Forwarded from [Starguard] Beast Masters

--------- Begin forwarded message ----------
From: "triphibious <triphibious@juno.com>" <triphibious@juno.com>
To: Starguard@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Starguard] Beast Masters
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2003 18:53:46 -0000
Message-ID: <b1rmjq+v6f7@egroups.com>

Having just re-read Lord of Thunder and read (first time) Beast
Master's Ark, I am ready to introduce a scenario to my war games oriented
friends involving such a force. I am debating between Starguard, Stargrunt or
A. Mark Ratner's old Space Marines rules but it's the figures that I need the
most guidance on from others, please.

I can do this in either 15 mm (MY only 15 mm figures are SF) or 25 mm (almost
the only 25 mm figures I have any more) instead of my beloved 6 mm because
this would clearly be a fire team or squad oriented scenario.

Several questions:

1) What figures (animals and ultra light infantry figures for a Beast Master
team leader) exist in 15 or 25 mm scales?

2) What animals besides the ones mentioned in the books are possibilities?
(Books, IIRC, mention felines, wolves, eagles, paraowls, coyotes, meercats but
by implication these probably weren't only animals utilized) And who makes
them?

3) Are there any web sites that have addressed these issues so I don't
have to re-invent the wheel?

4) The books (Andre Norton) show Amerindians as Beast Masters but obviously
other nations (Maoris for example) would have enough background fluff to make
candidates for 'Beast Master' potential candidates. Any other suggestions for
identifiable groups (ethnic or otherwise) that would be useful and any source
have identifiable figures of that group desired. The heroine's mother (She is
Cheyenne-Irish) was probably a "sensitive" so the implication is that
other groups  might have had the empathy/genes to be able to connect
to enhanced non-humans so I guess I am looking for groups with
historically identifiabley close ties to the non-technical part of the
world and traditions of (for lack of a better word) 'totems' relating to
animals. Is that clear enough?

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