Thanks, I had to take a sabbatical of sorts after a series of crisis in my life starting around December resulting in a mental and physical collapse. I had to take a mental walkabout and sort out some major issues, rebuild my strength and such, and all that took about what energy I have left these days. I missed this place, though. And I'm recharging gradually.
As for vampires, one man's meat is another's poison, so the vampires may not be "evil" per se, but rather, their effect on others is considered such outside the vampire's own society. That seems obvious but it would be an important part of encountering them.
What I would do would be to have them be a race that is relatively small in number and waaaay off the beaten track. Old and decadent, think like some scifi version of Melniboneans or similar. They don't interact with much of the universe anymore, except the rare one that launches himself out into space looking for new hunting grounds or to establish his own rule somewhere over more primitive races. That could even mean "primitive" as a culture relative to the more "sophisticated" one the vampires have. Rarefied esthetes or such.
Once in a while they may send out a party to see if they can hunt down some new stock for their "donor" farms. A ship cruising by could be lurched out of jump by a device the vampires have and the crew taken off, the ship then sent on its way again until it pops out empty and all Andrea Doria to add to local legends of this being a risky place to jump through.
The crew (read: players) get taken to the world these fiends live on and put on the auction blocks for sale to the highest bidder so some rich rancher-type could add them to his herds for richer hybridization and finer vintages. Carniculture, as I said, is good for a base stock in the pot, but it is best when cut with the real thing - the more exotic, the better. Spicier, sort of gets your ancient blood moving again and makes your fangs itch with anticipation.
The interactions the players have with these vampires reveals that they don't do any of this merely as an evil act but because they really have to in order to survive. Perhaps because the current stocks are too thinned out and tired to have the needed punch for the reproductive cycle to kick in. The race is slowly dying out but keeps going by this occasional raiding and through the efforts of those who head out to the stars to establish their own colony somewhere else. Hopefully where there is greater access for new blood stock and easy to hide in unless the encountered group can be subdued and brought into chattel captivity.
Now none of this requires evil for evil's sake - but it would still be viewed as such by the victims and be pretty horrifying to encounter.
As for vampires, one man's meat is another's poison, so the vampires may not be "evil" per se, but rather, their effect on others is considered such outside the vampire's own society. That seems obvious but it would be an important part of encountering them.
What I would do would be to have them be a race that is relatively small in number and waaaay off the beaten track. Old and decadent, think like some scifi version of Melniboneans or similar. They don't interact with much of the universe anymore, except the rare one that launches himself out into space looking for new hunting grounds or to establish his own rule somewhere over more primitive races. That could even mean "primitive" as a culture relative to the more "sophisticated" one the vampires have. Rarefied esthetes or such.
Once in a while they may send out a party to see if they can hunt down some new stock for their "donor" farms. A ship cruising by could be lurched out of jump by a device the vampires have and the crew taken off, the ship then sent on its way again until it pops out empty and all Andrea Doria to add to local legends of this being a risky place to jump through.
The crew (read: players) get taken to the world these fiends live on and put on the auction blocks for sale to the highest bidder so some rich rancher-type could add them to his herds for richer hybridization and finer vintages. Carniculture, as I said, is good for a base stock in the pot, but it is best when cut with the real thing - the more exotic, the better. Spicier, sort of gets your ancient blood moving again and makes your fangs itch with anticipation.
The interactions the players have with these vampires reveals that they don't do any of this merely as an evil act but because they really have to in order to survive. Perhaps because the current stocks are too thinned out and tired to have the needed punch for the reproductive cycle to kick in. The race is slowly dying out but keeps going by this occasional raiding and through the efforts of those who head out to the stars to establish their own colony somewhere else. Hopefully where there is greater access for new blood stock and easy to hide in unless the encountered group can be subdued and brought into chattel captivity.
Now none of this requires evil for evil's sake - but it would still be viewed as such by the victims and be pretty horrifying to encounter.
