Re[2]: Unhuman War

     I just thought of another "explanation" regarding the goblin-kin entry 
     into space (got the idea last night while playing WarCraft II ;-)!):
     
     Perhaps, like humans, most goblins ARE quite backward, especially wrt 
     magic and SJing specifically.  This is then the "default" that one 
     finds in the MM (BTW - note what the default is for humans - not 
     exactly starfleet material, either ;)!).  
     
     HOWEVER, on a few select worlds (perhaps as the result of devine 
     intervention or some HUGE struggle against another powerful race) the 
     goblins (Orcs) discover the secret of SJing all by themselves, as the 
     result of developing very high intelligence (i.e. evolution!) or 
     stumbling upon a crashed ship, etc (i.e. like the suggested ways to 
     get a human-based groundling campaign up there!).  These space orcs 
     quickly dominate the sphere, subjecating/allying themselves with other 
     like races, not unlike how humans ally themselves with demihumans.  
     From another (dispassionate, non-human) race, the SCRO seem just as 
     intelligent and industrious as any humans, if not MORE intelligent 
     perhaps - and also quite fierce to boot! 
     
     It's when they start spreading into the spaceways that they discover 
     the IEN - perhaps as the result of an IEN scouting patrol who stumble 
     upon the SCRO homeworld's sphere and get their asses kicked! (BTW, as 
     an aside, IMC, the party of characters' first reaction to an Elven 
     Man-O-War coming towards them was to attack, too - though part of this 
     was caused by the failed attempt by the Elven captain to communicate 
     effectively with them!).  Perhaps, the SCRO discover maps/charts on 
     the wreck of the elven ship which point to the huge expanse of space 
     available to loot- or at least where the SCRO's sworn enemy (elves) 
     live - and make it their mission: "To boldly go where no Orc has 
     killed before, and to seek out and plunder Elven worlds!"
     
     Thus, the SCRO could attack the elves where THEY want and fight where 
     they have a chance of winning (i.e. border spheres), while the IEN is 
     not even aware there are SCRO for quite some time, resulting in the 
     SCRO getting a significant head-start in the war.  Such "Guerilla" 
     tactics would also go far in providing the SCRO with the more 
     expensive materials perhaps lacking in their fleets initially!
     
     Just an idea!
     
     -Jon S.
     
     


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: [SPELLJAMMER] - Unhuman War
Author:  Jonathan.Stevenson@????.com (Jonathan Stevenson) at smtp_gway
Date:    7/29/97 2:27 PM


     
Perhaps, the Goblin-Kin once had a powerful sponser who didn't like the elven 
domination of the spaceways (esp. the IEN)?  An excellent candidate would be the
Ithylids or maybe even the Drow (before they, themselves were "kicked out" 
of.the game)!
     
All I know is, with the way the SCRO are protrayed in the Cloakmaster Cycle 
novels, they are anything BUT wimpy (and resemble Star Trek's Klingons in 
behaviour an ferosity)!
     
Besides, 1 Mgp seems a *tad* on the extreme side for the price of a typical 
spelljamming ship.  Can't remember the precise prices now, but isn't a 
Hammership typically 40-50Kgp, whereas a minor helm is 50-100Kgp.  Besides, 
helms can always be salvaged (an oft-neglected detail by my characters.  If only
they knew how much $$$ they could have gotten for that Nautiloid wreck they 
found! >8-)!!)
     
     
-JS
     
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: [SPELLJAMMER] - Unhuman War
Author:  Adam Miller <nghtdrud@??????.net> at smtp_gway 
Date:    7/29/97 7:32 AM
     
     
Ok, now that silliness is over, I do want to ask a serious question. 
The first Unhuman war was a fight between the elves and goblin-kin, 
right?  Well, the question is: exactly how was it that the goblin-kin
ever became so dangerous that a war was needed to fight them? Before you 
answer, please consider these points:
     
*Goblin-kin are weak.  The stardard goblin, orc, and kobold is less than 
1 HD.  I've found that they are too pitiful to send against any party of 
higher level than 6th (I believe that most spelljamming officers would 
be a minimum of 8th, just to afford the finances of the game).  So thus, 
unless a crew parked they're ship next to the Citadel of Many Arrows, 
goblins would be unable to take the ship by force.
     
*Goblin-kin are poor.  Spelljamming costs money.  Big money.  I once 
calculated a good hammership out to 1 million gp, w/out magic weapons. 
Only the most massive tribe could afford such finances, and I would 
imagine they would be more likely to spend that money to buy allies to 
attack ground-based targets (such as hiring ogre mercs to lead the 
attack on an elvish outpost).  In addition, would the Arcane, whom are 
cowards in the extreme, put their lives on the line by visiting such a 
"backwater and barbaric" people, just to sell a single minor helm?  (the 
goblins would most likely decide the Arcane would make a good dinner).
     
*Goblin-kin magic is weak.  The highest level of spellcaster that they 
have is what, 7th?  That means that the REALLY deadly spells and magic 
is wll out of their reach (ever think of what a well-placed Cloudkill 
could do to even an ogre ship (remember, no save unless you have more 
than 4 HD)).  Their ships would be slow and weak on magic, easy pickings 
for a group of adventurers or a well-equiped elvish ship (I'd imagine 
that their ships would have to be roughly equal to really good 
adventurers, otherwise the fleet would be extinct by now).
     
*The psycological barrier.  Spelljamming is a concept that is very hard 
to grasp, at least as far as ordinary people go.  Going into space (the 
great unknown) can make one feel meek and frighten even the bravest soul 
(for this effect, I refer to Into the Void, where Telden was reduced to 
a near-child-like state at least once).  Space is a very dangerous 
enviroment.  Given the already weak magic of the goblins, they would 
have a very hard time compensating for any disasters that may strike. 
In all likelyhood, they would keep any ships that they would aquire 
close to home, to use as battle platforms to attack enemy targets.
     
        These are all the obsicles that I can think of right now, but I'm sure
there are many more.  I post this only out of couriosity.  I want to see 
what you guys can come up with, as I've already developed some ideas of 
my own, which I'll post later.  
     
Night Druid.
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