Take Pakkrat Down A Peg

[The Pakkrat]

At the advice of fellow Travellers, this thread is for comments, critique, recommendations and other constructive criticism concerning the story Down A Peg and the adventures of the crew of the Gatherer.

I catch flak for developing the Vargr for My Traveller Universe. But then there are those who are enjoying the Major Race receiving a fair shake. The Vargr Extents is grossly 'Underdeveloped'. Many Travellers would rather see the lupine race as an aggressor, antagonistic threat to throw occasionally at the Third Imperium. I see something else.

Down A Peg and its preludes are, like Agent of the Imperium, story-like visitations on various rules chapters of Traveller⁵. In writing this story, one post at a time and letting the dice tell me the next thing to go wrong (or right), the reader can get a better feel for the game, the Vargr Major Race, the individual characters and maybe, just maybe see the sophont condition we can all identify with. Charisma aside, the Vargr are just like us, despite the opinions of those who say:

"Vargr are mistakenly played like Humans in wolf costumes."

I do not hold with that. The sophont condition permeates all the races of Traveller. It matters little whether one has dewclaws, psionics from early childhood, was born with a silver spoon in their mouth (high Soc) or can live a really long time.

Please do not take my artwork as canon as to how the Vargr look, move, act, or should feel. That is merely my best drawing skills. Each image is worth 1000 words and may or may not help with the story. YMMV.

Enjoy Down A Peg. It's an exercise in fun with Traveller⁵.

From the Writers' Desk in orbit above Roethoeegaeaegz, this is the Pakkrat for Net-7 News!

Everywhere you need to be! Net-7 News.

 

[kilemall]

Doggies!

 

[Leitz]

I still owe you some reading on this.

As a player and DM I'm mildly ashamed to say that I seldom spent time understanding Vargr or the other major races. Always frustrated me in D&D games when people played nearly immortal elves or stodgy dwarves just like humans.

I'm happy to consider your work as close to canon as I get, as I don't tend to get too close.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I prefer the Mongoose Vargr look. Rather than the human suit with any old domesticated dog head snapped on.

 

[GypsyComet]

"Any old?" I don't recall any pug-nosed Vargr in official art. The Vargr of Julian space have been depicted with softer ears and blunter noses than the spinward types, but are still clearly wolfish.

Vargr have also always been digitigrade.

Both domestic canids AND HUMANS have diversified morphologically in much less time than Vargr have been on their own, and Lair is hardly mono-climatic. I also suspect that the Vargr may have been left in a relatively adaptive state genetically as a result of their uplift.

Hair length, coat structure (for differing heat retention behaviors), and of course color were going to be quite variable regionally on Lair, and we already know that has translated to regional groups across the Extents. Muzzle shape, ear shape and other elements of facial structure are also going to vary quite a bit; sometimes regionally, sometimes within a family. Just like big ears and aquiline noses appear in human populations.

And let's not forget grooming. Despite their wolfish origins and piratic tendencies, the Vargr are a Major Race, civilized for thousands of years, and capable of high tech invention and development with no outside support. If an individual wants to look a particular way they'll probably be able to do so.

---

The caveat here is that most campaigns are localized by default, so if you want the Vargr important to *your* story to look a certain way, the bigger picture is less important.

 

[Ulsyus]

I always liked the way they were depicted in D.J. Bar's illustrations - plenty of personality in those pictures!

 

[Hyphen]

Dear Folks -

Liz Danforth does a good Vargr too. This one's from my Library Data entry on Vargr (used with permission).

 

[The Pakkrat]

A Salad Bar of Character

I do draw my Vargr with digitigrade stance, though far more upright in stature than many other artists. I also try to feature females with primary and secondary busts. All get tails of varying thickness. And neck ruffs, to thicker manes to fully encouraged hair down the cranium, neck and back are styles I use to differentiate individuals. Lastly, there is coloration to consider. I admit to a certain anthropomorphic lean, but that is how I learned to draw.

I do take cues from the descriptions of Irilitok, Gvegh, Urzaeng, Ovaghoun, Logaksu, Aekhu and the Suedzuk sub-species. Each has something that stands out in My Traveller Universe. Again, YMMV.

I have my Vargr villains. I've played one, an Urzaeng who attempted to go legit until the Imperials let him pilot a ship that he then stole. Not all Vargr are cutesy Irilitok. The stereotypes break down from there, e.g. a Suedzuk who isn't a genocidal Corsair (see Sack of Gashikan). Gvegh who can stand up to a Zhodani in a mindfight.

With these sub-species of Vargr across the Extents, the variety makes this Major Race a salad bar of story and characters. And that is without touching the Mongoose Nakagun, Roth Thokken, Akumgeda additions.

The Zhodani have three choices in their Proles, Intendents and Nobles. The Imperials are a spectrum between Solomani and Vilani and their Social Standing. Aslan are either male or female, then broken down by Clan. What other Major Race can offer the diversity of the Vargr, I ask you?

I hope every fan of Traveller will enjoy Down A Peg, such that they might give Traveller⁵ a try.

On the scene everywhere, this is the Pakkrat for Net-7 News.

 

[flykiller]

the artwork is an excellent addition to the story, adding an entire dimension. however, you still focus on portraits. I'd like to see more scenes, both for their own sake and also to get an idea of the context YOU are envisioning for the story. for example, "Marine Lt. Ardell stood up despite her aching leg and hugged the opposing female." an illustration here would advance the story.

I really like the third page attempt to portray two damaged former enemies interacting in the medical bay. I can't recall ever seeing or reading anything similar to that anywhere - it seems unique. though I must say that it comes off a little vanilla - while lots of people fight because they're told to and just forget about it afterwards, lots of other people fight for a reason, or come to adhere very strongly to official reasons after they suffer combat in an attempt to deal with it in their own minds. very likely either Ardell or Anghal, or perhaps both, would have had to contend with remainders of, or continued deliberate and active, hostility towards the other side. and what happens if one or both opposing forces are encountered again and make a claim on Ardell and/or Anghal?

"No doctors or nurses or therapists had ever spoken a consoling word to Lt. Ardell who was no longer able to run in fast sprinting bursts the Vargr were known for."

you might want to build on that more. do vargr view casualties with darwinistic contempt ("losers!") or do vargr simply not care about casualties ("they're gone, who cares" - very likely in a "high charasma" culture), or are vargr so mission-focused that casualties are ignored ("keep to the mission! press on!"), or were casualties too heavy for anyone to care about any single instance ("who?")? do Lt. Ardell and/or Anghal still agree with any of those views or has either come to regret whatever view she held?

"The sophont condition permeates all the races of Traveller"

given that the only "sophonts" WE know about are human, I have to disagree and point out that all the aliens of traveller are essentially portrayed as humans - more specifically as yanks/brits - in various suits. and since the authors, game referees, and audiences are human, how could it be otherwise? consider your own portrayals ...

"Dead-Hex scooped a bowl of what looked like meaty stew."

given their oral/dental structures I envision vargr food as resembling chinese chop-stick food - large bite-sized chunks.

"The stew was horrible. It tasted as if a kill had baked in a desert, gone rancid and then protested its own harvest by the hunters a week later."

I've seen dogs scramble to eat much worse. what dogs seem to care about is eating "it" before anything else does. hanging up a carcass in the galley for a week before it's eaten might be considered a delicacy and the waiting a sophisticated enhancement of the meal.

“You aren’t going to challenge me for Captain?”

if charisma is important in vargr society, then the captain making a mistake means she loses charisma, therefore the ship loses charisma, therefore the individual crew members lose charisma - more than her, because while her mistake is her mistake alone, both her mistake is theirs and their failure to replace her also is theirs. this would seem to be a major issue, but the crew here - is understanding? perhaps this crew is counter-culture? or perhaps this is standard merchant ship variant practice given the limited societies and minimal crews?

 

[GypsyComet]

And that is without touching the Mongoose Nakagun, Roth Thokken, Akumgeda additions.

These were DGP additions, as were the Kokasha.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

"Any old?" I don't recall any pug-nosed Vargr in official art.

In any Vargr art. Pinned on Pinterest these days.

 

[Lycanorukke]

One thing which raised my eyebrow in the latest is the sale of the anagathics 'Agricultural Imbalance'.

147,000Cr for 10 tons of Anagathics? Did another 'drink-n-swipe' occur?

 

[kilemall]

One thing which raised my eyebrow in the latest is the sale of the anagathics 'Agricultural Imbalance'.

147,000Cr for 10 tons of Anagathics? Did another 'drink-n-swipe' occur?

Smart.

Enough money to send the Zho jackers on their way, give the buyer plenty of room for impure aged and/or hot 'gathics, and not so much that eyebrows are raised and interest generated.

 

[GypsyComet]

In any Vargr art. Pinned on Pinterest these days.

You hold the OTU in contempt for edge case fan art or vaguely similar topics that never had Traveller in mind when they were drawn?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

More often than not, I find better Traveller art on various online galleries made by fans than I find in Traveller books.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Anghal and Ardell Embrace

It took me several days to become inspired as I do not seem to yet be able to draw on command. I uploaded the embrace between Anghal and Ardell per suggestion.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

OKAY.....

This is not a furry thing, is it? o:

 

[The Pakkrat]

No, N. It's not that. You haven't been in the Characters Gallery and seen my previous uploads, have you?

S'okay. I may be capable of simple drawings, attempts with my feeble skills at drawing MTU Vargr.

This is a snapshot of two crewmembers who were once on opposite sides of a Battle who come to an understanding.

See, readers? I do catch flak for developing the Vargr in my particular artwork and writing. But constructive critique is what this thread is for.

Enjoy the story. And perhaps the artwork in it.

 

[Sstefan]

I do enjoy your stories, it clearly shows a different side of what I remember my Vragr character's activities decades ago.

Please keep expanding, it helps my mindset changes in a whole different direction.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

I am having a case of silly today. I will go check the rest out Packrat, with a more serious eye.

Still it could make for a Harlequin romance book cover.

"Scavenger of My Broken Heart"
"Corsair of Love"
"Waiting Before I Stole Her Heart"
"Submitting to the Alpha"
"50 Shades of Pelt"

But not yet. :rofl: Oh, Goddess Tenuta, forgive me. I am a sick piece of wood! :nonono:

I gotta go.