>From: PAVEWAY [email removed]
>Subject: Pheromones
>
> If memory serves the good old fashioned Terran dog is still a much loved pet
>in Traveller (didn't Arabella Von Erikson get tips on Vargr handling from her
>childhood experiences with dogs?).
True. Vargr find dogs interesting creatures but are quite uncomfortable
around them, not liking being reminded of whence they came....
> Well.... mother nature endowed dogs with a fairly powerful set of pheromones
> now I wonder if Vargr ever suffer problems from being down wind of a Bitch
>in Heat? Even if the Ancients altered the level of pheromone response (which
>has never been stated btw) I would doubt they removed it entirely as it is
>fundamental to Canine reproduction.
>Just a Thought
This posting is my entry in a race between me and Scott Kellogg, the
two people on the TML who have done the most work with Vargr as people
as opposed to chits on a strategic map, to see who gets to address
your "thought" first. |-> In our view, the smell of pheromones is a
very important part of Vargr society. Scott handles them somewhat
differently than I do.
For my part, I assume that Grandfather toned down the response
severity, but could not remove it completely. The smell of a bitch in
heat is instantly noticeable to a male, and can range from mildly
distracting to maddeningly persistent, depending on the particular
individuals involved (just as the sight of a woman will have differing
effects on a man depending on the individuals). Vargr social cues rely
heavily upon smell, and heat carries strong sociological connotations.
Because Vargr culture varies strongly from place to place, the way
society deals with heat varies as well. In some cultures, heat is
considered impure, and a bitch must sequester herself during heat. In
others, heat is considered a sign of favor, and bitches receive
special treatment during their cycles. Heat may alter standard
dynamics of day to day life and business, and the smell is of course
synthesized at high TL for various purposes. Scott places a much
stronger emphasis on the power of what he terms "heet" (to
differentiate it from the more usual use of the word) in the Vargr
psyche; as he runs the Vargr in his stories and games, the smell of a
bitch in heet is a powerful intoxicant, blurring and even erasing the
lines between sentient and animal behavior. Some bitches go completely
insane twice a year, and must be restrained to prevent injuries.
Others suppress the urges with drugs and mental exercises; even
psionics are turned to this use. (I'd quote some interesting
monologue he sent me for a story we were co-writing here that
addresses exactly this topic, but I'd want his permission first...)
If you're wondering what GDW's official line on this is, don't hold
your breath. There ain't none to speak of. Traveller has always held
up gender-neutrality as a great strength of its makeup, and I do not
for a moment believe that any article on sex in Traveller will ever be
published with official sanction, because that sort of prurience flies
in the face of all the game has represented to date.
Of course, *I* have a number of theories on the subject, and have
written them up to post to the TML, but have lost my nerve every time
I tried to post. Loren Wiseman and the gang at GDW were very nice
about the time I talked about chest sizes among alien women, but I
don't know how much further I want to push my luck. Posts on Antarean
sexual fetishes and the nether equipment of the Aslan aren't really
what you want in your portfolio when you're trying to get GDW to let
you write up a TNE sourcebook for them....
Once again somewhat red-faced, I remain,
- --
mike metlay * atomic city * box 81175 pgh pa 15217-0675 * [email removed]
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"Hah! Fat chance! What's your next plan? Have your period in my ear?"