani, Vilani, and Zhodani are the major races.

IIRC there's a reference somewhere in the GDW materials that says the thing about the Jump Drives is a convenient definition of a Major Race but there's species and races which are considered Major which didn't do that, and there's species that aren't considered Major which did it. It goes on to say that "Major Race" is pretty much a convenience label of power - a kind of club where you get admitted because you're strong enough to claim it and the current members all accept you (grudgingly or not) as it.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

I was gonna vote for Hivers, 'cause they are a fascinating bunch, but since they count as major race... I still wanna mention them

Also the rhino-centaurs, Virushi, they seem interesting

 

[Manfred von Bek]

I would really like to see (finally, after 40 years of playing Traveller) the minor races of the Spinward Marches. Instead of bits and pieces from around the empire. There are the minor races humans: Mewey and Nexies, the Saurians, the Dandelions, and the shriekers; off the top of my head, but there are supposed to be around 15 total. And they have never really been developed out. And the Virushi and the newts, since they are supposed to be nearly omnipresent in the empire. Similarly, the minor races of the Trojan Reach would be good to go along with the Drinax campaigns.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

It might be a big ask, and at this point it would probably take a full year (if not more) to develop since there is already a long list of other books in development, but I think Mongoose would sell the hell out of an entire supplement with nothing but Minor Races. Not only would Mongoose fans buy it, but people playing Traveller with other game mechanics would also buy it. And this should not just an encyclopedia of "NPC/back ground fluff", I'm talking about complete Minor race write-ups, back grounds, traits, home worlds/regions, etc... that players could select for their characters. I for one would buy it instantly!
Even if it includeds the tree dwelling goats of the outer rim...

 

[Condottiere]

While reading up on minor races is interesting, when they get too alien, I can't relate to them.

You have to find some aspect that just grabs your attention, or the creator has to write in these handles.

Vargr are the most interesting alien race to me, since I can project any number of canine or caninesque aspects on them; plus furry.

I found the centaurs beneath my notice, until It was pointed out that they ate like horses, and I suddenly realized all that mass has to go somewhere.

 

[legozhodani]

+1 to this. Even the goats. 8)

 

[mancerbear]

Mewey and Nexies, the Saurians, the Dandelions, and the shriekers; off the top of my head, but there are supposed to be around 15 total. And they have never really been developed out. And the Virushi and the newts

I agree with all of these except the Shrieker, which I believe in the current Mongoose era (1105) they haven't been discovered yet (I could be wrong, I'll need to double check that).

 

[legozhodani]

Well lets go discover them!

 

[mancerbear]

Well lets go discover them!

Indeed. Enough information can be provided to referees so that if they wish their player characters can discover them instead of the IISS team that did

 

[Reynard]

"While reading up on minor races is interesting, when they get too alien, I can't relate to them."

I've been going through the various minor races in the old editions of JTAS and so many are hard if not impossible as PCs or even NPCs. I'm assuming they were trying to avoid the rubber suit alien. Minor races that serve as background are fine but there should be some capable of being active in a cosmopolitan setting. Star Wars proved it works.

What we need are fleshed out races as we used to see in JTAS's CONTACT articles but give some thought how they can fit in a larger picture. If humans can be everywhere why not other races and not just near human or humanoid race?

Just went to my game room then a stand also holding Traveller material and finally found an book from 1979, the Spacefarer's Guide to Alien Races (Phoenix Games) for use with Traveller, Space Patrol, Space Quest an others. It features 100 alien races and they more or less are able to exist, if with some assistance, with other races. Might I assume since the book is so old I might convert to Mongoose standard Traveller a few races to place here?