The Gateway: Lords of Thunder Wars, or the Vegetarian Conquests

[Grav_Moped]

My Brittle Pony

The poor snowflakes need Safe Space.

[TRIGGER (-happy) WARNING]
... and they're perfectly willing to establish one by as much force as necessary. And then some.

EDIT: I only posted this for its puns, not as an endorsement or condemnation of any specific political/cultural POV.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

The great Tri Tac Games used to sell the Murderhoof RPG and miniatures. Not sure why they do not any more. You could use the minis for low-tech K'kree survivors of the Wave, insane or not. How could you tell the difference? FOR THE HERD! Ah, to be blatantly non-PC.

 

[tjoneslo]

Gahh. That site is giving me major 90's website flashbacks. There is a reason no one builds sites like that any more.

 

[coliver988]

Gahh. That site is giving me major 90's website flashbacks. There is a reason no one builds sites like that any more.

not to derail the conversation, but the 90s a lot of sites were more experimental. Now all web sites look exactly the same just about (like cell phone: almost all just glass slabs that have little to really differentiate them)

and now back to murder poniis of death...

 

[aramis]

and now back to murder poniis of death...

No, we were discussing murder-ponies... 4 legs each...
not the xenosauropod poniis with 8 each....

Spoiler

See CT Book 6 if your don't get the joke

 

[Kilgs]

I liked the concept of the K'kree but could never find a good pic of them. So I beefed mine up (pun intended)... y'all didn't get that big eating grass!

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/r...Rith_01.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20131020160937

 

[BlackBat242]

Ignoring all the intervening stuff about things that are pure fiction IMTU (Virus & Empress Wave - they only exist in bad horror-sci-fi), here is something a friend of mine worked up back in 2007-2015 - note that they are called "gardening tools", and most are designed for one-hand use (but the off-hand can be used to improve stability by gripping the ribbed area under the barrel):

"Weedwhacker" (8mm semi-auto carbine & 10mm rifle versions [think .327 Federal & a .40cal version of the .30-06 casing*]) - the furniture include the "elbow rest", a "bridge" which the K'kree slides his forearm under to both support the weight and improve one-hand control, and the foregrip & trigger assembly. Note that electronic sights are built into the foregrip, which link to the built-in HUD in the K'kree's combat helmet.


The Improved WW - a 25mm grenade-launcher (similar in function to the M203) has been integrated into the weapon below the regular barrel, as well as a removable knife-bayonet:


The "Leaf-Blower" - this full-auto 8mm tribarrel (using the carbine round) was originally designed as a 2-handed weapon... the primary arm slid under the bridge and its hand gripped the center grip (with trigger), while the off-hand gripped the handle at the front (note the almost complete lack of an elbow rest):


And the carbine and improved LB - with the full elbow rest and trigger grip as well as belt-feed capability, while retaining the upper secondary grip handle:

* Something similar to the historic .400 Whelan, but made reliable.

 

[BlackBat242]

We had also discussed K'kree heavy infantry wearing Battle Dress with (much) heavier rifles (or even plasma rifles) mounted on powered pintles on the sides of the torso section, aimed via the helmet HUD & fired via tongue trigger or neural link.

 

[Spinward Flow]

We had also discussed K'kree heavy infantry wearing Battle Dress with (much) heavier rifles (or even plasma rifles) mounted on powered pintles on the sides of the torso section, aimed via the helmet HUD & fired via tongue trigger or neural link.

You can do some pretty impressive weapon stabilization just with a steadycam rig.

 

[Hairy Jim DeGriz]

@BlackBat242

via tongue trigger or neural link.

"Gesundheit" was the last word they heard before the PGMP started firing randomly and recklessly into his own squad.

 

[GypsyComet]

We had also discussed K'kree heavy infantry wearing Battle Dress with (much) heavier rifles (or even plasma rifles)...

The only K'kree willing to operate plasma or fusion weaponry on a battlefield will be the full armor troopers. Light troops aren't in sealed suits, and will likely slow or even break once the smell of burning flesh washes over them.

It is worth remembering that the K'kree have a long history of being bullies. If a fight turns on them most do not have the fortitude to keep it up. This is one of the things the Dominate successfully overcomes as it is, and is descended from, a military state *in motion*. The Thunder have had ~250 years to re-establish or discover and develop the traditions of War that the Two Thousand Worlds have largely lost.

As a side note, I've just passed an incremental update for Luretiir!girr Sector to Traveller Map. The rest of the Renkard Union now has (frankly pathetic) numbers.

 

[Condottiere]

With a herd mentality, panic should be a mass stampeding to the rear.

 

[GypsyComet]

Indeed.
Beware the K'kree troops with obvious Fremen-like nose plugs. They can't smell death.

 

[Hairy Jim DeGriz]

Indeed.
Beware the K'kree troops with obvious Fremen-like nose plugs. They can't smell death.

I'm guessing they also get blinders and first time Lasix (or appropriate performance enhancing drug) to get through the first four furloughs, but they're going to be tired coming into the home stretch.

 

[mike wightman]

Beware of racially stereotyping the entire species due to a bit of propaganda. Humans may have many animal characteristics in common with our great ape cousins, but our ability to use our communication and intelligence sets us apart.

The "smell of death" is not something that will bother them providing it is the predators doing the dying. The smell of their own dying may well trigger a rage that allows them to justify the murder of civilians, infants elderly the lot.

 

[Grav_Moped]

furloughs

Furlongs, no?

Though the notion that they get performance-enhancing drugs when laid off, to enhance their future employment prospects...

 

[Hairy Jim DeGriz]

Beware of racially stereotyping the entire species due to a bit of propaganda. Humans may have many animal characteristics in common with our great ape cousins, but our ability to use our communication and intelligence sets us apart.

The "smell of death" is not something that will bother them providing it is the predators doing the dying. The smell of their own dying may well trigger a rage that allows them to justify the murder of civilians, infants elderly the lot.

My understanding is the Lords of Thunder are basically genocidal towards meat eating species in toto. Justification not needed. All they need is one highly publicized false flag operation of epic proportion against the Two Thousand Worlds by Humaniti or the Vargr. Then they can bring down the Gnaak appeasing central government and incite many more KKree into a war against the Universe. I do assume that most of the sapient species in the universe are omnivorous. The First Univeral War of Vegetarian Freedom.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[aramis]

Beware of racially stereotyping the entire species due to a bit of propaganda. Humans may have many animal characteristics in common with our great ape cousins, but our ability to use our communication and intelligence sets us apart.

The "smell of death" is not something that will bother them providing it is the predators doing the dying. The smell of their own dying may well trigger a rage that allows them to justify the murder of civilians, infants elderly the lot.

The vignette (in JTAS, IIRC) where they stomp to death the mother hiding in the cave for the "crime" of feeding her child via lactation tends to imply no tolerance at all for the consumption of animal products.

AM K'Kree notes that the K'Kree cannot deal with meat eaters; not won't, can't. Sends them into paranoia.

Overall, the human adventurer in K'kree space will be at a considerable disadvantage, both physically and in terms of treatment. K'kree may employ non-K'kree to carry out tasks the centaurs cannot do themselves-deal with meat-eaters, work in enclosed or isolated conditions, and so forth-but, by and large, the interaction between K'kree and other races within the Two Thousand Worlds will almost always be one-sided and prejudiced in favor of the K'kree themselves. The K'kree divide all people in the universe into three types-K'kree, Subjects (kr'rrir), and Outsiders (Ixeng'riliterally "strangers"). Where subjects are treated with toleration, and even enjoy a certain degree of autonomy (though not in the areas of diet or freedom of movement), "strangers" are regarded with suspicion, distrust, and (frequently) loathing.

 

[Hairy Jim DeGriz]

Need to get some Hivers on the case, again.