# RPG 2300 AD - The Kafers' Secret \[Spoilers, hopefully\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpg-2300-ad-the-kafers-secret-spoilers-hopefully/545527>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 4, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpg-2300-ad-the-kafers-secret-spoilers-hopefully/545527 "2010-07-04T15:47:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpg-2300-ad-the-kafers-secret-spoilers-hopefully/545527/1 "2010-07-04T15:47:59Z")

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A chain of associations led me to the kafers in the role-playing game (Traveller) 2300 AD. I played it a few times in the eighties, and one of the things I remember was that the Kafers had an ability to disappear. They attacked, we opened fire, they disappeared. This was some secret ability they had, but I never played long enough to figure it out. Now, twenty years later, to save me some sleep, could somebody tell me how they did it?

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**Author:** ![merrick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@merrick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrick)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpg-2300-ad-the-kafers-secret-spoilers-hopefully/545527/2 "2010-07-04T16:15:17Z")

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The Kafers’ schtik was that their equivalent of adrenalin didn’t make them stronger or faster, it made them _smarter_. Militarily, it means that about 30 seconds after the shooting starts the Kafers go from “clueless redneck” to “special forces” - at which point they take cover, then set about reversing the ambush on whoever’s attacking them. Psychologically, it means that the Kafers are violence junkies - violent and stressful situations are the only time they’re fully sentient.