Some Gunslinger archetypes

I created these for a video. I have a few more, but I didn't want to overdo it. I'll describe each archetype more in detail when I do a post specifically about it. This is my semi-retired Gunslinger, Luke, on a lightly terraformed Mars lookalike planet called Ossus.

ICE PIRATE

PROSPEROUS FREE TRADER

DANGEROUS STRANGER

QUICKDRAW DUELIST

MASKED OUTLAW

HOTRODDER

Planetary Data Sheets

I don't intend to announce this every time I make a change, but I've revitalized my setting development a bit for Space Opera X. It was originally developed on my other blog; I'm now mostly doing it on my Google Sites, where the updates are harder to spot. That's OK. I'm doing it for my own benefit, not for public consumption. The latter, if it happens, is merely serendipitous. I may export that to some other format, however, if I can find an easy way to do it (Google Takeout, maybe?) I don't really want all this work to be online on a free site where, as I've seen way back as far as Geocities, it could be taken away at any time and I'm left high and dry. As offline documents, I'm in much better shape. I'm not updating my map online necessarily either, just offline. And I created an offline LibreOffice Calc (instead of Google Sheets) listing of all my systems, so I can sort it and work on it as needed. I've color coded the hexes that have a data sheet, as well as those that are "higher priority" to get one done as well. I forgot how much fun I have just playing around and building in this sandbox. But I'm also constantly motivated, when doing so, to do something else besides tinkering with setting development, especially in an environment where it's only for me as a hobby or game in my own mind. In other words, my much-ballyhooed stories that I keep talking about wanting to write in my settings; I need to actual sit down and write some. The same is true of my Dark Fantasy X stuff, but my return to Star Wars: The Old Republic has me more in a space opera mood at the moment.

I'm also considering renaming the Carrick Grand Marches. I don't remember now if it is a coincidence, or subconscious, or if I actually literally borrowed the name Carrick from Carrick Station, the "Republic Fleet"'s official name when you're on it, but I'm less and less happy with the idea. But, to be honest with you, while I originally envisioned the Carrick Grand Marches as the "protagonist" region of the setting, I'm kind of migrating somewhat to some of the other Bernese Colonies, or even some of the non-Bernese worlds as a better choice. 

I also, as I was going through my map and making my spreadsheet, noticed a few minor errors. An uncolored hex here and there. One hex that was mislabeled; instead of 1730, it was located in hex 1630, for instance. Which do I want to keep; update the map, or update the data sheet? Minor stuff. Yet another reason to keep it offline.

Reptomammals

I've made a few references to reptomammals before. Obviously, in real life there's no such thing; an animal can be a reptile or a mammal but not both. But reptomammals are a legacy of a Golden Age of  Technology at the dawn of the Old Kingdoms era, or even before. In contrast, Space Opera X takes place in what is relatively speaking a Dark Age. Genetically engineered wildlife that was part of the plan for terraforming worlds, reptomammals were created by these early people to serve as domestic animals as well as to be released into the wild to create stable ecosystems that would later benefit the colonists who were to settle on these terraformed planets. The gene-splicing technology that would allow these early spacers to create all new creatures with features from reptiles and mammals, yet uniquely adapted to these newly terraformed worlds is long lost, as is the terraforming process itself, but through good old fashioned animal husbandry and breeding, as well as the genetic malleability and instability of the reptomammals in general, they have yet developed into a varied and broad set of animals seen on most Colonial worlds, or even on worlds of "natives" who were there since the times of first contact.

Because of these broad similarities, people tend to use the same word to refer to differing creatures on various worlds that serve a similar function, or who were bred from what was apparently a similar (or even the exact same) reptomammalian template. The words are traditional and very old, and few people have the foggiest idea where they came from, but the roots of the words can be traced, again, to the earliest spread of Earth-descent humanity. That said, between you and me, they do not use words like "horse" or "dog" or "buffalo" to refer to animals that play a similar role in their planetary ecosystems, because that's just too prosaic for my taste. So, I've mostly used words created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in his two great (and public domain) planetary romance series. These include the following:

• banth - any large, four-legged predatory creature, superficially similar to lions or tigers in many respects except usually larger
• basto - a cattle or buffalo like creature, used for leather, fur, milk and meat
• calot - any more modestly sized pack hunting creatures in the ecological role of a wolf or hyena. Also used for domestic "dogs"
• kazar - an unusual form, known for its powerful short somewhat parrot-like beak. They usually are about sheep-sized and omnivorous, like a woolly Protoceratops and sometimes are domesticated for their wool, but on other worlds are only wild animals. On some worlds they've even developed lean, obligate carnivorous forms.
• mistal - one of two basic forms that serve as small domesticated animals. This one tends to be furry and "cute" but will root out and eat small pests. In other words, a space cat.
• rotik - known as "sea serpents" but in reality show a remarkable diversity of form. They are all, however, very large aquatic animals, and in very few cases is there any domestication of them.
• sorak - another small domesticated animal, although this one tends to focus more on the scales than the fur, and is somewhat less "cute." Still, soraks and mistals serve similar purposes. It's not clear why the ancients developed two templates for a similar function.
• targo - a variety of creatures that are known for their many eyes as a defining feature. They can range from the size of a rat to the size of a wolf. In addition to their spider-like eyes, they do, as it happens, produce a silk-like thread, which is sometimes harvested in domesticated versions of this animal, but they are dangerous for the unwary to keep, and when gone feral, they quickly turn predatory and dangerous.
• tharban - an often striped, solitary hunter. Not as large as the banths, but usually larger than calots, and only infrequently have they been successfully domesticated. Its theorized that they were developed, like the banths, for ecosystem control and to keep grazers like baso or kazars from over-running ecosystems due to lack of predation.
• thoat - a very wide variety of beast of burden. Some are similar to the basto, but they have less of a "cattle" like vibe, and more of a "horse"like vibe. That doesn't mean that they play the role of horses exactly; they can be as large and un-horselike as a dewback on one extreme. Sometimes, even two-legged animals that are similarly used as riding beasts of burden are called two-legged thoats, but that usage is not universal
• ulsio - a creature who's original purpose is unknown, but which has become a pest across many worlds, possibly as a result of an "inevitable" mutation that drives reptomammals to produce something like this in many worlds regardless of the designs of the original terraformers. Like a rat, these omnivores get into crops, eat carrion, threaten small children, and generally make a pest of themselves. Mistals and soraks are somewhat effective at controlling the population of smaller ones, but on some worlds they have become large enough to be immune to predation by those animals. Occasionally domesticated calots will deal with them in that case.
• vere - a "land crocodile" or rauisuchid-like animal. Or perhaps comparable to Megalania. Another hunting alternative to the calots, tharbans and banths. 
• zitidar - large, elephant-sized creatures. Sometimes domesticated, sometimes wild. Because of their large size, when fully grown they are immune to predation by all but the very largest and fiercest of banths.
• zorat - another modest-sized beast of burden. A "space donkey". Not generally capable of being ridden long distances, but on worlds where beasts of burden still get used for these kinds of things, they often are parts of caravans, carrying loads across the countryside.

Wasteland Deadeye

I'm using my semi-retired SWTOR character John (J'ohhn) to model some iconics for Space Opera X. For those curious, the actual outfit and get-up is the following:

- Inscrutable Pursuer's Facemask

- Remnant Underworld Consular's Robe

- Nefarious Bandit's Gloves (hides bracers, so it doesn't matter what you use)

- Stalker's Belt

- Steadfast Master's Leggings

- Remnant Resurrected Smuggler's Boots

- BL-28 Sniper Rifle

It's admittedly a strange one; a robed and hooded sniper character who looks more at home deep in the deserts of Tatooine than in the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence, but that's exactly why I love the concept for Space Opera X.

The WASTELAND DEADEYE is not an iconic character, but rather a very specific archetype that you might find in Space Opera X. A colonist, or perhaps a spacer who's "gone native" and now lives with colonists or other planetary natives, the deadeye lives in a place with probably a rather harsh climate, poor access to advanced technology, and low population density. He's the iconic rugged individualist who sympathizes with other rugged individualists on his planet, and has little patience for the greater spacefaring galaxy and its problems.

His accoutrements will be an eclectic mixture of once top-of-the-line technology that has been scavenged or preserved from days gone by (or even generations gone by, in some cases) and home-made, or local made at least, items that are more humble and easily obtained without access to galactic trade lanes. As shown, he's got an old soldier's faceplate and a few other pieces, including war surplus naval boots and a radium long-arm that's not exactly an antique, but which is an older style, with rudwood polished smooth from many years of handling, oiling, and cleaning. It's well-used, but well-cared for. He's also got local rough woolen robes to protect from the harsh environment; wind-blown sand, grit and dust being a likely everyday hazard.

Here he's shown going into town to do some shopping. "Town" being a rather modest place in this instance, but likely the largest population center he's going to  prefer to be a part of.

Although he might have an older transport of some kind, as shown below, he's even more likely to have a local beast of burden to ride on, such as the image below that, of him seated on a four-legged thoat template reptomammal that's native to his planet of choice.

You may think that this archetype isn't very suited for adventure, but you'd be wrong. The wasteland deadeye knows the backcountry of his planet very well, and is most likely highly skilled in outdoorscraft, hunting, lo-fi navigation, and the location of hidden and secret areas. He may even have come here specifically for that; many wasteland deadeyes are former spacers who have "retired" at a young age to take up a career in archaeology, animal husbandry, or even treasure hunting. Given the many sources on most colonial worlds of odd, unusual, and dangerous wildlife, ruins, aliens, bandits, space-faring pirates, or space-faring people in general who are harassing or hassling the locals (on purpose or otherwise) the wasteland deadeye is going to be someone who's good graces you can court to your benefit, or who you can annoy, and find yourself on the wrong end of a long-distance sniper shot. The Deadeye is not the stereotype of the hapless and helpless villager or farmer, but rather a strong, capable and competent expert on his planet who may well have a chip on his shoulder about outsiders and their intentions. 

Some are just tough and adventurous locals or natives of their planets, but some have adopted their new homeland after serving some time in a spacefaring navy, merchant marine, or other similar career. Never expect the wasteland deadeye to be a naïve, simple country fellow; they tend to be shrewd, cunning, intelligent, better educated and informed than you'd expect, often more well-traveled in their past than you'd think—but they turned their backs on that life for a reason, and now live as hunters, homesteaders, marshals or sheriffs of small towns, or other such pursuits. Some even become wandering privatized law enforcement; bounty hunters, essentially, ridding small communities of the troublesome who prey on them as a way of making a modest, solitary living.

Wasteland Deadeyes tend to be loners much of the time, although they're friendly enough with the people that they consider part of their "community"—however they define that—and those who are friendly or useful to the community. They tend to be men of higher than average integrity, honor and bravery. The latter by dint of their chosen way of life, but the former two is often what leads them to it in the first place. Although often found alone, they also frequently have the company of several domesticated animals; either those that they raise for food or fur or whatever other resource they provide, but more congenially, companions and working animals such as guard calots or thoats for riding. They may also have some bots or two on their premises or with them, sometimes with eccentric personalities due to clutter as they are often fairly old, and the deadeyes infrequently bother with defragging or restaging their robo-brains. Don't ever think that just because a wasteland deadeye is "alone" that he really truly is. 

Here's a few more images and details about one example of this archetype. Partly because I realized I didn't have any images with the gun out, although I talked about it.

A homestead where this guy occasionally stops by to keep an eye on a widow and her family. This particular example of the archetype doesn't have a home per se; he's more of a wanderer with a wagon or space-faring Airstream that a four-legged thoat pulls. He also has a speeder that he can get around with more quickly. He has a broad area of his "territory" that he patrols regularly, as a semi-official marshal of the area. Most of the other homesteaders recognize his authority and good intentions, but he doesn't actually have an official position, because the area in which he lives doesn't actually have an official government to assign one to him. Sounds like paradise to me.

Although this marshal has been here patrolling this territory for over five years now, he's not actually a native. Here he is near the wreck of the ship that brought him here and left him here, looking for items to scavenge for his own convenience, or to sell to someone else. Because it went down in a vast, uncharted area of sand dunes, nobody has yet discovered its location or scavenged it more thoroughly, so he still returns to it from time to time to find things. He actually uses it for shelter during the worst part of the season, and has placed a short-range claim beacon in the area asserting that it is his and that anyone who takes anything from it will be considered a thief and dealt with accordingly. 

I'm actually on the lookout to generate a world for this guy to live on, because as I've been working on him, I've gradually started to crystalize some worldbuilding in my head. Although I'm using Tatooine to stand in for it in the images, there are a number of things about Tatooine that I don't like for this world. Tatooine is a great spot for image screenshots, though, because the lighting is so good there compared to many of the alternatives. I imagine a less desolate place in general, although still dominated by deserts; a 20-30% surface water world, with cooler rather than hotter temperatures. Not in astronomical terms; still within the range of livable conditions for people, but with cold winters and mild summers. I don't think anything in my current Space Opera X catalog quite fits.