KV Psychology/Physiology - Sia'na and Ro'kah.

Some thoughts:

1. The Purple (Sia'na - pardon the sp?) KV may be like a designate
priest class, but (for practical ground actions), they must be more common (if
they are the only ones who can calm). I envision them as "Priests" of a sort
-
like today, where we have a professional religious caste, and then we have
"believers". I think all KV can calm themselves, and some strive to, but only
the Sia'na have an automagical ability set in this area.

On ships, they use this to keep the command crew calm. In military ground
situations, they use it to keep B'n or Company command staff calm. I assume
that anyone in officer positions in the KV forces would have to have a roll
(chance) to calm a frenzied unit (a mark of age, and perhaps "lay worshipper"
progress along the path of to conquer the "Clouded War Mind"
-
or to harness it better). This in turn would work well - the Sia'na keep
the head officers calm, the officers keep their subordinates calm (on ship).
In ground combat, the Sia'na keep the head commanders calm (you don't want B'n
command rioting) and they use that to keep platoon commanders and company
commanders calm until they need the fury. Then they incite it!

This way (with all only the Purples having auto-calm, and with all
officer types having a chance to calm their commands or incite them with a
roll) KV
ground forces aren't a total waste of effort - tactics wise. They can
use the Ro'kah as an asset and have SOME control over it. But they don't have
enough Sia'na to put one leading every platoon and give automatic control over
it. And they can actually incite it at key points. I wouldn't want to lead a
force where all of a sudden the entire force melted away because one human
squad forces the lead element into Ro'kah and where (because I don't have a
Sia'na handy) I can't recover.... thus my troops charge into the Hu'man
machineguns and defenses. Not fun. Too easy for the Hu'man.

Besides, I think this "War Mind" sounds like both an asset and a liability and
it'd be a cultural legacy of a previous age (phsyiological too I guess). But
I'd guess the progress to spaceflight not only required some "immunes", but it
required everyone to make at least a passing effort at self control. This
suggests to me everyone is "on the Path", just some are like the Llamas
or Senseis (the Purple/Sia'na) and others are less perfect - Juves can't
roll to recover for example, and must be recovered by a Senior (officer type).
That adds more flavour IMO while leaving the force playable in ground combat.
This is an advanced race and they'd have gotten smoked if they were entirely
slave to their drives. Darwin doesn't like people unwilling or unable to
modify their behaviours.

2. Note Jon said they "don't understand it". The KV demonstrably understand
advanced science, and I think it likely chemistry is high on that list. Ergo,
I think this is more of an extrasensory thing than a measurable chemical
phenom like pheremones. Plus that explains how it works through PA and across
space. Plus I think this is more in line with a predatory 6th sense. Plus it
makes it unlikely the humans will brew up a "chemical soup" to flumox the KV.

I think the extrasensory nature is also interesting on a strictly
RPG/philosophy level: Instead of being a simple "what goo needs squirted
to calm the Brood", it becomes a personal quest for every KV to attain mental
mastery over himself (and the leaders and such do so through mental
discipline and inward looking techniques - whereas the Sia'na would be
valued not only in battle but in life outside because of their profound calm
and control). It makes for a more interesting conflict and one that is easier
to imagine as "inscrutable" to the advanced KV than simple pheremones.
(IMO).

3. My explanation for why it affects KV in order of severity (infantry most,
then PA/AFVs/Space Fighters, then starships):

Ro'Kah is a community response, extrasensory in nature, and brought on by the
immediate presence of a physical danger. Infantry are the closest and most
exposed to the sensations and threats that bring on this state. AFVs and PA
are isolated, but not immune. Starships are even more isolated, except for
fighters which have the greatest "awareness" of these kind of threats.

4. I'm going to work with Los to tidy up our KV SG2/FMA Skirmish stuff,
and then send it to Jon for his review (at his request). Sometime thereafter,
if he doesn't say "please don't release this because we want to use some of it
in BDS", I'll publish some collected/amended stuff for use.

Tom.