Minor Races

[steve98052]

Might I assume since the book is so old I might convert to Mongoose standard Traveller a few races to place here?

Without permission from the original publisher, or Far Future Enterprises (because rights to some Traveller materials reverted to Marc Miller after their licenses expired), that may be a copyright violation; in the language of copyright law, it would likely be a derivative work. Copyright doesn't expire for a long time (in the US, 1923 and before is safe), even if the publisher ignores it. I'd hesitate to adapt from original materials, but the TravellerRPG wiki is probably fair game.

However, using previously published materials for your own games, or to make lists or statements of facts. ("Shriekers are from Denuli, are also found on . . ., were first recognized by the Imperium in [year], and first appeared in [classic adventure title]", for example.]

 

[Reynard]

Darn. That means I have to be original and creative.....

Hmmm.

 

[steve98052]

Darn. That means I have to be original and creative...

Or read the permission rules carefully and try to follow them.

And actually, if comprehensive lists of minor races aren't already present in the TravellerRPG wiki, you could research it and contribute to the wiki. If you have the right books, you could even improve the wiki by footnoting the articles so that people know which details come from which books. At the moment, most articles just say what books are sources for whole articles. In short articles where everything comes from a single JTAS print issue, that's not a problem. But in a long article that combines information from numerous sources (Darrians, for example), it would be nice to know what came from the classic alien adventure book, which from the GURPS Traveller book, etc.

 

[Condottiere]

Short guys tend to be interesting; make them super capitalistic, and give them a Holy Text full of financial and management advice.

 

[mancerbear]

So it appears that there are 27 Minor Races native to the Spinward Marches. Here they are listed below.

Amindii of Regina (Spinward Marches 1910)
Chokari of Foelen (Spinward Marches 1401)
Crawni of Craw (Spinward Marches 1939)
Daryen of Darrian (Spinward Marches 0627)
Dphone of Trifuge/Darrian (Spinward Marches 0723)
Ebokin of Yebab (Spinward Marches 3002)
Garoo of Garoo (Spinward Marches 0130)
Larianz of Byret (Spinward Marches 2523)
Llellewyloly of Junidy (Spinward Marches 3202)
Mewey of Mewey (Spinward Marches 0830)
Nexxies of Nexine (Spinward Marches 3030)
Obeyery of Stave (Spinward Marches 0710)
Otarri of Faldor (Spinward Marches 1131)
Pelosian of 457-973/Rhylanor (Spinward Marches 3019)
Saurian of Saurus (Spinward Marches 1320)
Sheol of Querion (Spinward Marches 0614)
Shrieker of 567-908 (Spinward Marches 1031)
Siliwishisee of Cyaegha (Spinward Marches 1917)
Tashaki of Retinae (Spinward Marches 0416)
Tethmari of Gyomar (Spinward Marches 0108)
Tondouli of Tionale/Vilis (Spinward Marches 1511)
Traltar of Traltha (Spinward Marches 2834)
Ursty of Yurst (Spinward Marches 2309)
Vanejenese of Vanejen (Spinward Marches 3119)
Vexx of Condyole (Spinward Marches 0901)
Viji of Zeta 2 (Spinward Marches 0919)
Zhurphani of Yori (Spinward Marches 2110)

 

[steve98052]

So it appears that there are 27 Minor Races native to the Spinward Marches. Here they are listed below.

If that's the list from the TravellerRPG wiki, it includes a few player-created minor races, but most are based on canon sources.

 

[mancerbear]

So it appears that there are 27 Minor Races native to the Spinward Marches. Here they are listed below.

If that's the list from the TravellerRPG wiki, it includes a few player-created minor races, but most are based on canon sources.

Thanks Steve. I posted that list just before hitting the sack last night and intended on researching the sources of each one today to weed out anything not official.

 

[Jak Nazryth]

Good work Mancerbear!
Thanks for compiling that list, and that's just the Spinward Marches.

Sill, I would love to see Mongoose come out with a complete book on just the minor races of the Trojan Reach. They've already released the alien supplements for the Darrians and Sword Worlders (I have both), and that was an entire book devoted to a minor race (or at least minor province... technically Sword Worlders are an off-shoot of Solomani...) I think Darrians have traces of Solomani blood as well, but they are still designated as a "minor human race". In any case it would make sense to me to a supplement that dedicates at least a whole page to each minor race, with several pages or more to the advanced minor races within the Reach. And I'm mostly interested in minor races that could be used as player characters, not just curious simi-intelligent species you might encounter on a single planet. Some of those can actually go into something akin to animal encounters... almost like a Sector "Monster Manual"

 

[steve98052]

Sill, I would love to see Mongoose come out with a complete book on just the minor races of the Trojan Reach.

From http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Trojan_Reach_Sector:

Native Sophonts (NILs): 1116
The following races (sophont species) are believed to have originated within this area:
Humaniti (Human races)
Floriani
Halkans
Minor human race from 971-852
Non-Human Races
Blotches (non-canon)
Ergosians
Yont
Terragens (Non-human Terran races)
None

 

[mancerbear]

A bit more research on my part has revealed that a lot of those races I listed above are from GURPS Traveller. I'm not sure what he licensing agreement is between Steve Jackson Games and Mongoose, but without one Mongoose would not be able to use any of the races introduced in GURPS. Those that were expanded by GURPS but originally introduced in CT/MegaT could be used, but the GURPS additions couldn't.

That's my assumptions anyway.

 

[steve98052]

A bit more research on my part has revealed that a lot of those races I listed above are from GURPS Traveller. I'm not sure what he licensing agreement is between Steve Jackson Games and Mongoose, but without one Mongoose would not be able to use any of the races introduced in GURPS.

I don't know the rules of the licensing agreements either, but it seems like Far Future Enterprises regains a lot of the rights, and presumably to re-license those rights.

Those that were expanded by GURPS but originally introduced in CT/MegaT could be used, but the GURPS additions couldn't.

That's almost certainly the case as a starting point, unless the license gives them that. But of course players can mix and match freely. I certainly do; I use GURPS Traveller starship rules, Mongoose character generation rules, and convert to a rules-light system for actual play.

Going through the list -- easy since it's so short -- I find:

Florian and Halkans appeared in Mega Traveller Digest and later, several SJ Games sources.
The 971-852 minor human race originated in Leviathan.

Blotches are clearly noted as non-canon.
Ergosians are not sourced.
Yont are sourced to the Mongoose Aslan book.

All of non-native sophonts indicated as present there are from GDW.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Condottiere]

Not a jump drive, ice cream.

 

[Manfred von Bek]

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

Classic Traveller Adventure Safari Ship is the discover the shriekers adventure. Its going down in a couple of months with my group

 

[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

Classic Traveller Adventure Safari Ship is the discover the shriekers adventure. Its going down in a couple of months with my group

I'm going to check that out right now.

 

[mancerbear]

Classic Traveller Adventure Safari Ship is the discover the shriekers adventure. Its going down in a couple of months with my group

After having a quick skim of the adventure I believe I too shall run it right after the Mithral adventure my players are heading towards.

 

[Jame Rowe]

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.

I'd like to second the votes for Floriani, Newts and Virushi.

What are the Phin? Dolphins?

 

[Jak Nazryth]

I 3rd, 4th, and 5th a separate stand alone supplement about the Florian League similar to the Darrian and Sword Worlds books.
Ursa would be great, even though the closest known pocket empire of Ursa (that I'm aware of) are in the Vanguard Reach.

 

[mancerbear]

What are the Phin? Dolphins?

The 'Phin are indeed dolphins.

I'd like to see the Phin and the Nexie

 

[Jump Dave]

Aliens are literally an afterthought in MgT2 character generation, no? Race should probably be the first thing a player decides, but in the rules it's not mentioned until the end of that section. Fingers crossed that the upcoming Traveller Companion gives us more to choose from

In the meantime, seems like doing a simple ability score tradeoff (one +2, one -2) and adding something from the list of Traits in the Animals section could provide an easy way to create a new race. Maybe allow additional Traits in exchange for an ability score cost? Or other costs such as:

• Specific atmosphere/nutrition/gravity requirements that incur ongoing costs
• Aging that starts sooner

There's a pretty comprehensive-seeming list here, including basic descriptions, where they tend to be found (in space), and where they can be found (in publications):

http://www.urbin.net/EWW/RPG/SV/TRAV/aliens.html