Incommunicable species (no diplomacy, no species assimilation)

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Oberlus
Cosmic Dragon
Posts: 5715
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 4:25 pm

Incommunicable species (no diplomacy, no species assimilation)

#1 Post by Oberlus »

I've thought of this species/entity that is undoubtedly a life form (because it breeds and the such) and it's intelligent (because it is a spacefaring species capable of strategic reasoning) but in any other aspect it acts only as a wild animal or even like a natural process. You don't speak to a tsunami, you either resist it or not, but there's no negotiation possible. This species/entity could conquer planets, but will not see the life forms in it as conscious beings because this entity itself lacks a consciousness. It's like the mold in my bathroom (BTW, that was fixed long ago) in space suit. This kind of species would be impossible to influence (and won't influence anyone), incapable of diplomacy of any sort (constantly at war with everybody), and incapable of assimilating any foreign species into its "society" (because there's hardly a society there, is more like a big organism, it can use them as cattle for food but can't/won't communicate anything so can't use them for work, not even like draught/draft animals for work).

Once Diplomacy is in place, such an species would be a clear, permanent enemy to any other empire, diplomatic or not. Moreover, the inability to assimilate other species means it is bound to its starting species capabilities and environment preferences. All this seems like a huge penalisation. I like it. What do you think?

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labgnome
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Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 5:57 pm

Re: Incommunicable species (no diplomacy, no species assimilation)

#2 Post by labgnome »

I think you just described Stellaris' "Fanatic Purifiers"/"Devouring Swarm"/"Determined Exterminators". FYI: in the game they are actually OP, not handicapped, and some players not only do not like playing them, but do not like having them in their game at all.
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