 October 27, 2014 - 2:11pm | For me, when I first saw Star Frontiers, I loved that the aliens were not like those in Star Trek (which at that time was largely from TOS and that bald chick in TS the motion picture flop. So the Star Frontiers aliens would figure large in any top 10 list that I would compile. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
October 27, 2014 - 2:35pm | This could be a tough topic in that if you never played a particular game it would be hard to evaluate its alien. It might be easier to evaluate just Star Frontiers aliens. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 October 27, 2014 - 9:40pm | Zeltrons, Spiners, and Lepis from the Marvel Star Wars comics. Zeltrons --- Purple skinned nymphos (not really alien, but good golly what's NOT to like?!?):  Spiners --- Porcupine like aliens skilled in the art of "quilling":  Lepi (Lepus Carnivorus):  |
 October 27, 2014 - 9:40pm | when you can't keep up with a nypho... does it imact your manhood self image? ----------------------------------------------- |
October 27, 2014 - 9:46pm | I'll answer that question with another that shares the same answer: Why do men have orgasms before women? Who cares?!? |
October 27, 2014 - 9:45pm | What about the Skrull in Marvel. There have been a few marvel RPG's so it counts! ----------------------------------------------- |
October 27, 2014 - 9:58pm | Might as well throw in the symbiotes from Spider Man too. |
October 27, 2014 - 10:24pm | i think he meant RPG's not based on a existing IP perhaps. ----------------------------------------------- |
 October 27, 2014 - 10:30pm | Favorite RPG aliens: Star Frontiers I have always liked the aliens of Star Frontiers, and that includes those from Zebulon's Guide. Alternity These aliens are pretty cool too, especially the Aleerin (aka Mechalus). They are more or less good Borg with individual personalities. Traveller A very rich universe, with a lot of aliens. I have always thought the Hivers were nicely alien. GURPS I used to run a GURPS game, and I have always liked their aliens. I can't pick just one - I like them all. Liook Sujan, Mmm, Traders, Irari, etc. Good stuff. I also like a d20 supplement published by Green Ronin called Future Players Companion. In particular, the Pernocians have a very alien way of thinking. However, it limits their playability to only the more advanced players who can think outside the box. I am not counting aliens from RPGs based on shows, such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Farscape, Star Trek, etc. Regarding Marvel aliens, I have always liked the alien complexity and consistency of the Marvel universe. The Kree, Skrull, Xandarians, Zenn-Lavians, Kymellians, etc. All of them are fascinating. I ran a Marvel-based science fiction game years ago. It was great, and I would happily do it again. |
October 28, 2014 - 4:36am | My favorite fan submitted alien in the Star Frontiers universe is the Myxine or snot snake. Their biology is alien, no real appendages and since they're not going to collect equipment it takes a different mindset to play them ie it forces the player to be in a somewhat alien mindset. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 October 28, 2014 - 5:35am | Zeltrons --- Purple skinned nymphos (not really alien, but good golly what's NOT to like?!?): Actually, they are more of a red-ish race of omnisexual nymphos. If there is a big, fabulous wedding that needs planing, their men are always on call!  |
October 28, 2014 - 3:43pm | Red, purple...I should probably disclose that I'm color blind in one eye. Really throws things out of whack. I got a kick out of the way they complicated the spelling of short and common names. Marruc = Mark, Bahb = Bob, Rahuhl = Raul, Dahnee = Dani, etc. |
October 28, 2014 - 5:27pm | This thread got off topic almost immediately. Usually it takes a while. |
October 28, 2014 - 10:52pm | This thread got off topic almost immediately. Usually it takes a while.
Nope, both Star Wars and Marvel have their respective RPG systems. The title reads "What are the best RPG aliens of all time?" So far every post is on topic. ;) Granted I've never played the SW RPG, but I know at least one of those Marvel series SW aliens is in the game courtesy of a Complete Encyclopedia of Star Wars book I have that lists everything from A-Z based on the movies, novels, games, and comics up until the printing time (which was around 1999 or so). |
 October 29, 2014 - 1:01am | The 2300AD RPG (formerly known as Traveller:2300) has some great aliens - in particular: Pentapods - pod-like, aquatic creatures that excel at organic technology. Klaxxun - weird, tree-like creatures who have a very basic culture and have crystal-like 'eyes'. Ebers - large, barrel-like creatures with very long arms. They have a stone-age culture, although once were a star-faring society but lost everything in a civil war. Kafers - pretty much a danger in the same way that the Sathar are. They resemble the Predator to a certain extent. Their intelligence is stimulated by an adrenalin-like analogue, tied into fear and similar responses, so when 'awake' in such a way they become more intelligent. Unfortunately, they also have a somewhat brutal civilisation and enjoy warfare as it makes them 'awake'. As they assume that intelligence is derived from violence, they think that humans are extremely dangerous. |
October 29, 2014 - 4:36am | This thread got off topic almost immediately. Usually it takes a while. Yeah, I had a slow start.  |
 November 5, 2014 - 10:17pm | I am fond of the Core Four. The vrusk especially. Though not alien, the Hissers from Gamma World are another of my favorite rgp races and I thought it would be cool to make them into an alien race for SF sometime. |
 November 7, 2014 - 12:02pm | GW has some great critters, I am trying to get refocussed on a conversion project, so I could salvage some things from GW as old terra tech & culture, and maybe allow for old Sol Space to become "mutant space" for that day when some one in the UPF decides to go back home. I am also thinking of a few other TSR alien races from other game ideas could be salvaged. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
November 7, 2014 - 5:44pm | To my knowledge, the races featured in Zeb's Guide where carryovers form the staffer's Gamma World games. |
November 8, 2014 - 3:15am | I always liked Hissers, too. Hissers kind of remind me of Nagana. Except one of them is all wet. |
November 8, 2014 - 7:58pm | The world of Tsolyáni, AKA Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne, is a fantasy world with roots in a sci-fi setting (the were a space colony trapped in a dimensional bubble). This setting if full of strange alien creatures. If you want to see it in a space opera format, try an indie RPG called Humanspace Empires. Skyrealms of Jorune is similar to Tékumel, but with more of a planetary romance vibe of Barsoom and Jack Vance. Like Tékumel, it is full of strange beings, although, the races on Jorune are largely humanoid (but not in that people-with-lumpy-foreheads way seen in Star Trek). The Cthulhu Mythos can be transferred to nearly any genre, as they are about extra dimensional beings who can move through time and space like god-like beings. The Great Race of Yith and Elder Things (who are not god-like beings) are two alien races with technology, behavior and biology far beyond our understanding. |
November 9, 2014 - 11:37am | New Sun Gurps has a few good alien or new evolved life forms. New Sun is really set on Earth but Earth is a world stripped of resources falling backwards in knowledge & culture (dark-ages), and the line between super-science & magic blurry... but it has a few good critters that could be recycled. Gurps has a book Planet of Adventure (Jack Vance) for Tschai. This could be reworked for SF... a group of PCs stuck on Tschai no matter the species would be in for one heck of an adventure... humans are slaves, several alien species run the place and most of them not to kind. All the human cultures are different than anything UPF folks would know. Strange alien races: The Pnume, The various Chasch races, the Dirdir, the Wanek and then all the GMed humans by each of these races. If the UPF in some shape or form where to "discover" Tschai it could lead to all sorts of new trade, war, and even give the UPF Space Humans a clue towards where they came from. Tschai would probably make a good Project too... "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
 November 14, 2014 - 9:03pm | I'll echo KRingway: 2300AD's aliens were great! I still want to run the 'Ranger' adventure someday, in which one can learn a lot about Ebers. |
November 15, 2014 - 5:18am | There are quite a few cool aliens in Traveller. I have always been partial to the Hivers because they are so completely alien. For the same reason, I like the Zethra. In Alternity, I like the Mechalus (aka Aleerin). They are really interesting. Born with technology as part of their biology. Kind of like benevolent Borg who can't convert other species. Jorune has always been a favorite of mine, as well as the bizarre aliens of the Cthulhu mythos. I have used Elder Things and the Great Race of Yith in my games. |
