[Space] Insufficiently Advanced

[Frost]

Changing the subject again I am thinking about how to handle biochemical compatibilities. My dilemma is that not having this as an option is potentially quite boring, but having it be easy is perhaps too 'space opera'.

My first thought is that absent opposite chirality sugars and proteins or things that use arsenic 'sugars' is to have three rolls with a fifty percent chance, to see if any given item is safe, palatable and actually nutritious.

How does this grab people? Is it too harsh? Or does it violate willing suspension of disbelief?

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Frost

Changing the subject again I am thinking about how to handle biochemical compatibilities. My dilemma is that not having this as an option is potentially quite boring, but having it be easy is perhaps too 'space opera'.

My first thought is that absent opposite chirality sugars and proteins or things that use arsenic 'sugars' is to have three rolls with a fifty percent chance, to see if any given item is safe, palatable and actually nutritious.

How does this grab people? Is it too harsh? Or does it violate willing suspension of disbelief?

I've done stuff like this before and personally look at three things:

• Is it toxic?
• How much of it goes strait through?
• How complete is the protein?

I'd have a general idea of what this is for any given biology, and least in terms of percent digestible and protein completeness. The fourth you suggest "palatable" is interesting as well. I assume that cooking generally helps everybody, but the seasoning will matter. Of course, anything, even on earth, could be randomly toxic, but it would be nice to have something like "Everything from the Pachekki biology has a specific toxic protein in it". So "Is this biology completely toxic" is better than "is it toxic", because I swear 75% of all plants you run across are toxic in one way or another

Speaking of proteins, yes, this method assumes that all (or most) life is based on protein chains, and that the same few structural molecules show up again and again: Glucose, Cellulose, Chitin, and Lipids, and maybe some other molecule that's alien... but that it shows up in multiple aliens.