9th Age Poll: How to name our 9th Age Dinosaurs!

[Mr Phat]

Hey guys! just gonna copy paste a poll im handling (sorry @NIGHTBRINGER )
on the 9th age forum. Would love you guys who aren't over there to chip in !

(please, only answer if you are actually playing or considering 9th age )

"
Hey everyone.

The Army Book team has requested a public vote on how people prefer the names of dinosaurs in the book.
We want a consistent paradigm for how to name things in order to achieve a more streamlined concept, and of course
to give people what they want the most.

What do you prefer:

• Real dinosaur names (e.g. Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops)

No invented names. All dinosaurs will be named after its generic counterpart, and will
no non-existent names will appear.

• Invented dinosaur names (e.g. Stegadon, Bastiladon)

Invented names that attempt to mimic real dinosaur names, by using latin words.

• English names (e.g. Tyrant Lizard, Pale Terror)

More traditional naming as seen in other army books.




Also: when you enter your vote, it is rather important that you also shortly state why you votes as you did.

example:

"I Voted for English names because I am tired of the latin names"
or
"I Voted for invented dinosaurs, because Real dinosaur names would limit future ideas for units."


Please note you are allowed to vote for two options (Only do this if you are equally optimistic about both options)


Thank you all!

Keep up the wonderful spirit!
"

 

[ASSASSIN_NR_1]

I voted for Real and invented, because the english seems wierdly split up. I don't think it would look that great. I mean even though the ancient saurians mount is named tyrannosaurus rex, more often than not, I just say Tyrannosaurus.

 

[Hasael]

Invented, simply cause it's cool. I'm tired of real names that don't really feat.
English is also okay to me.

Hasael

 

[tom ndege]

I'm more for invented names. I think we're talking about invented dinosaurs so lets us invented names... And you can invent some new dinos much easier when you don't have to stick to existing ones... But real names would be ok, too, if you keep the dinosaurs like the real ones...

 

[RipperDerek]

I would much rather have names like these:

• English names (e.g. Tyrant Lizard, Pale Terror)

 

[Mr Phat]

I voted for Real and invented, because the english seems wierdly split up. I don't think it would look that great. I mean even though the ancient saurians mount is named tyrannosaurus rex, more often than not, I just say Tyrannosaurus

but...Tyrannosaurus goes under "Real" and not "english"

 

[Essmir]

I voted for invented because I think it's cheap whit real life prehistoric animals in a fantasy world that also have modern animals, I'm fine whit wingless two legged dragons tho. It would hoever be wery cool if these invented names had a aztec, mayan, incan or other wise mesoamerican sound, like Mixcotal the name for Carnosaurs sinse it's the name of the Aztec god of war or Cuauhlti for rippers as it means eagle. Or completly made up like Tc'xosaur for something.

//Essmir

 

[Lord Grok Of Xillaqua]

I voted for real dinosaur names because they are easier to remember than invented names, especially if they make no sense. Honestly, Stegadon means in latin "roof tooth" which is really poor designation of the dinosaur with giant horns and frills on its head. Besides, why have a model that looks like a Spinosaurus and call it "Sailodon" when most people know it is this particular dinosaur?

 

[Pinktaco]

English names are more "fun" and IMO more characterful

 

[Trociu]

I prefer invented names because :
- they are not exactly miniatures of real dinosaurs. It could be easier to remember, but some of them don't have clear origin. It's not like the boars who are known by almost everyone, and can be easily seen in those bigger WH boars.
- some in the future could be more original than real dinosaurs, using real names could meet dead end
- non English names are making our lizards more ancient and enigmatic

Should invented names be derived from Latin? I think yes because it will connect them more to the real dinosaurs. It will just sound properly if done correctly. Mayan names? There is logic in this, but I prefer Latin

 

[Trociu]

Can't edit on my phone :-(

I also think that English names can be fun, and I would like to see them as title ie Ripperdactyl "screeching death" or something like that

 

[Lawot]

I LOVE the idea of invented names based on Mayan, Nahuatl or Quechua, rather than Latin. It won't conjure an image in the mind of a European the same way that Latin-based names do ("Carnosaur" sounds like something that eats meat, "Bastiladon" sounds like a fortress), but I think it would both bring in some cool non-European ideas (especially appropriate for an army that is supposed to be utterly alien to the "European" races of men, elves etc.) and give our army that much more unique character.
Note that, if the invented names turn out to be cheap (like "Ripperdactyl") or puns, this becomes my last choice. I still sometimes have trouble saying "Ripperdactyl" seriously, and I usually call him "Lord Krow-Ack" to give him some dignity.

English would be fun, because it could both pay homage to real dinosaurs, but give them that little bit of different feel from the real thing.

 

[Kurare]

I voted for invented names for the same reason as many of you, we are talking about a magic world with fantasy dinosaurs, the real ones could work, but to have new names is more original, and fits better IMO.

 

[NIGHTBRINGER]

Hey guys! just gonna copy paste a poll im handling (sorry @NIGHTBRINGER )
on the 9th age forum.

Pollbringer cares not by whom the polls are created, only that they are created in all their glory and splendor!


I voted for Invented Dinosaur names. I think they sound better than the real dinosaur names and add a bit of character to the units/army. I think they also roll off the tongue a bit more easily. My second choice would be the actual dinosaur names.

 

[bhuddiver]

I voted Invented because I like the fantasy/real life break, plus then we can have some very interesting dinos that aren't actual dinos.

 

[Lawot]

Alright, I've thought about this some more, and maybe I'm delving too deep, but hey, this is a nerdy game, right?

I think the naming conventions should depend on how the book is written. In particular, are we going to be seeing the Lizardmen as they see themselves? Or glimpsing them through the eyes of those few Old World explorers who have seen them? The 6th Ed. book, if I recall correctly, had a lot of fluff written from the perspective of explorers, and things that remained mysterious because no human had ever figured them out. The 8th book, though, had a lot more quotes from Slann, plaques, etc., giving us a more Lizardly view of the Lizardmen.
When Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he thought about the perspective he wanted the reader to see from, and how that could be expressed in the way he wrote down different languages. The reader, he thought, would see things primarily from the hobbits' perspective - they are the subject of the story. So things that elves understand, but hobbits don't, are left mysterious, whereas Shire lore is gone into in detail, even though nobody but the hobbits and Gandalf give a hoot. Linguistically, the elven language is left untranslated, because it's supposed to sound foreign. "Westron", the common language of men and hobbits, is the language the book is "in", so all Westron is English. The Rohirrim, though, speak a language related to that of the hobbits, as they discover at some point during the story. So their language is rendered as Old English, so that it feels closely related, but just unintelligible.

All this to say, what perspective will the book be written from? If we see Lustria like an Old World explorer, in poorly-understood glimpses, we should probably have sciencey words (Greek and Latin roots), to make it feel like these names were developed by European scientists, not the people native to Lustria/South America. If we want to see it from a little deeper inside, we should probably have Mayan and Aztec names, things that will sound foreign to most of us, and will remind us that we're in a land and society that doesn't revolve around the Old World. And if we see Lustria like a Skink sees Lustria, then we should probably have English names so that we, like the Skink hearing those names, hear things in our native language. Of course, I say "English", but it might be more accurate to say "host language" or "native language", because they would be German names if the rules are published in German, and Swedish names in Swedish rules, and so on.

 

[Mr Phat]

Very well put Lawot!

It is exactly what the developers are trying to figure out, but it hasnt been put to such detail yet!
Could I perhaps pursuade you to open such a debate on the saurian 9th forum? I think you would conduct it better than I could

I for one would prefere english names, as I want it from lizard perspective, and I fear that the two other categories will be too "look upon from the outside".

 

[tom ndege]

Well... From this point of view I would change my vote for invented and English or lets say casual names...

Something like lizards call the carnosaur "great hunter" and humans say gladidontus or something...

 

[Tlaxbitza]

I voted for invented. Lizardmen are an idea of fantasy in a off worldly place where abnormal things are alive and magical power exists. But, I like the idea your going with so far Lawot. Goes with the direction of questions we should be asking ourselves as a group.

 

[The Sauric Ace]

I voted for invented because I think it's cheap whit real life prehistoric animals in a fantasy world that also have modern animals, I'm fine whit wingless two legged dragons tho. It would hoever be wery cool if these invented names had a aztec, mayan, incan or other wise mesoamerican sound, like Mixcotal the name for Carnosaurs sinse it's the name of the Aztec god of war or Cuauhlti for rippers as it means eagle. Or completly made up like Tc'xosaur for something.

//Essmir

I like this approach, it's giving flavour to the creature in some very unique way.

I would myself go for English names, but invented are cool, too.