Minor Alien Module 1: Luriani

[MongooseMatt]

Minor Alien Module 1: Luriani has just been posted on DrivethruRPG.com.

The Luriani are a race of contradictions. Most outsiders are struck by the extreme level of politeness in their society and apparent calm demeanour, only to be shocked by a sudden outburst of passion. They are a people with no significant martial tradition that have fought some of the most brutal wars in history. They are loyal Imperial citizens that suddenly and seemingly without warning came to the brink of revolt. These apparent contradictions are the root cause of the Luriani's reputation as emotionally unstable and unpredictable. Yet all these make perfect sense to the Luriani themselves.

This book, the first in the Minor Alien Module series, explores the Luriani, detailing their history, society, physiology and technology. Players will enjoy creating Luriani characters and flying Luriani ships, while referees will have access an entirely new civilisation for their games.

You can grab a copy at http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/107917/Minor-Alien-Module-1:-Luriani

 

[Dragoner]

Interesting cover.

 

[Whipsnade]

Interesting cover.

Indeed. Apparently part of the geneering work done by the Ancients to make the Luriani semi-aquatic involved giving them bigger lungs...

She'll never drown, that's for sure.

 

[atpollard]

Could it be some sort of symbiotic silicon life form?

On a serious note, it seems a little too 'human' to be a credible alien species.
Probably an interesting culture from the blurb, but a minor race only in the current terrestrial use of the term.
(right or wrong, I was expecting more of a 'minor species' from the title.)

 

[Whipsnade]

Could it be some sort of symbiotic silicon life form?

Might be. The dreaded Fan Service symbiote perhaps?

On a serious note, it seems a little too 'human' to be a credible alien species.

The Luriani are a human minor race, but they're a non-interfertile human minor race. According to canon that makes them their own species of hominid.

Probably an interesting culture from the blurb...

Maybe, it depends on how they're handled and the track record for that across all versions of Traveller isn't good.

I fully expect them to be - all together now - a HONORABLE WARRIOR RACE except this time with gills and breast implants.

I'll be happy to be disappointed though.

 

[rancke]

Maybe, it depends on how they're handled and the track record for that across all versions of Traveller isn't good.

I fully expect them to be - all together now - a HONORABLE WARRIOR RACE except this time with gills and breast implants.

I'll be happy to be disappointed though.

No need to keep yourself in suspense. The Luriani were written up in GURPS:Humaniti, and unlike the Darrians they were written up for MgT by the same writer (Andrew Vallance), so major differences like we saw in MGT: Darrians are unlikely. If you check it out, you will see that they're are not a Proud Warrior Race. Their mindset is "close to the Human mainstream". The biggest difference is a greater emotional volatility.


Hans

 

[aramis]

Could it be some sort of symbiotic silicon life form?

On a serious note, it seems a little too 'human' to be a credible alien species.
Probably an interesting culture from the blurb, but a minor race only in the current terrestrial use of the term.
(right or wrong, I was expecting more of a 'minor species' from the title.)

Most of the so-called "minor races" in traveller are simply humans with a minor tweak. The Luriani, the Jonkereen, the Sword Worlders, The Geonee, the Vilani... all are culturally different, but most of them are only trivially physiologically different as presented.

 

[rancke]

Most of the so-called "minor races" in traveller are simply humans with a minor tweak. The Luriani, the Jonkereen, the Sword Worlders, The Geonee, the Vilani... all are culturally different, but most of them are only trivially physiologically different as presented.

Agreed, with one minor quibble. The Vilani, the Jonkereen, and the Sword Worlders are not minor human races. The Vilani are a major human race, the Jonkereen are a variant human race, and the Sword Worlders are an ethnic group of predominantly Solomani descent.


Hans

 

[Dragoner]

HONORABLE WARRIOR RACE

If I see that again I'm going to throw up and go blind...:frankie:

 

[AndreaV]

I fully expect them to be - all together now - a HONORABLE WARRIOR RACE except this time with gills and breast implants.

I'll be happy to be disappointed though.

I was aiming more for an 'honourable ballet dancer race' (to shamelessly steal something from the MgT boards) And the text does actually include the line "The average Luriani’s woman’s bust is little less full than most Humans..." Obvously a wide variety between individuals

 

[Dragoner]

She just has a small back!

Actually if your market is younger guys, the pic is fine, really, just a bit humorous.

Though I'm not necessarily innocent of it either, here's my Vlazhdumecta:

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/traveller-beyond-the-frontier/wikis/vlazhdumecta

Beauty never hurts.

 

[AndreaV]

No need to keep yourself in suspense. The Luriani were written up in GURPS:Humaniti, and unlike the Darrians they were written up for MgT by the same writer (Andrew Vallance), so major differences like we saw in MGT Darrians are unlikely. If you check it out, you will see that they're are not a Proud Warrior Race. Their mindset is "close to the Human mainstream". The biggest difference is a greater emotional volatility.


Hans

There are differences from GT:H, unaviodable unfortunately, a number of changes were made in T20 (the whole kamikaze defense of their homes thing and the Vilani genocide).

 

[AndreaV]

She just has a small back!

Actually if your market is younger guys, the pic is fine, really, just a bit humorous.

Though I'm not necessarily innocent of it either, here's my Vlazhdumecta:

http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/traveller-beyond-the-frontier/wikis/vlazhdumecta

Beauty never hurts.

I actually like the interior art and well the cover is not THAT bad Mind you I did cut the following from the text.

Luriani and sex
When it comes to sex, Luriani's have a notorious reputation. Luriani of both genders can expect to be subject to unwanted attention in this regard and will have little trouble finding companionship of this sort. Many Luriani are actually distressed by this, claiming it difficult to find company of any other kind. However, this reputation, while exaggerated, is not that inaccurate. Luriani are far more open about sex than many other cultures. They have long had a tendency towards bisexuality and clearly differentiate between physical and emotional intimacy. Sex is a part of many Luriani relationships, not just romantic ones. Often an offer to share a Luriani's bed indicates little more than they find a person pleasant company and would like to get to know them better.

 

[Dragoner]

I actually like the interior art and well the cover is not THAT bad Mind you I did cut the following from the text.

Luriani and sex
When it comes to sex, Luriani's have a notorious reputation. Luriani of both genders can expect to be subject to unwanted attention in this regard and will have little trouble finding companionship of this sort. Many Luriani are actually distressed by this, claiming it difficult to find company of any other kind. However, this reputation, while exaggerated, is not that inaccurate. Luriani are far more open about sex than many other cultures. They have long had a tendency towards bisexuality and clearly differentiate between physical and emotional intimacy. Sex is a part of many Luriani relationships, not just romantic ones. Often an offer to share a Luriani's bed indicates little more than they find a person pleasant company and would like to get to know them better.

The sex part is way better than the whole "warrior race" stuff that runs through too many alien write ups, I would not cut it out imo, but it's your piece. The book looks very nice in fact and it is on my list of "wants" to buy.

I didn't mean to start anything with my comment about the cover, still don't, it looks great.

Congrats.

 

[AndreaV]

The sex part is way better than the whole "warrior race" stuff that runs through too many alien write ups, I would not cut it out imo, but it's your piece. The book looks very nice in fact and it is on my list of "wants" to buy.

I didn't mean to start anything with my comment about the cover, still don't, it looks great.

Congrats.

Sadly 30K word limit, I wrote 40K. Things had to get cut

And thank you, I'm actually hoping for critism (only way I get better at writing is if people tell me what I do wrong).

 

[Dragoner]

Sadly 30K word limit, I wrote 40K. Things had to get cut

And thank you, I'm actually hoping for critism (only way I get better at writing is if people tell me what I do wrong).

There is a point where I hate to criticize because I think getting a book published is really admirable. If I do have anything to add, other than what I read in the short preview, I can send a message after I purchase it. I know for me though, I often develop a sense of the art and science of a people because that is where I think their soul is. Like for the above people in my wiki, the idea for them is from the Martian Chronicles, the beautiful woman whose husband shoots the two earthmen in the lander.

 

[rancke]

There are differences from GT:H, unaviodable unfortunately, a number of changes were made in T20 (the whole kamikaze defense of their homes thing and the Vilani genocide).

Then why didn't you take the opportunity to set the record straight? Did you like the changes better than the original material? (I take it you weren't involved in writing up the T20 version (?)).


Hans

 

[AndreaV]

Then why didn't you take the opportunity to set the record straight? Did you like the changes better than the original material? (I take it you weren't involved in writing up the T20 version (?)).


Hans

When I originally wrote the Luriani for GT:H I was trying to stay clear of the whole 'proud warrior race' thing. It crept back in to an extent in Martin's T20 work, however none of that actually contradicted what was in GT:H so I kept it. You can find it in the line "The Luriani have a, largely undeserved, reputation as formidable warriors. This stems from their nearly suicidal fanaticism when defending their homes." I didn't write it out, just moderated it a bit

 

[Dragoner]

Having purchased Luriani, I have to say I am very satisfied. The cover does make sense when one understands it is an Italian artist's vision of a space woman, probably via a Monza grid girl, but still appropriate. Overall it is very well written, avoiding cliche while having an interesting thesis on genetic variation and the cultural inclusion of other humans such as Solomani and Vilani. Luriani also has some very nice ships with deck plans in the back, which for me at least, where I can see things through a different culture's engineering, I find the ships enlightening.

 

[AndreaV]

Thank you, I rather enjoyed writing it (and I think the deckplans are cool)