It always takes me a good 5 minutes to search for a sweet unit name and I usually don't use the same name twice unless placing militia. I found this pretty cool site that loads a bunch of WoW guild names which I use a few different guilds pieced together. Great database for creative medieval names, though some of them are rather silly. We like those, too! :P
http://www.nickyee.com/python/guildname/generator.py (http://www.nickyee.com/python/guildname/generator.py)
I would like to start using names like 4th Darka Infantry, 32nd Light Horse Brigade, etc. Unfortunately they aren't very medieval, but they have a nice cohesive army look.
Seventh Sanctum has a myriad of random name generators for all types of uses. A very interesting site.
http://www.seventhsanctum.com
I don't use random name generators, I prefer to think of them on my own, that way they're mostly unique.
I like checking various random generators for ideas. Sometimes you get stuck and can't think of anything. Running a name generator through 40 or 50 iterations can often give you some inspiration you can build on, even if you don't use one exactly as generated.
I usually name them from where they are from like "Vakreno Vanguard" etc.
I almost always go with "Iltaran Something", with the something being based on the unit and character in question. Cavalry units with high weapon quality and low armour tend to be Iltaran Lancers for instance.
Depends on the noble. Jenred's had the same unit, the Hawk's Vengeance, for years, ever since he named it that after Valgar insulted Edara. Colin generally had some Knight-y kind of troop, at least when he could afford he beloved cavalry. Lucator and Rhennthyl tend to go with some Blood theme. Damian frequently just left his at the default for whatever the troop was, as his head was busy with armies rather than his own unit.
Fred fries chickens as the ancestor of the BM equivalent of the future BM-equivalent KFC's Colonel Sanchez (Is that his name?) Therefore his unit is the heroically mighty Chicken Friars. But recently he has stated that he likes cats, which earned some pointless input from some Himoura in the realm, so now his unit is the almightily heroicatastically mighty Chicken AND Cat Friars (With the exact same capitalization as seen in-game) Dude, no SMA on FEI, so y'all need to learn to chill out a bit. It's a game, and it's not like I'm saying they have KFC hats and sell processed meat. It's all worked into proper Medieval technology.
Monkee is a kung fu monk who is a monkey. As such he leads his fellow kung fu monkeys on a mission to attain bananas, especially the Legendary Banana of Legends. His unit is named Kung Fu Monkeys. Yes, kung fu existed by the time the Middle Ages rolled around. For a couple thousand of years probably. Yes, monkeys existed. And yes, it's Outer Tilog. I'm playing in the realm that has a talking wolf thing as its General/Banker and a hollow skull thing. A literate monkey that knows Chinese martial arts is hardly anything to raise an eyebrow at.
Quote from: Artemesia on January 06, 2012, 11:01:09 PM
Fred fries chickens as the ancestor of the BM equivalent of the future BM-equivalent KFC's Colonel Sanchez (Is that his name?)
No, I believe a Colonel Sanchez is a sexual act, the details of which I will let you look up for yourself...
You're looking for Colonel Sanders, actually.
Huh, well. See, I don't really watch TV anymore, and the few times I do, there weren't many KFC commercials. The most KFC I've ever eaten was in London. But I did know that the colonel's name was something that started with San-
So I went with what came to mind first.
Quote from: Gustav Kuriga on January 07, 2012, 12:41:57 AM
No, I believe a Colonel Sanchez is a sexual act, the details of which I will let you look up for yourself...
You're looking for Colonel Sanders, actually.
The sexual act is a 'dirty Sanchez', actually.
And yes, KFC is Colonel Sanders.
According to urban dictionary, there is an entry for Colonel Sanchez as well.
I just call all my units Personal Guard. If I'm ruler then Royal Guard or some such.
Not big on fancy names :P
My units are all called <Something> Guard or Bodyguard, where "Something" will reflect whatever my position is. Fiduciary Bodyguard for the Banker, Ducal Guard for the Duke, etc. If they have no position, or the name would make no sense, I just go with Personal Bodyguard.
The names of my units always start off relating to either where they were recruited from or what region the knight/lord is aligned to.
However, they change over time to reflect the roles that they fill. For instance, one of my dukes has a unit called simply "Ducal Bodyguard" because the duke literally doesn't leave his city as he holds court constantly, hands out gold, and intrigues in the background. But, one of my other characters still has a unit called "Poryatu Chargers" for his cavalry who he has had for real life "multiple years" and that will always be the unit name as the captain has been involved in multiple RP's and has a +15 leadership bonus.
So it really depends, but having them relate to in game things is more interesting imo.
Quote from: Bedwyr on January 06, 2012, 09:39:24 PM
Jenred's had the same unit, the Hawk's Vengeance, for years, ever since he named it that after Valgar insulted Edara.
I do love continuity. The Hand of Malice has been kicking arse up and down Atamara for years and years now >.<
I like to give them a theme, and if possible a unique name. In Non-SMA the Outrageous Fish are the successors of the Sneaky Darters, after an Ocean travel, while the Bullmen Elite wear their ceremonial Bull-made helmet-and-coat-thingy. In SMA I'm a priest, so no unit yet.
I stick to a main theme for most characters and then reuse them as they feel relevant.
I dont remember most of Ender's old unit names, but he's been using the Death Berserkers as his unit for a long time now. I like to think its the same rabble that just keeps growing or losing random men as time goes on. My Trinity followers, when they've had units, typically use some name referencing that and whatever god they prefer (Judgement of Alluran, Khagister's Wrath, etc). My trader has used the same theme, but with regional variations depending on his locations since I started playing him. It's usually East <Insert Region> Trading Co., though recently its just been Fatmilak Trading Co when he bothers to carry a guard.
A while back I had one of my characters who was the lord of Tepmona just use 1st Tepmonan Guard, and then the number changed every time he recruited a new unit. I think he was somewhere around the 15th Tepmonan Guard when the demons finally slaughtered the poor guy.
I done this in East Island.
During the great Fontan-Sirion war, my character Brock has a unit named "Elves Cannot Pass" :P
On the characters that aren't priests, they still tend to be named after things related to the characters' religion.
Lances of the Divine, Hammers of Light, Templars of Holy Church, etc. Simple, but perfect IC reasons.
Well, people in realm tend to remember the last unit, the last man standing in battle victorious and all. There is only 1 time I remembered my character unit "Elves Cannot Pass" ever lived up to that name reputation, he holding ground in Tabost as last man. The rest of times, the name did not even strike fear into those Elves, called Sirion ;D
My names have the unique flare birthed from the involvement they have with my characters.
I've never have had problems building a name. In Fact, a more challenging question is how I make my character names and the story behind them.
An example is for my naming process for units is
Lullaby Is was once a Assassin, but now sits in Lukon
[A]Lukon's Shadow[L] with some hidden meaning with the letters of course. No true Guild member would not leave a little mystery for others to find out, and just for fun to.
About half of my names are RPed hockeypucked
Like "The Spindles Loyal Guard"
"The Blue Fang Gang"
"Femme's Redbacks"
etc. etc.
Personal titles tossed with colorful group names. Though they still hold plenty of meaning.
Space Marine names. (Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Black Templars, Imperial Fists)
What meaning do you RP for "Space Wolves"? Fat, spacious wolves?
I usually use something like '1st Platoon' unless I feel lazy and just go with whatever the name I get if I don't type anything.
yup lazy is the way to go, unless the recruitment center has a really dumb name, then I rename them.
I tend to name it according to recent events. For example, when Riombarans couldn't help themselves from doing sabotage work when they came to "help" us against the daimons, I called my unit "Riombaran Slayers". :P
I like to change unit names depending on their size, quality, type, blah blah blah. Best one is still "Death [depending on unit type]". For infantry it was Death Dealers, for archers Death Rainers and so on. Another of my copyrighted unit name is Daimon Witch Hunter.
Anything to do with the Foundation Series.
Really? Whodathunkit? :)
I try to relate unit names to the character name or their home region/religion (Spears of Brusus for Kin, Blue Orchids for Lan, Sun Harvest for Seri, etc.) Each character usually gets one unit name, or one name per unit type, unless something major changes in their lives. For militia drops, I do try to come up with something proper and interesting, but I'm not above using the snarky take-that names if the situation calls for it :p
Quote from: Indirik on May 07, 2012, 01:37:50 AM
Really? Whodathunkit? :)
Tehehe, the resemblance must be uncanny. 8)
description rather than names.