A week or two ago I got into a debate about who it was worse to be conquered by, the Abh or the Tau. And there's It got me thinking that it'd be interesting to rate who's the best and worse to be conquered by, assuming the race in question has no other reasons to be exceptionally cruel or nice, from A (nicest) to Z (death would be far more preferable). I'd rate the Abh as pretty good- they only control your trade ability, but don't mess with your culture, people, etc., and you have upwards mobility within the Abh empire (with or without becoming an Abh) as well as aid from the Empire. Let's call it an 'F', you could be much worse off, although obvious there's better too. Culture I'd give an 'A', since if for some reason your planet *did* end up under their control, you'd either get access to Culture tech, or could simply ask to leave with no penalty. Affront, W. They'd genetically engineer your race to feel more pain and use 'em as hunting targets. About as bad, the Splugorth from Rifts (who won't be as univerally cruel, but when they want to, will be far more creative in their cruelty). Null raiting- anyone who just kills their targets outright and would never conquer anyone. --- An alphabetical listing as-of 07-03-07 compiled by Raskolnikov and with thanks to all the various contributors! 3340 (Ventus): S AAnn Empire (Humanx): M Abbatans (Delta Pavonis): H Abh (Crest of the Stars) : F Achuultani: Null {1} Affront (Excession): U Akan Corporation State (Ekumen): L Aldeans (Star Trek): J Alldenata (Posleen): M Alliance (Fireflyverse): K Alliance for Democracy (Drakon): F Alliance of Twelve (Alias): K Allied Worlds (Skolian saga): E Alpha Complex (Paranoia): K Alixus's Paradise (DS9): K Altarian Republic: C AM (I Have No Mouth..): Y American Empire (Animorphs): M * American Police State (Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said): K = Amestris: L Amplitur (Damned trilogy): M Anarres (Ekumen): E Andalites (Animorphs): H Animated Despero (DCAU): O Angosia (Star Trek): H Antarran Hegemony (Master of Orion): S Antheans (The Man Who Fell to Earth): E Aparoids (Star Fox): Null {2} Arachnids: T Armageddonists (Flight to Forever): K Army of God (Circuit of Heaven): L Aschen (Stargate): J Asgard High Council (Stargate): E Athos (Vorkosgian): H Azreal (Manshape): K Bad Wolf Corporation (Dr. Who): K Bane-Sidhe (Posleen): K Barrayar Imperium: G Beast (Homeworld): V Beast Presidency, Transmetropolitan U.S: I Belt Political Section (Known Space): D Benefactors (Anvil of Stars): F Benevolent Patrons (Uplift): F Bent Ones (Lewis's Space Trilogy): N Berserkers: Null {1} Beta Colony: B Beta III (Star Trek): J Bin, The (Circuit of Heaven): D Binding Multiples (Heads): F Black Fang (Fire Emblem): K ^ Black Hole (Advance Wars): M Bohrok swarms (Bionicle): Null {1} ^ Bonaparte-4 French Empire (GURPS Infinite Worlds): K* Borg (Star Trek): Null {2} Brain Eating Bastards (A Million Open Doors): X Brave New World (Aldous Huxley): K = Bridge, The (Manshape): F Britanica-3 British Empire (GURPS Infinite Worlds): G * Breen Confederacy (Star Trek): L Buyur (Uplift): I Cardassian Union (Star Trek): L Centauri Republic (Babylon 5): L Centrum (GURPS): H Cetagandas (Vorkosigan): J Cha Dawn's Planet Cult (Alpha Centauri): I Change Syringe Society (Beggar's Ride): H Chaos (40K): Z Chel'el'sussoloth Drow (Drowtales): J ^ Chelgrians (Look to Winward): G Chiron Beta Prime: L # Circle, the (Star Trek): J City of Morphoton (Dr. Who): L Civilization (Lensman): B Clans, the (Battletech): J Clark Regime (Babylon 5): K Coalition (Rifts): L Coalition (Xeelee verse): O Colligatarch (I Inside): D Color Out of Space, the (Lovecraft): N Colossus (The Forbin Project): L Combine (Half-Life): N Communal North American Citizens' Republic (Galactic Pot-Healer): K Community, the (The Giver): L Company, the (Doctor Who): M Comprise (Vacuum Flowers): Null {2} CoDominium (Jerry Pournelle): I ConFed, the (Matador Series): I ConSentiency, the (Frank Herbert): C Corpos (It Can't Happen Here): L Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (Retief): D Council of Vocations (Anthem): L = Cousins (Brother Termite): K Covenant (Halo): L Crime Syndicate of Amerika (DC): K Culture (Iain Banks): A Cybermen (Dr. Who): Null {2} Cylons (nBattlestar Galactica): J Cylons, pre-Downloaded (nBattlestar Galactica): O Cynoids (Master of Orion): G Daleks (Dr. Who): N Dark Army (G Gundam): Null {2} Dark Eldar (40K): Z Darkseid's Apokolips (DC): Q Darhel (Posleen): K Data Angels (Alpha Centauri): E Dilgar (Babylon 5): M Divine Order, the: Null {1} Dominion (Star Trek): J Dragaeran Empire, the: G ^ Drago-Katzovs (Andromeda): K Draka - pre-Final Society: O = Drakh Entire (Babylon 5): L D-Reaper: Null {1} Dregnin Empire: N Dynasty, the (Gold Digger): O Earth Alliance, democratic (Babylon 5): H Earth Company (C. J. Cherryh): H Earth Empire (Colony Wars): M Earth Federation (First Gundam): I Earth Security Agency (Imposter, movie): I Eastern Seaboard Fission Authority (Neuromancer):J Ebony Xerocracy (Orion's Arm): E Edo (Star Trek): K Efficiency Maximation Paradigm (Orion's Arm): I Ekumen of Known Worlds (LeGuin): B Elder Things (Lovecraft): L Elven Lords (Elvenblood series): N ^ Emergency Action U.S (Darwin's Children): I Emergents (A Deepness Upon the Sky): N Eminar VIII (Star Trek): K Empire (Sten series): G Empire of Azad (The Player of Games): M Eridanians (Cold Allies): S Eternals (The End of Eternity): F Eubian Concord (Skolian Saga): J Eurondans (SG-1): M Evergreen Estates (The Twilight Zone): M Faerun Drow: M ^ Fairweather World State (The Last Starship from Earth): I Fairy People (Artemis Fowl): H ^ Fallers (Probability Saga): Null {1} Fanatic Patrons (Uplift): N Farenhit 451 (Ray Bradbury): K = Federated Nations of Terra (The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress): K Federation, the (The Excalibur Alternative): L Federation, the (Outer Limits): J Ferengi Alliance (Star Trek): J FedGov Relativism (The World Jones Made): G Feed Tech Corp (Feed): I = Fertility Era Cousins (Brother Termite): Null {1} Fifth Imperium (Empire from the Ashes): E Final Society Draka (Stirling): M First Empire (Asimov): J First Level (Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen): G Flenserists (A Fire Upon the Deep): K Flood (Halo): Null {2} Forhilnors (Calculating God): E Foundation (dictatorship): J Foundation Federation (Asimov): C Foundation (mercantile): G Foundation (theocratic): H Freedom Party C.S.A (Turtledove): M * Free Drones (Alpha Centauri): F Free People of Earth (Orson Scot Card, Shadow series): F Fremont Presidency, United States (Radio Free Albemuth): K # Frolixians (Our Friends From Frolix 8): F Gaia (Foundation): G Gaia's Stepdaughters (Alpha Centauri): E Galactic Central (Way Station): D Galactic Empire (Star Wars): K Galactic Empire (Flight to Forever): G Galactic Federation (Sector General): C Galactic Patrol (Rod Allbright): C Galt's Gulch (Atlas Shrugged): H = Ganymeans (The Gentle Giants of Ganymede): C Ganymedeans (The Ganymede Takeover): J Gattaca-society (Gattaca): G Gelth (Doctor Who): Null {2} General Terius's Government (Shadow Children Sequence): L Global Community (Left Behind): L ^ Global Liberation Army (Generals): K Glorft, the (Megas XLR): Null {1} Goa'uld System Lords (Stargate): M Gods (Brother to Demons, Brother to Gods): L Golden Path (Dune): F Golden Rule (Heinlein): I Golgafrinchan Earth Settlers (Hitchiker's Guide): H # Gor: P ^ Gowachin Confederation: I Grado, Lyon regime (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones): J ^ Great Wall U.S, (Signal to Noise): J Green Storm (Hungry City Chronicles): K Groombridge Natives (Calculating God): Null {1} Haijac Union (The Lovers, Philip Jose Farmer): K Heaven (Lord of Light): J Hegemony of Man (Hyperion): G Heliumitic Empire: G ^ High Castle German Empire (The Man in the High Castle): O * High Castle Japanese Empire (The Man in the High Castle): I * Highfather's New Genesis (DC): C= High Gray Council (Neanderthal Parallex): F Holy German Empire (Swastica Night): P = Hordes, the (Lost Regiment): Q House Atreides (Dune): E House Harkonnen (Dune): L Howlers (Animorphs): Null {1} Hub, the (James H Schmitz): G Human Hive, the (Alpha Centauri): O Humanoids (Jack Williamson): K ID-4 Aliens (Independence Day): Null {1} Idirans (Culture): L Il Diluvio (Alias): L Ilium Works (Player Piano): I = Imperial Galactic Government (Hitchhiker's Guide): H # Imperium of Man (Warhammer 40,000): M Imperium of Man, Great Crusade Era (Warhammer 40,000): J Imperial Order, the (Sword of Truth): Q ^ Imperial Remnant (Star Wars): I Industrial Army (Looking Backward): H = Infinite Hexamon (Greg Bear): B Inhibitors (Revelation Space): Null {1} Initiative, the (Buffy): J ^ Inner Sphere powers: G Instrumentality of Mankind (Cordwainer Smith): G Intergalactic Council (My Teacher is An Alien): F = Interstellar Alliance (Babylon 5): E Invaders (M.A.R.S. Patrol Total War): Null {1} Invaders, the (Gatekeepers 21): Null {2} Invids (Star Wars): K Iotians (Star Trek): K Iron Heel (Jack London): L Ithkul (Master of Orion): Null {1} Jamahiriya (GURPS Alternate Earths): J * Jarts (Eternity): Null {2} Joined, the (The Light of Other Days): D Jones Regime (The World Jones Made): H = Jupiter/Venus/Orbitals (Battle Angel Alita): K Justice Lords (DCAU): J Kalgan Republic (Foundation): J Kalkars: M = Kangas (Apocalypse Troll): Null {1} Keter Dominion (Orion's Arm): F Kelvan Empire (Star Trek): J Kzinti Patriarchy (Known Space): M Klingon-Cardasian Alliance (Star Trek MU): L Klingon Empire (Star Trek): J Krikkit (Hitchiker's Guide): Null {1} # Kree (Marvel): K Lamuellans (Hitchhiker's Guide): F # Latches (The Last Book in the Universe): K Laughter Hegemony (Orion's Arm): K Lichen (Interstellar Pig): R Lilistar (Now Wait for Last Year): J Lithia (A Case of Conscience): D Locust: Null {1} Logan's Run: M = Lone Power (Young Wizards): U ^ Lord's Believers (Alpha Centauri): J Lore's Greater Good (Star Trek): M Lumati (Babylon 5): K Lycia (Fire Emblem): I ^ Magog (Andromeda): R Mahars: O ^ Malcorians (Star Trek): G Malwa Empire (Belisiarus): M Mantis, the (Galactic Center): S Many, the (System Shock 2): Null {2} Martians (H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds): N Master Control Program (Tron): K Masters (The Tripods Trilogy): L Masters (Callahan's place): N Master's Enclave (Buffy): N ^ Matrix, the: I Mayor Wilkins's Administration (Buffy): K ^ Mazdasts (Lies, Inc): S McNamara regime (Camp Conentration): H = Medusa, the (The Cosmic Rape): Null {2} Mephisto (Marvel): Z ^ Metasoft Version Tree (Orion's Arm): F Minbari Federation (Babylon 5): H Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter): I ^ Mission Hills Protective Association (CoDomiunium): L Mizar (Jet Force Gemini): I Moab IV genetically engineered society (Star Trek): J Monks (The Fourth Profession): I Morec (The Man Who Japed): J= Morgan Industries (Alpha Centauri): G Morlocks (The Time Machine): K Mule's Union of Worlds (Foundation): F Narn Regime (Babylon 5): K National Institute for Coordinated Experiments (Space Trilogy): L Necromongers (Chronicles of Riddick): O Necrons (40K): K Negation, the: I Neo-Babylonia (Gundam F91): L Network, the (The Running Man): O Neural Parasites (Star Trek): S New Eden (Flux, Anchor): M New Eden (Rama Revealed): L New Formic Hive (Ender's Game): D New Men (Our Friends From Frolix 8): J = New Order Nation (Revolution X) : K # New Orions (Master of Orion): M New Repulbic (Starwars): H New Society (Old-New Land): D = New Tahiti Colony (LeGuin): M Nommo (Master of Orion): J Noon (Noon, 22nd Century): D = Norsefire (V for Vendetta): L = Novaya Russia (Empire Earth): L Objectivist Commonwealth (Orion's Arm): K Oceania (1984): P = Octospiders (Rama Revealed): H Off-Reality (Exit to Reality): H Oglaroonians (Hitchiker's Guide): K # Old Formic Hive: Null {1} Old Republic (Starwars): H Omelas (Ursula LeGuin): I = OneState (Zamyatin's We): N = Organic Ascension Alliancem the (Orion's Arm): J Ori (Stargate): L Orks (40K): N Ornara (Star Trek): K Ousters (Hyperion): G Pak Protectors (Known Space): Null {1} Pala (Island): H = Parliament of Angel I (Star Trek): I Pax (Hyperion): J Pax Humanica (Master of Orion): K Peacekeeping Forces (Alpha Centauri): D Pegasus Order (Battlestar Galactica): N Pemalites (Animorphs): C People's Mars (Vacuum Flowers): L People's Republic of Haven: I People's States (Atlas Shrugged): L = Pfhor Empire (Marathon Trilogy): N Phalanx (Marvel): Null {2} Phyrexia (Magic the Gathering): W ^ Pitar (Humanx): Null {1} Plants (The Genocides): Null {1} Podia (Galactic Center): J Pods (Invasion of the Body Snatchers): Null {2} Population Police (Shadow Children Sequence): M Posessors (Demon in the Skull): P Posleen (Legacy of the Aldenata): Null {1} Principality of Zeon (First Gundam): J Prophet Five (Alias): I Protoss (Starcraft): E Prox (The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch): T Prytt Alliance (Star Trek): J Psi Corps (Babylon 5): L Psychlos (Battlefield Earth): M Puppeteers (Known Space): F Qax (Xeelee sequence): J Quaddiespace (Vorkosigan): D Queen of Pain, the (Orion's Arm): Z Qwardians (DC): L Race, the (Worldwar): H Realm, the (Exalted): H ^ Reavers (Firefly): R Reegs (Now Wait For Last Year): D Relay (A Fire Upon the Deep): C Replicators (SG-1): Null {1} Republic of Greater East Asia (Battle Royale): K = Republic of Gilead (The Handmaid's Tale): M = Republic of Korell (Foundation): I Riofald (EXaXXion): L Romulan Star Empire (Star Trek): I Roslin Presidency (Battlestar Galactica): I Rule of the Prophets (If This Goes On...): K Rutia 4 (Star Trek): I Ryall (Antarres Dawn): Null {1} Saul Tigh regime (Battlestar Galactica): J Saurons (DeathDay & EarthRise): M Scarrans (Farscape): P Scrapyard/Tipheries (Battle Angel Alita): L Second Empire (Motieverse): H Second Empire (Psychohistorical Crises): F Shadows (Babylon 5): L Sharifi Virus Society (Sleepless): L Shi'ar (Marvel): H Shinra (Final Fantasy 7): I Shifting Albion (Wildstorm): R Shivans: Null {1} Skynet (Terminator): Null {1} Silastic Armourfiends: Null {1} # Sino-Soviet Empire (Sliders): L * Sirian Combine (Wasp): L Sixth Assyrian Empire (GURPS Infinite Worlds): N * Skolian Imperialate (Catherine Asaro): F Skrulls (Marvel): I Sleeper Council (When the Sleeper Wakes): J = Slitheen Family (Dr. Who): Null {1} Smiler Presidency, Transmetropolitan U.S: K Solar Alliance (Probability Saga): I Solar Dominion (Orion's Arm): E Solar Federation (Solar Lottery): J Soylent Green (film): M = Spacers (The Caves of Steel): E Ssi-Ruuk (Star Wars): V Stability (Philip K. Dick): J Standard mechs (Galactic Center): Null {1} Starfire Rigelians: Null {1} Starspawn (X-com): S Star League (Battletech): J Stepford, Connecticut (The Stepford Wives): M = Stigrosc (Transit): B Strogg (Quake): W Spartan Federation (Alpha Centauri): L Starways Congress (Ender's Game): G Supernormal Colony (Odd John): K Supreme Martian Intelligence (Invaders from Mars): Null F{2} Swedish Empire (GURPS Alternate Earths): N * Synchronized Worlds (Dune EU): P Systems Commonwealth (Andromeda): D Tahn (Sten series): L Talarians (Star Trek): I Tar-Aiym (Humanx Commonwealth): I Tassel (The Genocides): K Tau (40K): K Temple of Styphon (Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen): K Terran Confederacy (Starcraft): J Terran Empire (ST Mirror Universe): M Terran Federation (Starship Troopers): G Tesh (Doctor Who): J Tetragrammaton Council (Equilibrium): M = Thargoids (ELITE): R Tharoon: K Thing, the (Who Goes There): Null {2} Thirdspace Aliens (Babylon 5): Null {1} Tholian Assembly (Star Trek): J Thrintun (Known Space): O Titans (Zeta Gundam): M Tlaxcalan Empire (Pastwatch): M * Tomania (The Great Dictator): K # Tosoks (Illegal Alien): J Turkana IV Coalition (Star Trek): K Tribulation Force (Left Behind): L ^ Twelve Colonies of Kobol, the (nBSG): F Tyranids (40K): Null {1} Tyranni (The Stars, Like Dust): H Umma (GURPS Infinite Worlds): G * UniComp Society (This Perfect Day): L = Unified Empire (DC Empire): L Union (C. J. Cherryh): K Unism (Ekumen): L United Earth Directorate (Starcraft): J United Earth Sphere Alliance (Gundam Wing): I United Federation of Planets (Star Trek): C United Galaxies (DC): E United Mankind (Crest of the Stars): G United Nations Space Command (Halo): J Unity (Vulcan's Hammer): K University of Planet (Alpha Centauri): G UN Protectorate (Altered Carbon): H Utopia (Thomas More): H = Urban Government (The Genocides): L Ur-Quan Khor-Ah (Star Control): Null {1} Ur-Quan Kzer-Za (Star Control): I Vaal (Star Trek): I Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika (GURPS Alternate Earths): L * Vilani Imperium (GURPS Traveller): G Village, The (The Prisoner): O Vincians (Transit): C Visitors, the (V): L Visitors, the (X-com:Apocalypse): Null{2} Voe Deo (Ekumen): M Vorlons (Babylon 5): L Vortex: M Vreccile Economic Community (A Gift From the Culture): I Warden (The Children of Men): K = Watcher's Council, the (Buffy): H ^ Wes-Dem (The Penultimate Truth): L Weyland-Yunati (Aliens): J Whale's Mouth (Lies, Inc): L Whileaway (The Female Man): E = Wismon's Garden (Vacuum Flowers): O Wolfram and Hart (Angel): M ^ World Science Council (GURPS Infinite Worlds): G * World Federation of Free States (Stranger in a Strange Land): G Worldstate (Kallocain): J = Xasians (Hitchiker's Guide): I # X-Parasites (Metroid Fusion): Null {2} Yeerk Empire (Animorphs): N Y-Energy Society (Sleepless): G Yellowstone (Revelation Space): D Yuri (RA2): Null {2} Yuuzhan Vong (Star Wars): P ZAFT (Gundam): I Zerg (Starcraft): Null {1} Zorndyke (Blue Sub #6): Null {1} The latest listing-by-raiting can be found at or near the latest page of the thread.
Galactic Empire - 'H' - Though it might be pleasant for humans and humanoid species, non-humanoid aliens will be heavily discriminated against. The Zerg - 'Z' - Nothing worse than being transformed into a mindless walking self-destruct device.
Note the 'mindless' though. Z gets reserved for stuff much worse than death. I'd be tempted to call that a 'null', they don't conquer you, they just kill you and use your corpse (now, if you remained conscious... that'd be far on the list). I'd personally rate the Tau as I or so; they aren't mean, but you are going to serve in their campaign for the greater good. Dark Eldar- Y. Horrible, horrible torture and slavery, just because they enjoy it, and in the end, they devour your soul too.
Actually, Infested Terrans may not be mindless. I seem to recall them having voices in the game. If so, then it's a case of the Zerg displacing the original personality and causing the body to explode, which is certainly a fate worse than death. Speaking of bizarre hypergenetic aliens, the xenomorphs are at least a 'R', and more probably a 'T'. You don't live long after being captured, but having an alien embryo shoved down your throat before it explodes through your chest cannot be pleasant at all.
I say that the Strogg are Z. What they do to people is just... horrible. You first undergo surgery and have most of your body replaced with cybernetic parts without any sort of anaesthesia, including brain surgery [hell, Strogg Gunners have reinforced cranium... I'll just leave it at that, mere thought of it makes me wince], and on the top of that, you are also turned into an unwilling slave to the Strogg, aware of everything that you do and all the suffering that you cause, and yet unable to stop it, at least until your brain finally decays into uselessness and the neurocyte fully takes over. It's quite literally a fate far worse than death. That's it, if you aren't broken down for Stroyent and used to feed other Strogg. I'd put the Combine somewhere around Q, maybe R. They take over your world virtually overnight and opress you ruthlessly, and finally they turn you into a Synth, removing your memories and turning you into a loyal Combine slave with extensive brainwashing. However, it is still far, far better than the Strogg, since the Combine seems to at least care a tiny bit about its soldiers [even if it is just as resources], and you are still a person, one which can control his own actions, even if you are completly memory-wiped and with some sort of brain surgery done on you. [as seen by motivational speeches made in Nova Prospekt, for example... you don't motivate cyberzombies] You are also immortal, unless somebody beats you to death with a crowbar or something. So, while the Combine occupation is horrible, it is far from the worst things that are out there. The Beast from Homeworld Cataclysm... Z, I'd say. For similiar reasons to the Strogg. What it does to people is just.... frightening.
Unless you're a masochist, in which case A. Borg are an z, unless you're really a team player. Federation are a Y, all that niceness, bleh.
For rating Z, A.A. Attanasio's zotl come to mind - and they do conquer most of humanity. They are powerful spider shaped aliens who feed on the brain chemicals caused by pain; they bite their victims on the back of the neck and induce extreme pain to feed, then heal them up to do it again. A zotl feast is not a place you want to visit. Starfire Arachnids are also a Z, unless you like being eaten alive or being ranched as a meat animal. Another Z : The un-named creatures from the third Star Trek : invasion book. They assimilate organic tissue like the Borg do tech, and preserve the brains semi intact and self aware, unlike the borg. The brains are partially disassembled, so you end up as a distribution of personality fragments, watching the monstrous body that part of you is stuck in do things. Plus, you are preserved like that for thousands of years..
Being under the sway of the Lone Power, while not neccesarily being conquered, has to be a Z. Not only are you enslaved to the will of what is essentially evil incarnate, not only is your society, your bodies, and even the local physics forged into a factory of tyranny and suffering, but you are also often made to bring this same horror to other races. And most of the time, becoming endarkened lasts forever, until your race becomes extinct. And even those few instances we know of in which an endarkened race was freed, they had been under the LP's control of not thousands, but MILLIONS of years.
F for Foundation - Guys rarely use conquest at all, instead using psychohistorical stimuli such as economics, science, and politics to take over worlds. No force really invovled. B for Mule - The Guy uses Conquest as well, but overall is a benenovelent dictator who did rule preety well for a while. Plus his emotional control can make you love him. Null for the D-Reaper - Absorbs the very fabric of reality, and will destroy anything that went beyond it's parameters, including humans.
Being a meat animal is hardly Z. Depending on the conditions, I'd Q-to-R range. Now that's pretty nasty. The Borg are no-where near a Z, but thousands of years of watching that is really really bad. I'd say they are Ws, and the Strogg as well (in slightly different ways). Zs are to be reserved for the absolute worst (like the Lone Power thing; endless suffering, and doing it to others consciously to others, ending in eventual extinction). Remember we have the whole alphabet to work with, no need to throw around Zs left and right. Anything beyond say M or N should be pretty nasty, and anything past S is going to be nightmare fodder.
Yes; kill you in combat or turn you into a Necron if you're a Pariah, but never any conquest, so null. I'd give 'em a 'Q', personally. They just make you help exterminate others (and kill you if you don't), then kill you. They might make your death painful, and they might use you to further their goals, but they really just want death and don't give horrible tortures or anything like that most of the time.
I'd say it would be Tau: G Galactic Empire: H Zerg: 0 (null) Dark Eldar: Z Necrons: 0 Xenomorphs: T Strogg: Y Combine: P Beast: 0 (same for most assimilator races, for all practical purposes they just kill you) Borg: 0 Starfire Arachnids: S Foundation: B (odds are you'll actually be better off post-conquest) Mule: G Daleks: L Some of my own suggestions. Nazis: I. They strike me as being just a little worse than the Galactic Empire (the GE did most of the same bad stuff, but they never actually tried to systematically wipe out a significant fraction of the galaxy's population). Also I think it should be on their to give a real-world reference. Draka: R. They're about as evil and sadistic as it's possible for a human society to plausibly get. They'll rob you down to the shirt on your back for plunder, rape your wife, sodomize you, blow up your house for the sheer hell of it, publicly execute anybody who resists in slow and painful ways, and then sell you into chattel slavery along with the entire populace of your country. Compared to them the Nazis look like angels. Imperium of Man: K. Basically like being taken over by the Taliban. Gor: R, if you're female. Ssi-Ruuvi: W. Not quite as nasty as the Strogg but similar. Chaos: Z. They're into stuff like putting you into an Aztec-style sacrifice line of people miles long at the end of which you're scourged to death to nourish a literal river of human blood - and then brought back to life and put back into the line again. Also for Z I recommend AM from I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream. It wipes out most of the human race, but its sheer hatred for humanity is such that this wouldn't satisfy it. So it keeps five people alive to torment, using advanced medical technology to stop them from aging so that death doesn't take them from it and allow them to survive tortures and extremes of hunger and cold that would otherwise kill them. It's not as much into physical torture as some of the others but it really likes sadistic head-games.
Cthulhu Mythos: Y They have the potential to be ever bit as evil as AM, and the other Zs, but they lack concern enough to actually hate sentient beings.
Err... at their very worst, the Nazis did that and quite a bit more... I'd say it could range from an A (if you're a blonde-haired German man) to an S (if you're a Russian Jew). Many Holocaust survivors went through all of what you listed for the Draka. Oh, and why is the GE an H? They BLOW UP PLANETS. Did the GE even think before firing the DS laser at Alderaan and blowing it up, and indiscriminately killing billions in a flash just to calibrate their fucking weapons? I'd say they get a K at the very best. Personally, I'd say that the Synchronized Worlds under Omnius from the Dune prequels would be pretty bad... you're raised in squalid captivity, you're deprived of physical and mental development, you only exist to satisfy the whims and curiosity of the robot tyrant Erasmus and you're regularly experimented on, cut up, poisoned, pressurized and dismboweled just for his pleasure and intrigue. You might be thrown from a balcony as a baby; you might live to 30 or 40 watching your family get killed one by one, and then get carved up by Erasmus so he can use your blood for a painting. And in the end, the entire ~5 billion population was killed after trying to rebel.
I'll mention the raitings are based on an adverage; to a place that has wildly varying reactions based on the target, pick a mid-range one for a baseline (as well as figuring in the outliers; always of the conquered, not the original citizens). Even that, you'll get conscripted, you could get pulled in for disloyalty and disagreeing with the politics in control... I'd give it an I. The Nazis still weren't that nice even if you did fit with their ideology. Unless you get an 'in' with the leadership, and that's hardly the norm for someone conquered. Overall, I'd rate them at P, for a combination of corruption and totalitarian controls for random people, plus slave labor and deathcamps for select (often *large*) groups. The GE should be several below 'H', that's still rather high in the alphabet. It's too easy to bunch stuff to the high or low ends (an 'A', sorta like a Z, requires an incredibly exceptional group to get), anything in the first 5~ letters of the alphabet should all be 'odds are, you're noticably better off' to the various extents. The US might get a G or H (depending on era)- they'll try and improve stuff but just isn't that good at, and will impose some rules, and in general the state of the country's populace coming in is the biggest determiner of what the end result is.
Borg: Probably anout a J or a K here, whilst assimilation is NASTY, its not as bad as some things. Japanese medical expiermintors / prison camps: R, S or a T. Big Brother: Up there with a S or a T I think. Xenomorphs: Got to be a high M or N (nasty and painful, but quick).
Marvel's Mephisto: Z Imagine drowning in an ocean of boiling blood, while maggots feast on your flesh as you are flayed alive. And that's effectively your time off, when you're not being given direct attention by a sadistic, reality - warping cosmic being. And you'll be there for all eternity.
I wouldn't give any Earth country a D (with H probably the norm for first-world countries who care what the rest of the world thinks), and especially not the US. As has been found out, it's military is not a police force, it's designed for kicking the tails of opposing militaries, not conquering stuff. Definitely not evil or anything, just not what they're good at. A and B should be pretty much "wow, everything's suddenly better! With no real disadvantages!", and C, D, and E should be "Pretty big improvements, fast, with only minor-to-moderate disadvantages and little turmoil". The two Fs mentioned (Abh and Foundation) are both, "Hey, we're in charge and you have to accept that, oh and by the way you now benefit from the largest trade network in the galaxy and aid from the government upon request, and you won't really even see our soldiers or anything like that with any likelyhood at all".
Actually, regarding the Combine, I'll add one thing that disturbs me quite a bit - headcrab shells. As we know, the Combine likes to bombard rebellious areas with headcrab shells, which, unsurprisingly, contain headcrabs. Headcrabs turn people into zombies, mutating and twisting their bodies horribly and taking over the control of their nervous system, essentially using the body as puppet, forcing it to kill and eat people. What's the worst part? The host is fully aware during all of that. Their mouths are literally torn wide open from screaming as their torso turns into a huge maw and their fingers extend into claws... and then, until they get killed, they contiune to be fully aware of what is happening. It's quite literally a fate worse than death. [worse than getting Stroggified, even, since your brain won't eventually die]
Although the Strogg get props for doing it systematically on whoever they get, not just using it as a terror weapon in prep for real attacks. Hmm... I'd imagine getting conquered by Late-Game Yang from Alpha Centauri is going to be pretty nasty. He'll genetically engineer many of your decendants into drone-like genejacks and nervestaple anyone who riots (Or worse- put them in a punishment sphere). Q or so.
