Re: Vargr & Aslan Female Anatomy

As most of you are aware, we have a few people on this list that have
close but indirect ties with Digest Group.  Being list administrator has
it's privileges and responsibilities, so I'd bet I'm more aware of these
people than you are.  One of these people passed metlay's letter on to a
DGP playtester, and asked me to anonymously post the reply below.

Our mysterious DG person also had this *very* interesting statement to
make, and I quote:

	GDW has plans next year to increase its level of MegaTraveller
	support, and DGP is also ramping up the number of products it
	expects to publish.

Hope you're all having fun on this list.  As regards the GEnie issue,
I've been a little too busy to work on it, but I promise to get
something out to the respondees in the next week.  I've also heard
people's concerns about the EPBM and the GEnie postings being bothersome
with the new all-digest format (must notably, it's hard to delete a
message you're not interested in, out of the middle of a digest), and
the best solution there seems to be, to let those entities exist as
seperate mailing lists.  This is mostly what's going on now, and it
seems to be working out well, at least from my perspective.

I apologize for the new digest-only format.  Those of you with MH seem
very grateful for the burst command, but the rest of you are making do.
I appreciate your patience, and your unabated contributions.

Forwarded Message Begins (my commentary is in [square brackets] --
James):

[Metlay's introduction to his anatomical treatise was quoted here]

Okay, here goes with some comments.  First, this is a very good and
perfectly reasonable question, which could be important for any number
of non-prurient reasons.  For example, how well would a (human, Vargr,
Aslan) spacesuit fit a (member of a different race)?

Also, DGP avoids "any but the most basic discussions of sexuality" not
for reasons of public good taste, but rather because we don't want some
13-year-old kid to get in trouble from his [sic] mom for buying our
stuff.  Our staff is all grown-ups, not counting freelancers, and our
own campaigns are a little racier than what gets published.  For
example, if you remember the murder mystery in TD#4, you may recall that
the victim had a mistress on board.  Well, the mistress was pretty
active, etc., etc.  Also, the original manuscript of TD#2 had a rather
involved mating ritual between the natives of Wal-Ta-Ka, and part of the
adventure involved Aybee's obvious difficulties at being chosen by one
of the young maidens.  [Note for people not reading their TD...  Aybee
is an android].

[Metlay comments on TD article on children, and "marital patterns in
older books"]

This is all further detailed in MegaTraveller Alien Volume 1: Vilani and
Vargr, which has been promised back from the printers this very week,
and should appear in stores some time later this month, but Metlay's
certainly on the right track.

[Metlay discusses Aslan females, and notes a particular illustrator's
discrepencies in artwork].

Very perceptive, Metlay!  The only trouble is that Bill Keith (along
with brother Andy) pretty much "invented" the Aslan, so you'd think he
knew what he was doing.  In fact, Aslan females do have four breasts,
but the lower two are vestigial.  In their pre-sentient times, Aslan
typically had a greater number of offspring, but infant mortality goes
down as intelligence goes up, etc., etc., so now they have "two"
breasts.

[Metlay discusses Vargr drawings, and bemoans the unclear representation
of the creature's torso].

Another line drive down the middle for Metlay.  MTA1 will have published
pictures of female Vargr, and in fact, they have six teats in two rows
of three.  Along these same lines [...], one of the long-standing jokes
around the DGP offices is our threat to put out an "aliens at the beach"
issue, which would feature a "Vargr in a bikini".  The joke, of course,
is that the poor female is wearing three bras, one above the other.  Out
of a concern for modesty, I won't tell you who came up with this gem
[...].

[Metlay apologizes for the length of the article, and chides DGP for the
inaccuracies]

Nobody's perfect :-)

[Metlay sadly predicts that further contradictions are "likely" in the MT
Alien books]

I daresay that Metlay is likely to be pleased by our presentation.  We
are, of course, fans of the game (we'd have to be to keep doing this
:-), and definitely share Metlay's desire to believe in these alien
races.  We have spent countless hours of discussion in trying to
reconcile "everything ever written" about these first two alien races,
as well as fleshing out detail in a way that rings true.

[End of forwarded message.  Ta-ta for today, TMLers! -- James]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Traveller Mailing List Administrator	  James T. Perkins @ Tektronix, Inc
[email removed]                   	  Beaverton, Oregon, USA
[email removed]                           "Load Auto/Evade, Beowulf!"