Vehicle Names?

[Wassa]

I'm finally painting the scrolls on the side of the vehicles with the Chimera chassis, but I don't actually know what to call them!

(Do people do this with pen?)

 

 

Does anyone have any good names? Preferably for Catachan vehicles.

[our_baz]

I use Egyptian gods for my vehicles.

[Quixus]

I use Egyptian gods for my vehicles.

Horus?

[our_baz]

 

I use Egyptian gods for my vehicles.

 

Horus?

Except that one!

[MARK0SIAN]

I always imagine Catachan names for things would (out of all the AM regiments) most closely resemble the real world ones used by American military from WW2 onwards. Quite fearsome but with some humour thrown in too. Harker calls his heavy bolter ‘payback’ for example.

 

Maybe google some historical examples for inspiration.

 

Failing that the catachan names we already know of for various things/characters use quite hard edged sounds: Fang, Devil, Harker, Straken that are 1 or 2 syllables. So maybe try similar words.

[Wassa]

I like the idea of Egyption gods. I only knew a few of them!

 

 

Looking up Tank names has been very useful actually! I found a Tank name generator that listed some, here are a few I like:

 

Viper

Scorpion

Slayer

Volcano

Inferno

Terror

Chtulu

Panther

Scythe

Tormentor

Spirit

Bandit

Impulse

Quake

Cyclops

Dragon

Dawn

Beast

Storm

Mastodon

Judgement

[Bjorn Firewalker]

My suggestions:

 

"Canned Heat", in honor of this Vietnam War-era gun truck:

http://www.alu.army.mil/alog/issues/janfeb06/Story_Images/images/ph221-4.jpg

 

"Painmaker", which can also be used for a Hellhound or Devil Dog, as it's a brand name for a hot sauce:

 

"Meat Mallet", after the cooking utensil. In-universe, you can say the Chimera earned this nickname through the way its uncomfortable seats "tenderized [passengers'] meat," or after it crushed a Tyranid beneath its tracks.

 

"Midnite Meat Train", after the horror film. (I simplified the spelling of "midnight" because a Catachan-born guardsman has better things to do than spellcheck- fighting for survival being one of these things.)

[Stofficus]

My names tend to be a bit on the grandiose side, and/or match the nature of the vehicle: 

 

LR Annihilator - "Ilumination"

LR Punisher - "Buzzsaw" 

Tank Commander - "Fer de Lance," (speartip)

3rd Ed LR Battletank - "Old Reliable" 

 

I have also taken to adding a bit of graffiti myself, such as on the rear of the tank "How's my driving?" or under the front hull HB, "Look here for photo flash" 

[The Titanz0r]

I would suggest developing a theme to give your army. I like to develop a backstory and imagine a narrative for where my army came from and what they've done. This will make it easier to name your vehicles, units, and characters. For example, I've named my Chimeras after classic story characters, but tried to keep a military designation naming convention (Alpha, Bravo, etc.). I've got four Chimeras named Alice Wonder, Black Beauty, Cindy Lou Who, and Dorothy Gale. This follows the naming of alpha squad, bravo squad, etc. while also giving them some more character. As though the men themselves named the vehicles they're assigned to, as it's notionally their home.

 

My Leman Russ tanks, which I've got in a Tallarn Spearhead detachment, I've given them Norse figure names, to differentiate from my Steel Legion Battalion. My tank commander I've named Loki, and the three Russes are Fenris, Hel, and Jörmungandr. I like the idea that the commander sees his subordinates as his children, while trying to evoke some fearsome mythology.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I suspect there's at least one Catachan tank named "Raging Robbie", in honor of Guilliman. I also suspect the Ultramarines and their Primarch do NOT approve of the nickname.

 

I'm sure more than one Catachan tank has a vulgar name, e.g., "Hard On Seats".

[GuardDaddy]

Do not allow British Public to vote on this - you will end up with this.

 

Leman Russ - Gun Tanky Tank?

[Inso]

Catachan have always been viewed as 'baby ogryn' so you could take that through to the way they would name things. I'd definitely suggest keeping it simple.

 

I reckon they'd go for mocking death, choosing animal names and making simple references to their cultural icons... especially their knives.

 

Sawtooth

Razor

Hacker

Slasher

Black Steel

 

Devil

Claw

Crusher

Spiker

Cruncher

Squasher

 

Green Eater

 

Die Easy

Die Hard

Too Busy to Die

Kill the Reaper

Reaper

It's just a Scratch

Darkness

[Harrowmaster]

My vehicles are named in two strains;

 

Those named by High-Command/Army Group Command:

 

Thesius

Helios

Orion

 

Those named by the crew:

 

Bullet Hose 

Crusher

[Bjorn Firewalker]

My vehicles are named in two strains;

 

Those named by High-Command/Army Group Command:

 

Thesius

Helios

Orion

 

Those named by the crew:

 

Bullet Hose

Crusher

I'm sure there are tanks that use both names, with those "by the crew" being nicknames. (For comparison, note the battleship USS Missouri is nicknamed "Mighty Mo", while the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is nicknamed "Big E".)

 

A tank named "Helios", after the pre-Imperial sun god, is surely nicknamed "Scorcher", for the effects its weapons have on the enemy.

[Harrowmaster]

 

My vehicles are named in two strains;

 

Those named by High-Command/Army Group Command:

 

Thesius

Helios

Orion

 

Those named by the crew:

 

Bullet Hose

Crusher

I'm sure there are tanks that use both names, with those "by the crew" being nicknames. (For comparison, note the battleship USS Missouri is nicknamed "Mighty Mo", while the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is nicknamed "Big E".)

 

A tank named "Helios", after the pre-Imperial sun god, is surely nicknamed "Scorcher", for the effects its weapons have on the enemy.

 

 

Not quite in my case, there's only one name per vehicle (easier to keep track of), for those named by the crew it's usually a case of al official records re: High Command Name being lost or one not being assigned in the first place. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

 

My vehicles are named in two strains;

 

Those named by High-Command/Army Group Command:

 

Thesius

Helios

Orion

 

Those named by the crew:

 

Bullet Hose

Crusher

I'm sure there are tanks that use both names, with those "by the crew" being nicknames. (For comparison, note the battleship USS Missouri is nicknamed "Mighty Mo", while the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is nicknamed "Big E".)

 

A tank named "Helios", after the pre-Imperial sun god, is surely nicknamed "Scorcher", for the effects its weapons have on the enemy.

Not quite in my case, there's only one name per vehicle (easier to keep track of), for those named by the crew it's usually a case of al official records re: High Command Name being lost or one not being assigned in the first place.

Does High Command only name "hero" tanks, e.g., command tanks, Baneblades and other superheavy vehicles, Vanquishers and others with rare technology?

[WarriorFish]

If you don't have a naming convention already, for example inspired by the themes of your regiment, then a good option is to let them earn names in battle. Great deeds and heroics can give them a fitting name that they will live up to in future games ;)

[Wassa]

My friend plays Thousand Sons, was thinking about giving the unit that kills magnus an extra Skull transfer after each game :)

[Harrowmaster]

 

 

 

My vehicles are named in two strains;

 

Those named by High-Command/Army Group Command:

 

Thesius

Helios

Orion

 

Those named by the crew:

 

Bullet Hose

Crusher

I'm sure there are tanks that use both names, with those "by the crew" being nicknames. (For comparison, note the battleship USS Missouri is nicknamed "Mighty Mo", while the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is nicknamed "Big E".)

 

A tank named "Helios", after the pre-Imperial sun god, is surely nicknamed "Scorcher", for the effects its weapons have on the enemy.

Not quite in my case, there's only one name per vehicle (easier to keep track of), for those named by the crew it's usually a case of al official records re: High Command Name being lost or one not being assigned in the first place.

Does High Command only name "hero" tanks, e.g., command tanks, Baneblades and other superheavy vehicles, Vanquishers and others with rare technology?

 

 

All but one of the command tanks, the Shadowsword and the rarer variants, plus an LRMBT or two that have been around since the regiment's latest founding. Anything that comes in as a reinforcement later (and isn't a super heavy or something like an executioner), tends to just get named by the crew as more often than not it's literally just a vehicle that was picked up somewhere else. 

[walter h]

My ship was the U.S.S. Peterson, the official nickname was (Proud Pete) ,but the Boatswains called it the ( Painting Pete), for the constant pass  time.

[librisrouge]

You can never go wrong with some faux Latin, I mean High Gothic. The more over the top, the better.

[Inso]

If you don't have a naming convention already, for example inspired by the themes of your regiment, then a good option is to let them earn names in battle. Great deeds and heroics can give them a fitting name that they will live up to in future games

 

I like this idea a lot. 

 

What better way to name a tank... than for it to create its own name?

[WarriorFish]

The downside is sometimes it takes a while :P

[Quixus]

The downside is sometimes it takes a while

It is probably quicker with AM tanks than space marine vehicles :P

[micahwc]

Real world examples I can remember off the top of my head for artillery pieces. Each piece started with the letter corresponding to the battery it belonged to, Alpha battery had Almighty, Bravo battery had Bacardi 155 (don't let the crew name your piece if you can avoid it).