GT Alien Races 3.

[Blue Ghost]

Okay. So I'm hacking away on my computer, cranking out some great fiction which I'm going to pass off to MJD, when I find myself needing some Droyne reference material.

So, instead of flipping through the Alien module reprints, instead I go to my office, and grab my GT Alien Races 3.

No problem. I flip through it, get to the Droyne, brush up on what I want to know, then casually browse through the rest of the book, and, lo and behold, I come across an entry for a race I never really read about.

The Lithkind.

Okay. I'm reading. First page, physiology, then reproduction, and in order to have kids they... WHAT?!?!

My god! That's really sick. Who wrote this?

And, better yet, has anybody used them in a game session?

Seriously, I thought Avery wanted to steer Traveller away from this kind of thing.

Feedback needed. Thanks.

 

[Murdoc]

Well this is certainly distasteful by human standards, it is not unprecedented in the rest of the natural world. The Praying Mantis female devours her mate after fertilization, and I think that there may be other examples as well, although certainly not many. It's been a while since I've read about the Lithkind, but it seems to me that they were still a little animal-like anyway. So from their point of view, having had this behaviour as far back as they can remember/record, they would view it as perfectly normal. I also think that it is reasonably biologically justified in the article. As much as any SF alien species is anyway. I think that perhaps the author was just trying to show that in "nature" (in space as well as on Earth) we will find things that we as humans find quite unpleasant. Ever watch a lion eating a gazelle? It's better than every alien species just being variants of humans, in terms of realism anyway.

 

[DaveChase]

Once in a werid sort of way. (Remember CT is my base, so I borrow from all others)

These were one of the smart Alien surviving races. They had come across a very special scientific research base that had modified humans and of course extremely smart scientist.

The result was a new culture of 'Aliens' that had a very nasty way to reproduce and could be very dangerous to the players if they interfered.

They (players) decided to entice one of the warriors to join them and left the world with him.

They had no idea about the extra problems with the failure to mate issue.

Made for some rough times when it took complete hold while in Jump.

Dave Chase

 

[Blue Ghost]

I guess Traveller is the last place I expected to read about something like this, particularly from a sentient race. We kind of expect it from animals, but I have a hard time trying to imagine this with a race of intelligent creatures that have the capacity to reason.

I was more shocked that it would be allowed for Traveller. I mean, it is science fiction, but ... bleh o: