General Eating Vegan in the Imperium

[Condottiere]

There's some logic to that.

Being Vegan does seem to limit after hour activities, if you strictly adhere to that diet.

 

[Enoki]

Due to a post I made the other day, I've been wondering if Cannibalism exists in the Imperium?

It would bring new meaning to 'Eating Vegan' if Vegans become a delicacy.

I just think it could be put in as a harsh underbelly activity in the Imperium that SPA and other departments have to keep an eye out for. Along with other Sophont trafficking.

What do you think?

Maybe Aslan? Nothing like having "grass fed" Vegan for dinner!

 

[Spinward Scout]

It's not cannibalism if a Human eats a Vegan, only if another Vegan does it.

That's a good point.

But how often would a Vargr or Aslan eat another sophont?

 

[bookwyrm]

Due to a post I made the other day, I've been wondering if Cannibalism exists in the Imperium?

If Cannibalism is depraved, it's probably illegal.

If Cannibalism is moral, it's probably legal.

Then there are the shades of grey: it's illegal to kill/murder & consume but legal to consume those who are legally deceased.

I would think this is something that is up to the GM to decide. Laws against Slavery means that there is Slavery in the Imperium, and considering most sophents abhor the practice of being eaten by others of their own kind, I would think there are laws against Cannibalism because Cannibalism exists in the Imperium.

 

[Condottiere]

We know that the Vargr would be edible.

Everything else tastes like chicken.

 

[bookwyrm]

I was just now thinking that to the K'kree, cannibalism was an alien concept until the Hivers introduced it to them in a very personal way. (well, not really, they were just introduced to eating meat in general, but what if the Hivers mentioned cannibalism if the K'kree didn't back off?)

It's one thing to be eaten by another sophent/being/creature. It's quite another to be 'manipulated' into eating your own kind, especially a vegetarian race like the K'kree.

 

[whartung]

Due to a post I made the other day, I've been wondering if Cannibalism exists in the Imperium?

No doubt, across the thousands of worlds, and trillions of people, there's a vehicle crashed in a remote, frozen wasteland somewhere with survivors.

 

[mike wightman]

Is it cannibalism if the dead are rendered in the protein vats to make soylent? How about feeding the dead human to a pig and then eating the pig...

 

[Condottiere]

Might be a revenge story.

Either against the pig, or by proxy.

 

[bookwyrm]

Is it cannibalism if the dead are rendered in the protein vats to make soylent?

Yes, you are still eating your own kind.

I would rather starve that take this route.

How about feeding the dead human to a pig and then eating the pig...

I did some looking around and found that animals that have eaten a human are usually killed (tigers & sharks for example). I feel like I've seen/heard reports of food contaminated by human body parts being recalled, but doing a Search didn't find anything.

I think in this case, how hungry I am and how often the pig is being fed humans vs. a one time feeding and waiting some time before eating the pig would determine 'yay, Bacon!' vs. 'no way, Jose!'.

On top of all this, is cannibalism culturally ok or not?

Dang, this topic has me conflicted between curiosity and 'This Is Very Wrong'. On the other hand, I can't help but feel that Traveller is a somewhat darker view of the Far Future in some ways, so the possibility is there for those who want cannibalism as a part of or in the background of their Traveller game.

 

[Condottiere]

Can take religious/superstitious overtones.

When eating relevant parts of a person's anatomy, renown for bravery, cleverness, physical ability, to infuse that into your own.

 

[kilemall]

Yes, you are still eating your own kind.

I would rather starve that take this route.


I did some looking around and found that animals that have eaten a human are usually killed (tigers & sharks for example). I feel like I've seen/heard reports of food contaminated by human body parts being recalled, but doing a Search didn't find anything.

I think in this case, how hungry I am and how often the pig is being fed humans vs. a one time feeding and waiting some time before eating the pig would determine 'yay, Bacon!' vs. 'no way, Jose!'.

On top of all this, is cannibalism culturally ok or not?

Dang, this topic has me conflicted between curiosity and 'This Is Very Wrong'. On the other hand, I can't help but feel that Traveller is a somewhat darker view of the Far Future in some ways, so the possibility is there for those who want cannibalism as a part of or in the background of their Traveller game.

Prions come to mind.

 

[Quint]

I mean, does anyone remember the novel "Courtship Rite" (let alone Soylent Green) - that's a pretty easy way to envision how it's persisted. I also remember running a Morrow Project game where one community had messed up the church canon post-apocalypse and "body and blood" was not a metaphor...

Off the top of my head I think it's pretty easy to have cannibalism being surviving religious practice from previous hardship time (aka Courtship Rite), mostly likely around families and consuming the bodies of those who have passed - or you could make it part of an induction ceremony needed for adoption or a wedding.

Or you could take the Dune version (rendering the dead down for their water, that's technically a form of cannibalism I suppose) and just expand it into the whole body because the planet is so resource scarce. That's basically the Soylent Green version, just somewhat less corporate.

Basically my point is that it's very easy to include in ways that don't involve murder, just a very different cultural mindset.

D.