Tiny Little Catgirls

[Wes]

We've had more appearances by mini Nekovalkyrja in the roleplay lately, but there's not a lot of support for them in terms of the setting. Basically most everything is made for human-sized people. So I was thinking me might do a little push to see if we can develop more stuff for them. Mainly this would be more Star Army of Yamatai equipment but also I was thinking civilian things would help, too. Maybe we could write up a city inhabited by mini nekos.

So I'm asking for your ideas to help out the tiny little catgirls!

 

[Yoshi]

I would be willing to adapt that Crash tank stuff, ( I have plenty of ideas for different layouts...) for a mini neko anti boarding tank!

 

[Syaoran]

Also there could be some special gear for them, since power armors for their size are too hard to make, if you want to send them on a mission that still requires them to be small, maybe something like from that old Cartoon Show Centurion. You know "POWER EXTREME" and then they get attachments to their funny little suit.

Edit: And if you really want to push mini neko gear, maybe make a plotship that has a mostly mini neko crew, and the ship has been refitted for them (I'd say make a new ship, but making ships ain't easy so that can't just be whipped out)

 

[Wes]

I'm reminded of the Zentraedi giants running around on human ships in Macross.

A ship refitted for mini use could definitely hold a lot more soldiers than its normal counterpart. The food and supplies for them would take up a lot less space too. There might be some long-range exploration benefits to this.

 

[Gunsight1]

I am all for this!! I have been thinking over an improved version of their old power armor, the sylph and other things for them

I also think an all mini plotship would be pretty epic

 

[Syaoran]

If there was a mini plot ship I would probably make a mini for it. But yeah there are lots of things you can do with mini. Making ways for them to use current equipment, and making equipment only for them that's only possible because their small size.

 

[Exhack]

As an aside, any company that produces civilian drones of any type can easily retrofit them to work as flying cars for mini Neko.

 

[Fred]

I thought it was kind of an appropriate thing to have thier presence understated rather than the contrary.

I mean, I could make Shotjon's mini-neko idea work... but it seemed too cumbersome to be worth the bother. I'd rather see the miniature neko state be relegated to younglings.

 

[Eistheid]

This has a lot of potentially useful qualities if properly implemented.

For example, taking the tallest of standard Type-33 Neko as a starting point 170cm (5'6"). A miniature Neko is only 20cm (7.9"), about 2/17 or 12% the size.

As such if you were to replicate the floor plan of a refitted ship to the scale of a Mini-Neko crew you would have 88% of the space traditionally taken up by crew space (e.g., corridors, living quarters, and bridge) left over for whatever systems, storage, or facilities that the mission required. As such a refit, or dedicated ship for the smaller crew members could potentially have capabilities or resources in excess of a more traditional parallel.

I don't personally have any specific ideas on how it could be taken advantage of, however it might be useful information.

 

[Doshii Jun]

If we follow this to its logical conclusion, we exclusively would stock Yamataian warships with mini-Neko, while the Legions would feature their full-sized sisters.

A big selling point to having normal-sized Neko be dominant is OOC: players can much more easily relate to a char their own size. Likewise, not all players will have the skill to really show what it's like to be that small: the challenges, the advantages, the little things.

Which isn't to say we shouldn't have them, but I'm with Fred: they're better when understated.

 

[Gunsight1]

Blah. I have a blast playing mini's. Think there should be more of them :3

 

[armada3]

Probably the largest advantage of having smaller crew is that they weigh less. While it might not not matter in Star Army (Because of Sci-fi cheatcodes), in the real world it's a huge advantage in terms of mass. It just easier because of physics. The best vehicle in technical terms is a large vessel with small cargo, and 98-99%% fuel.
Large vehicles outmanoeuvre small ones because they just have more mass to use... same reason fighter-craft are technically useless in space.

Thank you Cheat Codes, Fighter combat is to cool.

 

[Gunsight1]

*directs Armada to space fighter combat in both Babylon 5 and new Battlestar Galactica* Newtonian flight physics for the win.

 

[Fred]

Yes, they might be blast to play... but honestly, that'd likely be as long as they're a novelty.

The set of disadvantages the mini-neko gets versus a adult-sized neko are considerable. It's why I think the mini-neko is best used by players having some fun with a side-NPC character, or a GM doing the same. If I recall the days I was a player on the Sakura plotship and that there were mini-nekos around - some I myself played - they more often came out as annoying or cheap-comic relief rather than actually endearing (and that was often forced).

Hence why it's kind of proven in my eyes that they're nothing more than short-term novelties at best.

 

[Kai]

Just dropping this in here...

 

[Fred]

( I know, I created it x_x )

 

[MissingNo]

Browsing the thread, I think that a crew of minis would actually be extremely suited for scouting and exploration missions. Design ships to their scale. Small ships mean multiple ships for the same cost as a larger one. They also mean smaller targets if attacked and can you imagine a swarm of mini-scaled fighters, since beam weapons powered by...wait, I haven't been here in a long while. Is aether still a thing? Anyway, a ship of minis also means they can stay out for longer for exploration missions since food, water, and other supplies will stretch further.

 

[Syaoran]

I think the reason Minis have such a disadvantage though is because they're not in plots where they can be used. It's a more extreme case of races. Some races just plain fall short to Neko's in ability, but it's not really 'shown' because the setting is so heavy with PA that they compensate for it. If Unarmored Nepleslians even possibly ID-SOLs got into a fight with unarmored Nekos, but weapons were still used, the nekos would likely win. Simply because the variety and strength of their abilities.

If a plot for Minis was made that actually was made with a mostly mini crew in mind, naturally the things they do would play to the Mini's advantages. Minis are kind of out of place in a conventional task force, simply because of what they're being asked to do is not really what they were made for. Just like an ID-SOL would be rather out of place in political setting. But put them in an environment they are designed for, and they shine.

 

[Lamb]

1)I think of something Peter Segal said: "When I was turning thirteen, I wanted what every thirteen year old boy wanted on his birthday: a thirteen year old girl." Perhaps tiny android 'companions' for minis with more 'eclectic Neko' tastes. Sure most Neko are probably lesbians; but there's no crime in craving the opposite sex of the one you were modeled after. Besides, stereotypical Neko libido and so on and so forth. Also, why not adorable tiny vehicles and furniture.

2) For SAoY purposes, while there's nothing wrong with tapdancing on one's console to get stuff done; it's just assumed that Mini's just kinda 'plug-in' and handle it through SPINE, right? Why not a little fold-out console-and-chair assembly?

 

[Gunsight1]

Lamb, sir, that is awesome! Next refit the Sakishima gets, we need those for Momo, Ichi and San

Syaoran: there are several plots with mini's where they are not at any disadvantage to their full size sisters amd get used plenty. I have been playing Momoka on the Sakishima over a year for example. Just do things different. They are tiny, yes, but there is power armor as an equalizer in ground combat and they have SPINE plug in ability just like big nekos.