Playing aliens (Was:FMA at EEC: was Re: [GZG] Re: GZG ECC X: Indy's AAR (parts 1 &2))

[Robert N Bryett <rbryett@xxxxxxxxx>]

The one species/race in 40K that isn't humanoid is pretty obviously  
inspired by the alien(s) from Alien(s). The only GW game I've played  
is Necromunda, so I'm no expert, but the company seems to support its  
various alien "teams" with new figures, rules etc. I have no idea how  
*really* differently they feel and play from human forces, or of  
their relative popularity with 40K players (though there seems to be  
an abundance of Space Marines...).

I saw some Tau stuff in the GW shop window a while ago that looked  
pretty cool. It made a change from the usual 40K refugees from a  
heavy-metal album-cover, as drawn by a Nazi-regalia collector on  
drugs...

Looking back to my (distant) days as an RPG game-master, this sounds  
like the same problem with persuading players to role-play their non- 
human characters. The more distant the character was from the human  
norm, the bigger the problem. There were especially problems with  
accepting the downsides of the character, and life was a lot easier  
if only non-player characters differed sharply from humans.

RB

On 27/02/2007, at 11:06 , Damo wrote:

> On Feb 26, 2007, at 5:31 PM, <Beth.Fulton@xxxxxxxx>  
> <Beth.Fulton@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > This seems to be a wider issue too. If you look at every major  
> > science
> > fiction manufacturer on the web if they don't look like an "aliens"
> > alien or a "predator" then they quietly disappear/dwindle while the
> > human lines of the same system go on longer.
>
> The 40k universe has examples of aliens which fit neither profile  
> (neatly) and they tend to go onward (some better than others mind  
> you).  Then again with the exception of one alien race they are  
> physically close to human form (two arms, two legs, etc.).  Having  
> said that I see your point though.


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