Minor Races, Redux

[Simon Jester]

Back, by popular demand (okay, by me, but I'm a popular guy), the Minor Races thread returns!

What minor races do you actually use in your Traveller universe. I'm talking actually allow as PCs, have as active npc races, etc. There are many canon minor races, but most of them are like the Inuit, Masai and Ainu, today. They're known to the world-at-large, but no one I've ever known has ever met one.

The Jgd-il-Jagd are a canon minor race, but how many of you have actually had one interact with the PC group?

Do you take races from fiction and use them in-game? Which ones, from which books, and what are their stat modifiers?

The most prevalent minor races IMTU are the the Fein, from "The War for Eternity" (I forget the author's name), H. Beam Piper's Ullerans, and several of the races covered in GURPS Aliens. I started to work up some of the alien races from Farscape, but AEG has a d20 RPG due out in the next month or so, so I'm going to let them do all the hard work. I'll get the write-ups for the others posted as soon as I find it again. I've lost track of it in my latest reorganization.

Simon Jester

 

[virushi]

I have played Virushi characters in two different campaigns, and I have seen someone else play an Ael Yael.

 

[Secrect Cow Level]

I have plans to include the Pentapods (from 2300AD) in my next TRAVELLER Campaign (yes, my friends are allowing me to finially run another one!). One concept I have toyed with is FARSCAPE based. Basically the PCs are prisoners of the Solomani Navy during the Final War and escape from a Solomani prison barge on board a Pentapod bio ship (also a Solomani "prisoner"). They'd then try to avoid recapture while travelling through the war torn Diaspora Sector getting supplies and dodging Imperial "recruiters" trying to redraft them!

I also want to use the Denaar, Hresh, and Asym. I have always felt TRAVELLER needed more aliens, and I thought many of the aliens in T4 were really cool (I realize that some of them appear in earlier TRAVELLER editions but I have none of these sources).

I've even toyed with the idea of using the Dralisites and Osakar from STAR FRONTIERS and TRINITY'S Chromatics. I've even considered creating a campiagn featuring (dare I say it?) the Cylons from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Hey, that was my favorite show as a kid! I loved it even more than STAR WARS and I still love it today.

 

[vegascat]

I will try using Fuzzies from H B Piper. I will not Ewok them, but try the stowaway idea. With the little genetic need they have for a rare metal in their diet to reproduce, and the quest for their home planet, if should be interesting.
Tiny barbarians, quest for home, can use cuteness as a skill.

 

[T. Foster]

(Recycling -- and adding to -- my post from the original thread):

I've used Newts (Bwaps) and various MHRs. I'd probably allow a Virushi PC but have never seen one. Same goes for a couple others -- Hlanssai (neurotic artist-guys), Ael Yael (winged guys), maybe one or two more I'm forgetting. If I were running TNE I'd allow Ithklur (but only with Santa hats!). Most of the other canonical minor aliens (especially from T4's Aliens Archive) strike me as too exotic and/or single-characteristic-defined to see them fitting into a long-term campaign. They work better as Casual Encounters or other one-scene-only curiosities (like the various minor races that show up in The Traveller Adventure).

I've never yet felt the need/desire to port in aliens from other sources (I don't use them all that much, and (sadly) my campaigns never last all that long), but if I were to, my first stop would probably be T:2300 -- lots of good races, most/all very well written. Some of the races from EPT/Tekumel are very inriguing as well, but would require more conversion work. And, last but not least, I've always thought the Uz (Gloranthan trolls) would make a great newly-contacted TL 0-1 society, ever since seeing an ad for Chaosium's Trollpak in an issue of JTAS.

 

[trader jim]

vegascat - great idea AND the lil darlins reproduce just like TRIBBLES!!!!

 

[vegascat]

Anything to torment the poor little PCs. And this time they will be poor and little

I think I will have them create barbarian types, then when generation is almost done, inform them of the scale of things.

It should give them a chance to expand their roll playing skills.
Have to get the sharp things hid before I do it to them.

 

[plop101]

T.Foster writes:
>I've used Newts (Bwaps) and various MHRs.
Gotta love the Newts and the Darrians.

Virushi writes:
>I have played Virushi characters in two different campaigns...
A tailor made medical npc that pc's are bound to run into in the
course of a campaign.

 

[trader jim]

NO NO NO NO!!!!! lice crabs fleas rashes ect ect ect that live on the human body CANNOT CANNOT
be used as MINOR RACES!!!!

 

[vegascat]

TJ, what are you blabering about? Body lice?

 

[trader jim]

scratch, scratch, scritch, scritch, just WHAT is that on my leg????......wheres my COFFEE JUICE????

 

[plop101]

scratch, scratch, scritch, scritch, just WHAT is that on my
leg????......wheres my COFFEE JUICE????

Must be another medical experiment by the greys...

Which brings us to greys...we should have one of them as a minor
race. No not the Vilani at Roswell [they didn't crash in Roswell btw,
that was just a cover story. They actually landed at Cannon AFB, but
you didn't hear that from me

]

But real actual greys. That might be fun.

 

[trader jim]

very good - nice change of subject - very slick-
you turn a nice phrase!!! say with that command of the written word you could become a TRADER - you must have the "gift of gab".....give it some thought....

 

[GypsyComet]

Our local group has seen Sword Worlders, Darrians, Ithklur, and a couple of Racoonids (home brew types from, supposedly, Dentus in the Marches).

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by plop101:
No not the Vilani at Roswell

I thought it was Vegans who "crashed" at Roswell. This was part of their plan to give Terrans the J-Drive so that they could support the Vegans against the Vilani...

Alan Bradley

 

[vegascat]

It was all a plot. A dirty nasty plot. The Vilani imperium needed to be taken down, and what better barbarians to do it than the Solomani. A nice young energetic minor race. Just give them a little boost to start them on their way.
Who do we know that likes to plot and use other races to do their dirty work for them? Hmmm.
Give them a few Aslan to keep them busy in a safe direction. Wait a few centuries. Give them time to self destruct. Hard to keep them from self destructing too soon though. That little race does love to fight.

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Are you saying the Ramhackle Empire was the creation of the HIVERS?

 

[millican]

Played a Dolphin a few times. Tough race to play. Got harder when one left the waterworlds. Would play one again in a minute.

Wanted to play an Ael Yael. Haven't gotten the chance yet.

Until my next post, so long and thanks for all the fish!

 

[vegascat]

Do you know of another race that likes to meddle in others affairs more than Hivers? Not to say that an experiment never gets out of control.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Drivers? did some one* mention our drivers?!"--Commander "Wolfe", Ithklur PC from my 96-99 campaign, looking for the shutle back of the dirtball he and his men just toasted the heck out of and the Guild wasn't ever coming back to.(evil grin).

I have had one other player do a decent Vegan too (working off of Traveller Chronicle magazine that is), as an imperial Navy remnant from Daibei.
SHip's cats & fly spineys! A Free Trader's/ Scout's li'l buddies. Have two players doing the Raccoonids very well (marooned on Raziira/ Pasdaruu/Diaspora currently, working as "Starport" employees for a Virus at the E-class port there . "Blue Short-Tail Farflinger", and "Crabcakes Sky-Stonefinder" (Their 1117 fishing trip got cut short by a Solomani Warship and they misjumped---long Story. Got any fish?). They're not human so they haven't been deported yet. Lotta Vampire ships breaking down leaving the place. Odd that is...!
Sleinte!
Liam Devlin
& the Arkansas Skunk Werkes