Science Fiction Trivia

[Cody]

RPGs are in? That'd be Traveller, I presume?

[Disembodied]

any and all sources of science fiction are acceptable

RPGs are definitely in. Computer games are in too, as long as there's some sort of fictional background information available. And Traveller is the granddaddy of SF RPGs, as well as being a significant influence on the original Elite.

[Cody]

Never done RPGs, so never played Traveller. The only pre-Elite space game I had (back in the early 70's) was 4000AD.

[spud42]

would Robert ASprin's MYTH series of books count? in Class DisMythed there is a character Tolk from Canida. A race of dog like people...

[Disembodied]

would Robert ASprin's MYTH series of books count?

No, sorry - genre boundaries are of course fluid but those are pretty firmly in the Fantasy bucket! Science fiction only for this question.

If you need a clue as to the other, more obscure RPG with a canine race, see my journals fork … (9, 2, 6)

(edited to add wordcounts - not that that's a massive help, really, given that two of the three words are made up. Although one of them is at least a made-up compound noun, combining two real words …)

[DredgerMan]

Uhhh, Big D?

When you say no werewolves, I take it the one from the Dr Who episode Tooth and Claw is also out?

[Disembodied]

When you say no werewolves, I take it the one from the Dr Who episode Tooth and Claw is also out?

Since it's a werewolf with an SF justification (more or less), it's OK - but you need to name the species …

[spud42]

ian m banks in his culture universe has a race Nauptre described a vulpinoid

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... ure_series

grasping at straws as i cant remember reading of any dog/canid/wolf type race in sci fi... only fantasy..

[DredgerMan]

Since it's a werewolf with an SF justification (more or less), it's OK - but you need to name the species …

That was tricky and impossible. Having watched the episode again, the Doctor (as per usual) only gives vague references and called the alien part a lupine wavelength haemovariform, which cannot be considered a race name.

However, further search unearthed the Doctor Who Weekly Comics where the Fourth Doctor met a race of wolf-like humanoids called the Wereloks in the year 2430.

[Disembodied]

ian m banks in his culture universe has a race Nauptre described a vulpinoid

Hmm … the Nauptre are "giant, furred, gliding marsupials". Basically, they look a bit like a bat that looks a bit like a fox. It's really stretching the definition of "canid"! If you're desperate, then I suppose it might pass, though.

I'm surprised nobody has named the race from Traveller yet … even if you've never played it, it's easily googlable!

further search unearthed the Doctor Who Weekly Comics where the Fourth Doctor met a race of wolf-like humanoids called the Wereloks in the year 2430.

The Wereloks definitely pass! The creature from "Tooth and Claw" was a Lupine Wavelength Haemovariform, apparently.

It's an oddity, this: dozens of cat-aliens, and practically no dogs. Cats are maybe easier to do on screen: their faces are much more human-like, and it doesn't take all that much effort to create a cat-person mask. A dog/wolflike muzzle is maybe harder (although there are plenty of on-screen werewolves, so …).

[Cody]

As regards written sci-fi, authors do seem to have a preference for cats, both in their fiction and in their lives. Do sci-fi readers have the same preference, I wonder? Is there a link between liking cats and liking sci-fi? I am certainly a cat-person.

Oh yes... uplifted wolves called Vargr?

[Disembodied]

uplifted wolves called Vargr?

The Vargr is indeed the canine race from Traveller. Does that make three? For reference, the other mystery canine race from SF roleplaying is the Woffen, from the obscure, flawed, but beautifully illustrated RPG Skyrealms of Jorune.

Is there a link between liking cats and liking sci-fi?

Maybe cats are just more alien. Dogs are hierarchical pack-animals, like humans, so their behaviour maybe seems too much like our own …

[Cody]

Dogs are hierarchical pack-animals, like humans...

Cue inevitable Pink Floyd song!

[DredgerMan]

We had the Remoolians, the Wereloks and finally Cody with the Vargr, so I would say yes, we have three.

[spud42]

having never read the book i only had vulpinoid to go on. so lets drop this i assumed vulpine meant wolf like...

dredgerman seems to think you have come up with 3 but who gets the credit? not me as i didnt get any..lol

cat lover here as well.... interesting that dog like species are overlooked in sci fi.

got a late entry here.... Spaceballs has this character acted by John Candy..."Roland contacts mercenary Lone Starr and his mawg (half-man, half-dog) sidekick Barf," from wiki...