Some Ersatz Races for Your Galaxy XXX Needs

Like 11,000 other gamers out there, I backed John Wick's mega-successful Kickstarter for 7th Sea 2nd Edition. I only learned about 7th Sea a few years after it ceased publication, so I don't have much personal connection with the material or familiarity with Wick as an author, but I figured I had to keep up with what other authors are doing in the Early Modern conspiracy/swashbuckling genre.

After familiarizing myself a bit more with the man and his work, I have to admit that I've suddenly become a John Wick fan -- particularly of his still-in-development space opera game Galaxy XXX. Part Star Wars, part Star Trek, and a big part Barbarella, it's a game where conflict is resolved either through space battles or sex scenes, and that suits me pretty damned well.

The preview of the game contains a small sampling of possible player character (and presumably NPC) species, but I didn't really like the "cat-person" species contained therein (it was too much cat and not enough person). As I started statting up my own cat-eared humanoids, a couple of silly ideas popped into my head so I thought I'd post them to keep my blog active for the hell of it.

Mentor Species
The mentor species began exploring the galaxy millennia before humankind discovered zhuntech, and used their knowledge to shield the younger species from predatory peers like the Cinereal. When the SPIN was founded, the mentor species assumed the role of elder statesmen in global politics. Unfortunately, this tends to make them arrogant in dealing with the younger species, leading them to manipulate SPIN politics to fit the mentor species’ sense of entitlement. 

Bittles
Trait Bonus: +2 Talk or +1 Action and +1 Talk
Benefits: Adorable, Iron Teeth, Superior Olfactory Glands
The diminutive, three-eyed Bittles once waged mighty wars that shattered stars and destroyed empires, but they long ago set aside conquest to instead shepherd species new to the galactic community. Gourmands of the highest order, they are eager to explore new species culinary delights.

Casterboroi

Trait Bonus: +2 Talk or +1 Talk and +1 Tech
Benefits: Cunning Linguist, Fast Talker, Technically Advanced
Physically identical to humans aside from some quirks of internal bioiogy, the Casterboroi claim to actually be the zhun – or that they will be the zhun once their mastery of zhuntech allows the Casterboroi to travel in time and seed the universe with zhuntech.

Hephaistion

Trait Bonus: +2 Tech or +1 Talk and +1 Tech
Benefits: Opposable Thumbs, Strong, Technically Advanced
Tall, severe, and vaguely resembling the elves of ancient Earth literature, the Hepahistion are one of the youngest mentor races – discovering zhuntech only a few centuries ahead of humanity. Their particularly repressed socio-religious philosophy made them late adopters of henta. 

Outlaw Species
Some polities and species reject the SPIN Declaration of Rights, embracing torture, slavery, and even genocide. Some rare, few members of these outlaw species reject their native cultures and embrace the ideals of the SPIN, studying henta, and even becoming Voyeurs, but most have no affinity for henta.

Cinereal
Trait Bonus: +2 Tech or +1 Tech and +1 Sneak
Benefits: Bipedal, Network, Tech Specialist
The gray-skinned Cinereal are as old and advanced as the oldest mentor races, but their vast experience has not brought wisdom or compassion. Driven to the edge of the galaxy by the expansion of the SPIN, the Cinereals still abduct and abuse less advanced species just as they did humankind long ago.

Dredlox
Trait Bonus: +2 Action or +1 Action and + 1 Talk
Benefits: Armored Hide, Technically Adept, Tentacles
Xenophobic, genocidal cyborg horrors, the Dredlox were locked in a seemingly-endless war with the Casterboroi until the rise of the SPIN shattered their war fleets and sent the survivors into hiding. Despite centuries of mental conditioning, some rogue Dredlox still harbor shreds of empathy. 

K’rgHan
Trait Bonus: +2 Action or +1 Action and +1 Tech
Benefits: Bipedal, Strong, Warlike
A humanoid species evolved from their native planet’s top mammalian predatory species, the K’rgHan adhere to a philosophy of strength and self-interest that puts them at odds with the SPIN. Some few K’rgHan have defected, seeing in henta a truer realization of their culture’s ideal of self-mastery.

Peer Species

Humankind has many peers among the participants in the SPIN. Some are relatives of homo sapiens – genecrafted subspecies and uplifted Earth animals – while others are utterly alien. Some are even, in a sense, humanity's descendants, such as the various AI species that call the galaxy home.

NekomiTrait Bonus: +2 Sneak or +1 Sex and +1 Sneak
Benefits: Agile, Flexible, Sensual
Nekomi appear primarily human with feline traits such as cat ears, fur-like body hair, and tails. A genecrafted offshoot of humanity, they – like the many other human subspecies and Earth-animal uplifted species – usually reside in human-controlled star systems.


Okwoos
Trait Bonus: +2 Tech or + 1 Action and +1 Tech
Benefits: Opposable Thumbs, Strong, Superior Olfactory Glands
Tall, shaggy hominds resembling gangly, long-furred apes, the Okwoos were saved from enslavement by the SPIN. They are technically proficient despite their wild appearance; some even say they can smell a faltering field inhibitor before it explodes.


Reldals
Trait Bonus: +2 Sex or +1 Sex and +1 Tech
Benefits: Henta Adept, Sexpert, Synthetic
Androids originally created as companions for deep-space explorers but later given legal status, Reldals have found their programming gives them a natural talent for henta manipulation. Able to upload their consciousness into the Galactic Web in case of physical death, Reldal Voyeurs take on some of the most dangerous assignments.

from Barbarella by Jean-Claude Forest