IDEA: Rename the Rebels factions (was re: Undead & Drake

[irrevenant]

I noticed looking at units.wesnoth.org that the Undead and Drake factions are the only factions whose names solely consist of the races that compose them.
This is slightly confusing, and also a bit dull. The other races all have flavourful names like "Knalgan Alliance" or "Rebels".

I propose giving the Drake & Undead Factions more flavourful names that clearly distinguish the factions from the races.

Some example possibilities:
Drakes:
* Empire of Flame
* Drakan Empire
* Flame Dominion

Undead:
* Dark Horde
* Dread Legions
* Fallen Ones

If people (and particularly the Devs) think it's a good idea to change the names at all, I'll open a brainstorming thread to discuss what those names should be.

[zookeeper]

I'd rather not change Undead at all, because undead are not, even in the default era, a single even semi-loosely united entity (as opposed to loyalists, rebels, etc). Undead would fight each other just as likely as they would someone else, so I think it's appropriate to refer to them "as a race" in this context. If there was an era where (mostly) all the undead were united under one banner, then sure, their faction could have a different name then, but nothing would indicate to me that this would be the case with the default era.

[irrevenant]

I'd rather not change Undead at all, because undead are not, even in the default era, a single even semi-loosely united entity (as opposed to loyalists, rebels, etc). Undead would fight each other just as likely as they would someone else, so I think it's appropriate to refer to them "as a race" in this context.

That's a very good point.

It'd still be good to distinguish between the race and the faction though, since the faction includes humans and bats as well as Undead.

Perhaps there's a collective term that doesn't imply unity? Something that implies a chaotic rabble rather than an organised force.

How about "The Dark Plague" or "The Blight" or "The Cursed Ones"? Those terms don't imply cohesiveness.

[Velensk]

I have always like the idea of the Drakes being called the <x> Brotherhood but have never been able to come up with a better X than Reptillian

[thespaceinvader]

Dracon Brotherhood? I'd go with Draconian, but it's a bit long, and has undertones which might be incorrect.

I like the blight for the undead.

And overall, this seems like a good plan. if anything, i'd vote for changing 'rebels' and 'loyalists', too. They're very generic terms, unlike the Knalgan Alliance and (to a lesser extent) the Northerners. Maybe some reference to what they're rebelling against/loyal to would be good.

[Blarumyrran]

:/

iirc i have brought the same thing up at least twice, but renaming ideas tends to get lost in full-power brainstorming&spam. i dare predict the same will happen here.

iirc i used to support brotherhood too, but now all the drakes are going female + brotherhood would refer to a very small group, which a whole faction isnt, so not anymore.

as of the drakes,
Reptile Hegemony?
Scaled Hegemony?
Flame Hegemony?
Drakish Hegemony? (this one suggesting drakes are the hegemons over saurians)

'cause i think hegemony as a faction name would rock.

[thespaceinvader]

I'd say the only problem with Hegemony is that VERY few people know what it means, i think. I certainly only have a vague idea.

[Blarumyrran]

I'd say the only problem with Hegemony is that VERY few people know what it means, i think. I certainly only have a vague idea.

knalgan actually DOESNT mean anything at all; hegemony is still better than that, no? not to mention, BfW is mildly educational - eg orcish slurbower got a description talking about what a slurbow is.

[thespaceinvader]

Knalgan is a name, not a descriptor - in this case, the word concerned would be 'Alliance', as in the Knalgan Alliance, named for the city of the dwarves, Knalga.

For personal preference, i'd steer clear of Hegemony, but that's just me. I don't really know the politics of the drakes (are they a monarchy, republic, anarchy, tribal society etc etc etc?) so i can't suggest a better alternative.

[Iris]

I'd rather obscure with asterisks the word "drakes" from the thread's title, so that turin does not find it.

[turin]

Drakes: "The Collection of Absurd Reptilianish Creatures" has a nice ring to it, I think.

Undead: "The Blight" sounds cool.

[Iris]

Dang. He found the thread anyways.

[Ken_Oh]

I think The Blight sounds too much like a unified group. Though, perhaps the ones within the MP faction are a unified group of general undead.

Anyway, I think Necromancers or something that denotes that the group is employing necromancy would be better. Whether or not any specific unit is actually undead, animating the dead is what sets the faction apart from the others.

[Noyga]

I would probably like to chage the "Rebels" name first.
It's a reference to HttT, but the faction actually have large differences from what you have in HttT, and outside of this it doesn't make any sense *.

It think "Undead" describe whell what is in the faction even if a few units aren't, but would be naturally associated to them (Dark adepts, Necromancer, Bats...)

For "Drakes", it would be a good idea IMHO, but i have no good idea for the name and it doesn't bother me much, the current name is OK for me since saurians are inferior counterparts to the Drakes (probably with an inferior status in the "Drake" society).
So if someone comes with a better name, why not ? But it's not something mandatory to do.

* That's why i renamed it to "Sylvans" in EE

Edit: better explain my opinion about the "Drakes" faction

[Iris]

Sylvans is quite a good name, and would make some inspiration for whoever is working on the elven race description.