Alien Races - Which Ones Equal Pure Awesome?

[Wik]

I'm thinking of putting together my next campaign (which will start sometime in 2014, but I like to start early), and was debating running a heavily converted version of Dragonstar. Mixed with Firefly. Mixed with Mass Effect. Mixed with Shadowrun. Mixed with...

...you get the point.

So here's the question. Which science fiction races are great for lifting and dropping into the setting? I want there to be only about ten to twelve "major races", as opposed to a Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina.

So, if you could add only a few races, sci-fi or fantasy, who would you add? Why?

 

[jonesy]

The Masgai. Dragon #244.

Flying lawful cool non-cliche insect warrior race. Insects, but individualists. Militaristic, in a professional way. Highly organized, but not strict. Adapting to the situations at hand. Expansionists, but trying to do it in a civilized fashion. An interesting mix of opposing ideals in one.

 

[Wik]

A few of my choices:

Asari (Mass Effect series): A race of biotically (psionic) strong individuals who appear attractive to members of pretty much every other intelligent alien species. Asari have only one "gender" and reproduce by "merging" biotically with other sentient beings - regardless of species. Asari exude sensuality, are highly charismatic, and can blow stuff up with their minds. Why do they fit well? Becuase they're basically a good guy sci-fi version of the drow. And people like drow.

Quarrian (Mass Effect): I call them "Space Jews" jokingly - they have been exiled from their homeworld, they have semitic names, they are wandering space in a migrant space fleet, and most other people don't trust them (as they are blamed for unleashing a mechanical scourge upon the galaxy). I like them because they are highly allergic to their surroundings, and so have to wear space suits around other air-breathers. Also, it's pretty cool that they're these great mechanics and they have this great racial goal of reconquering their lost homeworld.

Troll (Shadowrun): Shadowrun Trolls rock because they're big, nearly bulletproof, but not necessarily dumb brutes. They find themselves typecast as enforcers, and have to fight their biological form (large size and a preference for living underground) to exist in urban society. They draw a parallel (at least, for me) for minorities in the post second world war, often finding themselves into criminal activities simply to make a living. They're a big bruiser race that cannot use its natural assets to fight its biggest enemy - racism.

Replicants (Bladerunner): Better than humans in every way, and yet used as slave labour. They have fake memories that they can't necessarily make heads nor tails of. And they have a four year lifespan - and as they get older, they get more neurologically unstable. They practically SCREAM "Playable PC race".

Changeling (Eberron): Shapeshifters work perfectly in a sci-fi setting - especially if there are technological ways to discover their shapeshifting. Couple that with social paranoia, and changelings become this great, noir race. They remind me of criminal undergrounds and resistance movements.

 

[SteelDraco]

I also really like the quarian and the geth from Mass Effect, and would probably drop them mostly as-is into any sci-fi game I ran. The pair make a great setting element.

I always liked the Vorox from Fading Suns and the weren from Alternity. They're pretty much the same conceptual space as the troll you've described - big bruiser races that have been marginalized by their role in society. Both are more honor-bound warrior types than trolls, which is honestly a little played out for me - I like it as a racial ideal that few actually work that hard to attain.

The mechalus from Alternity could be a neat offshoot of the quarians. Mechalus are mostly human-looking, though they have strange-colored skin and extensive cybernetic implants. They could be quarians that traded the environment suits for cybernetic upgrades that served the same function. Maybe a more military or non-migratory version of the quarians?

Alternity's sesheyans and Fading Sun's ascorbites fit another niche I like - the primitive hunter-race. Sesheyans are from a nocturnal jungle world, and look like gargoyle-like bat-people with extra eyes all around their heads. They were enslaved by the first humans they came into contact with - they were tricked into signing off the rights to their homeworld and the labor of all the race. The megacorp uses them as black-op agents, as they're naturally talented at stealth and infiltration. Ascorbites are fairly feral mantis-people who were just thought to be a natural predator on their world for a long time - it took a while for scientists to realize they were sentient. They don't like humans much.

I also like the concept of the Zerg as an antagonist race. Insectile/reptilian biological adaptors with a bunch of different possible forms based on what they're dealing with and exposed to. The infestation stuff is always fun for a sci-fi game, in my experience, and they're a very different kind of creature than most "rubber forehead aliens".

I also have a pretty big fondness for Mass Effect's elcor, though I realize they wouldn't be very practical for a game. Resigned statement: this makes me sad.

 

[Wik]

I also have a pretty big fondness for Mass Effect's elcor, though I realize they wouldn't be very practical for a game. Resigned statement: this makes me sad.

The Hanar + Elcor are probably too brilliant for a tabletop RPG. Blasto and his Elcor sidekick are hilarious... but would completely derail the game in a way that just doesn't happen in a CRPG.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Some i like:

Seshayans from Alternity RPG (etc.)

Atevi from Foreigner.

Kzinti from Known Space

Amnion from The Gap stories

The Cords from Anvil of Stars

The heavyworlder sentient caterpillars of [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Planet-Classic-Mesklin-Stories/dp/076530368X"]Mesklin[/ame].

And for giggles, I think Illithids & Beholders make fine aliens as well.

 

[Loonook]

The Piggies!. One of the few unique ideas out there for an alien race, and have been looking to bring them in as the 'Elves' of my next setting...

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[jonesy]

Kzinti from Known Space

Pretty much all of the Niven races are cool and complex. Outsiders, Puppeteers, Tnuctipun, Bandersnatch, Kdatlyno, Gw'oth..

 

[blargney the second]

The Ur-Quan from Star Control 2. Of course, if you have Ur-Quan, you kind of have to bring in the Dnyarri. While you're mining that game, it would be very nearly criminal to leave behind the Zoq Fot Pik.

Some of the alien races in David Brin's Uplift series are thoroughly enjoyable. The Tybrimi were always one of my favourites.
-blarg

 

[steeldragons]

Thanagarians...cuz flying people're just cool. Heck, use the Hawk-men from Flash Gordon if you prefer.