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By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, July 08, 2009 - 03:37 pm: Edit

Right, so, Magellanics!


For those of you who are somewhat unfamiliar with the topic, the first look at the Star Fleet Universe take on the Lesser Magellanic Cloud was formally published in SFB's Module C5.


The Cloud is a relatively small island galaxy compared to either the Alpha or Omega Octants of the Milky Way galaxy - and in the historical era covered by C5, shows a relatively small number of notable star-faring powers.

Of those, the ones with SFB data currently in print are the Baduvai Imperium, Eneen Protectorates, Maghadim Hives, Uthiki Harmony and Jumokian Resistance.

Aside from these powers, one might find two or three Jindarian Caravans floating around, though how different their ships are (if at all) to the standard units seen in the Alpha and/or Omega Octants is up for debate.

Also, two notable powers are present which have yet to be given formal SFB data - the Yrol Septs and the Chomak Community.


Aside from these major and minor powers, there are other species noted to exist, or to have existed at one point.

Apparently the Maghadim fought, and obliterated, a rival star-faring species during their path to ascendancy over the densely-packed Core of the Cloud.

Also, the Baduvai have at least one pre-warp indigenous species in the Imperium (on H'Gar) while the Eneen have several subject races, including one called the Cojopians, and others who had once been affiliated with the old Jumokian League (which the Eneen subverted when establishing the Protectorates).


Unusually, the series of Neutral Worlds are a separate power only by way of a technicality. For certain periods in Magellanic history, the Neutral Worlds, and most notably the planet Sleern found within, acted as a buffer state between the Baduvai and Eneen. They also provided the stage for two full-scale invasions by the Maghadim, who burst through the Core's WYN Cluster-esque radiation shell to try and claim Sleern, and the other Neutral Worlds, as their own.


However, this cycle of war and intrigue would be shattered, as the Andromedans launched their own efforts to conquer the Lesser Magellanic Cloud. This effort was a crucial phase in their long-term ambitions of conquering 'our' side of the Milky Way galaxy, but only after the Cloud was secured could the Andros risk moving on with the Invasions.


And it is the culmination of the Invasion of Alpha that leads us to the first contact of the remaining Alpha powers with the surviving holdouts of the Cloud. Operation Unity saw the Andromedan hold over the Cloud broken, and the lines behind the invasions of Alpha and Omega cut. It also gave the Magellanic survivors the opportunity to re-take what was left of their original planets...

...but for now, the post-Unity fate of the Cloud remains uncertain.


For Prime Directive terms, the first glimpse of the Cloud could come via a preview set of racial profiles, which would give the kind of species introductions which the core PD rulebook does.


The Baduvai are one of the more unusual species we have data on. They are beaked quadrupeds weighing roughly 1200kg, with no actual head (their brain is encased in a bone hump covered with leathery scales) and other kinds of unusual physical characteristics.

Converting them might be... interesting.


The Eneen are, perhaps, somewhat more familiar in some ways, but less so in others. They are lemur-like bipeds who are 1.2 metres tell, have a greyish-green pelt, weigh about 30-50 kilograms, and have two opposable thumbs on opposite sides of four fingers on their hands and feet.

They also have a high radiation tolerance, can live for up to 600 years, can reproduce parthogenetically if they have to, but have a 10-12% chance of producing nonviable genetic mutations in children conceived sexually.


The Maghadim are perhaps closest to the Seltorians, so far as pre-existing PD species go. They are ten-limbed insectoids who walk on their hind four-to-six limbs like a mythological Terran centaur.

They also have four castes, from the elephant-sized Queens to the pony-sized Brain Drones, and from the wolfhound-sized Warriors to the Workers, who can come in a number of sizes.


The Uthiki are, well, giant squids. Well, not exactly, but they are sort of squid-like, and float their way through the ammonia/water layers of various Jupiter-size gas giants.

They 'speak' by radio waves, and through patterns of rapidly-changing colours on their epidermis. Like the Jindarians, they like to keep the gravity level low on their ships and bases, at about .02g.

For some reason, the Andromedans really don't like them.


The last species we have data on, the Jumokians, are brachiating warm-blooded reptiles. They average 1.6 metres in height, weighing about 80 kilos, and live for about 55 years or so.

They have great eyes, but not so great ears. They are more conducive to knuckle-walking, but excel at flying through a ship outfitted with enough rungs and bars for them to make their way through.

There is a large division between males and females - the latter are less intelligent, and are often segregated due to the pheromones they can produce. (Both male and female Jumokians are strongly influenced by pheromonal interactions.)


So far, we have no data on what Yrol or Chomak look like, or much about the Cojopians, native H'Garrans, or any other species indigenous to the Cloud - but that might change in time.


In terms of role-play settings, there is the range of combat, piracy, trade, exploration and diplomatic missions one can go on - both before the Andromedan conquest, during the years of reistance, or through the course of Operation Unity.


In terms of settings within the Cloud, however, I'd suggest that Sleern be a prominent port of call.

It's at the crossroads of the Cloud, with all sorts of trade, intrigue, espionage, diplomacy, and other kinds of relations taking place in the system - and becomes a prized asset in times of war.

If anywhere is a good place to get a good cross-section of Magellanic life, it's at Sleern.


So, those are some of the ideas I had to start with.

I was hoping that the known species could, perhaps, have preview profiles done up for them, and shown off in a future issue of Captain's Log.

I have an idea or two regarding Sleern, too.

It might be too much to expect a full-blown Magellanic module to be a lock, even in the more distant future of the company - but perhaps aiming for a CL introduction might be a viable first step.


So, how does any of that sound?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, July 08, 2009 - 04:03 pm: Edit

Oh, and also - the Magellanic timeline is up on the ADB site, for anyone interested in taking a look.