Some more German Name help

[Operator5]

What would be a suitable pulp-German name for a Robot Corp.?

[Poliorketes]

With WW2 in mind, "RFG Roboter-Fabrikationsgesellschaft", which means "Robot-Fabrication Company". Us germans where always fond of making long names with shortforms, like "DWM Deutsche Waffenmanufaktur" or "BMW Bayrische Motorwerke".

If you prefer to use a Surname or geographical Name (town, state), that's completely OK:
"LFRS Landshuter Roboter-Fabrikationsgesellschaft Schicklhuber & Cie"

Another popular German form of naming companies is by amalgamating the names of the owners / subject etx. So our Landshuter Roboter-Fabrikationsgesellschaft Schicklhuber & Cie might be called Larofa (though this sounds more like chemistry works - but you might choose another Names combo that sound more martial). A famous example is Haribo (the inventor of gum bears) wich means Hans Riegel Bonn (hans Riegel is the founders name, Bonn is the city of production)

Edit:
If you want a fun name, use "CRAP Cöllner Robot-Automatenproduktionsgesellschaft" or "Robbi Roboterfabrik Bielefeld".

[Operator5]

I like these.  :love:

Now, what would you name a division of these in military terms?

[Poliorketes]

Roboterdivision, as Panzerdivision. You might call the vehicle a Roboterkampfläufer (robot war walker), Kampfroboter (Fighting Robot) or Roboterkampfgerät (robot fighting machine), but the Division would have a shorter name. Panzer was equally a shortform of Panzerkampfwagen (armoured fighting vehicle).

Many rulesets use a SdKfz-number for german war walkers. SdKfz means Sonderkraftfahrzeug (special motor vehicle, literally special powerdrivestuff), and it's not quite right for a walker even if manned as a walker walks, and a Kraftfahrzeug drives. For a Robot this is even worse, as it has no 'driver'. You might use a SdKfz-number arguing that the german gave one to everything moving except horse carts, or you can give it a V-Number similar to the rockets (the V in V1/V2 meaning "Vergeltungswaffe", "Weapon of Revenge"), as it's more futuristic and neither a robot nor the rockets have a driver/pilot, or you can go with the airplanes and give it a manufacturers Number (Me 262 meaning Messerschmidt Model 262). I prefer the V-number, maybe starting from 100 as one Robot, made from Deutsche Wertarbeit (german quality labour), is worth 100 GIs .

[Poliorketes]

For companies names - the company should of course include the name Rotwang. I wouldn't change the name Roboter for Maschinenmensch (machineman), though, as nobody in germany calls them so any more. Don't know what I'm writing about? Watch Metropolis!

So here's my suggestion for a company:
"RoRoG Rotwang Roboterfabricationsgesellschaft" RoRoG sounds martial enough to make the Tommie wet his pants :twisted:

The Robots I would call Ro-1, Ro-2 and so on, Ro for Rotwang and Roboter.

[PeteMurray]

The Robots I would call Ro-1, Ro-2 and so on, Ro for Rotwang and Roboter.

"Why the boats?" the new guy asked.

Goddamned new guys. Always with the questions.

"What boat?" I asked around my cigarette.

"The rowboats painted on the gun shield. There are six of them."

"Really?" I said. "I never noticed."

Sarge pounded me on top of my helmet and I crouched down in a sulk in the halftrack's bed, on top of a new crate of AP rounds.

"Kill markers," said Sarge. "Robots."

"But why the boats?"

"It's cause the way they're named. The Krauts call 'em Ro-2 or Ro-3 or something. Short for who makes 'em, some real jawbreaker of a name. So we call 'em Ro. Hence the boats."

The new guy looked blank.

"Row, row, row your boat," I sang. "Gently down the stream,"

The new guy looked bewildered.

"It helps to time the shots when you sing," I added. "Halftrack moves on 'Row' and stops on 'Stream.' You got until the third 'Merrily' to fine-point the gun. Fire on 'Dream.'"

[KeyanSark]

We are rewriting history here... I love it!  :mrgreen:

[Poliorketes]

That's a good one, Pete.

"Mon Dieu!" Pierre said, as he saw the mess at the 'arbour. "Trés bien, les Anglais 'ave liberated us, but why do they shoot at our fishing boats calling them Ro-Boats?"

[Westfalia Chris]

Oh, great thread! Maik pretty much summed it up...

On the "SdKfz" thing, I wouldn´t use a similar term for "man-sized" robots at all, but for larger stuff, you might consider "SdKgz", which I used for my various Panzer Kämpfers: "Sonder-Kampfgehzeug", which would translate to "Special Combat Walking Apparatus/Device".

On abbreviations: The letter "V", apart from the more popular "Vergeltungswaffe" connotation, was predominantly used to denote experimental aircraft, "V" standing for "Versuchsmuster" (experimental vehicle), followed by a number. Usually, this was used to denote specific aircraft, unlike the U.S. American "X" and "Y" denominations for experimental and trial craft, which denote the aircraft make - aircraft serial numbers being used in that case for specific ID. For example, "Ju-287 V1" would denote the first trial machine of the Ju-287 series of aircraft.

Another abbreviation to use might be "z.b.V", "zur besonderen Verwendung", which was used to denote detached troop elements on special assignment, ranging from special forces used in a commando role to the justly infamous and abominable "Sonderkommandos" which followed the front from Sept. 1st, 1939, and commiting ordered atrocities. So if that doesn´t deter you, the original military use of the term legitimates it use for this.

The manufacturer names are spot-on. I´d suggest deciding on a place of manufacture, and then add "Automatenwerk(e)". Looking for funny acronyms, of course. For example, "Rothenburger Automatenwerke" (Franken and especially Nuremberg being a prime manufacturing area of technical toys at the time) could point at the actual combat prowess of their product...

Finally, one might use minor norse deities as namesakes for robots - the "superiors" being reserved for big stompy robots. Maybe use the three norns for three patterns of robot. That might be most interesting for devices not manufactured by the established "military-economic complex", but by the SS and their ilk.

[PeteMurray]

Six weeks in France and the New Guy still hadn't figured it out.

"I got another one!" he yelled, whooping and waving his helmet around like a moron.

I looked over at Sarge, who was turning purple. Before I could get a cigarette out and lit, the angry fisherman was coming up from the village, shouting at us in French.

[Poliorketes]

::

[KeyanSark]

@ Chris & Poliorketes...

Is "Kraftrrustungtruppen" a suitable name for a power-armoured trooper?

Thanks!

[Westfalia Chris]

@ Chris & Poliorketes...

Is "Kraftrrustungtruppen" a suitable name for a power-armoured trooper?

Thanks!

If you spell it correctly: "Kraftrüstungstruppe", then it´s correct for "Power-armoured Troop". "Trooper" would either use "-truppler" or, better, "Kraftrüstungsschütze" or "Kraftrüstungssoldat".

[Poliorketes]

Or -mann.
Stormtroop = Sturmtrupp(e)
Stormtrooper = Sturmmann
Taht wopuld make him a Kraftrüstungsmann.

BTW, if you don't have an 'ü' ue an 'ue', it's basically the same.

[Operator5]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I'm just putting some minor touches onto the second set of scenarios for Super Science Tales.

Besides Terror of the Metal Menace, I'm doing a mini- Weird War II setting in the book that will put Wehrmacht soldiers against Russian Power armor and Robots. The Germans, cut off from Germany are trying to steal a suit of the Russian power armor in order to fight through the Russian robots and make their way home.

No evil Nazis this time, just some tired German soldiers looking to stay alive.