 June 1, 2011 - 8:24pm | Why were the tetrarchs named the tetrarchs? Question is asked from the sense of someone who lived in the setting and worked on Laco, digging at the Tetrarch ruins chose the name Tetrarch. So why was that? 1. Sometimes things get named erronously- Queen's chamber in the Great Pyramid is one such- no queen was interred there but the name stuck. 2. Could be that an expert intuitively chose an apt name based off what he was seeing in the ruins on Laco. Either way, there is something on Laco that prompted the name Tetrarch. Name means litterally rule of 4 and was used as a political title when Alexander the Great's kingdom was split up between his 4 generals, also used by 4 roman emperors under the Tetrarchy, and was used as a military title. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 June 1, 2011 - 8:30pm | good question. Never really thought about it. Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men. Edwin Louis Cole |
June 1, 2011 - 8:39pm | Alien ruins, 1000s of years old - no doubt most information will be guessed at and will reflect bias of the researcher. So in reality I'd expect the tetrarch ruins to be prone to having poor names given to features. That said, I sort of imagine a geometrically symetrical city layout with pyramids (PGC adopted the logo with pyramids in it to celebrate its control of the ruins). with pyramids at the 4 corners and some sort of throne room/dias for each pyramid and the city laid out into 4 equal quarters. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 1, 2011 - 8:50pm | That sounds reasonable...but I think there should be some indication of governmental structuring along the same lines. I just can't see modern archiologists giving into the same error as the first discoverers of the pyramids on earth. Reasonable men adapt to the world around them; unreasonable men make the world adapt to them. The world is changed by unreasonable men. Edwin Louis Cole |
June 2, 2011 - 1:00pm | interesting that its "tetrarch" as in rule of four and then we have the Core Four. Although in reality its the Core Five with the Sathar, which works for me since I'm of the school of thought that Humans come from Earth. May-hap the tetrarchs intended the original core four to be fruitfull and multiply and inherit the Frontier but the sudden accidental appearance of humans has upset the master plan. Perhaps the Sathar attacks are about correcting the ballance by destroying the humans. So then the SW1 and SW2 is really humanity's fault. "Oh the inhumanity, the inhumanity!" I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 June 3, 2011 - 8:41am | Yeah, meta-game rationale I imagine it had something to do with cour-four, four seems to be a popular number in many TSR games. Outside of that, how many ancients do we have, not counting the Sathar? Eorna, Clikk, Unspec, Tetrarch... I like the 'rule of four' concept, doesn't have to mean this four, perhaps a different four, maybe the architecture of the digs suggested a 'rule of four' species, but it was really One-Rule and three clients... maybe it was one race with three genders... maybe it was just because it was just evidence of a fourth ancient species found in the sector, and the archaeologist new there were already three others and named it such... maybe a little disk was found to make noises when spun, and it phonetically claimed to belong to Tetrarch origins... maybe it was just an architectural aesthetic preferred by the culture and means absolutely nothing... So many possibilities... it is like trying to figure out the origins of the sphinx. Considering the nature of archeology, I can see the same mistakes being repeated... and that's Egyptology, Aztechology, Assyriology/Sumeriology, Paleontology, and Atlantology... just to name a few, all have repeated the same kind of mistakes independently. I know that likely wasn't really helpful, but I gave it my best. Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 June 2, 2011 - 10:03pm | Don't blame it on the scientists, the media came up with the name and popularized it.  -iggy |
June 2, 2011 - 11:49pm |   Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 June 3, 2011 - 6:47am | Contrary to the introductory
information in the Basic Rules that stated otherwise, we also assumed
that the Humans of the Frontier came from Earth. It was the use of
Earth-based mythological names for systems and planets that led us to
this conclusion. From there, our group sort of riffed off of the
classic Battlestar Galactica series, with the Frontier serving as the
equivalent of Galactica's "colonies" for the four original
PC species and the original home worlds (aka Tetrarch Socieites)
having been lost to antiquity and legend. The half-conceived notion
revolved around the idea that the Tertrach Socieities had "died
out" because they were wiped out by a hostile and vastly
technologically superior species. These arks traveled for centuries with their passengers held in suspended animation. During their long voyage, the automated ships had been carefully scanning each world that they encountered and attempted to find suitable homes for their passengers. The arks sensed that their power sources would soon be exhausted an they settled in an area of the galaxy that came to be known as the Frontier. Here they hastened to prepare homes for those that they still carried, sometimes forcing multiple sapient species to coexist on the same world (such as Volturnus). This process took many, many centuries, until the year 500 pf, when the ships had nearly expended themselves, leaving the Humans, Dralasites, and Vrusk aboard their own arks, which awoke them and began settling them on their first colony worlds before shutting down. At that point, the game's timeline kicks in. "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious." - Malcom Reynolds, captain of the trader ship Serenity |
June 3, 2011 - 8:40am | Nice, I didn't base on BSG, but I have used elements extensively. I used the more conservative suggestions from the books, where the Core-Four made hundred year trips just to meet the only aliens they had ever heard from... and I reduce the number of interstellar aliens in the galaxy to something close to the "1 per 10,000ly" rule (not counting uplifts, dying or dead ancients, pre-industrialism, and the industrialists struggling not to kill themselves. These all skew the numbers in various ways). I have used the homeworld sectors, and based a few campaigns in them, but it isn't easy to find a group willing to leave humans out, or shift placement of some other alien as a xenocentric role. I tend to keep the homeworlds sectors separated, having evolved their own issues locally, and maintaining a 'meta-setting modularity' to the galaxy, where far sectors are concerned. That way if I change my mind about some sectors history or style, I can replace with easy plug-ins. Ann Mcafree's Talent-verse Series intrigued me, so one of my Earth-Sector varients is based on a Clarke-Asmov-Heinelein-Mcafree hybrid, the not really named yet 'Clasmoleinfree-verse' (not popular enough), another is a more Rocketpunk Spacedisonade like 'Rocky-Gorden-of-the-22nd-Century on Mars' (most popular)... Then I have my 'Vruskpunk 2020:Swarmfront' (somewhat popular) and 'Podships of Drawl' (not very popular) and 'Clan Legends: Yazerian's In the Myst' (all too popular, but it was a D&D campaign, so I could port it and watch the popularity drop significantly ) ....that's just the big things that are directly SF related, there are the old Spelljammer, Gammaworld and forgotten what-nots... Alternity and Gurps cross-overs that never really coalesced... and whatever has influnced all my other settings... ...sigh, I have no life, and too many games...  geeky...Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
June 3, 2011 - 5:40pm | agent slade has good ideas @ iggy: media, smedia; its a sathar plot. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
June 3, 2011 - 6:14pm | [plays around of SJG Illuminati:Star Frontiers edition...] Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 June 20, 2011 - 4:52pm | I think "tetrarch" directly references the Greek 4 general kingdom, especially considering the creators' preoccupation with Greek terminology. Thus the tetrarchs likely refer to a single race with 4 co-equal rulers, or a single territory split among 4 races. The Sathar remain outside that territory, so likely the 4 races, if that's what they are, exclude the Sathar then as now. We know that the Klikks were like the Vrusk and may or may not have been counted among the Tetrarchs. The Kurabanda bear a striking resemblance to Yazirians without glide flaps, but could possibly be ancestral to humans, considering they have 5 digits terminating each limb, rather than 6. There could just as easily be evidence of others. But I think it clear that we will never know who the Tetrarchs were, and I think that flexibility to change theories can provide for a nice diversity of campaigns centered around Tetrarch archaeology. View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
June 20, 2011 - 8:43pm | good references, and a kewl-point for the Greek connection , should have noticed that myself... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
 June 20, 2011 - 9:18pm | It's "possible" that the writer just needed a name (any name) to use. Gene Rodenberry writing the classic Star Treks would often borrow names from ancient history to name his futuristic aliens or settings, likely believeing that no one but a few history geeks would say, "hey, hold on a second here!" My SF website izz: http://ragnarr.webs.com |
June 21, 2011 - 5:34am | I think "tetrarch" directly references the Greek 4 general kingdom, especially considering the creators' preoccupation with Greek terminology. Thus the tetrarchs likely refer to a single race with 4 co-equal rulers, or a single territory split among 4 races. The Sathar remain outside that territory, so likely the 4 races, if that's what they are, exclude the Sathar then as now. We know that the Klikks were like the Vrusk and may or may not have been counted among the Tetrarchs. The Kurabanda bear a striking resemblance to Yazirians without glide flaps, but could possibly be ancestral to humans, considering they have 5 digits terminating each limb, rather than 6. There could just as easily be evidence of others. BTW good to see you Ascent- the kurabanga were non sentients 900 years prior to the founding of the Frontier being essentially dum animals on Volturnus- after the sathar all but wiped out the eorna, the eorna, realizing they were doomed as a race, embarked on a great mission to evlove a replacement race to rise up an resist the sathar. 3 prospects were chosen and work progressed, in 900 years time all three had primitive societies at or just above stone age technology. But I think it clear that we will never know who the Tetrarchs were, and I think that flexibility to change theories can provide for a nice diversity of campaigns centered around Tetrarch archaeology. After much wrestling with this issue in my head I believe that your analysis in this statement is spot on. In fact I'm convinced of this after doing a lot of work on the klikk, starting with the concrete evidence in the STar mist module and extrapolating from it. It was easy to start with the admittedly meager material of that module and extrapolate quite a bit from it; even to the point of writing a new module as a sort of prequel to Starmist. However, with the tetrarchs only having 2 vague statements in all of Zebulons guide there isn't much to extrapolate from other than that you need to do something with the number 4. In the end to do something more with the Tetrarchs you will have to create quite a bit out of "whole clothe" as it were and while that is ok I doubt you'd get much concensus in the community over it. For example just look at the dates we have for these species tetrarchs- 10,000 PF and klikk 600PF we've got nothing else as old as the tetrarch but we know the sathar visited Volturnus 900PF and they still exist today so we know that the klikk and the sathar overlap and can assume they knew each other. Little details like that give you something to work with for the klikk but not for the tatrarch. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 June 21, 2011 - 2:25pm | My opinion I'm happy with finding bits and pieces (literally) of Tetrarchs existence now and then. I'm not happy with defining them but rather making suggestions about them. However, I didn't have a problem with StarGate Atlantis revealing so much about the Ancients.  Perhaps poking about the past, planting seeds in GM minds would be enough. I really don't know who would play in that setting although it could lead to lots of great ideas. I also don't think that many races would disappear in 900 years. IMO, its a really short span of time. |
June 21, 2011 - 8:07pm | I second w00t's concerns, with nothing really to clarify that I can think of. Not sure that 'too-much' was revealed about the Ancients, but [imo] much more would have been well over the line... Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
July 7, 2011 - 12:40pm | Campaign 1: Secrets of the Ancients |
July 7, 2011 - 3:44pm | W00t! I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 29, 2011 - 6:34pm | Found this comment in Roymeo's Hole in the Wall SF site: Tetrarch Responsible for transporting the S'sessu in 21,000 pf. The last remnants of their society appears to have died out approximately 10,500 pf. Comments: This obviously works if you accept the existence of the S'sessu. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 December 30, 2011 - 7:15am | Accept the existence of the S'sessu? While not appearring in SF they did come from Dragon and that was usually acceptable for all people unless you couldn't get your hands on the issue. Still they make good NPCs for most campaigns. Kinda like that blue fly thing in the Movies That Shall Not Be Named. (How could that thing fly around so much?) Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
December 30, 2011 - 8:03am | I'm of the impression that they are not equally by all Frontiersmen. They had an optional flavor and while I've posted material suggesting their use in the past I've had reservations about the practicality of using a race that looks exactly like another race that everyone has shoot on sight orders for. Whether as npc or PC I'm not convinced they're worth the trouble to include. That's not the same as saying they should be dumped either. Just that for me the jury is still out on them. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 30, 2011 - 8:15am | Going with the blunt the Sathar are said to be yellow or brown while the S'sessu are said to be bright pink or green and the S'sessu do not have dots on their heads. So in comparison the Sathar are like native Southern Africans and the S'sessu are like Nothern Europeans. I don't know many people who confuse the two except on really dark nights. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
December 30, 2011 - 8:40am | Going with the blunt the Sathar are said to be yellow or brown while the S'sessu are said to be bright pink or green and the S'sessu do not have dots on their heads.
I was aware of the color differences but frankly with the sathar's reputation, no one is going to say, "Wow, hot pink! Now that is a sathar of a different color!" No, no it will be, "Frag! Its a sathar, shoot it!" Or "Run for your life." Only after its dead will anyone ask questions about strange coloration. So in comparison the Sathar are like native Southern Africans and the S'sessu are like Nothern Europeans. I don't know many people who confuse the two except on really dark nights. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 30, 2011 - 8:58am | My thinking is that those who have some regular contact with the S'sessu would be able to handle them and not shot on sight. Those (cross posting here) rednecks who don't might shoot on sight. Of course given the reputation of the S'sessu others might just shoot them on sight as well. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
December 30, 2011 - 1:00pm | I feel the S'sessu offer an interesting twist in the SF'verse, the doors of possibility are wide open. For instance, the S'sessu join forces with the UPF to find sathar home worlds, just beforr the big confrontation sathar scientist discover a way to control or knock the S'sessu out of the battle. |
December 30, 2011 - 1:21pm | I feel the S'sessu offer an interesting twist in the SF'verse, the doors of possibility are wide open. For instance, the S'sessu join forces with the UPF to find sathar home worlds, just beforr the big confrontation sathar scientist discover a way to control or knock the S'sessu out of the battle.
I think a far more interesting story line would be the s'ssessu using the UPF to cripple the sathar so they could take over the worms. There would of course be a betrayal toward the end to prevent the UPF from wiping out the sathar. A successful coop by the s'sessu would mean that the sathar don't really go away but rather the nature of the threat changes. Remember the s'sessu are amoral and have no scruples beyond what benefits them. So then you get a sessar empire with sathar industrial base under the control of the amoral s'sessu leadership. Not a situation where sathar fleets could come calling anytime from the void but a situation rife with possible intrigue and such. Even could allow for a cut off unsubjugated sathar clan to be out there. BTW I'm guessing this thread is now officially hi-jacked.I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
December 30, 2011 - 5:30pm | S'sessu could also be used as Sather infiltrators by modifying their skin tones. View my profile for a list of articles I have written, am writing, will write. "It's yo' mama!" —Wicket W. Warrick, Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi "That guy's wise." —Logray, Star Wars Ep.VI: Return of the Jedi Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? - Felicia Day (The Guild) |
December 30, 2011 - 6:51pm | Infiltration would only work if you knew where the Sathar are or are going to be. However I consider that a good possibility with only one flaw. Has anyone ever manage to record and translate the Sathar language? The Frontier still doesn't know what the dots on thier heads mean so probably not. Still would find it interesting to have PCs play S'sessu and see what happens. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 December 30, 2011 - 7:55pm | I would imagine that many s'sessu would mysteriously vanish and wind up on dissection tables, restrained and wired up to machinery, or sealed in suspension vats. This being because they are the closest living thing to the mysterious enemy. When questioning a Frontier traveller as to the disposition of the Sathar vs. S'sessu, this is what was said. "The only good slithering sapient is a dead slithering sapient. They are obviously less deserving of life and liberty than the other frontier races, so why discriminate before you pull that trigger?" |
