I guess we'll just have to wait and shell out our Gold Pressed Latinum on the Species book so we can actually get to see some of the lesser Good and Bad guys in this game. They could have used smaller pictures in the species section of the NG and put in more, duh, species.
Well I guess I'll just have to have my group fight the Romulans,
Da Guru
Or (duh!) use the species creation rules in that self-same chapter and make your own Gorns. And why the hell do you need species stats for the Tholians? They don't even seem to exist in the same space that we do.
The rules for primary targets took up too much room. :D
Seriously, I imagine it was for space. I suspect we'll see a "monster manual" someday.
Seems to me too there was a preference in the CODA books so far for species that had a lot of screen appearance (with the exception of Orions) : the races in the PG had all been representated by major characters in the show (save for Cardassians, but there was enough recurring support cast of this race to justify it), and the NG chosed the Romulans, Andorians (now semi recurring in ENT), and added the Orions as a popular TOS race. After all, Gorn and Tholians only appeared in one episode each IIRC.
And as PGoodman13 said, you can always create them... after all, if you intend them to be NPCs, you don't need too precise stats.
Gorn would have been nice, but they can be created easily enough.
Tholians, in my opinion, cannot interact directly with most of the races that make up the Federation. I'll freely admit I've got no canon basis for saying this, but I believe they're a crystalline life form that requires a lot of heat and a lot of magnetism to live. They're good "standoff" opponents, but there will never be a Tholian exchange character in my game. They're just too different. Per canon, most of the humanoid races share a common ancentry, even if it's as far back as Galen's "precursors". Races like the Tholians, the Excalbians, the Metrons, the Melkot, the Chameloids, don't even have that much in common, and are likely too alien in goals and objectives to successfully interact with players for any length of time. And a crew made entirely of Tholians would find carbon based life just as alien, again precluding easy interaction.
I only recall seeing Tholians once on screen, during TOS, but I believe they were mentioned a number of times on TNG and DS9. If I recall correctly, Riker's father was injured during a Tholian attack on a Federation outpost or colony. On DS9, prior to the Dominion War heating up, there was a bombing at a Federation conference that I believe included a Tholian ambassador. That would indicate that interaction with Tholians isn't that terribly difficult (you can't make that many environmental accomdations in a conference room), but does nothing to indicate how common such interaction may be.
I got the races I really wanted in the two guide. As for the rest..? Well, guess I'll just have to (and have) whipped them up using the rules in the NG.
I agree that the Tholians may be too alien to tackle as a complete writeup, especially since we know so little about them...aside from their crystalline structre and the need for a high-temperature environment, I'm not sure much else has been written about them.
But as stand-off opponents, it would be easy to produce a webship or other warship for use in a series.
As far as the Tholian ambassador at a conference, they probably had the ambassador in an environmental suit, or even a mobile habitat. Along side that option would be that the Tholian ambassador wasn't in the exact room, but adjacent to the conference room in his habitat, and participated semi-remotely.
The Gorn, however, should be easy to produce. I'll have to tackle them once I plow through the Spacedock Starfleet SRM. :) I actually got through three ships in one hour yesterday.
Two words: Encounter suit. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Jinx
That would indicate that interaction with Tholians isn't that terribly difficult (you can't make that many environmental accomdations in a conference room), but does nothing to indicate how common such interaction may be.
You mean the Tholians are actually the Vorlons, and their seemingly random attacks on the Federation are merely to keep two sci-fi franchises from crossing over?Quote:
Originally posted by PGoodman13
Two words: Encounter suit. :)
Damn but Kosh is a busy guy...;)
I know you were making a funny, but the concept of the encounter suit came a long time before Joe Straczynski and Babylon 5. Much as I admire Joe's work, he'd be the first to tell you that he wasn't the first one to get to the well for most of what he did with B5.
Quote:
Originally posted by Chris Landmark
You mean the Tholians are actually the Vorlons, and their seemingly random attacks on the Federation are merely to keep two sci-fi franchises from crossing over?
Damn but Kosh is a busy guy...;)
Yes...
Here is the quick and dirty Gorn
Gorn
Personality: Gorns respect honor and bravery.
Physical Description: Gorns are reptilian humanoids averaging 2 meters in height. Coloration varies depending on which of the three Homeworlds the Gorn is from. Coloration run from gray to brown, with subtle patterns of other colors such as rust-brown. Some have coloration on the tips of scales along the head and shoulders. Eyes resemble those of Earth insects, but give the Gorn excellent vision.
Homeworlds: The Gorn come from three worlds in the same system; Ghdar (Ghdar I), Geydar (Ghdar II), and Gihdahr (Ghdar III)
Culture: The Gorn are ruled by a council elected from the three homeworlds and form the Gorn Confederation. The Gorn are now a unified people, the caste system that marked their culture after initial first contact with eachother is largely a thing of the past. Their technology is currently rated at TL 8. Their ships tend to use plasma torpedoes and phasers as weapons. Their traditional enemies have been the Romulans for over a century. The Gorn fleet is small but consists of high quality ships.
Languages: Gorn and Federation Basic
Common Names: Garthorra, S'Bahharuzan, Gargarok, Jazagha, H'harass, Maharangk, Hassunaz, Mahzhoraz
Favored Profession: Starship Officer, Soldier are the professions mostly encountered outside of the Gorn Confederation. There are also diplomats and merchants.
Species Adjustments: Strength +3, Agility -2, Perception +1
Species Ability: Natural Body Armor +2 to Defense