Bugs? What kind of Bugs?

[workerBee]

When I was younger I was inspired by Starship Trooper  (book, of course,) and then I ram into StarGuard   and the Dreenoi...    Downhill ever since...    

Since then I have given some thought to "Bugs" and figures for "Bugs" and decided there are (in theory) several possibilities of "Bugs" for gaming that immediately come to my mind.

Type One - Planet Bound Hordes.  The battles are between a native (?) life form like massive Army Ants and the planet bound "Humans" - Mindless ravaging hordes threatening a colony without outside aid (for whatever reason) in a fight to the hilt.

Type Two.  Space faring (lots of possibilities besides technology for that) Melee bugs led by "intelligence" -

        subtype A - Psychic led (Brain Bugs/Queens) Melee based hordes with some "specialist" natural ranged weapon Bugs (acids, poisons, glues, etc.) - one colony or multiple competing/cooperating groups

        subtype B - non-psychic intelligence led (pheromones, audible communications, maybe even technology based communications gleaned from conquered opponents) wiith/without ranged weapons of some kind of technology (Javelins to Blasters possible.)

Type Three.  Space faring, psychic communication, technology using, size of horses, 6 legged, blaster using (similar to FGU's Space Marines rules) Bugs.  Walk on four "legs," shoot with two "arms" figures.

Type Four.  Bipedal weapons using (psychic sub-type A or or non-psychic sub-type B) bugs like the Dreenoi in Starguard.

I am sure you can/will come up with other types of "Bugs" so feel free to toss those out too.

First Question - what do you prefer stylistically for "Bugs" in SF games?

Second - Who makes the figures that best represent "Bugs" as you envision them?

Gracias,

Glenn

Maybe we should try a poll but I am too lazy/busy to do so right now...

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

I did have a tyranid army. I really like the sculpts. I made all my carnifexii and stuff too.

However, if I was to re-do a bug army I would go with what figures I could get in bulk...and Id go for the £1 store plastic type. Ive seen several bucket sets in the local store for £3. Imagine the fun of cutting and posing. I think the way to make them stand  out and not just look like cheap toys would be mainly doing really awesome bases for them. Set a theme and go crazy with it. Id go ruined city, and have fun with girders, bricks, collapsed walls and stuff.

I think conversions like wings open or shut would be fun too, plus lots of leg reposing. I would also consider some light up glow bugs......

[Pirx]

I prefer Type 4.

Love Spriggan Miniatures Spugs. Use them in my own setting.

[Red Orc]

Type Three (subset A) - Vrusk from Star Frontiers: like arthropod centaurs (sort of 'centaurpedes' maybe?), with many (8, checking the illustrations on the net) 'legs', and two 'arms' on an upright torso; they use developed technology, have analytical minds, tend to be very dedicated and disciplined, and are often entrepreneurial - according to the SF fluff. I employ some variation, some of them in my Sci-Fi universe are as far from stereotypical as any person from any human culture that's thought to have particular traits is. One could substitute 'Japanese' in the description of that society and it wouldn't be too far off from a common stereotype, and obviously we all know that stereotypes of humans are just that - so stereotypes of bugs (a speciesist term in my setting!) are also stereotypes (Vrusk as seen by the other species), and there is some variation between individuals.

There were some old Star Frontiers minis, but I never had any. However, Tyrannid Gaunts are fairly easily available, and the ones with weapons can represent Vrusk OK I think. First image is from the Star Frontiers rules, second is just one of the first things Google Images threw up for 'Vrusk'.

[workerBee]

<snip
Type Two.  Space faring (lots of possibilities besides technology for that) Melee bugs led by "intelligence" -

        subtype A - Psychic led (Brain Bugs/Queens) Melee based hordes with some "specialist" natural ranged weapon Bugs (acids, poisons, glues, etc.) - one colony or multiple competing/cooperating groups
      <snip>
Type Three.  Space faring, psychic communication, technology using, size of horses, 6 legged, blaster using (similar to FGU's Space Marines rules) Bugs.  Walk on four "legs," shoot with two "arms" figures.
<snip>

These were pretty close but I think I would prefer type 3  (actual total number of limbs > 4) bugs for a campaign setting but finding suitable figures would be tougher than bipedal "bugs" even today in our Golden Age of Miniatures.

Type 2A originally came to my mind from a fictional work I read int he 1950's.  The idea of immobilizing the humans with "glue" and letting the "hunters" collect them always struck as an efficient but horrific (to the humans) form of warfare.

gracias,

glenn