Re: [GZG] [Aliens] was Re: FMA at EEC etc

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curious, I'll check out the rules.

Roger

On 2/27/07, Allan Goodall <agoodall@hyperbear.com> wrote:
>
> On 2/27/07, Roger Books <roger.books@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Um, but, who wants to play, um, snails?  That's it, snails.
>
> They may be vaguely snailish in their appearance, but their skins
> change colours like an octopus or squid.
>
> > I have
> > no idea what motivates them.  Maybe if there was some good backstory
I
> might
> > be
> > interested.  As it is I don't care about either race.
>
> I have a sizable backstory section in the Phalon beta test rules.
> Besides the physiology portion (their three-lobed eye acts as a
> polarizing filter), and the technology section, I included a Social
> Structure section.
>
> Here it is:
>
> Phalon Social Structure
>
> Phalon family life is more complicated than humans. They do not mate
> for life, but they do form clan bonds. A clan consists of members of
> the breeding sexes ("breeders") that have mated amongst each other,
> and their offspring (both breeder and mule). Often two members of a
> clan have no genetic connection between each other. The closest
> analogy in human society is that that of two human couples who have
> children, get divorced and then remarry. These two extended families
> (consisting of a father, a mother, a step-father, a step-mother, and
> the resulting offspring) would constitute a small Phalon clan. Since
> Phalon breeders mate more promiscuously than humans, these clans can
> become rather large and genetically diverse. The clan as a whole takes
> care of the hatchlings. Phalons have an attachment with other members
> of their clan, but Phalon opportunistic tendencies mean that one or
> more breeders may splinter from a clan and form a new clan, taking
> several mules along with them.
>
> Mating within a clan is the most common form of bonding between males
> and females, but the bonding of breeding couples from two different
> clans is almost as common. This usually occurs when a male or female
> leaves one clan to join with another. Relatively rare – but not
> unheard of – is a breeding pair leaving their clan or clans to form
a
> brand new clan. Usually they take mules from one or both clans with
> them, both for protection and for breeding purposes. This new clan may
> or may not have strong ties to the old clan. The rarest of all clan
> connections is when the male is from one clan, the female from
> another, and one or more mules are from a third. This usually occurs
> as part of a political negotiation to cement relations between all
> three clans.
>
> The breeding sexes tend to be more individually opportunistic than the
> mules, though all genders show a level of opportunism that many humans
> find appalling. The mules are the protectors of the clan. This is an
> offshoot of their physiology. Mules do not contribute to the gene
> pool, but they are vital for egg fertilization. Only one individual
> mule is needed to begin the fertilization process, so mules are
> interchangeable at the clan level. They tend to be bigger and more
> powerful, so they can throw themselves at an enemy in order to protect
> the clan. As long as one mule survives along with a breeding pair, the
> clan can survive and grow. Mules have a strong sense of protection
> toward any breeder, while breeders see individual mules as expendable.
> Since mules controlled which eggs could be fertilized and which
> couldn't, they were able to use this ability to exert authority over
> individual breeders within a clan. Mules saw an advantage in mules
> banding together within a clan. Other breeders saw the advantage in
> courting the favour of mules. This was the beginning of a
> Machiavellian society of internecine competition within a structure of
> mutual cooperation.
>
> Like human society, much of Phalon history is filled with conflict
> between races and religions, as well as between neighbouring clans.
> Racial rifts in Phalon society healed comparatively quickly compared
> to similar rifts in human society. The Phalon embrace of opportunism
> overrode any prejudice based on something as trivially cosmetic as
> carapace shape, or a perceived difference in behaviour.
>
> Similarly, religious strife was less widespread and not as long
> lasting in Phalon society as it was (is) in Terran society. Phalon
> religions have a strong tendency toward ancestor worship. The number 3
> is considered lucky by many Phalon faiths, as it features prominently
> in their eyes and in the number of sexes. Phalon religions tend to be
> fairly flexible. New sects form, and existing sects amalgamate, with
> little difficulty. However, if there is anything that will cause the
> usually pragmatic Phalons to act against their best interest or the
> interest of a clan, it is religion.
>
> The head of a clan has dictatorial powers and is usually surrounded by
> a support group of functionaries and bodyguards. Similar structures in
> human history usually resulted in corrupt regimes, downtrodden masses
> and a bloody overthrow. Not so in Phalon society. Phalons are
> traditionally nomadic, so they tend not to be connected to any one
> location. Being nomadic there is less likelihood that the "downtrodden
> masses" wouldn't just walk away from a cruel leader. The Phalon
> homeworld had many predators that preyed on Phalons. There was safety
> in numbers, so a cruel dictator would eventually find itself alone and
> unprotected. Since Phalon societal connections are dynamic, there were
> fewer artificial conditions legitimizing one ruler over another. The
> concepts of "divine right" and "right of birth" are foreign to
> Phalons. Breeders needed the willing participation of mules to
> continue the bloodline, and mules that rose to positions of power were
> physically incapable to produce a bloodline. The only reason Phalons
> would follow or keep a leader was if that leader achieved positive
> results.
>
> The mules were the first to see the advantage in "mega-clans", several
> clans bonding together into a more powerful organization. Clan
> alliances are traditionally easily formed and broken. The development
> of the mega-clan formalized these alliances. While clans are still as
> dynamic as ever, individuals are more likely to stay within a
> particular mega-clan. "More likely" is still a relative term, and so
> humans fell that Phalon society is best described as "chaotic".
>
> A large mega-clan may have smaller mega-clans within it, just as human
> nations may have provinces or states within a country, counties within
> a state, and towns within a county, etc. Mega-clans containing other,
> smaller, mega-clans are known as "high-level mega-clans". "Low-level
> mega-clans" are those that consist of nothing but individual clans.
> There's a vast area in the middle where it's hard to tell if a
> mega-clan is high-level or low-level. Humans have tried to categorize
> Phalon organizational structures, but have mostly failed. At the top
> of the Phalon organizational chart is the Phalon Conglomerate. A
> complex clan hierarchy exists within the Conglomerate, the
> Conglomerate itself being a sort of super mega-clan.
>
> Mega-clans were originally based on race, religion and geography, but
> contemporary mega-clans go beyond these limitations. They are more
> likely to be based on opportunity and advantage. Low-level mega-clans
> tend to specialize in a particular field of endeavor, or several
> related fields, forming a monopoly in some product, service, or area
> of knowledge. This allows a low-level mega-clan to gain an advantage
> over other low-level mega-clans. As they gain advantage, the mega-clan
> gains members from other clans and mega-clans, increasing its size and
> influence. Higher-level mega-clans are essentially cartels, though
> often in many different areas of interest, and with those interests
> subject to rapid change.
>
> The breeders are considered "flighty" by mules. In human terms,
> breeders are more "left brained" and mules are more "right brained"
> (though the Phalon brain is not set up this way). Breeders tend to be
> more artistic, mules tend to be more calculating. Breeders tend to
> think more about the here and now, while mules are more forward
> thinking. Most of the military (and almost all of the combat troops)
> are mules. Phalon leadership is split almost evenly between mules and
> breeders, though some divisions within Phalon leadership may be more
> heavily stocked with one type of gender or another.
>
> Injustices between individuals, clans, mega-clans, different races and
> different religions are remembered and even acted on, but it's
> considered a virtue by Phalons to seize an advantage. Walking away
> from an advantage is considered equivalent to the human concept of
> cowardice. Permeating everything is the Phalon desire to rise when the
> opportunity presents itself. Just as ancient Phalon males and females
> escaped predators by sacrificing mules, and just as mules competed
> with each other for survival, Phalon society is rife with
> individualism. The only thing approaching altruism in the Phalon
> psyche is the mules' protective feelings towards the breeders. In
> spite of this, or perhaps even because of this, Phalons are social
> creatures. They prefer to be in the company of others to being alone.
>
> The mules are the stabilizing influence in Phalon society. Phalons are
> not "peaceful" by human standards, but Phalon history is less bloody
> than human history. Wars between clans were common in the past, but
> mule protective instincts and the general Phalon sense of
> self-advancement and preservation meant that protracted wars were
> rare. Once it was obvious that one side stood to lose, a negotiated
> settlement quickly ended the conflict, especially if another
> uninvolved clan or mega-clan could take advantage of the weakened
> state of the combatants.
>
> Some humans think of Phalons as cowardly. This is an inaccurate and
> dangerous assessment. They are not cowardly. They are practical and
> realistic. They will not be drawn into a war without a very reasonable
> chance of success. They will not shy from war if their society,
> religion or race is in jeopardy.
>
> --
> Allan Goodall 	   http://www.hyperbear.com
> agoodall@hyperbear.com
> awgoodall@gmail.com
>
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