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Standard Alien PC-races?

Started by RPGPundit, January 30, 2010, 09:19:41 AM

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RPGPundit

In fantasy, you have elves, dwarves, and halflings. Or put another way, the race that's magical, the race that's tough, and the race that's wily/sneaky.

What are the equivalents you'd have in a space-opera sci fi game?

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Silverlion

In Space Opera you tend to have the full gamut or nothing (playable.)

You have insect people, lizard people, cat people (not so many dog people for some reason but they do turn up.) You also get funny colored humans.


In more traditional SF you get stranger things--caterpillars, uplifted dolphins, uplifted monkeys, genetically altered humans.


Both share a love for robots. There is some overlap with common themes but you'll find the more people like aliens in Space Opera, and usually the stranger things in SF. Although depending on where it falls on the "Hardness" scale can be anywhere from near humans in limited numbers on up to very very very strange things like worms that live on neutron stars.


You can find a lot of this on TVtropes of course. Along with a million other cliches.
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ColonelHardisson

It's a bit tough to narrow it down, since space opera has a pretty wide spectrum of aliens/races/whatever. Here are some that are off the top of my head, not meant to be an exhaustive list:

*robots/androids/A.I.s
*warrior race offshoot of humans or humanoids - Klingons, Nietzscheans (from the Andromeda TV show), Romans (from R.M. Meluch's "Merrimack" books); obsessed with honor, lineage, domination of those around them. Physical strength and athleticism is important.
*the super-intelligent humanoid race - Vulcans, of course, but there are other examples, like the UFO greys. Scientists, sometimes behind-the-scenes manipulators.
*warrior-cats/apes/lizards - Kzinti, Orions (from Weber & White's "Starfire" books), wookiees, the "dragon men" or whatever they're called in some of David Weber's books.
*traders - these range from Trek's Ferengi to Niven's Puppeteers. Often very manipulative and calculating.

I'd probably conflate or eliminate some of these - there would probably be no use to have more than one warrior-type, for example, unless you wanted to set up some kind of conflict between them (Nietzscheans bred to counter Kzinti or something like that).
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Cranewings

I like to use the Kzinti. They are the most commonly rehashed race I can think of.

Silverlion

Quote from: Cranewings;358375I like to use the Kzinti. They are the most commonly rehashed race I can think of.

Don't you mean Caitians? :D
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Premier

Assuming you're talking about soft sci-fi, there are a few recurring racial tropes I can think of:

- The weak but intellectually or psionically superiour race. For instance, the Grays.
- The hive mind species, often insectoid.
- The ancient, enlightened race that keeps to itself and meditates.
- Shapechangers.
- The predator race, probably similar to some Earth predator species like wolves or large cats, that are still slaves to their aggressive instincts and cultural heritage.
- The robots/androids/AIs that have gone independent.
Obvious troll is obvious. RIP, Bill.

Tetsubo

Spacers, Zero-G humans.
Heavy Worlders.
'Animal' races such as cat-men, dog-men, insect-men, etc.
Amazons of Mars.
Big Brains, Small Bodies aliens.
Big Body, Small Brains aliens.
Aquatic aliens.
Klingon/Kzinti style warrior race.

ColonelHardisson

Heavy Worlders is a category I didn't think to mention. Much more common in literature than film and TV.
"Illegitimis non carborundum." - General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell

4e definitely has an Old School feel. If you disagree, cool. I won\'t throw any hyperbole out to prove the point.