Aliens as PCs

[Colin]

Once ran a game where a major NPC, later a PC, was a civilized Eber out on a search for a missing artifact, a family heirloom. He was fun, and disguising him so he could walk around a human city was entertaining as well. When he threw off that cloak, and whipped out his 2-m long braodsword on a street-gang in Premiere, well, that was classic. He was an NPC at the time, and the PCs were coming to the defense of a 'helpless' stranger beset by the gang.

How many people have used 2300 aliens as PCs, and how did it go?

It srikes me that the Sung, Eber and some of the Ylii would make good PCs, with the Eber being especially challenging to play.

The Pentapods are too weird, and the Klaxun and Xiang not just too weird, but too primitive as well.

Kafer? Possible, I guess, but only for a masochist. Or a really good roleplayer.

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Colin:
[QB]How many people have used 2300 aliens as PCs, and how did it go?

I've not, becuase no alien race was presented for use as a player race.

They are in 2300 as enigmas and/or threats... and need to be clearly more than "Man in Suit" in how they are presented and played.

Now, I've used CT aliens in 2300 mechanics (imperialized vargr, aslan, and newts... double the dice throws and subtract four to get the matched atts.... str maps to size, tho...). Worked OK. But that was a CT universe run with CT ships and T2300 Character Rules.

 

[Colin]

Originally posted by Aramis:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Colin:
[QB]How many people have used 2300 aliens as PCs, and how did it go?

I've not, becuase no alien race was presented for use as a player race.

They are in 2300 as enigmas and/or threats... and need to be clearly more than "Man in Suit" in how they are presented and played.

</font>[/QUOTE]Certainly. And I'll admit that I approach the idea with some trepidation. However, it would expand the possibilities inherent in the game. Aliens as PCs would be entirely at the discretion of the Director, and should be difficult to play in 2320. Society isn't as accepting of aliens as in T20. They would be stand-outs, even freaks. But intriguing to play.

Colin

 

[robmyers]

Originally posted by Colin:
I'll admit that I approach the idea with some trepidation. However, it would expand the possibilities inherent in the game. Aliens as PCs would be entirely at the discretion of the Director, and should be difficult to play in 2320. Society isn't as accepting of aliens as in T20. They would be stand-outs, even freaks. But intriguing to play.

Playing only Humans is another thing that gives 2300 a different feel from Traveller. Having alien PCs would be a very good option, particularly to make 2320 different from 2300 (Humanity and aliens possibly getting on better for the most part by then?

), but it would move away from the "just getting started in interstellar society" feel and closer to CT.

- Rob.

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by robmyers:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Colin:
I'll admit that I approach the idea with some trepidation. However, it would expand the possibilities inherent in the game. Aliens as PCs would be entirely at the discretion of the Director, and should be difficult to play in 2320. Society isn't as accepting of aliens as in T20. They would be stand-outs, even freaks. But intriguing to play.

Playing only Humans is another thing that gives 2300 a different feel from Traveller. Having alien PCs would be a very good option, particularly to make 2320 different from 2300 (Humanity and aliens possibly getting on better for the most part by then?

), but it would move away from the "just getting started in interstellar society" feel and closer to CT.

- Rob. </font>[/QUOTE]Key thng about CT treatment of aliens: Aliens presented in official materials for CT always had CG notes, if not full CG mechanics. 2300 never did. Not even "Roll the stats on this many dice".

Then again, i've actually run a CT K'Kree party for a one shot.

 

[robmyers]

Originally posted by Aramis:
Key thng about CT treatment of aliens: Aliens presented in official materials for CT always had CG notes, if not full CG mechanics. 2300 never did. Not even "Roll the stats on this many dice".

Then again, i've actually run a CT K'Kree party for a one shot.

The Third Imperium is a very different place from the French Arm. The 3i is an ancient interstellar empire covering thousands of worlds and hundreds of species that have been in contact for many generations. In 2300, interstellar civilisation is just getting started and the aliens don't even understand each other all that fully yet. Whilst there are Sung ship crew and some enclaves on Human colony worlds, a big part of the feel of the setting is that aliens are something of a mystery and a very new thing. Contact is recent and ongoing and as much a source of conflict as it was historically between Human civilisations. If this has changed by 2320 it should only have changed slightly.
That said I personally have tournament scenarios for Sung and even Kafer PCs, but as with going back to the Little Guys I think this sort of thing should be scenario/campaign features rather than mainstays of the setting as they change the feel too much **IMVHO**.

- Rob.

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by robmyers:
The Third Imperium is a very different place from the French Arm. The 3i is an ancient interstellar empire covering thousands of worlds and hundreds of species that have been in contact for many generations. In 2300, interstellar civilisation is just getting started and the aliens don't even understand each other all that fully yet. Whilst there are Sung ship crew and some enclaves on Human colony worlds, a big part of the feel of the setting is that aliens are something of a mystery and a very new thing. Contact is recent and ongoing and as much a source of conflict as it was historically between Human civilisations. If this has changed by 2320 it should only have changed slightly.
That said I personally have tournament scenarios for Sung and even Kafer PCs, but as with going back to the Little Guys I think this sort of thing should be scenario/campaign features rather than mainstays of the setting as they change the feel too much **IMVHO**.

- Rob.

Absolutely. No argument. However, as a GM, it would have been nice to have had something even comparable to the Zhodani treatement in Adv 0...

Mind you, I come at this solely as a GM, not as a line-player. I want guides for how much skill, what combinations are likely, and what skills they simply don't have.

It helps me as a GM to provide fully realized NPC's when I need them. (Pity the party when they met "Maker of Dreams given form", a Kafer Naval Engineer and Architect, who was out Hunting Humans while on a break from his ship during a field test.)