 November 17, 2010 - 9:30am | Tackling another area of the humma; "Humma society is feudal with the equivalent of a king (called Highest One) and royalty (Higher Ones, High Ones and so forth). The fealty they owe their superiors is a very serious matter with them. Humma are usually named after their forebears or the houses they serve (Glaxchild, Klud, or Arius, etc.). The lineage of a Humma is important to him and a source of pride. In the last few decades the pride and honor that humma have traditonally assigned to feats of war have come to include accomplishments in technical and scientific areas and explorations. There is even a house, Platget, that now sends out its descendants to become Star Law Rangers. First of I need to state that I made two assumptions concerning the above paragraphs when I started digging into the humma. 1. was that Glaxchild is the name of a hummarin House but its really an example of a humma being named for his forbearer. Though there is now some concensus in the thread on humma reproduction that kitten and litter are prefered words over child. 2. I assumed that a Humma's House was determined by birth into it (like a Klingons) but that does not neccessarily bear from the statement in Zebs, "the house they serve." I like the idea that a humma's house doubles as his family with the female turned male pretty much abandoning the litter soon after birth and the neuters of the house ensuring the proper care and education of the young. Note I'm not trying to push the human cliche of the man not being involved with child care and etc. However since the book specifies house and lineage as being separate things then we should keep them separate though they could be closely associated- I like the idea of a House being several closely associated lineages. Zebs also tells us that the sathar threat was the only thing that ended centuries if not millenia of civil strife and unified the planet. So I like the idea that the king and various seat of royalty come from or are assigned by tradition to various houses. Before the sathar the focus of civil war was to gain the position for your house to have the kings or some other royalty throne appropriated to your house. It was situation of in fighting, treachery, and might make right, The advent of the sathar may have unified the humma for now but some houses are not so happy with the arrangement of who has what seat of power. this gives you an undercurrent of instability beneath the surface to work with as a GM. The hummarin government can take measures to impeach a house and strip away its seat whether Highest One, Higher One or High One- in the past this led to war by that house and its allies and supporters. the cause that led the humma to set aside centuries of civil war was the sathar's whole sale killing of females and or cybernetically implanting them. since females only reproduce once the cultural imperitive is to protect them and as a race the humma are incensed over what happened thus they have unified. Some sociologist warn that without the threat of the sathar that humma society may yet return to a constant state of civil strife. I also see war as cultural imperitive in the humma as a way of thinning out the male population; with a lifespan of 200+ years and they turn male after 1 mating then the male population will be a huge segment of the overall population always. Neuters are viewed with respect because they lived through their turbulent male period and thus must now be wise, lucky or something. It would fall to the neuters to watch over the females. A non traditional female would chafe at the expectation that she has the obligation to mate while traditional females will gladly fulfill their duty to their race. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 17, 2010 - 5:56pm | 1. I think we need to define what a hummarin house is (a lineage is fairly straight forward) plus the relationship between houses and the "royalty". Care should be used to not think of hummarin kings and royalty in terms of humanity's kings and royalty as the book states they are equivalent to kings and royalty. I would interpret the equivalent statement to mean in functionality and power weilded (they are stated to be feudal in nature so its likely a hierarchy of fealty flowing up to the king) 2. RE: kitten Mortality: it occurs to me that hummarin society, being feudal would only have changed at a glacial pace for centuries pre contact with other races. some of what we've discussed in the reproduction thread would be largely true of that time period. However, in light of how Zebs guide says that the Rim has suffered from the Sathar I've had a new idea concerning infant mortality- the government instituted a new policy of separating the kittens and preventing them from killing each other in an effort to have the maximum available pool of soldiers for fighting the sathar. Intially unpopular and resisted by the traditionalist of the race it has proven very successful in increasing the number of soldiers available. The problem then was that traditionally military units were organized by houses and while this simple measure tripled the number of available recruits it did nothing to increase the ability of Hummarin Houses to finance larger military formations. Thus under a unified government of the home system the king was able to effectively levy taxes for the war effort and fund the new formations out of the treasury without his house having to foot the bill. This has given the king and by default a new power base. military formations that owe their allegiance to the king directly and not to any particular house. One such formation is the Hopping 107th mentioned in the Zebs timeline. These new formations are another thing that keeps the lid on the hummarin society's natural bent toward civil strife- no one can now effectively go against the king. many houses are not happy over it but they are powerless to do something about. Also the formations of the particular houses cannot be posted off planet without their consent and even if they do consent they can withdraw it at any time and recall them. The new turn of events whereby the king has military formations independent of those who owe fealty to him gives him great power and it has spelled the decline for the House Formations- they cant possibly go against the king and with increases in taxes its harder and harder to divert revenue for these traditional formations. Some houses have transformed their military formations to security oriented organizations and ceremonial guards; some have reorganized theirs as mercenary outfits, others (those with centuries old allegiences to the king) have federalized their house formations giving the king greater control over them as well as financial responsibility for most of their maintenance thus increasing his power base further. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 17, 2010 - 9:27pm | I think that webtroll's excellent artcle in issue 15 should have his clans co-opted as houses: Eruditi, Jorah, and Kro. Add those to the two from Zebs guide: Plataget and Arius and we have a total of 5. At a minimum we need a sixth for the king to come from. House Jorah, from webtroll's discription, would have to be allied with the house the Highest One comes from. I would gone with each house having a handful of lineages (in webtroll's article called families) but I like that he detailed Jorah as having 125 families- it makes it feel old for some reason. As I think about hummarin houses I came up with an adventure seed: a humma who became a sathar agent, falling prey to sathar hypnotism, and steals something (item or info) and because its known what he did his lineage is black listed from its house. PCs enter the scene when a neuter from that lineage hires them to clear the lineage's name or recover the offender or recover what he stole. Because humma are carousers without peer you'd have to absolutely have a bar fight in this adventure. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 18, 2010 - 7:17am | I had been thinking about the situation in the Rim for a while now and I thought that it would be nice to not have the Rim have Frontier style militias- that the military situation there evolved differently. However, as I dig into the humma I can see that with each house contributing soldiers to the higher house it owes fealty to and that you'd end up with a patch work of military units bearing the "colors" of their own house that eventually the most powerful houses would seek to have a space presence when it became available. so what you end up with is a host of houses with small craft (HS1 to HS4) with the majority being in the HS1-2 range. many of these are hold overs from before the sathar and the king is certainly expanding a uniform force with only allegience to him. However there are competing loyalties and command and control of the system defense forces in Fochrik is not ideal. None the less if any one system in the Rim could be said to have a Frontier style militia its Fochrik. However there are times where a ship that is performing militia duties fails to do so in a manner that would please the king as they are more concerned with the agenda of the House they come from. Ie they dont inspect the cargo of a ship so rigorously because of the House its flagged too or etc. Despite all the divisions within humma society one thing is certain, if a sathar ship sticks its nose into Fochrik it will find its poked its nose into an angry hornets nest and will be set upon by an angry swarm of armed small craft. Additionally I would expect planetary defense batteries but these will likely only have been funded by the king and thus under his control not another House The other 2 major military fleets in the Rim are the Flight and the Capellan Free Merchants. Though I'd view the CFM as armed merchant men- they are not a straight up navy but they are not to be discounted. More than one Flight commander has been relieved to find that the system he was about to be called on to defend from a sathar incursion just happened to have a handful of CFM ships in system. Fochrik being one jump away from Osak, which looks like it has a major Flight base would likely only sport a few ships from the Flight as this system is probably well able to withstand the sathar's initial advance, holding them till the Flight has time to mobilize from Osak. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 November 28, 2010 - 11:37am | 2. I assumed that a Humma's House was determined by birth into it (like a Klingons) but that does not neccessarily bear from the statement in Zebs, "the house they serve." It could be a little of both, like the Minbari ability to switch castes, in accordance with "the calling of their hearts"(like Brimmer and Neroon both did). For the Humma, this may be entirely based on evolutionary imperative, that Humma are born into one house/clan, but are compelled to seek service with another house/clan in their fertile stage, as a hedge against inbreeding. Humma might continue serving that house into their virile stages, or seek out yet another house to belong to, in order to maintain genetic diversity*, this being the house they serve when they transition to their elder stage. _________________________________________________________________________________ As to the military, I don't see the Flight in general, or the Humma military in particular, having any ships larger than HS 6-9, HS 12 at the outside; judging from the ZEB's timeline, the Flight's philosophy is to act more as a skirmishing/raiding force, than as a traditional battlefleet, using light, fast, maneuverable combatants to smash their way through enemy starfleets, or simply whittle them away through hit and run tactics. The Humma's own militia would reflect these tactics(and the Humma mindset) even more, with a profusion of HS 1-2 craft, many HS3 assault-scout type vehicles, and a number of HS4-6 "capital" ships, with an HS9-12 serving as the Highest One's personal flagship. Humma warships and ground units would display the colors of their own house, as well as the standard of their Highest One, the former being more prominent than the latter. " 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death." |
 November 28, 2010 - 10:25pm | Humma warships and ground units would display the colors of their own house, as well as the standard of their Highest One, the former being more prominent than the latter. I like this. I am big into flags and like the idea of the humma having their version of battle standards. I don't think they are anything like Earth flags (Roman, Japanese, Chinese, European) but rather something that they all wear to bind them together as a unit. The Highest One's colors would be added in an honored place to show deference to the One. There would be a rich history of the colors of the past Highest Ones. In times of political change there has to be multiple candidates vying for the position of Highest One. -iggy |
November 28, 2010 - 11:06pm | I don't think they are anything like Earth flags (Roman, Japanese, Chinese, European) but rather something that they all wear to bind them together as a unit. due tell, what might this be like? any concrete ideas? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 28, 2010 - 11:15pm | Please don't get side tracked from discussing "flags" but here's a little work I did on houses and lineages The humma’s engagement of the wider galactic society has also resulted in a renaissance impacting many aspects of their society even changing the view of the classic warrior code. The pride and honor that humma have traditionally assigned to feats of war have come to include accomplishments in technical and scientific areas and explorations. Some houses have recognized that the royal house’s position may never be overthrown and have sought to adapt to the new reality by changing their focus. House Arius holds a seat of Higher One and is allied to the royal house. Its leadership has chafed under the political status quo but cannot break publicly with the king. The lineages in House Arius turn out the best spacers and figure prominently in the Fokrik Defence Fleet. (+10% to one spacer skill, chosen at the time of acquiring the first spacer skill) Lineage Eruditi produces war priests, who are fervent to the point of zealotry. They are identifiable by their clean outward appearance, their hair being clean and scented with pleasant oils. Their Hum, quite unusually, holds the title High One, a seat generally only held by a house. The Eruditi believe that the surge of adrenaline during combat is actually the spirit of a humma from a past battle taking over the body. They follow even the slightest impulse, deeming it the “will of the spirit.” This makes them very dangerous even to their allies though strangely effective. (Eruditi gain +10 to melee combat but must make a LOG check every 5 rounds or attack an adjacent ally as an enemy but with no +10 bouns) House Falsguck is another house that holds a seat of Higher One and is the main rival of the royal house. It publicly supports the king but plots privately to change the status quo. Its members are noted for their ability to read a “tell” and react quickly to erupting combat. (+1 initiative modifier) Lineage Glax is a very traditional, some say backward lineage, holding to ancient ways and practices. It produces few warriors as few of the young born to its members survive infancy. They live very close to nature. (+5% to stealth and concealment) House Globulos, has turned its efforts to theatre and literature gaining Frontier wide fame by its innovative adaptations of significant literature from other races, the most critically acclaimed being “Last of the Mohicans” as a stage production. (+10 to creative and performance skills) House Jorah is the largest house with over 60 lineages. Its members are statesmen, diplomats and its Hum is a Higher One. They have played both sides of the political divide concerning supporting the king. Their status makes them effective leaders among the humma. (+10 to LDR instead of -10) Lineage Kro is one of the strangest of all humma lineages. Its members shave all fur and cover themselves with tattoos. Due to years of selective breeding, members of this lineage are larger then the average humma (3.5m tall). They are also very warlike and not to bright. (STR/STA +15, LOD -10) House Platget now sends out its descendants to become Star Law Rangers. (+15% to interrogation attempts) House Recksill is the Royal House and holder of the seat, the Highest One. It has astutely maneuvered to solidify control of the planet since SW1. Its members are noted for their intuition. (+10 INT) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 29, 2010 - 11:13pm | Okay, a few flag suggestions come quickly to mind. Platget: Either the Star Law badge, the Humma symbol for justice, or both should figure prominently on this banner, probably with a dark blue background. Recksill: The flag should be of the finest cloth, purple(for royalty), with the Humma royal symbol, or maybe a crown and a sword. Kro: A nice left-field idea, BTW, jedi. Anyway, maybe a bright-colored background(red or orange, or even purple again), with an abstract pattern indicative of tattoos and a couple of wicked looking medieval weapons taking center stage. Globulos: Something theatrical, black and white, with a Humma face mask in the center in reverse colors(white on the black side, and vice versa) A question on lineage Eruditi. Do they outbreed, or do they stick within the lineage, on the principle that they are "too holy to touch your hand?" The lineage description seems to imply the latter, and I was curious. " 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death." |
November 30, 2010 - 9:15pm | Kro: A nice left-field idea, BTW, jedi. Actually its Webtrolls idea I'm co-opting his material that was in issue 15 as his take on the humma was a good one. One problem though- most of your flag ideas really sound like human flags. This is the point where Imperial Lord, if he'd even post in this project, would get cranky about us dressing up aliens in human culture. Though the Star Law symbol paired with the hummarin symbol of justice is an excellent idea. The challenge is to extrapolate something that fits and doesn't feel like its human culture dressed up as alien culture. I'm still wondering what iggy had in mind in his post, was it something like gang colors? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 30, 2010 - 11:03pm | Ok, I should speak up. Initially I wanted something on a pole but it still felt too human. So I have gone back and looked at the pictures in SFman 15 and Zeb's Guide. The one thing that is very Humma is their tail. In the picture in the SFman 15 article tail rings were quite common. But I can't see how they keep them on. The tail tapers so much that if they whip it around the rings will slide off. If we can solve that then I see the Humma wearing colored tail rings of various patterns (like military ribbons but in a circle). But, tail rings do not show up in the single Zeb's guide picture. Another take: These rings could be liked together to show alliances and allegiances. The ring of a Humma's house would then be worn around his neck. This is placed on at an early age so that as the Humma grows up it can no longer remove it. His alliances and allegiances are linked to his house ring. Secondary alliances and allegiances are shown by linking to a ring attached to his house ring. The house standard would be a pole with the head of the founder (sometimes the actual skull, usually something crafted) and his ring with all other rings attached to it. The Highest One would have a bigger pole that linked his house ring to all other house rings in an ordered fealty. G\A great honor is to have your house ring attached directly to the ring of the house of the Highest One. Thus the house ring is the founders ring. And, all house members take the house ring and make some minor additional mark to it for identity. There are strict customary rules to this. Disgrace is to have a ring forcibly removed or returned. The highest disgrace is to have the ring around your neck removed. Now you are kicked out of the house. I still want to have something dangly or flappy to it, but that is because I like flags so much. I suppose that some rings could include small tassels. Then again the linking of rings makes for a big dangly / flappy thing to a degree. I'm not totally in love with this so we should stew it some more. -iggy |
December 1, 2010 - 2:55am | It's a good start, iggy. " 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death." |
December 2, 2010 - 6:40pm | @ iggy: I've been thinking about the genesis and evolution of flags- and how colored uniforms were introduced into military practice to allow commanders to survey the field and have an idea of which troops were doing what and where by color. Standard came in as they were held aloft where they could be seen by individual soldiers to recognized where the unit and its leader were. I suspect that these to answers to common command and control problems faced in military actions will have been largely duplicated the universe over with new wrinkles here and there. I like the pole that represents the lineage or the house but with a stylized representation of the founder or in the case of the house of the prominent or founding lineage within that house. Perhaps in the case of the house the pole looks like a classic totem pole with stylized representation of the heads of the lineage poles of all the lineages in that house. inevitably as the feudal system spawned constance war on Hum and the houses and lineages went to war with a smaller, portable pole they began to attach a strip of clothe in house colors (the use of house colors evolved simultaneously with this practice) and was quickly followed by the wearing of house and lineage colors. The practice of wearing house colors started with individuals that were taking pride in their house and spread as it was recognized as a valuable command and control tool. the real flag is the pole and the strip of clothe is to aid recognition. the head of a pole would also make for a badge that the humma would wear. Not all members of a lineage are represented in a pole- singificant members that attain to great heights in war and society are added by vote of the lineage members thus the older lineages have more but not all of their members represented or they'd need multiple poles. Houses have the heads of every lineage in them with the recognized "first lineage" being the top. Occassionally when a member of the house does something great like conquering a continent or discovering plutonium or etc then by vote of the heads of the lineages a stylized version of his head is added to the pole. this kind of pole is the equivelent of a flag pole on the white house lawn but the battle standard is still the simple portable pole with house colors attached and head of house represented. also I like the rings ideas, its a great honer to have your ring added to the main pole of the house after a good death though most are hung in a hall of remembered warriors in the house or lineage's estate. The only thing better than getting your ring attached is having your face added to the pole. in modern times new lineages get started from time to time but now its controlled by the established houses- if your accomplishments are so great you'll be accorded lineage status-meaning that you become a new lineage in the house. This honor is only for the most significant accomplishments discovering void travel or single handedly taking out a sathar carrier with your fighter. Note: many a hummarin house has been started through great acts of martial courage but it was a posthumous honor. Sometimes an individual will decide his own accomplishments warrent his having his own lineage or his "downstream" lineage has become so enamoured with his accomplishments that he decides to just declare his own lineage. This is usually seen as a bit arrogant but sometimes the lineage that he defects from will just begin organizing itself as a house. mustang lineages that are seen as presumptive have little respect overall and their members end up in frequent brawls - which through successful brawling may lead to legitimization. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 2, 2010 - 10:44pm | What if we went with tails instead of cloth "flags". I see the Humma associating many things with one's tail. So the item attached to the pole is a manufactured tail. These can be of various dyed colors. If they are light enough they can then catch the breeze. I still like tail rings, but how do they keep them from sliding off? These same tail rings could be put on the house pole in the same vein as your carved head idea. The rings are slid over the pole like so many finger rings on a jewlers sizing rod. Ah! Just thinking about the Zeb's guide Humma picture. Maybe the straps seen criss crossing the Humma's back are part of holding the tail ring on. The harness criss crossing the back is like cloths, pockets and pouches can be attached to it. They just also run a light line from the harness to the main tail ring that is sized for and worn on the thickest part of the tail nearest the body. Let's keep bashing at this. We'll make something out of it yet. -iggy |
December 3, 2010 - 1:19pm | @ iggy the ancient roman or was it celt? I think roman cavalry use to have a standard that was a carved dragon (or other animal) head with a wind sock attached behind it. the head was hollow (the animal had an open mouth allowing wind to pass through it. The whole construct was made so as to make a roaring sound as the cavalry galloped due to the air passing through it. a wind sock will look like a tail and it will roar as spring charging humma infantry hop its just that the roar will happen on each hop with a pause at each landing. the rythem of that roar pause roar pause will become part and parcel of humma warfare and is how a large group of humma time their round robin attack. as too tail rings you are entirely too correct about the laws of physics and rings flinging off- to that end I suggest tail rings for only formal occassions- like a tuxedo- not what you'd wear to combat but for the formal feudal pomp and circumstance then yes. I very much like the neck ring simply for the reason that a neck ring is close to the face and visible, any race will want an identifying "badge" to be visible and since communication is vocal that implies face to face interaction. found the item I was thinking of: http://www.fectio.org.uk/articles/draco.htm I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 3, 2010 - 2:18pm | A variation on the draco would fit perfectly for the Humma; I can already see the dracos(or the Hummarin equivalent) of the Hoppin' Hundred and Eighth howling, as they leap into action. Now, all we need is an artistic-type person to capture that image. " 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death." |
December 3, 2010 - 6:16pm | are we up for a humma lineage of assassins? Skrawlg, a lineage steeped in mystery, legend, lies, and misinformation. Its numbers have always been small. Many modern humma believe that Lineage Skrawlg is a myth. In ancient times all great houses resorted to their services at one time or another even while universally decrying their methods as dishonorable. Skrawlg may no longer exist but it is not myth. it played key roles in the fortunes of many houses that were losing their battle or power plays and with assassination of key figures in the camp of the expected victors has more the once change the course of Hummarin History. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 4, 2010 - 11:50am | Why not an assassin lineage? Humma will tend to see assassination of leaders, generals, champions, etc., as just another way to win the fight. It may be a secret society of sorts, but more of an open secret, as the hoppers wouldn't see any shame in employing assassins, and might even be astounded(and amused) at the duplicity of cultures(Yazirians, Klingons, feudal Japanese, etc.) who do employs ninjas, assassins, and snipers, but won't acknowledge this openly because such methods aren't "honorable." " 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death." |
December 4, 2010 - 8:16pm | Why not an assassin lineage? Humma will tend to see assassination of leaders, generals, champions, etc., as just another way to win the fight. It may be a secret society of sorts, but more of an open secret, as the hoppers wouldn't see any shame in employing assassins, and might even be astounded(and amused) at the duplicity of cultures(Yazirians, Klingons, feudal Japanese, etc.) who do employs ninjas, assassins, and snipers, but won't acknowledge this openly because such methods aren't "honorable." I think they might not want to admit it- everything is about status and accomplishment with them- and while its a open secret and accepted practice, plausible deniability is important so competing houses can slur the name of your house. I can even see a scenario where a warrior humma does something to be disgraced and kicked out of his house just before doing an assassination so that nothing can come back on his house. He essentially sacrifices his future and takes one for the team. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
January 23, 2011 - 7:55am | RE: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/4777?#new Will Wrote: As for the Rim, the Flight and the CFM would have separate
intelligence-gathering agencies, with the CFM's intelligence agency
assuming the general external intelligence-gathering role for the
Coalition(as the Capellan Free Merchants are pretty much everywhere, and
are into pretty much everything, legal or otherwise). The
Humma would also maintain intelligence-gathering capabilities
independent of the rest of the Rim, with a certain lineage providing
these services for the Humma as a whole, and the Humma houses/lineages
having some sort of intelligence-gathering functions in particular. In fact, I can see Lineage Kro and Eruditi warriors lending themselves to black ops. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
