KV history/psychology - St. Jon has been reading minds again.....

Fascinating. If I didn't know Jon and I hadn't talked about this, I'd
swear
we were cribbing from the same sheets. His writing is almost (change the
names, project what he says into SG2 terms) what me and Los and Beth had
come up with. You been using the Orbital Mind Control lasers again, St.
Tuffley? 

Me and Carlos (Los) used a home brew set of rules for SG2 which featured
roughly the same type of model for KV society, though with Beth's
criticisms, we made the Frenzy a little less likely to onset because
blind
rage is rarely a survival attribute and if it only applied in the
pre-history, it would have been bred out or ameliorated by the KV
develoment
in their technological period.	

We concluded that this was (similar to Jon) a defence mechanism for the
species - both for the individual and (on a larger scale) for the clan
and
race. Individuals were expendable to protect key clan/race assets. 

We also concluded that those who gravitated to positions of power (Los
famous Purple KV, the officers - WarMasters, WarLeaders, ClanLeaders,
etc)
would obviously have to have better control of their frenzy and the
ability
to inspire or suppress this reaction in their followers. Perhaps these
are
the ones Jon refers to as being capable of suppressing their own
reactions.
(Or contrariwise, I assume they can bring it on easier if they want that
kill-rage). In game terms, we let the leaders spend actions to calm or
frenzy their troops with some appropriate rolls.  

When a KV enterred the frenzied state, it became quite nasty at Close
Combat
but didn't tend to used ranged combat. We also assumed this
Adrenaline-like
capacity gave them some burst movement (only usable for entering CC)
that
made them like the Cheetah in a Close Assault closing. The risk was of
course becoming winded after the CC (give them a suppression). 

We also thought about how humans evolve (re adrenalin/testosterone) and
sort
of applied a bit of humanophysiology. That is we assumed that the
easy-to-frenzy troops with the natural bent for close combat were the KV
Juves - they form the assault units. They frenzy easier, don't recover
as
easily, and are young and full of vigour. 

The older a KV got, if he survived the acid test of being a Juve, meant
he
had learned to suppress his reaction more, and he then got moved into
EW,
sniper/marksman, command, Heavy Weapons (SAW teams or GMS Teams), or
Recce
units. Or perhaps Engineers and Armour too. (Don't want your armour crew
berserking). 

So similar to how every Marine is first and foremost a rifleman, all KV
had
pretty much served time as Juves in the assault teams. The older,
calmer,
more controlled ones gravitated into specialties based on their
disposition/talents. 

I can't believe how well this meshes with what Jon has written.... very
convenient. With some of the naming Jon has used, me and Los can now
slightly revamp our work and release the "until-BDS-comes-out" SG2 and
FMASkirmish "home brew" rules for KraVak shortly. Who knows, maybe St.
Tuffley will lift a few of our ideas :) 

Tom. 
Co-Author of the KV rules for the Grey Day To Die scenario at Lancaster. 

PS - From a tech standpoint, we gave them heavily armoured vehicles (a
la FT
design philosophy) railguns (similar to HKPs) in varying sizes and with
advanced miniaturization techonology, and ECM that was "slippery" to
human
equipment (the same was true in reverse - until both sides grow
accustomed
to the spectrum shifts and differing technologies used - each has
trouble
seeing through the others camouflage and countermeasures). Personally,
we
gave them railgun rifles which had a lot in common with the FSE rifle in
SG2
(high penetration, lower FP) and dangerous SAWs and nasty GMS/Ps
(figuring
the average KV is stronger and more able to carry a heavier piece of
kit).
We figured their railguns were gravitic based, so their tanks were
gravtanks. Plus my Armourcast Eldar Tempests and Epicast ? (forget the
name)
looked great as KV tanks. 

Thomas Barclay
Software UberMensch
xwave solutions
(613) 831-2018 x 3008