Geoff the Medio wrote:
Edit: Actually, if it weren't for art considerations, you could pretty easily randomly generate combinations of form/animal, metabolism/roboticization, and one or two culture and/or philosphical bases in order to get an infinite supply of "original" races.
That's a phenomenal idea. I agree about the art issue, however, what if many of the non-corporal features you referecened were randomized for each AI race? Or if at least that was an option available at game start, you could ensure that a player could never become complacent in their approach to AI opponents and minimize the benefit of metagame knowledge....
I'll see if I can come up with some more alien racial descriptions for your fine races. If your friend is up too it he can even try to sketch them. I just come up with a bodyplan and ecology, I wont alter the "character" of the race in any way. I warn you they will be very very alien though, see some of my prior work on the Cynos, Nairb, Gyisache and Eazaw.