[Space] How alien are your aliens?

[RyanW]

For those of you who have run SF campaigns, do you find there is a sweet spot on how alien you tend to make your aliens (assume "playable race" sort of alien species)? On the one extreme, I find rubber forehead aliens too unrealistic to be really satisfying. On the other, really alien aliens can be very difficult to play.

The most obvious limits to the theoretically possible in favor of the playable is that they should be of a size and sensory range that allows deep interaction with the rest of the PCs.

[vicky_molokh]

I prefer an approximately equal mix of forehead and starfish aliens, as that seems to give everyone an opportunity to pick a species according to one's preference.

[AlexanderHowl]

I generally prefer starfish aliens and, in my campaigns, alien systems are generally off limits. Aliens are inexplicable to the average human, as they represent radically different biology and psychology. Alien civilizations are equally strange.

Of course, there are genetically engineered creatures from the Lost, creatures developed by previous Earth-based civilizations. Since they are derived from Earth life, they have a common starting point, making them much less alien. Even so, they are still alien, as a sapient species derived from frogs will be much different than a sapient species derived from apes.

[khorboth]

I know I say it a lot, but it REALLY depends on the feel of the campaign. If I'm running Star Trek... Rubber noses & foreheads. If I'm trying to replicate the Uplift series... lots of stuff is on the table. In general, if I'm going to include aliens, then they are around for some thematic reason and that theme will dictate the limits of the alien attributes.

Honestly, the bigger problem for me is psychology. Can my human player accurately play a member of a hive-mind race? Or an isolated member of a race used to touch-communication forced to learn speech? Or a panicky pray-animal trying to overcome instincts? Or a blimp-creature perfectly at home in a 3D environment but claustrophobic? Or... whatever? There are interesting challenges here, and they can quickly overwhelm the plot. Maybe those world- and character-building things are the central theme of the game, and then good! If not... rein in the psychological differences.

(dangit, now I want to stat up a blimp-creature with a hive-mind)

[Varyon]

Personally, I'm not a massive fan of aliens, because realistically they should be distinct enough from humans to be extremely difficult for a human to portray with any accuracy. I prefer "aliens" that are man-made - parahumans, bioroids, etc. That lets you play around with morphology and mentality while still being grounded enough a human player (or GM, for NPC's) can portray them consistently. It can be a fun twist if the characters think the bugmen or whatever are actually aliens, of course.

[Flyndaran]

Truly alien aliens are far more realistic, but far less playable in a multi-species game, IMO.
Different thought processes, environmental and dietary requirements, etc. just seem nearly impossible to work into something other than a walk-on role.


(I literally was just discussing this issue with my GF last night after watching an episode of Enterprise. They introduced the tholians, which are one of the more alien canon species.)

[AlexanderHowl]

They work as an inexplicable enemy.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Personally, I'm not a massive fan of aliens, because realistically they should be distinct enough from humans to be extremely difficult for a human to portray with any accuracy. I prefer "aliens" that are man-made - parahumans, bioroids, etc. That lets you play around with morphology and mentality while still being grounded enough a human player (or GM, for NPC's) can portray them consistently. It can be a fun twist if the characters think the bugmen or whatever are actually aliens, of course.

It would be difficult, but I suppose the different psychology could be the hardest and easiest aspect to deal with. If you have an individual that just happens to be a "weirdo" that studies aliens and has a fascination with the main campaign species, they could have integrated such bizarre ways into their personality.
They could even metaphorically be known as half human. ;)

Personally, I think most aliens would reasonably fit gravities at least in the ballpark of ours. Uncomfortable, sure, but not too dangerous. Temperatures could also be near-ish. At least close enough for high tech suits to make it tolerable.
It's that atmosphere that would be extremely unlikely to be breathable. Earth's has gone from near zero O2 to above 0.3 partial pressure. CO2 has ranged from the majority of the atmosphere to a mere 180 parts per million. Not to mention that pressure is probably highly variable even for an Earth twin. Then again, our bodies care far more for O2 partial pressures than over all pressure to a point. So aliens could feasibly handle extreme differences from native.

[AlexanderHowl]

Oxygen breathing lifeforms are not necessarily compatible though, as exposure to novel biochemical compounds could result in anaphylaxis in either species. If alien dandruff counts as a persistent toxic attack, that is a problem. If you dandruff does the same, that is arguably a worse problem.

(A dandruff based attack could be represented in the following fashion: Toxic Attack 1d (Always On, -20%; Accessibility, Aliens only, -10%; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Cyclical, 10 hours, Removed by adrenaline injection, +200%; Drifting, +20%; Emanation, -20%; Extended Duration, 1000x, +120%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Respiratory Agent, +50%) [22]. Since every sapient species would have it, it beomes a 0 CP feature and a -22 CP disadvantage for individuals to lack it.)

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by RyanW

For those of you who have run SF campaigns, do you find there is a sweet spot on how alien you tend to make your aliens (assume "playable race" sort of alien species)? On the one extreme, I find rubber forehead aliens too unrealistic to be really satisfying. On the other, really alien aliens can be very difficult to play.

The most obvious limits to the theoretically possible in favor of the playable is that they should be of a size and sensory range that allows deep interaction with the rest of the PCs.

I don't take playability into account when creating alien species (anymore). They either serve a necessary role within the setting or they don't exist. If they do exist, a player is interested in playing one and the player can sell me on the alien character ... they can play it. But, no, I've not found a generally applicable sweet spot. Sometimes we have catboys and bunnygirls. Sometimes we've talking animals and household appliances. Sometimes we've hegemonizing swarms composed of nine-legged, seven-winged arachnoids who use their mouthparts as dexterous manipulators. Rarely all at the same time though.