From: Thomas Barclay <Thomas.Barclay@s...>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2000 14:41:48 -0500
Subject: KV
I think someone summed up my thoughts on the causes of the Ro'Kah very well by saying even humans have a lot of senses we aren't aware of. I'm willing to stipulate (in a Tuffley-esque non-specific-way) that the KV Ro'Kah is brought on by a complex series of factors which probably include some pheremonal cues, possibly body language, and perhaps some supersensory sense that together produce the desired result. Advantage: 1) Does what Jon says it does in game terms 2) Allows us to explain how officers/NCOs for ground troops exert some control over their troops (they are older, more experienced, and have attained a higher degree of control over their reactions and maybe their body chemistry has changed and stabilized - the Juves being like human adolescents and teenagers with lots of pep and fury), and the older calmer heads help 'keep a lid on'. 3) Allows that some aren't affected by the Ro'Kah at all - their brains are just wired a wee bit differently so they don't get the benefits of the Ro'Kah (pheremones don't set them off and they just don't seem to react to the other cues like body language, audial cues, etc), but they don't suffer the negatives. And they can extend their calm very effectively to those around them (by providing them in effect with another set of cues - pheremonal, audial, body posture, supersensory - that is the opposite of rage). This effect (Sia'na style) works best at close range, but can work over video comms too at reduced effect (some of the cues are present, others are lost over comms). 4) Prevents the humans from using it against the KV easily. Thus it is racial character without being an Achilles Heel. I think this is probably the most satisfactory combination of all the good ideas. As for my work with Los, most of it has been around defining KV in terms useful to SG2 and FMA Skirmish (They're IMO even cooler in Skirmish!). Los Rot Hafen focused a bit more on their background. And our Grey Day scenario focused on how two clans can work together to a common end without loving each other. Similar to how two countries today can work together for common purpose without being "best friends". In our model, it still won't prevent the KV Clans from opposing one another on one hand, while working together at another juncture (just like Humans in that sense). Some breaches of conduct may result in clan emnity or some such similar to the great fued between the Campbells of (I think) Glen Lyon and the MacDonalds (though the Glencoe massacre seems to have been a machination of William of Orange). I'm sure, left to their own devices, with no external threats, the KV are likely to be as much of a danger to themselves as humans. But both, having discovered the other, are likely to present a more unified front, at least in the beginning. Tom.