AT-43 race adaptations

[cosworth]

Some of you might know the now defunct AT-43 system with prepainted 28mm scifi miniatures.
You can still get them cheap on the net.

I've used some of mine in AE Bounty but would love for them to have their own race in line with some of their fluff.

Here are some of them and their background:

Karmans: A spacefaring gorilla race who only fight to keep the power balance in the universe. Mostly seen in armored suits. Naturally strong and capable of carrying great firepower. Few in numbers.
Suggested stats: +2S, -1CC, free choice of armored suit (light, medium, heavy) , +1Dr
Comments: At first this seems like a lot of positive traits, but even though armor and drive gives them staying power, the +2S adds little to them as there are better choices for CC units (Nikkar+Carcas). They make excellent heavy units though (and have some excellent models for that purpose)
Closest current race: Nikkar

Therians: Genetically evolved from humans they are now half machine with a hive minded tendency.
Suggested stats: Free cybernetic gear choice, Hive-Mind, Stand and Take it (2)
Also worth considering: Racial exclusion or Apathetic, Regeneration, Arrogance (see below)
Closest current race: Phact, Edasi
Comments: A cybernetic choice adds flavour and variety to the race. It brings them close to an Edasi but the cybernetic choices seem a little underpowered compared to other choices (e.g. why take cybernetic legs when gravity belt also grants flight).
"Stand and Take it" gives them an edge as hard to suppress troops
The flavour parts missing is the arrogance that Therians have towards other races and their regenerative powers (nano technology mastery). Racial exclusion is a big "negatrait" that requires a faction list like the BANE to function. Therians could use a limited version of that rule, allowing them to work with other races but without affecting or be affected by them.
Example rule:
Arrogance: The race with this trait is indifferent of other races and will not raise the Drive of other races or have it's own drive affected by other races.
This means no drive loss from loosing friendly units of other races.

Regeneration is very powerful so that's off the table. In campaign play you could have a "reconstruct" ability lowering the casualty roll by one similar to heroes.

COGS: genetically purified race of 9 feet tall clones. Due to their size hiding is difficult so they are all equipped with a portable force field. very accurate shooters. Fiercely loyal to their racial command structure.
Suggested stats: -1RC, free field type gear choice. Reduced cover, Loyal
Comments: Pollux are the standard choice for sniper units because of the -1RC. COGS compete with that and care should be taken that they don't dwarf the pollux in usability.

Reduced Cover: A models with this trait gains 1 point less cover than usual due to it's size
Loyal: A model with this trait receives double the value of a Drive raising effect caused by friendly models (e.g. Inspiration, Command)
Closest current race: Pollux

ONI: A mega corporation of mercenaries employing zombie technology to fill the ranks.
Suggested stats for Zombies: free Self destruct mechanism, Unliving, Unintelligent
Closest current race:

Two human factions U.N.A & Red block that can be used as is.

Now how would one go about balancing these and make them "official unofficial races" for AE Bounty?

[ibasse]

Karmans seem a little over the top given the free choice of armour. In many circumstances it's a + 1 G option competing directly with Edasi and outdoing them in almost all other aspects. They'd make crazy good pirate crewmen with the +1 DR and free armour as well.

In fact the free gear choice is something I'd avoid on all of the races. It's flavourful, certainly, but in most situations you're just giving people the possibility to make further specialized characters that are really good at what they do and making other races redundant. Also, if the COGS have trouble hiding, then they should equip themselves accordingly within the restrictions of everyone else instead of the free equip. Nikkar for instance have trouble resisting bullets, but that doesn't mean they should all get a free redundant organs/armour/force field to help that out etc.

Hope that didn't sound overly harsh, but that's primarily because I haven't been able to come up with any good ideas for it. It certainly has potential, but I think you're trying to cover too much of their background in a setting that is probably based around slightly more space-opera style stereotype-aliens.

[cosworth]

You have a valid point. The statlines did get a little overpowered even though I tried to control myself.
The pirate crewman is a good test bench for new races, so with that in mind I've given the races another workover and simplified the profiles. I'm trying to reach a level where you would consider taking these races if you had the miniatures to add some variation, but noone would claim they were overpowered. Well noone might be too harsh, but at least very few then

Karmans:+1S, -1CC, Free choice of armored suit (light, medium, heavy)

Therians:Hive-Mind, Reluctant, Free cybernetic gear choice

COGS: -1RC, free field type gear choice, Reduced cover
Reduced Cover: A models with this trait gains 1 point less cover than usual due to it's size

Zombies: Unliving, Unintelligent, Suicide Trooper, Infect
Infect: Models slain by a Zombie in Close Combat or via self destruction, may rise as a zombie model themselves. Roll 1d6. On a 1 the slain model is converted to a zombie of the same type as its killer and joins that players unit.

[ibasse]

That seems far more reasonable. I think those present interesting alternatives to current races without making them superfluos. Would the zombies have robot-like drive? Zombies being suppressed or routing seems a bit strange, but might have to add a further nega-trait if one does change that.

[cosworth]

Yes the Zombies should have Dr - !
Slow as a nega-trait seems fitting although it would be tempting to give them a heavy armoured suit to compensate (slow doesn't stack). Slow makes them pretty much useless as green choices though.
Now the high drive makes them hard to take down if they wear heavy armour too. By slowing them down with a -1M another -1M from the heavy armour is not really an option so we don't get supertough zombies running around. Slowing them down also has a nice Zombie ring to it.

I could see how these would be good as pirate crewmen. I mean Pirates are Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels anyway right?

Zombies: Unliving, Unintelligent, Suicide Trooper, Infect, Dr -, -1M
Infect: Models slain by a Zombie in Close Combat or via self destruction, may rise as a zombie model themselves. Roll 1d6. On a 1 the slain model is converted to a zombie of the same type as its killer and joins that players unit.