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Miniatures Adventure => Call of Cthulhu => Strange Aeons => Topic started by: Uncle Mike on 09 August 2010, 05:17:18 PM

Title: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Uncle Mike on 09 August 2010, 05:17:18 PM
I working up a new classification of Lurker. Alien. Basically anything that is not a Daemon but not 'earthly' would fall into this category. My ideas include: Mi-Go, Moon Beast, Moon Man (not really mythos...but still pulpy!) and Great Race. Any Ideas from yous guys?

Also, what about a byakee? More of a daemon?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Wasp on 09 August 2010, 05:41:52 PM
Byakee, I think an Alien...

Other Aliens could be:

Star Vampire or Yithanier


Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Steve F on 09 August 2010, 08:09:34 PM
Quote
   
I Say Alien...You Say...?


(http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz62/SteveFlanaganUK/2010%20-%2008%20-%20Aug/Thesiger.jpg)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: pixelgeek on 09 August 2010, 09:38:21 PM
How about calling them Otherworldly instead of Alien? Sounds more like a mythos term to me than Alien. 
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Cory on 09 August 2010, 09:56:25 PM
I agree with pixelgeek, the name "Alien" carries with it popular cultural concepts that don't always evoke a Mythos feel.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Sheerluck Holmes on 09 August 2010, 11:26:30 PM
I agree with the others above - to me alien is either a Grey or an acid drooling nasty that bursts out of your stomach in deep space.

can we add Dimensional Shambler to the list? The Shambler in the second book isn't really the same thing.

Also, any on the interesting beasties from CoC could make the list - servitors, flying polyp and so on:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_Mythos_species (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_Mythos_species)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: D@rth J@ymZ on 10 August 2010, 12:04:03 AM
How about calling them Otherworldly instead of Alien? Sounds more like a mythos term to me than Alien. 

I second that.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Mr. Peabody on 10 August 2010, 12:26:00 AM
Yup. Of course many of the GOO's and their servitor species fall into that category. However, it makes a load of sense and sets a solid foundation for any future 'alien' activity within the game.

Get those MiGo brain-cases warmed up for interstellar flight!
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Cory on 10 August 2010, 12:31:33 AM
After mulling it over, my only suggestion would be something like "Visitors from beyond the stars" or even just "visitors".
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: PushStudios on 10 August 2010, 07:13:11 PM
I agree that Otherworldly is far better then Alien, but I like Cory's suggestion of Visitors even better.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: pixelgeek on 10 August 2010, 08:59:37 PM
I agree that Otherworldly is far better then Alien, but I like Cory's suggestion of Visitors even better.

Visitors are something you want in your house...  :)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: PushStudios on 10 August 2010, 09:04:37 PM
I play Lurkers frequently, Visitors ARE something I want in my house ;p
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Mr. Peabody on 10 August 2010, 10:19:11 PM
Shall I put on the kettle? The Visitors are here again. ;D
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Uncle Mike on 10 August 2010, 10:27:00 PM
Well, I guess the name is up for grabs...anyone else got any good ideas? So Far the choices are:

Alien

Otherworldly

Visitor

None quite seem 'right' to me...
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Dolmot on 10 August 2010, 10:32:43 PM
Outsider?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: LidlessEye on 10 August 2010, 11:36:19 PM
Hmm, I'd suggest 'extraterrestrial', but it seems a little too sci-fi.  Unearthly?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Dolmot on 10 August 2010, 11:59:39 PM
Or maybe Cosmic?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Mr. Peabody on 11 August 2010, 04:12:42 AM
I like Cosmic!

Leaves itself open to some juicy sounding compound creations e.g.: Cosmic-undead. Certainly a class above your bog-standard terrestrial undead.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Uncle Mike on 11 August 2010, 04:56:17 AM
I'm leaning toward 'Outsider'...'Cosmic' sounds a little bit hippie for me.

Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: PushStudios on 11 August 2010, 06:30:39 AM
Cosmic doesn't work for me simply because it lumps everything into a space feel, and that was the whole problem with Alien, and then adds a layer of cheese on it.

Outsider is probably the best bet but I thought I'd also throw out Transient, Extraplanar (possibly still too space-y) and, to play on the games name itself Stranger.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: P_Clapham on 11 August 2010, 06:46:34 AM
Demons of the Outer Dark?   ;)


That may be a bit too Sword & Sorcery.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Dr. The Viking on 11 August 2010, 07:11:56 AM
Quote
I say alien.. you say

Space cretin!
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Tsune on 11 August 2010, 07:20:32 AM
May be entities or beings.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Relic on 11 August 2010, 10:15:01 AM
May be entities or beings.

I would vote for these, especially "Entity". Outsider just doesnt "feel" right.

"Oh my god! What is that creature?!?"
"Dont worry it´s just an outsider.."

:P too comical for me.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Black Cat Bases on 11 August 2010, 01:22:37 PM
How about intersteller entity  ???
Ben
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: richarDISNEY on 11 August 2010, 03:00:43 PM
Ousider is a good one...
Or Otherworldly....

Nix the alien...  I expect either Grays or Geiger's Aliens...
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: LidlessEye on 11 August 2010, 05:36:59 PM
Or we could just be extra Lovecraftian and call them all "From Beyond".
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Malebolgia on 11 August 2010, 06:20:03 PM
Yes, I like From Beyond the best. It's mysterical, vague and lets you fantasize about...the beyond! 8)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Sheerluck Holmes on 11 August 2010, 11:38:36 PM
Or we could just be extra Lovecraftian and call them all "From Beyond".

Give this man a VC from petty cash!
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Christian on 12 August 2010, 07:51:10 AM
What about something with the word "aether"... or is that too VSF?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: starkadder on 12 August 2010, 08:31:23 AM


or to mix up the linguistic forms a little: bas-dimensionals (which when used informally would make them Bahdies)

Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Smillie on 12 August 2010, 09:01:18 AM
My neighbours  :) ;)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Michi on 12 August 2010, 09:07:35 AM
Yes, I like From Beyond the best. It's mysterical, vague and lets you fantasize about...the beyond! 8)

Beyonders?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Mr. Peabody on 12 August 2010, 04:36:48 PM
This is a tough nut to crack, innit?

The best route does seem to be to take inspiration from Lovecraft's lexicon of descriptive menacement thus keeping one foot firmly in 'our' yard while leaving some ability to explore and invent other space-borne bedevilment.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: D@rth J@ymZ on 13 August 2010, 09:23:20 PM
Beyonders

(I agree with Michi on this one)
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Uncle Mike on 13 August 2010, 11:13:44 PM
Hmmm...(strokes chin)...I like 'From Beyond' best so far. May be 'not quite right' as it is two words instead of the usual one...
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: fairoaks024 on 13 August 2010, 11:23:04 PM
Intruders?

regards

jim
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Bobble on 14 August 2010, 09:12:08 AM
Intruders sounds a bit too much like Invader for my liking and that just brings forth images of pixellated ships moving left to right and right to left etc.etc lol

How about The Inbetweeners or The Distant Ones?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Blackwolf on 14 August 2010, 12:06:23 PM
Tho' I don't play Strange Aeons, 'from beyond' or 'those from beyond' get my vote,has the right HPL feel. I toyed with 'them' however I kept thinking of the Texan 60's garage punk song by Them (yes the same band sans Van Morrison),'A dirty old man at the age of sixteen'.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: starkadder on 14 August 2010, 01:01:32 PM
This is certainly not a criticism of these suggestions but possibly an indication of why no-one's come up with a satisfactory option.


What the hey? Why not just call them "fooglypterrghs" or some similar back-of-the-throat Lovecraftian word? That way the translation can be anything you want.



 
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Blackwolf on 15 August 2010, 10:29:51 AM
This is certainly not a criticism of these suggestions but possibly an indication of why no-one's come up with a satisfactory option.

  • "Them" sounds like a bunch of giant ants. And do they become "They" when they're doing something hideous?
  • "Inbetweeners" sounds like Justin Bieber's natural audience base and that's scarier than anything a hack like Lovecraft could create.
  • "Intruders" sounds alarmingly like a product that might be acquired in a brown paper bag from Madame LaBonga's House of Obedience.

What the hey? Why not just call them "fooglypterrghs" or some similar back-of-the-throat Lovecraftian word? That way the translation can be anything you want.



 



My dear Starkadder ,I was being ironic......
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: starkadder on 15 August 2010, 12:31:56 PM
Ah, irony, my esteemed Greywolf. My shirts often need a good irony.

I do wonder why the Un-nameable needs to be given a name, though.

Is it just the failed logical positivist in me?
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Blackwolf on 15 August 2010, 12:34:54 PM
And that's an oxymoron,you clever fellow lol
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: twrchtrwyth on 05 September 2010, 01:40:14 AM
Un-Godly
Un-Earthly
Other wordly
NOTEs-Not Of This Earth, (agent slang).
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: starkadder on 05 September 2010, 02:05:23 AM
I could be wrong but twrchtrwyth seems an excellent option. The spelling alone should snap the sanity of any self-respecting non-Welshman.
 
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Colorcrayons on 06 September 2010, 10:30:54 AM
I am partial to 'Outsider'.

It may be the best synonym for 'alien' you may ever find that evokes a sense of 'not of this world' or 'from beyond' within the context of the genre. Best of all, it is quick and easily identifiable.

Singular, subjective common nouns such as 'outsider' which are simultaneously concrete and abstract are much more succinct than adverb prepositional phrases such as 'from beyond'.


Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Uncle Mike on 07 September 2010, 01:10:07 AM
Now that I do like!
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: bc99 on 07 September 2010, 03:59:20 AM
I am partial to 'Outsider'.

It may be the best synonym for 'alien' you may ever find that evokes a sense of 'not of this world' or 'from beyond' within the context of the genre. Best of all, it is quick and easily identifiable.

Singular, subjective common nouns such as 'outsider' which are simultaneously concrete and abstract are much more succinct than adverb prepositional phrases such as 'from beyond'.




I like Outsider as well,would have to throw my hat in with this one. It brings to mind something from beyond the stars, beyond time; beyond space.

Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: D@rth J@ymZ on 07 September 2010, 08:13:36 PM
beyond sanity.
Title: Re: I Say Alien...You Say...?
Post by: Mister Rab on 08 September 2010, 11:51:57 AM
Unable to posit anything novel, I shall merely add my preference for 'Outsider' to the comments of those above.