[SGII] Furry troopers

G'day guys,

>I don't suppose anyone knows of any figures that could be used for
>Kzinti?  

Sorry no, but on a similar line I'd be interested in some Hoka-like
mini's
(teddy bears effectively), heck I'd even take Ewoks if I could find any!

On to the psychology:

You've given us a good start here, my basic advice would be start with
the
stereotype (like you have) and then build on it - what is behaviour that
is
'alien' to us and what is behaviour that just wouldn't last the distance
-
modify accordingly.

>>My initial thoughts are:
>>
>>-Human.  Just like modern, civilized human behavior.	Granted, this
>>varies a lot...

I'll give you this one ;)

>>-Proud warriors (Kzinti, Klingons, etc.).  They fight individually for
>>honor.  In a hopeless situation, they'll fight to the last man.  They
>>refuse to retreat, which gives them staying power but reduced tactical
>>flexibility.

Watch out on thsi one, a race/species with this kind of attitude ain't
going to last long in an evolutionary sense. The odd individual 'yes',
but
as a general race characteristic I'd steer well clear.

>>-Logicians (Vulcans, maybe Moties).  They do what is required, what is
>>logical.  They won't run away in terror, but they also won't charge
>>madly and terrify their opponents.

That one is OK, but may be harder to play for us. Should lead to some
very
large scale cultural misunderstandings on contact...

>>-Automatons (robots, undead).  They just keep coming.  They won't
>>retreat or charge.  They won't change their plans much even if things
>>start going really poorly, because they're just not smart enough to
>>figure it out.

Not sure I agree wholey with this one either as even the AI of today is
being programmed to learn/adjust at least on a simple scale. Automatons
which don't react would soon be VERY redundant (at least in my opinion).
You could also have them linking together to form larger/different
robots
if needed etc.

>>-Hive Mind (Buggers, Starship Troopers bugs).  All that matters is the
>>survival of the colony.  Individual bugs are expendable.  There may be
>>enough individuality that groups can panic.  If they do "bug out" (pun
>>intended), they do it as a group, not as individuals.

Add to that that each has its particular function, often of limited
scope,
and so gaps are filled by reserves not by flexibility of knowledge etc.
This also gives them a critical weakness, separate them from the hive or
kill the "Queen" and its game over (in teh long term). You'd also have
to
be careful of the timing of attacks as you woldn't want to hit a colony
which is just about to split in two (that kind of crossfire is more than
just plain old hell).

>>-Fanatics.  Combine aspects of the Hive Mind (the individual is
>>irrelevant) and the Proud Warriors (aggressive charges, etc.)

This is actually a goer (more so than the Proud Warrior by itself), but
I
still see this more as a subgroup of the hive mind itself  they'd be the
warrior caste/soldiers for the colony.

>>-Cowards (Pierson's Puppeteers).  Fight with long-range weapons and
>>avoid personal danger.

I'd choose another name maybe, but this is a goer too. Though I'd put in
some clause about they're expected behaviour when cornered - do they
play
dead? Do they suddenly get a personality change? Do they exhibit decoy
behaviour so that they lead you away from vital positions allowing them
to
return to their usual long range behaviour?

>>-Carnivores (Dreenoi).  They're just looking for lunch.  First they
>>subdue their lunch and rip off its armor, then they settle down for a
>>meal, despite the fact that there's a battle (or, to their point of
>>view, an attempt to subdue food) going on around them.

Once again nice basis, but a little too simplistic. When carnivores hunt
they hunt then eat. When carnivores are in a battle with threats all
around
they just don't stop for a quick snack! In those circumstances they're
more
than likely to be wary and chased off no blind to external stimuli. I'd
also have challenges between individuals as they try to advance (they'll
follow the leader just fine until he/she is wounded or killed then its
on
for young and old to see who takes over).

>>What did I miss?

Just off the top of my head...<if anyone's interested I can look into it
a
bit more thoroughly>
-A parasite (be they cyborg or biological) which 'infects' its victims
so
they slowly switch sides or are permanently immobilised.
-Hoka-like which take everything literally and adopt 'roles' very
quickly
-Ones that use conditioning/psychology/education and infiltration rather
than straight out weapons...Your Sgt is in't going to be too pleased to
hear "Oh those colours are sooo pretty I think I'll just sit here for a
while and watch..."

Different lifespans wold also add flavour to this - beings who think on
the
scale of 100s years are vastly different to thos working with a few
decades.

Cheers

Beth

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART 
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax (03) 6232 5199 International +61 3 6232 5199

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au