You know,
There are a bunch of things in Trav science that we as players/refs
know, because *WE* are supposed to know them. Sometimes this gets
disreguarded and the characters find out also. The Ancients is an
example of this.
We know that the Ancients were the Droyne because GDW said so. We
know a lotta things simply because GDW/DGP said so. Individual Refs
may decide to do things differently.
I think the whole Ancients thing was a good mystery. I think that it
is unfortunate that it was solved. GDW seems to say that there is
nothing more to learn from the ancient's story other than the odd bits
of technology left over.
There has been stuff put out where an archeologist disagrees with the
notion that the Droyne were the ancients. But he is considered a wacko
because he goes against current theory. But WHO decided the current theory?
However, I would emphisize that the *PLAYERS* do NOT know about the
ancients. They do NOT know who Grandfather is. They do Not know that
he now lives in a pocket universe a few parsecs from Regina.
Getting back to theory, the players may have heard a lot of THEORY, but
no one knows the truth.
Now, there is one other THEORY that I find annoying, because we are told
by GDW that it is true. In my opinion, most people would look on it as
nearly a wacky theory as the Droyne being ancients. That is the Solomani
Hypothesis.
Ok, now, I might grant you that people of the Imperium and beyond *might*
accept that Earth was the planet where human and vargr life originally
evolved. But put yourself in Vilani shoes for a moment: A bunch of
jackbooted bigoted morons have announced that according to their findings,
all human life is decended from them. They are the root of all humanity.
This sounds suspiciously like propaganda to me.
In addition, the Solomani announce that according to their findings, the
Vargr are animals genetically manipulated to produce intelligence. Yeah!
Right! I'm sure the *Vargr* are gonna believe that!
Ok, now, us being logical folks we sit back and look at the evidence.
Hmmm... The fossil record shows that they are right... Hmmm... Who did
the excavations? The Solomani... Yup... Ok... The genetic analysis
indicates that they are right... Hmmm... Now, who in the Imperium wrote
all the genetics textbooks and theories? The Solomani... Yeah... Right...
:-P
See what I mean? Are you as a thinking reasoning sophont gonna stand
there and take the bigots at their word?
Now, Imperial humans, I can see accepting it. After all the Solomani
were part of the Imperium once, and they weren't always the bigots they
are now.
But, what about everyone else?
Among the Vargr there are a bunch who don't believe this, but GDW/DGP
says they are seen as the fringe. Their school of philosphy is that
the Vargr evolved on Earth, and it is humans who were genetically
manipulated to intelligence. Now, let's look at that for a moment.
Looking at all the human minor/major races all over the place, there
is TONS of evidence for genetic manipulation among humans. Darrians,
Vilani, Zhodani, etc. etc.
I don't see that everyone will accept the Solomani Hypothesis as much as
we are told they do.
What do you think?
Scott Kellogg