Renegade Tau Warband

[Kaled]

That sounds familiar. It was discussed at length on a number of forums with suggestions and concepts sketches such as them being like emaciated white wookies with bear-like features. I'm not sure that description is any better than the squid idea though. I agree with Marco, why should they look like any earth creature?

[Shannow]

I agree with Marco, why should they look like any earth creature?

As easy as it is to criticise the use of terrestrial based inspiration for aliens, I think a key point, at least for me personally, is that it is more enjoyable to play a character, particular roleplay a character, with which you can easily identify.

Take for example the Hrud, as creepy and weird as they are, they still retain a shape and style with which you can place your self as the player in, skulking through shadow with an evil glare.

I'm definitely not disagreeing with you, I think they are better the more far removed they are, I just think it is does not necessarily make playing that character more fun or is necessarily easy to do.

Just my 2 cents anyway 

R

[MarcoSkoll]

As easy as it is to criticise the use of terrestrial based inspiration for aliens, I think a key point, at least for me personally, is that it is more enjoyable to play a character, particular roleplay a character, with which you can easily identify.

If you think you can easily identify with an alien because they look like something terrestrial, you're probably going to end up identifying with them wrong. It's the same mistake that leads people to think that Eldar are just somewhat snooty humanoids.

You need to be able to identify, I agree, but I think that you should have to think harder about an alien mindset than making them a stereotype of some animal or other.

~~~~~

I think that if you do feel you have to base them off any extant terrestrial creature, I think agree with Ynek that the space cuttlefish should win out over the Cthulu wannabes.
Cuttlefish are pretty unusual to our normal world, exist in the closest Terran equivalent to zero-G (floating underwater is roughly the same as floating in microgravity, except that it's higher viscosity) and have one of the highest brain/body size ratios of invertebrates.

Which does sound like a fair start for a psychic microgravity dweller.

With microgravity in mind, I guess it would have to be fitted with gravity nullifiers to allow it to drift around in a higher gravity environment, because increase of gravity would have its own detrimental effects in the same way as going into space isn't very good for humans.

[Shannow]

As easy as it is to criticise the use of terrestrial based inspiration for aliens, I think a key point, at least for me personally, is that it is more enjoyable to play a character, particular roleplay a character, with which you can easily identify.

If you think you can easily identify with an alien because they look like something terrestrial, you're probably going to end up identifying with them wrong. It's the same mistake that leads people to think that Eldar are just somewhat snooty humanoids.

You need to be able to identify, I agree, but I think that you should have to think harder about an alien mindset than making them a stereotype of some animal or other.

~~~~~

Ah this is entirely my bad Marco, by identify I am purely meaning physically, in the sense that its easier to place yourself in that context through your minds eye, holding that gun, hiding in those shadows.

I completely agree that an alien mind set requires far more work. Hell its hard enough to get into a human characters mind set often enough!

[MarcoSkoll]

But in that case, surely once you have the model in your hands, you have a physical identification of it, no matter how alien it might be in form, colouration, or appearance?

It's not like if your character is Mr. Squidface, you're doing any more than guessing what it's like to have tentacles in place of your lower jaw, so I can't say I'd find it any easier to physically identify with a terrestrial based creature than with something completely alien in form.

As far as I'm concerned, if I have to place myself in someone else's shoes anyway, it's a waste to hold back on the basis of the more familiar.

[Shannow]

But in that case, surely once you have the model in your hands, you have a physical identification of it, no matter how alien it might be in form, colouration, or appearance?

It's not like if your character is Mr. Squidface, you're doing any more than guessing what it's like to have tentacles in place of your lower jaw, so I can't say I'd find it any easier to physically identify with a terrestrial based creature than with something completely alien in form.

As far as I'm concerned, if I have to place myself in someone else's shoes anyway, it's a waste to hold back on the basis of the more familiar.

Perfectly valid point, I would just struggle to truly identify with it myself when in my head I am leaping from gantries and barrel rolling through doors is all 

I don't hold back on character design on the basis of confining it to terrestrial means, I think I am just inherently biased in my imagination to produce those formations from the depths of my mind, being based on terrestrial means does not mean a character cannot be abominable and terrifying (Alien for example).

I think this serves only to highlight the richness inside your own mind! And that of Yneks as well,,,crazy blob alien....

But interesting discussion nonetheless 

[Kaled]

Pulse Carbine/Underslung Grenade Launcher (as grenade launcher with plasma grenade in rulebook)

I don't know if you had seem them, but there's rules for Pulse Carbines in Death of an Angel;

                        Type   Range   Mode         Acc   Dam       Shots   Rld   Wt
Pulse Carbine   Basic       F       Semi (3/4)    -    3D6+5      30      2    15
                                                Full(8 )

I would suggest increasing the weight somewhat.  Also, I wrote some rules for a couple of different variants of Tau weapons that were published in Firebase 6.

I'd also be tempted to make the Plasma grenades it fires much less powerful than the ones in the rulebook.  You'll find you're not very popular with your opponents if you keep chucking those things around - maybe make them D10 damage instead?  They'd still be extremely potent and you could say that they cause less damage because they're smaller than the ones in the rulebook or something.

[Shannow]

Ooh where is this firebase 6 found? I'm looking for rules for semi/auto style pistols for my gue'vasa character just so you know

[Kaled]

Now that I think about it I'm sure if it's available at the moment as Warseer is down.  There were only a couple of types of weapons as it was mostly just equipment and rules for my Fire Caste operative - I don't think I gave the pistol he has a semi/full auto mode.

[MarcoSkoll]

Never underestimate me. My laptop may be malfunctioning, my main backup drive may be smashed, but I'll be damned if I don't keep spare backups.

One copy of Firebase Issue 6, Part 2.

[Kaled]

I feel I should say, it's not the best article I've ever put together - it was thrown together pretty quickly as I felt I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to raise the profile of Inquisitor with a wider audience.

[Shannow]

On the phone at the moment so can't download but thanks guys! Marco the undefyable!

[Lucidum]

Pulse Carbine/Underslung Grenade Launcher (as grenade launcher with plasma grenade in rulebook)

I don't know if you had seem them, but there's rules for Pulse Carbines in Death of an Angel;

                        Type   Range   Mode         Acc   Dam       Shots   Rld   Wt
Pulse Carbine   Basic       F       Semi (3/4)    -    3D6+5      30      2    15
                                                Full(8 )

I would suggest increasing the weight somewhat.  Also, I wrote some rules for a couple of different variants of Tau weapons that were published in Firebase 6.

I'd also be tempted to make the Plasma grenades it fires much less powerful than the ones in the rulebook.  You'll find you're not very popular with your opponents if you keep chucking those things around - maybe make them D10 damage instead?  They'd still be extremely potent and you could say that they cause less damage because they're smaller than the ones in the rulebook or something.

Thank you for trying to bring the topic relatively back on track. I couldn't seem to find the death of an angel file, is it downloadable somewhere? And I'll check out your Firebase article on tau weapons for sure, I was pretty much just winging it with those rules.

BTW, do the rules I came up with for the bonding knife seem alright?

[MarcoSkoll]

I couldn't seem to find the death of an angel file, is it downloadable somewhere?

Not from me, unfortunately. It was a campaign book, and I neither own it, nor has anyone "volunteered" a mysteriously digital copy to me to put on the Archive.

I might one day buy myself those books on eBay, but I'm pretty sloppy as far as remembering to actually check up on the "Ebay has found matches for your saved searches" emails.
If there's anyone who sees any of those books or the 2004 annual going cheap and wishes to remind me they're there, the books may suddenly end up on the Archive under freak circumstances.