Yep, that's one alien alien, there, Werekoala. Love it...especially the dichotomy between their interests and talents and their appearance (mound!). One question: how do they move around? on their tentacles?

You haven't read CJ Cherryh's Chanur books, have you? Kif is the name of a race of shark-like bad guys from those novels. Mahendo'sat are otter-like crafty traders. I'm not asking for a re-do, though. Your Kif rock!

You should read those books sometime, though. They absolutely scream Traveller, to me: The Chanur saga describes the trials, tribulations, and adventures of the all-female Hani (essentially Aslan) crew of a free-trader as they get into a shit-load of trouble. There are running gunbattles on a space station, terse diplomacy, first contact, tense submarine-like space hide and seek battles, crazy aliens, complicated political situations, anthropomorphic aliens, and, well, lots of good stuff.

Quote from: jeff37923Not to derail the alien building, but I'd like to plug the Classic Traveller CD-ROM. Its the best value for the money because on one CD that is the same price as one of the reprint books, you get all of the Classic Traveller books (except for JTAS, which is another CD). All of the files are in PDF format and are editable. So, don't just pass by the CD-ROM.

Cool. Thanks for the advice. I believe I've located everything I need on e-bay, luckily.

ian--thanks for the warehouse23 link--i still need the ct aliens 1-4 (i have the MT versions).  my gaming budget is straining hard, these days :flop:

werekoala--what could go wrong on a train?!  i thought this was a milk run! :keke:

Quote from: TimYep, that's one alien alien, there, Werekoala. Love it...especially the dichotomy between their interests and talents and their appearance (mound!). One question: how do they move around? on their tentacles?

Yup, they slither around. On a lower (or normal) grav world they might be pretty fast, but on their homeworld not so much.

Quote from: TimYou haven't read CJ Cherryh's Chanur books, have you? Kif is the name of a race of shark-like bad guys from those novels. Mahendo'sat are otter-like crafty traders. I'm not asking for a re-do, though. Your Kif rock!

I've always heard about them, but never read the books. Actually, when you said "Kif" my first thought was "Kiff" from Futurama, and I think that inflenced me to make them boneless sacks of protoplasm.

Quote from: jeff37923Not to derail the alien building, but I'd like to plug the Classic Traveller CD-ROM. Its the best value for the money because on one CD that is the same price as one of the reprint books, you get all of the Classic Traveller books (except for JTAS, which is another CD). All of the files are in PDF format and are editable. So, don't just pass by the CD-ROM.

Seconded.  I have it, I use it, I love it and I recommend it.

Don't make me come over there...!

The Chanur series is an excellent base of operations, it would be cool to see what you come up with.

One book I found very helpful in alien design and balance is Atomik Alienz which can be found here http://www.pigames.net/store/default.php?cPath=66 amoung other places.   Only about $6 and should include even stuff to make the Knnnn with their strange matrix minds.  And the stress flaw of those pale white aliens whose name I cannot begin to remember how to spell correctly.

Atomik Alienz is a generic point-buy alien creation system adaptable to any game.  It is what I bought to replace my long lost Star Master play-by-mail rules book; which I think was lost in the move of '84.

More info:

A link to a thread on CotI on topic:

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=5669

Finally (can you tell I love this topic) something I cam up with im my own Traveller Universe re aliens....

Some of the non-human ways of thinking I have a hard time describing being a human. This is my shot at trying to capture alien thinking.

This idea struck me about 7-10 years ago when I was reading both C.J. Cherryl's Chanur novels, White's Sector General novels and investigating the Myers-Briggs personality profile scheme. Cherryl had the matrix brain Knnn (I beleive without pulling down the book) and White had the relevant physiological aspects of alien life forms classifed with letter codes, Myer-Briggs looks at human personality with four binary concepts, the introvert/extrovet, sensing/intuitve, etc. concepts.

My cognitive classification: Cognition is described by 4 areas: (1) Sense of Identity; (2)Thought Process; (3) Event Relational Process; (4) Temporal Perception. The non-human ways will appear non-sensical and illogical to humans (that's why they are alien) but strangely these alien cultures can still build starships, etc.

Generally, species which are the same in all 4 areas of cognition will be able to at least communicate effectively. Although cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings (see Sol's history), their brains basically work the same.

Aliens which differ in 1 area can be communicated with but with great difficulty even if the two species share a common goal and a desire to work together.

Species with two or more code differences find it near impossible to communicate or work with each other. The other species' actions appear chaotic, insane and are completely unpredicatbale to the other. In this situation, an intepreter species is needed to bridge the gap. I give some examples below after the classifications.

Alien Cognition Classifications
Sense of Identity - individual (I), collective (H), cooperative (C), emergent (E)

Thought Process - linear (L), matrix (M)

Event Relational Process -sequential (S), reflexive (R)

Temporal Perception -uniform (U), variable (V)


EXAMPLES:

Identity

I=humans, H=collective: many individual thougths form one group will/mind, there are no individuals (e.g., borg STNG); C=cooperative: individual minds can access a group mind but individuals still retain individual will/mind; E=emergent:individauls have no sapience but in groups a form of sapience emerges, also refered to as a hive-mind.

Thought Process

L=linear: individual concepts can stand alone, binary logic possible, concept of independent variables possible; M=matrix: no concept stands alone, do not readily grasp binary logic or concept of independent variables, grasp problems composed of multiply dependent variables readily.


Event Relational Process

S=sequential: effect follows cause, effects are the manifestation of cause, predictive theories favored; R=reflexive: cause is the manifestation of effects, theories often appear ad hoc or by fiat to S (sequential thinkers) but such species appear to more readily grasp faster than light travel concepts.

Temporal Perception

U=uniform: time percieved as proceeding in a linear fashion at a relatively constant rate; V=varaible: one of the hardest concepts for U (uniform) species to grasp, V species have a hard time grasping beginnings and ends as these concepts are understood by U species.


For example, Humans are ILSU as are almost all species in sci-fi, the Borg HLSU, the Knnn IMSU, a "hive" species might be EMSU.
Accordingly, humans may find it near impossible to understand the "hive" but can communicate with the Knnn, albiet with difficulty. The Knnn have a hard time with humans and the "hive" but can communicate with both. The Knnn can thus serve as go betweens or interpreters for the Human and "hive" species.

All PC species should be ILSU in my opinion, this is not a system primarily for PC development but for universe development.

For example, this cognitive system can be used to "explain" why aliens act in unexplainable and to humans irrational ways. The GM need not even need to explain, how can a ILSU do so. One role-playing aspect is through using an NPC interpretive species and being aware that aliens are not just beings with more or less limbs who breathe different air. Thus, some NPC species may become a valuable interpreter/diplomatic species even if they have nothing else going for them.

Xanther, that is great stuff!