"Desert alien savages ideas?" Topic

I've finally turned to making the Shunq-la, tall slender alien savages who control the deepest desert on Kym, a planet ruled by the Raathist Party (these are my Neo-Arabs). The concept sketch is well underway and so far it's truly splendid.

Thinking ahead a bit for them, what seems the best for support elements for them, specifically cavalry types? Are they best mounted on some form of alien steed, or crude vehicles?

They have the lezzail, a long slender laser rifle. What heavier firepower should they have? Something like a zamburak?

Any other thoughts?

When you say

slender alien savage

are they savage due to low intellect or are they savage but clever with it?

Jon,

I see no reason you cannot offer all sorts of things for them. You might have more technically initiated Shunq-la who use rugged "technicals" and weapons either captured or purchased from other sources (us the same weapons on some of the related lines).

At the same time, perhaps there are still some more rustic Shunq-la who still ride beasts and fight with their traditional weapons. This will offer a wide range of options for players and a richer cultural depiction.

-Eli

What Eli said…..

I'm going to have to rewrite my Future History now

Doing everything is not the plan. . One step at a time.

I would think low rate of fire weapons (less ammo to carry around in the hot sun), sniper rifles, grenade launchers, energy weapons maybe.

What kind of manufacturing base would they have? Could they produce large quantities of ammo, missiles, drones, etc?

That would probably also dictate vehicles or critters. (For simple coolness, I like giant lizzards, for riding and for use as assault troops (think war dogs).)

Jon,

Wasn't saying release it all at once, just saying I saw no reason all those good ideas couldn't exist in one range.

-Eli

Stryderg, they are basically inspired by similar desert raiders like the green men of mars and the tusken raiders.

Well, I'm asking for ideas about which sort of cavalry/transport they should have, so I'm going to start with one. Might add more, of course, but I'm asking which one customers might prefer for this type of alien. Creature mounts are more traditional of course.

You could make them ABSOLUTELY NOT LIKE the TWI'LEKS of SW FAME!

link

Lekkies have many charachteristics of Desert Dwelling people.

Give them Giant Bipedal Lizards or Huge Flightless Birds to ride into war and larger, slower reptiles as beasts of burden perhaps with a dorsal fin to take advantage of the desert heat to warm their blood faster to wake from the night's slumber.

There's a vote for beasts.

The design of the Shung-la is virtually complete so not really looking for input on that.

Well then, giant lizards for me. For support weapons, I'm thinking remote control flyers of some sort (small missiles). One guy with a rack of 6-10 missiles, maybe a shoulder launcher or mortar tube. Doesn't look as cool as a mini-gun, but makes more sense.

Sound advice, and worth every cent you paid for it :)

Alright, if I had to choose one…

I would say I'd like to see mounted aliens. I would love to see them mounted on something interesting and new rather than another lizard, tiger, wolf or such.

Some sort of soft-featured, endearing mount, used as a war mount would be nice to see. Something that communicates the majesty of elephants, horse, camels, etc.. This would also give the aliens more of a pathos rather than being another snarling, slobbering horde mounted on killer beasts.

Not quite sure where I stand on the heavier weapon. I'm a bit on the fence between some sort of heavier gun or repeater gun and some sort of rocket launcher (not an an RPG) that could be used for both anti-material and anti-personnel roles (big boom breaks stuff or kills lots of folks).

-Eli

Speeder bikes/Swoops may or may not fit the concept. One plus would be SW gamers in 15mm might start picking them up.

You could always have a gunner standing to the rear (over the driver who is lower) with the long rifle on a stand mounted to the front of the speeder.

I could see a mix of beasts for heavy lifting (like those big critters from Star Wars) along with light speedy bike/ATV type things for scouts and snipers (like the bike Anakin rode).

I'd start with an two-person ATV looking flyer – maybe vaguely chariotish (driver and shooter)?

Support weapons should be packable by the same creature used as their mounts and then deploy much like a mountain gun. A few extra critters to pack the extra ammunition.

The same weapons could be deployed on technicals.

Depending on how hitech you want to go I would allow multi shot disposable MRLS and ATGMs. These guys know they are not tech savy and will get counterbattery fire right away. They fire off their weapons and relocate leaving the launcher in place.

I think the desert would be the perfect place for a "technical' hover type vehicle with solar panels for power and a battery for use at night.

Build something like a toyota pick up using a couple hover fans, with a sun shade made from solar panels, with a battery in the back for night work. Put a large machine gun/ pulser or rocket launcher in the back.

The tribes would be dependent on traders for the high tech solar panels, so would have a reason to trade with the outside world. There could even be smugglers bringing in outside tech in trade for some rare item from the deep desert.

I have to admit the idea of technical pod racers is cool I already have enough technical trucks.

Perhaps a giant semi-intelligent slave caste of a closely related species they can ride upon in armoured baskets/backpacks. They could be trained from birth with their "big brothers" to fight as a pair, and a loss of their slaves through battle or negligence could cause them to be moved to a lower caste.

How 'deserty' is the terrain?

A large snake-strider with a Howdah for dune-runners in the Erg.

A magneto-geodynamic screw drive to glide through the sand like a ship at sea.

A large multilegged bug-strider with 'sand-shoed' feet pseudopods.

All should have trailers or wagons to establish camps quickly.

A water-seeking pack of small domesticated animals, jackal-like?

A sand 'coagulant' to make igloo-like instant domiciles for sandstorm protection.

And don't forget the alien flora and fauna.

Or the crashed hot babe 'Flarence of Kimrabia. Or the Imperial Long range Desert Group, Raathist Foreign Legion and Fort CinderHoof.:)

another vote for small grav, pod racer like transport made from various recycled parts.
Really looking forward to these, lots of gaming potential

Wow. This topic reminds me that, one of these days . . . I must finish work on this conversion job:

link

TMP link

Dan

Why not just an alien version of the camel? It could look like a cross between an iguana and a camel, or a giant, hairy gecko.

Support weapons could be low tech MGs, cannons and RPGs. In addition to these, you could add more hi-tech weapons acquired from gun runners or captured from the Raathist Party. I really like the idea of a zamburak style weapon.

Vehicles could be a traditional Shunq-la "sand ship" that can use both solar and sail power. Other vehicles could be an assortment of "acquired" vehicles from other ranges.

I really like the concept you have so far and am looking forward to seeing them! Thanks for asking for input.

How about the jerboa?

That's first rate CC.

Something that would not look out of place in a VSF universe-

Your "early" 25mm nasty insectoid looks good as a mount for GZG's Ixx, something from the same gene pool would be welcome!

Caique I think you've just sorted out the mount issue, that's superb, request permission to borrow, brilliant.

Don't see them as savages so much as highly skilled tech nomads, fast, light and mobile

For me mounting beast riders are epitome of space opera.

Not only because of SW Banthas or Mars, but also because those creatures from "Once upon the time… space." (great cartoon BTW):

YouTube link
from 23:0

and

YouTube link
ca 3:30 and 4:30.

I'd prefer something a bit less spiky and a bit more camel-ish. Festooned with baggage would be nice too. I actually really like the Zamburak idea.

CC, You created the Fly-Horse :)

I would suggest more of a centipede or millipede approach

to a desert mount reducing the heat on feet for travel and

with the opportunity to tunnel and burrow, strap what you

want on

I'm pinching that photo Deflatermouse!

I like the idea of a Giant hopping rat….

When might we get a glimpse, at least of the concept art for these aliens. it might help conceptualize a mount for them.

-Eli

CC, You created the Fly-Horse :)

For that, needs faceted beads, which I shall surely try!

Thanks, Dan!

The design of the Shung-la is virtually complete

Bit disappointing, really. Was warming to the idea of a not-Twilek dancer…

But, what Eli said.

Doug

If it's a large desert roamin' critter that can be domesticated by the locals, then it needs to be able to store water in its body in some fashion ala a camel. I vote for something camel-ish as it were, a mammalian critter perhaps a tad bigger than the terrestrial camel (which the human colonists could use for deep desert patrol work perhaps?).

Support weapon systems could be a less advanced rocket weapon system or recoilless rifle, something that could be mounted on the back of their "camelyaks" that wouldn't upset the locals' temperamental, spittin', bitin' mean-as-a-junkyard-dawg "camelyak" mounts.

You might want to take a look at prehistoric mammals for ideas as a jumping off point if you haven't done so already. Lots of potential IMHO in Earth's prehistoric megafauna:

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

Lots of great suggestions, haven't been able to respond much because I've been completely deluged with orders since the store reopened -- and that right around christmastime, and I have three children! (Probably should have thought that out a bit better!)

So keep them coming, whatever you fancy will be considered. Of course I will in the end have to make some choices about how to arrange the line.

If I have a small creature mount designed for them, I may have some Nova riflemen mounted on it as well, which would give a nicely strange dimension to a pretty seriousminded range.

If I have a small creature mount designed for them, I may have some Nova riflemen mounted on it as well, which would give a nicely strange dimension to a pretty seriousminded range.

I had this same idea… I approve!

Dan, I love that conversion! It's different enough that it actually took me a couple of seconds to realize what the parts came from. Simply brilliant!

Khurasan, some I'd like to see if you make a technical is a simple-ish conversion to turn your civilian vehicles into technicals -- extra armor, a gunner, etc. It'd be kinda neat to see a sleek, high-tech hover-car turned into an improvised tank.

Guys, feel free to steal the idea. At the time, the conversion was simply a "proof of concept", just to see if it would work.

Hope you guys can expand and improve on the idea. If you do, please post pics of the end result.

Thanks,

Dan