 October 15, 2013 - 5:22am | The Sathar had learned that they could not beat the UPF in battle. Instead, they began hiring Yazirian, Human, Dralsite and Vrusk agents to sabotage interstellar trade and interfere with local governments. The UPF created the Star Law Rangers, an interstellar police force, to track the Sathar's agents from planet to planet and fight them on their own terms. But despite the efforts of the Rangers, the sly Sathar agents have become the most dangerous threat ever to face the United Planetary Federation and the frontier corporations. Could not one or more of the Dramune Wars be a sathar plot? EDIT: in fact I think that this would be a distinct item from the time line we could point to as a possible successful sathar plot. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 October 15, 2013 - 8:53am | Well, that is their reason for being: If anything bad happens in the Frontier — from a major assassination attempt to Ms. Bigsby missing lawn gnome — would likely be reported as "Unidentified Frighting Sathars". "I'm not saying its Sathars..."  "...but ITS SATHARS!" |
 October 15, 2013 - 4:56pm | Alot of SF went in either of two directions. The Sathar did it. The Megacorp did it. Since Outer Drammune is supposed to be played out and the robot production is not great thinking Megacorps might not be the problem. So Sathar or just some local gangsters. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 October 17, 2013 - 5:05pm | and government plots - like Hentz....but maybe that is a Sathar plot too? |
October 17, 2013 - 5:23pm | Well with 3 actual Dramune wars there is room for one of them to be a sathar plot. clearly the subject of the Dramune Run module is a criminal plot but there would be room to craft an adventure where one of the other ones is instigated by the sathar. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 October 18, 2013 - 8:13pm | And just who says the Malthar (distributor of mind-affecting drugs, weapons dealer, crime lord) isn't a Sathar agent? Or are you part of the cover-up, too????  |
 October 23, 2013 - 6:53am | LOL - in my campaign, the Malthar IS a Sathar agent... |
October 23, 2013 - 5:50pm | In my campaign - were I avoid using the ever omnipresent Sathar, and a power-hungry, materialistic Dralasite gangster runs contrary to its own nature - the Malthar IS a S'sessu. And that Jabba-wannabe is NO ONES agent! |
October 24, 2013 - 7:33pm | In my campaign, Malthar is a criminal organization. It provides a criminal element and multiple antagonists for the players - Sather, Pirates and Malthar as well as other races, Corporates adn Trading Cartels. |
October 24, 2013 - 11:28pm | I had a crazy idea for an alternative SF setting with conspiracies and political intrigue. What if the Sathar are actually a non-aggressive race (like the S'sessu), but a mishap at first contact resulted in a bloody conflict, but after the Sathar kept their distance, the "Sathar menace" became a huge political boogeyman within the Frontier, those in power exploited the fear and ambiguous nature of this new enemy to their own ends. That is, the foundation of the UPF was built on a lie, the Sathar cannot hypnotize people (a widely believed urban myth), and the Sathar are used as a smoke screen for criminal and covert operations, with hypnotism being used in a "I could not stop myself, the Devil made me do it" defense (possibly with people brainwashed by devices akin to what is used for programmed leaning to believe so). Naturally, this would require removing the Sathar (or whatever) from the equation - they would be presented as a shadowy menace that you never see in-person, but they seem to be the source of all major criminal activities (piracy, gang-violence, assassinations, terrorism, epidemics, cyborg/mutant alien experiments, etc.) throughout the Frontier. The Second Sathar War, scenarios with Sathar ships, and any adventure with a strong Sathar presences would not work here. Such a campaign would run like a normal AD-styled adventure, but as the players dig a little deeper, the truth would slowly manifest itself, and the players would be left not know who the true enemies are. But...  The truth is out there! *plays X-Files theme*Or, it looks like we don't need treatment for... worms! YEAHHHH!!!! |
October 25, 2013 - 8:16am | One quick thing The Malthar character while not the typical Dralasite does not mean Dralasites do not act that way. The Dralasite do adventure and had warships and warriors to contribute to the initial Sathar invasion so a more militant Dralasite exists. As for the Malthar we could go with one of several reasons: 1) He logically debated his way into his position, much the way the Zack character on Bones logically debated his way into becoming serial killer's assistant. 2) Circumstances forced it into taking the only route of advancement on its planet a criminal enterprise. 3) Its crazy at least for its species. 4) In the entire race of beings there are those which do not fit the stereotype. So remember racial profiling is bad and so is the Malthar. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 October 25, 2013 - 10:23am | I think sometimes we get so fixated on dralasite debate that we fall into the trap of thinking they always resolve things by discussion. The reason I wrote about the dralasite sport of tangling is they sometimes don't debate to a resolution and resort to physical contests. -iggy |
October 25, 2013 - 11:50am | Not everyone that likes philosophy is a philosopher among humans and the same would hold true for the drals. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
October 25, 2013 - 2:51pm | Many debate for the intellectual high. Some just like to argue. Many debate to explore view points. Some debate to dominate and win. Thus there are situations where the debate fails to satisfy and a tangle ensues. Now many drals understand this and hence they embrace tangling as an outlet to their physical desires. Tangling is not the only aggressive activity among drals. There is also mashing. This is much like sumo wrestling and arm wresting all-in-one. Two drals face off and try to push the other off the object they stand upon out out of bounds when done in a flat place. Along the edges where they are pressing against each other they form hand to grapple and gain advantage. Drals have agression very much in their makeup. -iggy |
