https://wargamesatlantic.com/blogs/news/contest-name-the-alien-bugs
Name the Bugs!
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Hudson Adams Moderator
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I had fun with it, went hard on the puns/portmanteaus...
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After their species completed their carcinisation, these carcini-sadists turned their beady eyes from the their carci-necropolis to the stars beyond. They originate from a cold, dying world in the heart of the Cancer constellation and have quickly spread into neighboring systems. Their life cycle starts as an egg, then they hatch into carci-nymphs, and finally grow into their adult form: the Burgisoldier(burgis being the genus that coconut crabs belong to).
As adults, they adapt quickly to the needs of their crabby collective. Individuals are capable of growing powerful bio-chemical weapons within their limbs and shells, such as the crablaster. Heavy crabombadiers defend their battle (cru)stations on the worlds they conquer...and yours could be next!
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Hudson Adams Moderator
@Grumpy Gnome submit again if you like!
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Now this is more my thing, and I have a good few ideas for names and backstories for them. As others have said it's great that WA are allowing the public to decide the nature of products they release, not to mention that 10 boxes of them is an extremely generous prize.
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@Jay H. @Grumpy Gnome @Caratacus "Got a free Afternoon", HHHUUU Rahhhh, loking forward to this here we go BUGs away?
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love the bugs
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@Caratacus A really good prize concidering the climate of purchasing things nowadays.
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I did not enter the contest for 2 reasons. 1) I think some of the ideas I have heard are way better than anything I could come up with. @Grumpy Gnome I read yours on your blog... and 2) ...10 boxes! I would love them but what would I do with 10 boxes? I am running out of space as is and am having to sentence soem minis to the basement. So I think 10 boxes would be wasted on me if by some remote chance I won.
Thoough... 10 boxes of ogres... that I could use. 😎
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@William Redford if you did win 10 boxes, go to your local hobby store and work with them to run a kids paint event, to encourage kids to take up the hobby and buy supplies from said shop :)
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@Miyuso Thats a good idea. I actually stopped going to my LGS... they never have anything I want and a special order that costs more than buying online and getting it direct to my house always seems like a bad idea. If they were a FLGS maybe... but they seem to lack the Friendly part.
But I could see if the schools would accept donations. My friend's son was in a d&d club before he got too cool... and my cousin's daughter (12? I think?) is in a d&d club too.
But I think I would rather someone more passionate win the contest so I can see some great WIP and finished pics of what they can do with the sets.
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@Hudson Adams Well if multiple entries are cool with you guys, sent these two in after reading this thread:
Something funny but I felt was approprite:
Scrugs
Named for the high pitch squeal they produce; Scrugs have been the animal mascots of the Death Fields circuit several millennia before American Expeditionary Forces encountered them on Proxima Centauri b in 2231. Scrugs are large semi-aquatic omnivorous arthropods with a violent larval stage often full of cannibalism, thankfully for the rest of galaxy since female Scrugs lay hundreds of eggs monthly and the species has a knack for hitchhiking in freighters. Scurgs on the circuit have undergone several cybernetic and genetic alterations at the behest of team sponsors, ranging from simple weapon implants such as the popular stinger cannon to full blown individual sapient intelligence enhancements, but the three popular choices for Scrugs are the hive mind controlled hoard, trained attack Scrugs for different teams, and feral Scrugs which are often used in “reenactments” of the New Florida Uprising for accurate scenery dressing or just simply there on the arena world “cuz SCRUGS!!!!”
And something with a generic name and more dark backstory:
Death Mites
Dubbed Death Mites by the US forces during the colonial wars and on the Death Fields circuit, they were once an advanced race that created a vast spacefaring empire with a frontier that reached not too far from Earth’s solar system (still thousands of light years from true galactic civilization). Ultimately they were betrayed and biologically reengineered into mindless self-reproducing attack drones by their own artificially created Bio Computer intelligences. This created the illusion of a natural animalistic hive mind arthropod like race to USMCE forces when they first encountered them on a rogue exoplanet, an illusion that proved effective for the Death Mite’s bio AI masters in their struggle against humanity.
As a race, Death Mites had several thousand years of history and in that time just as many internal conflicts as humanity, possibly more and Death Field sponsors took notice. This is why some Death Mite teams on the circuit act like the hive minds the Ooh Raa fought back in 2350, while others act as unique individuals and even use weapons beyond their teeth and scythe like claws, most common being biologically attached railguns that can pierce through armored platting.
Tempted to write more, but probably should stop.
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Is the poll still running? Because I've got a great idea as to what to call them due to the fact they resemble a certain insect.
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Here's what I came up with, granted the names of the other stages I added in get their origins from Egyptian mythology (I can't help it that they look like four legged scarabs). Note: They are named the Skarabs.
Named after the ancient Egyptian beetle due to its uncanny resemblance, the Skarabs are known to be a common fear among humans who have colonized the galaxy due to their sheer numbers throughout the galaxy along with the fact that their adaptability and usage of other weapons apart from their iconic talons such as multi-digited claws, integrated bio-plasma guns along with integrated the more rapid-fire bio-laser.
They were first encountered by the Einherjar at the battle of the Weeping Skald, where several hundred if not several thousand Einherjar died at the claws of these xenomorphs, cementing an eternal rivalry between the Death Fields team and this expansionistic insectoid empire. This frequently leads to the Einherjar offering their services to groups like the Ooh Rah due to their shared hatred of the aliens.
While the three stages of adult, bug-ling, and egg stage are well known amongst the populace due to being the most common. There are several other stages depending on the Skarab's role in their nest such as the more intelligent vanguards known as the Anubi, the large lumbering beasts of burden that can arrive with organic artillery on their carapaces known by experts as the Ammit, the gaunter looking flying terrors known as the locusts, and lastly the dreaded and naively considered mythical Apeps, leaders of the Skarabs.
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Well contest seems to be over. I gave into temptation wrote four more names but didn't enter them mostly because I missed the window, but also I figure the other 2 are more than good enough as well as some of the idea shared here. But since I wrote them I will post them here. (remember this is just alternate world fanfic now, so won't be on any ballots which is why there is more spacing):
Name: Arachne Scythe Hoppers
Backstory: The Arachne Scythe Hoppers are almost as new to the Death Fields circuit as the Ooh Rah. Originally created as fast breeding multipurpose organic lifeforms, Scythe Hoppers where seeded by the Arachne Trading Confederation (see giant spiders) on various planets as a food resource thousands of light years from true galactic civilization, until they became weaponized to fight in the Arachne American frontier wars.
Each life stage was made more dangerous: the eggs act as body heat sensitive proximity mines that send shrapnel like shells bits at high speeds while hatching, the larva stage became battle ready attacking anything in sight immediately after that, and the adult stage was made more aggressive with tougher exoskeletons. What’s more some strains of Scythe Hoppers where reengineered to grow chemical flamethrowers and plasma weapons sent out into the wild.
These weaponized strains were mixed into several populations of Scythe Hoppers making it tough for American colonial forces to expand, but fairly easy for the Death Field sponsors to make the Arachne Scythe Hopper team to spice up the games.
Name: Flax Crabs
Backstory: As a race, Flax Crabs are a bio mechanical weapons that led to the near extinction of their creators, the Tuatarains (See Lizardmen) in an apocalyptic war thousands of light years from galactic civilization and where one of the greater threats humanity encountered in its own expeditions of the Milky Way galaxy.
Flax Crabs have a nightmarish breeding cycle. First the female Flax Crabs lays several eggs and then the male swallows the eggs whole fertilizing them internally. The eggs later hatch inside the male Flax Crab and eat their way out which produces poisonous gases. Eventually the next generation of Flax Crabs bust forth from the still living male in a mist of death, often in the middle of battle, the half-grown larva attacking anyone foolish enough to be nearby much to the delight of Death Field fans.
In addition to this if the eggs are not fertilized but left alone they explode into flesh eating gas often forming clouds of death.
Some mutant strains of Flax Crabs grow laser guns from their bodies instead of the more common scythe like claws that gave the species its name and are referred to as Blaster or Blast Crabs.
Name: Tera Mites
Backstory: Living in huge space faring hives with trillions of individuals, Tera Mites are a self-participating backer race in the Death Fields circuit that view the games as vital for their life development.
Their vast empire is also the main supplier of new human warriors to the Death Fields circuit, which ironically lead the Tera Mites into an ongoing conflict these last few centuries with American Expeditionary forces.
Humanity outside the Death Field circuit has no idea what they are dealing with as they have only seen the first 4 basic life stages: egg, larva, the claw wielding breeder stage and the warrior stage. After being laid, eggs are motion sensitive after 2 minute can burst into acidic liquid near lifeforms 3 feet away.
The egg stage lasts only an hour at which point they enter the aggressive larva stage after hatching and attack anything that moves including each other. If they survive that stage they enter the breeding stage, which is when they start to attack in more organized groups.
Those that make it to the warrior stage seem to have more intellect then the breeders and molt their claws into bio guns that either shoot acid to destroy targets or a sticky gel that immobilizes enemies depending on the diet of the Tera Mite.
However there are at least 2, possibly 3 stages beyond warrior: elites who have tool using hands and higher than human intellect, lords who have psych powers and lead campaigns, and the legendary seventh stage immortals that are said to run the hive fleets in cabals.
Name: Fred’s Rowdy Kricket Gang
Backstory: Fredoucus Esetitra is a huge Death Fields fan so much so they became a participant. They are also one of several semi-disembodied sixth dimensional consciences that act as brains for the mindless Kricket race that travels the galaxy.
Nicknamed Fred by the other teams and even the sponsors, the first “individual” encountered by mankind of Fred’s kind called itself Jimmicus Kriqetus, so the insect like drone race was dubbed Krickets by mankind in its honor and the name stuck.
The Krickets act under Fred’s orders in the games and over the centuries Fred has learned how to use every life stage of the Krickets as a weapon of war, from turning eggs cresses into minefields of carnivorous hatchlings to upgrading adult Krickets with bio grafted energy weapons, his strategies make him one of the most beloved team captains in the circuit for fans.
(Note: Yes it is cricket misspelled on purpose😉)
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@Hudson Adams
Looks like I missed the contest. (Had no internet for a few weeks).
Shame. Have a decent idea.
Fun Fact, Russian for Cockroach is "таракан" or transliterated "Tarakan" (pronounced like "Terra" (earth) "Khan" (Turkic, Mongolic, ruler title).
The name works on a couple levels. It means cockroach in Russian. Tarakan also sounds intimidating to the English speaker and suggests a species trying to conquer earth (Terra-Khan).
I would have the bugs coined "таракан/Tarakan" after the siege of New Petersburg.
"On (date that makes sense in DF lore) the Neo Soviet Ship Nikolayev, blaring a distress signal across all channels, docked with the Neo Soviet Colony of New Petersburg's space elevator. The first customs party and emergency workers found a severly damaged ship, decimated crew, and then violent death.
Within 16 hours the new alien threat was on the planets surface and the Siege on New Petersburg began. Over 11,000 of 27,021 colonists were killed in the first week until a defensible perimeter was formed. For all the aliens savagery they had no heavy weapons and could not carry properly defended bulwarks. A seige of horror and starvation began. The brave defenders of New Petersburg fought off constant alien forays but the enemies of thirst and hunger became a bigger threat. Death became accepted and commonplace as hunger took thousands. Eventually only starvation rations were available for combatants. Civilians ate rats, leather, wood, and eventually each other. Disease also ran rampant through the weakened population.
Sublight travel is slow and a relief force did not arrive until day 912. An international force comprising the Neo Soviet 42nd Guards Brigade, 6th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and the 3rd MEU USMC fell upon the alien siege lines from orbit. Three weeks of hard fighting by the relief force saw the alien threat eliminated at the costs of 32% casualties. Of the original 27,021 colonists of New Petersburg 4,348 remained. A further 751 colonists would die in the next few months from the lingering affects of starvation.
It was perhaps inevitable the Russian speaking colonists would name the previously unknown aliens таракан (Tarakan), Russian for cockroach."
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@JTam
Totally forgot about as a matter of facts... thanks to my professional current agenda.
Gonna store all my ideas about the "Leaping Fleas from Tarkus V" to my "Eureka" Files.
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@Hudson Adams
And/or the bugs are coined "Tarakan" by the Death Fields Team "Female Soviets in Space!!!!"
All Female Soviets in Space!!!!
The "Female Soviets in Space" will henceforth be referred to by the name given to them by their Raumjager opponents: "Ivannushka." This is just the kind of bastardized Russian that Eastern Front veterans with a smattering of the Russian language would come up with. "Ivan" is of course slang for all Russians on the Eastern Front. "Nush" and "Ka" reflecting "affection" (sarcastic or otherwise) and "female."
"The alien died hard. Ryadovoy Irina Nikandrova, Anna Levchenko, and Mariya Timofeyeva delivered bursts of fully automatic fire while slowly backing up. The alien screamed and shook. "Flamer!" bellowed Starshiy Serzhant Nadezhda Rokossovsky as she circled to the creatures left. Ryadovoy Luba Gnilitskaya hustled up and played a long gout along the aliens body. It screamed louder and fell. Rokossovsky gave a satisified grunt, "Well done Tovarishch."
The second alien crashed through a window and into Ryadovoy Anna Levchenko. Anna's head flew through the air. Timofeyeva drove her bayonet into the creatures side and had her left leg lopped off at the knee for her troubles. The alien drove a foreleg through Timofeyeva's abdomen, pinning her to the ground and causing her to produce an inhuman shriek and gurgle. Starshiy Serzhant Rokossovsky strode forward cursing, firing her sidearm and revving her chain sword. The beast cut short Timofeyeva's shrieks and then hurtled towards Rokossovsky. The Starshiy Serzhant raised her sword point as 300 pounds of alien crashed into her. Her teeth rattled, her vision dimmed, and blood filled her mouth from her bit tongue, as she grimly held onto the blade chewing into the shuddering creature above her. Nikandrova stabbed her bayonet into the creature's side again and again. Gniliskaya drew her sidearm and worked to find an angle that wouldn't hit her comrades. As the alien drove it's hind pincer through Rokossovky's leg she simultaneously gave a final convulsive push of effort, driving the sword further up. The beast died.
"Suka!"
"Get this suka off of me!" the Starshiy Serzhant demanded in a shaking voice. Her remaining Soldiers labored to push the heavy corpse off of her. Rokossovsky breathed heavily as Nikandrova worked over her supine form, applying a tourniquet to her torn leg. Gniliskaya watched outwards while pulling security with her flamethrower. Rokossovsky turned her head to the right trying to rest. Ryadovoy Anna Levchenko's dead blue eyes stared back at her. Levchenko's head had come to rest no more than 10 feet away, with the smouldering corpse of the first alien not more than 10 feet past that. "Suka I hate the Tarakan" breathed Serzhant Nadezhda Rokossovsky."
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@JTam Nice picture, pinched for my Rusky file, cheers Tam.
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@Geoff Maybury
Cheers!
Plenty more Russky goodness here:
and here:
https://wargamesatlantic.com/community/xenforum/topic/49886/suggestions-for-new-soviet-kits
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I went a different direction with the overall theme and name. I went with more to the primal zerg/TNG "Identity Crisis" theme rather than go with the GW nids, starship troopers or the Aliens xenomorphs. For the name I went back into Navajo mythology and the twins that slayed monsters to make the land safe for humans.
Enjoy.
Nayénzgan Warriors
The Nayénzgan (alien god slayer or monster slayer) were named due to their discovery amongst ruins of alien civilizations. In the death fields circuit, they are the apex of regular season matches. Their ability to absorb the tactics and DNA of their opponents through possession by the smaller pupa spiders enables them to respond to the rosters of the other teams. Short term possession results in the host being manipulated to irrationally support the Nayénzgan as half-blooded hosts. Long term possession rewrites the DNA of the host to turn them into full blooded Nayénzgan warriors and able to further develop organic weapons if the host's equipment is insufficient. Most alarmingly is that the pupa spiders can become Nayénzgan warriors by consuming a wide arrangement of alien plants without the need of a host.
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@JJ McClure Thats pretty cool. It reminds me of (though not exactly) the movie "The Relic".
Which was a pretty good movie. The plot being the ancient Incans or Mayans (or Oltec or Aztecs... its been a while) fed this plant to animals or people that changed their DNA. Making them chimeras or hybrid monsters. It is a short term thing though as the monster has to eat more of teh plant or dies... but is also able to live eating the human Thymus. The ancient (whichever people) would unleash them on their enemies, wait until the creature eventually died, then move in to claim the lands.
An archeologist finds a relic baring strange pictures that depict monsters. He sents it back to the museum he works for There is a crack in the relic on shipping and a lizard that hitched a ride in the crate eats soem of the preserved plant that was in the relic... and then bites and infects one on the museum staff... creating a hybrid monster that stalks the museum.
Anyway. Good movie. I recomend if you havent seen it. And I do like your bug background.
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@William Redford
I saw that movie. Although I think it was called Prometheus ;)
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Congrats to the finalists!
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