KV Psychology/Physiology - Sia'na and Ro'kah.

Some thoughts:

1. The Purple (Sia'na - pardon the sp?) KV may be like a designate
priest
class, but (for practical ground actions), they must be more common (if
they
are the only ones who can calm). I envision them as "Priests" of a sort
-
like today, where we have a professional religious caste, and then we
have
"believers". I think all KV can calm themselves, and some strive to, but
only the Sia'na have an automagical ability set in this area. 

On ships, they use this to keep the command crew calm. In military
ground
situations, they use it to keep B'n or Company command staff calm. I
assume
that anyone in officer positions in the KV forces would have to have a
roll
(chance) to calm a frenzied unit (a mark of age, and perhaps "lay
worshipper" progress along the path of to conquer the "Clouded War Mind"
-
or to harness it better). This in turn would work well - the Sia'na keep
the
head officers calm, the officers keep their subordinates calm (on ship).
In
ground combat, the Sia'na keep the head commanders calm (you don't want
B'n
command rioting) and they use that to keep platoon commanders and
company
commanders calm until they need the fury. Then they incite it! 

This way (with all only the Purples having auto-calm, and with all
officer
types having a chance to calm their commands or incite them with a roll)
KV
ground forces aren't a total waste of effort - tactics wise. They can
use
the Ro'kah as an asset and have SOME control over it. But they don't
have
enough Sia'na to put one leading every platoon and give automatic
control
over it. And they can actually incite it at key points. I wouldn't want
to
lead a force where all of a sudden the entire force melted away because
one
human squad forces the lead element into Ro'kah and where (because I
don't
have a Sia'na handy) I can't recover.... thus my troops charge into the
Hu'man machineguns and defenses. Not fun. Too easy for the Hu'man. 

Besides, I think this "War Mind" sounds like both an asset and a
liability
and it'd be a cultural legacy of a previous age (phsyiological too I
guess).
But I'd guess the progress to spaceflight not only required some
"immunes",
but it required everyone to make at least a passing effort at self
control.
This suggests to me everyone is "on the Path", just some are like the
Llamas
or Senseis (the Purple/Sia'na) and others are less perfect - Juves can't
roll to recover for example, and must be recovered by a Senior (officer
type).	That adds more flavour IMO while leaving the force playable in
ground combat. This is an advanced race and they'd have gotten smoked if
they were entirely slave to their drives. Darwin doesn't like people
unwilling or unable to modify their behaviours. 

2. Note Jon said they "don't understand it". The KV demonstrably
understand
advanced science, and I think it likely chemistry is high on that list.
Ergo, I think this is more of an extrasensory thing than a measurable
chemical phenom like pheremones. Plus that explains how it works through
PA
and across space. Plus I think this is more in line with a predatory 6th
sense. Plus it makes it unlikely the humans will brew up a "chemical
soup"
to flumox the KV. 

I think the extrasensory nature is also interesting on a strictly
RPG/philosophy level: Instead of being a simple "what goo needs squirted
to
calm the Brood", it becomes a personal quest for every KV to attain
mental
mastery over himself (and the leaders and such do so through mental
discipline and inward looking techniques - whereas the Sia'na would be
valued not only in battle but in life outside because of their profound
calm
and control). It makes for a more interesting conflict and one that is
easier to imagine as "inscrutable" to the advanced KV than simple
pheremones.
(IMO). 

3. My explanation for why it affects KV in order of severity (infantry
most,
then PA/AFVs/Space Fighters, then starships):

Ro'Kah is a community response, extrasensory in nature, and brought on
by
the immediate presence of a physical danger. Infantry are the closest
and
most exposed to the sensations and threats that bring on this state.
AFVs
and PA are isolated, but not immune. Starships are even more isolated,
except for fighters which have the greatest "awareness" of these kind of
threats. 

4. I'm going to work with Los to tidy up our KV SG2/FMA Skirmish stuff,
and
then send it to Jon for his review (at his request). Sometime
thereafter, if
he doesn't say "please don't release this because we want to use some of
it
in BDS", I'll publish some collected/amended stuff for use. 

Tom.