As a number of you guys know, I really like the ideas presented in <b><i>Alien Worlds</i></b>, and as such, they shape the way I play as of late. Basically, there are five core races: the "core fore" plus the worm-like S'sessu. With that, some minor elements that were dropped can make a comeback: Dralasite shape humor would compliment their shapeless form and love of bad jokes; Vrusk could suffer "artistic rages" at the sight of ugly things or creatures. (Such an impulse would require a PER check to resist; used in place of Willpower.) Additional changes could be that <i>Ability Insight</i>, <i>Comprehension</i> and <i>Lie Detection</i> abilities provide an (5e D&D-styled) "advantage" with any ability test (as opposed to their own d% roll) that requires judging the strengths and weaknesses of opponents, figuring out the nature of a social dealing, or figuring-out if someone is lying or not (respectfully). Yazirian <i>Battle Rage</i> could trigger at slights, insults and/or stress, requiring a PER check to keep oneself in check. The inclusion of S'sessu as a core race (not as presented in <i><b>Dragon Magazine</b></i> were they were shoehorned in the published setting, but as longstanding members of the Frontier Sector) would mean giving them some worlds to call their own, namely in the north-west area of the Frontier Sector map (with Zebulon pushed further out to make it actually feel like a remote backwater system), including <i>Outer Reach</i>.<br />
<br />The Sathar would not look like, nor need look like they do in the AD rulebook. Imagine a race of aliens so mysterious, no one knows what they look like — not even to those who investigate Sathar activity. All actions done by them within the Frontier were done by captured and brainwashed agents and by creatures who were rebuilt and reprogrammed to become Sathar Attack Monster?s. Much of their actions would be clandestine in nature, opting to have the Frontier turn on itself, than to engage in open, direct conflict. The Sathar Scare alone would also turn people and organizations against each other like the Rad Menace of the 1950s.<br />
<br />Here is another crazy idea: What if me gave planetary governments their own fleets of full-sized military-grade warships in place of having just a Patrol Group of small secondhand warships? That is, most of the planets would have a sizable defense fleet that can be called upon to form a large coalition fleet in times of emergencies or external threats. This would also mean that the UPF would not be in the power to already use their fleet to stop internal conflicts within the frontier, less it escalate into a large conflict, like it did with WWI/The Great War. In that case, national and corporate wars being more frequent.<br />
<br />I do like the idea of the mysterious Tetrach race/culture, but not the idea of them transplanting races into the Frontier Sector as some sources are noting. I like the idea of them being a once prolific culture within and beyond know sapce that died out long before the core races settled the frontier. I'm more inclined to have it so that they leave behind ruins and relics of highly advanced design and manufacture, that are also so alien in appearance and application, that they cannot be figured out, even by the best scientists and engineers within the frontier. If one was to make a "Tetrach" on the spot, the only thing that would make sense are those Elder Things, or even the Great Race of Yith of Lovecraftian mythos. The benefit of their inclusion would be to add some <i>Gamma World</i>-like elements with regards to finding and figuring out the use of ancient artifacts that are far beyond the understanding of the players (who would more likely use it to make themselves more powerful instead of sharing their findings to benefit society as a whole).<br />
<br />How does that all sound? Any more ideas?
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