mancerbear
Mongoose
So here's an I interesting question. Which Minor Races would you like to see introduced and detailed in MT2?
Minor Races
- Thread starter mancerbear
- Start date
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
Don't offhand remember the various minor races probably because they seldom get much attention. Amazing though I have Traveller suppliments and third party books all showcasing at least dozens of races. Problem is besides the Newts none really stand out.
Such a race needs to be more cosmopolitan and travelled. We see more examples of vargr and even aslan in the Imperium than native imperial races. The race needs qualities that stand out and seem unique and they get around rather than another cloistered background race more of a myth to the rest of an empire. Maybe one of the Traveller Companion books can feature interesting minor races for player use or a separate Book of Minor Races.
One idea just struck me consitering current events on our Earth. How about one or more races who fled from K'kree purges in Two Thousand Worlds to seek refuge in the Imperium. Lifeforms of all descriptions and abilities with no home spreading throughout the Imperium as humans did.
Such a race needs to be more cosmopolitan and travelled. We see more examples of vargr and even aslan in the Imperium than native imperial races. The race needs qualities that stand out and seem unique and they get around rather than another cloistered background race more of a myth to the rest of an empire. Maybe one of the Traveller Companion books can feature interesting minor races for player use or a separate Book of Minor Races.
One idea just struck me consitering current events on our Earth. How about one or more races who fled from K'kree purges in Two Thousand Worlds to seek refuge in the Imperium. Lifeforms of all descriptions and abilities with no home spreading throughout the Imperium as humans did.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Races that have fled the K'kree are a cracking idea! Good reason to meet them and good reason for them to be travellers. Also as I play over on that side of the map it would be nice to see stuff for us as opposed to all that spinward stuff.
bluekieran
Mongoose
I'm currently reading The New Era trilogy (the last one is proving to be a blast!), and would love to see more of the Hivers.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
We'd all like to see more on the Hivers, but they are a major race.
Jak Nazryth
Mongoose
I would like to see the Ursa. I think they were part of T20, but I haven't seen them since.
I'm assuming Sword Worlds and Darrian will eventually come out again.
Florian League might be interesting since there has been a lot more focus in the Trojan Reach as of late.
I'm assuming Sword Worlds and Darrian will eventually come out again.
Florian League might be interesting since there has been a lot more focus in the Trojan Reach as of late.
bluekieran
Mongoose
legozhodani said:
Off I go to the relevant wiki article; I assumed for some reason that "major races" only referred to the Vargr and Aslan.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Ack, beat me to it!
Though I believe there is some material (MegaTraveller: Solomni & Aslan) that implies the Aslan reverse-engineered their jump drive from a Solomani ship that misjumped, which would mean (if it was actually true) they aren't actually a Major Race. Though don't tell that to them. Officially, they are.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
Some argue against the Zhodani and the Vilani too, but as you said we won't go there, for now :lol:
Sigtrygg
Emperor Mongoose
Almost but not quite right.Jeraa said:
The major races are indeed the ones why claim to have invented jump drive independently.
Humaniti (Vilani, Solomani and Zhodani as subsets), Droyne, Hiver, K'kree, Vargr and Aslan are the six.
Of those the Aslan are not a true major race since they were revealed to have reverse engineered jump drive from a Solomani ship.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
From Library Data: "To date, the generally accepted major races include Humaniti (Zhodani, Solomani and Vilani, but not other examples), Aslan, Hivers, Centaurs, Vargr, Ancients and Droyne."
This has cause great debate. How do the Droyne coynes know about the races that would have discovered jump including the Aslan who did reverse engineer the technology? The major race designation is both about technology and the prediction from the coynes. Makes you wonder if Grandfather personally influenced these particular races even today. The Jgd-ll-Jagd (JTAS page 9-13) had high technology even before the Vilani but never developed jump.
This has cause great debate. How do the Droyne coynes know about the races that would have discovered jump including the Aslan who did reverse engineer the technology? The major race designation is both about technology and the prediction from the coynes. Makes you wonder if Grandfather personally influenced these particular races even today. The Jgd-ll-Jagd (JTAS page 9-13) had high technology even before the Vilani but never developed jump.
Jak Nazryth
Mongoose
Just making an observation... but virtually every response to Mancerbears question in this thread is about major races, or a debate on who and who is not a major race, that has been cannon since Mark Miller invented this game in the 70's. But that wasn't Mancerbears question.
Dolphins are another minor race that appeared in CT in the late 70's but not much came of them. I'm not sure how relevant or even playable they would be as a Mgt2 write up. There are other examples in earlier versions of "listed" minor races, but I honestly can't think of their names. T20's "official" campaign setting was in the Gateway Sector. GURPS was more Spinward Marches oriented, and there were several variant minor human race, but again.. it was so long ago I can't remember them.
The Florians "genetically altered" cast system between the Feskals and Barnai (as described on page 155 of Alien Model 1: Aslan) seems like a good candidate for MgT2 to think about as a possible minor race supplement. There are just a few paragraphs about Florian history and culture (oldest human culture in the Reach), albeit "a minor race'... and to this day remains one of the largest cultures/nations in the Trojan reach other than the 3I and Aslans. Floria is also considered one of "the ancients" artifacts... the entire planet, a must see designation for tourists and researchers alike. Just my 2 credits to the MgT2 guys, but because they are such a large part of the Trojan Reach, it could really help to finish a well rounded group of races other than the few paragraphs in the MgT1 Aslan book.
Dolphins are another minor race that appeared in CT in the late 70's but not much came of them. I'm not sure how relevant or even playable they would be as a Mgt2 write up. There are other examples in earlier versions of "listed" minor races, but I honestly can't think of their names. T20's "official" campaign setting was in the Gateway Sector. GURPS was more Spinward Marches oriented, and there were several variant minor human race, but again.. it was so long ago I can't remember them.
The Florians "genetically altered" cast system between the Feskals and Barnai (as described on page 155 of Alien Model 1: Aslan) seems like a good candidate for MgT2 to think about as a possible minor race supplement. There are just a few paragraphs about Florian history and culture (oldest human culture in the Reach), albeit "a minor race'... and to this day remains one of the largest cultures/nations in the Trojan reach other than the 3I and Aslans. Floria is also considered one of "the ancients" artifacts... the entire planet, a must see designation for tourists and researchers alike. Just my 2 credits to the MgT2 guys, but because they are such a large part of the Trojan Reach, it could really help to finish a well rounded group of races other than the few paragraphs in the MgT1 Aslan book.
The uplifted dolphins are called Phin, I believe, and I'd love to see more of them.
Uplifted animals generally are interesting - you can consider them a minor race or not as you see fit - but the Phin are an especially interesting one given their limitations (the need for a 'hardsuit' to allow them to go out of the water).
We had a Phin villain for one Traveller navy campaign - the players weren't quite ready to discover a one-eyed dolphin pirate with a (translator-generated) Germanic accent playing U-boat commander being the pirate captain they were hunting.
Given Mongoose's fixing on the Trojan Reach (which I like because it gives you much more scope for 'fringe' stuff) the Florani might be a very good idea.
A couple of the worlds mentioned in Pirates of Drinax might qualify as minor races. Certainly the nanotech-laden church types from the Demon's Eye are probably not strictly speaking human anymore.
Uplifted animals generally are interesting - you can consider them a minor race or not as you see fit - but the Phin are an especially interesting one given their limitations (the need for a 'hardsuit' to allow them to go out of the water).
We had a Phin villain for one Traveller navy campaign - the players weren't quite ready to discover a one-eyed dolphin pirate with a (translator-generated) Germanic accent playing U-boat commander being the pirate captain they were hunting.
Given Mongoose's fixing on the Trojan Reach (which I like because it gives you much more scope for 'fringe' stuff) the Florani might be a very good idea.
A couple of the worlds mentioned in Pirates of Drinax might qualify as minor races. Certainly the nanotech-laden church types from the Demon's Eye are probably not strictly speaking human anymore.
mancerbear
Mongoose
I think the Phin and the Florani are good choices. I would also like to see the Newts and Virushi. Many have been detailed over the years. I also like the inspectors race on Regina...can't think of their name off the top of my head.
legozhodani
Banded Mongoose
There is also the Vegans near Sol as well. Pretty much Terrans nearest sentient species.
Jak Nazryth
Mongoose
Phin... didn't remember that name. But I do remember the drawing of the dolphin in a hardsuit that had a built-in grav belt and speaker systems. It could float around a spaceship... or anywhere out of water, and it's squeaks and clicks would translate into Anglic. I think they even had a fixed weapon mount on the hard suite...
But yeah.. we thought it was kinda cute an all, but nobody in my group considered it more than a curiosity.... of course, we were all 7th grader back in the early 80's...
But yeah.. we thought it was kinda cute an all, but nobody in my group considered it more than a curiosity.... of course, we were all 7th grader back in the early 80's...
dmccoy1693
Cosmic Mongoose
Hmmmm ... Hmmmm...
