For Backers Only: Faction #1 Leader Naming Poll

Huge reveal this afternoon, folks. You've seen the news, right? If not, here's a cross-post from the Planetary Annihilation blog:

That's right -- we're letting you guys help us name the first (of four known) faction leaders in the PA universe. Above are the options. Feel free to throw out comments, questions, or ideas as you vote, too. This is all about you guys, the community, and you getting the opportunity to leave a footprint in this game.

The faction naming thread is here. The symbol thread is here. Voting ends on September 26, 2013.

Cool I love this story! Wait does that mean we are going to have faction specific units?
Also are we allowed to add other names to the poll...I like the name Brutux but Invictus is also cool

I would love to see Terminus chosen! It's symbolically awesome! Terminus was the planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, home of the Foundation. Given that the whole series has to do (in the end) with robots, I think it's a VERY apt name!!

I like Terminus as well.... But that made me think of tetris right away. Kinda odd.

Dominus of the imperium!

Dominus feels rote so I voted for Scipio

Kind of like Scipio, but the others feels to generic for me.
Talking about greek/roman mythology, and combined with an eagle/wings, Iqarus is a rather neat name and has some reference behind it.

Fitting logo for him/the faction: (Maybe just the "A", or at least the wing shape around it)

Hmmm... Not an easy choice. Dominus, "master", is perhaps a bit too obvious for my tastes. Invictus could be interesting, but the Commander has quite clearly been defeated at least once, which would go in opposition to that word's meaning. Scipio is definitely the most historically rich name of the lot, but he was painted as being fair and sympathetic, which doesn't fit with the pride and arrogance being depicted here. Terminus would imply some sort of finality which I just don't see.

I think after some pondering that I'll go for Invictus.

I like "Valdor" as it goes nice the the Title.. Emperor Valdor.. powerful, but still a bit mysterious.

Technically, Invictus also can mean "Unconquered". Since nobody owned the planet (Sounds a lot like some kind of MAD was in effect), that definition is technically true.

To be honest, though, I voted for it because "Commander Invictus" rolls off the tongue quite nicely, emphasizing authority while also holding a hint of malice.

I have one question, and one question only:

Why isn't the name "Czar" available? That's like 3 different references in one.

Voted for Invictus.

Personally
- Terminus; Terminator (cliche)
- Scipio (despite being a brilliant general, this name makes me think of snakes and subterfuge).
- Dominus; Dominate, bit clichéd too. Too transparent.
- Invictus is what I voted for; a hint of "victor" but also of anger or violence - "In-" as in infuriated, intolerant.

I picked Invictus just because it sounded the coolest. Yeah.... I know, bad reason.

By the way, the article says he was looking at "burning wreckage". Wouldn't "burned" be more appropriate? Or was that wreckage burning for countless ages. Or did they actually just get out of that battle a couple hours ago? I know, I'm nitpicking

I'm liking the original name. Dominus. Rolls off the tongue, sounds sinister, and the definition seems apt for the ruler of a Romanesque Empire of the described nature.

I think the leader should be Nero. He could be a strong leader but with a crazed devotion, the player wonders if he is sane or driven by an unending urge to kill. Constantly drifting the cosmos to conquer his enemies, or perhaps simply to feel the engine grease drip between his fingers. He gets a rush from the feeling of the last spark if life fleeting from his victims. But non are the wiser to his deranged motives.

Sorry I know that isn't what you requested name choosing wide but I think it is a valid idea. Would kind of cross between evil and ruthless to powerful and idolized

Baah! I picked the least popular answer in both polls. Looks like no Scipio for us.

For those who care, I don't read Latin, my knowledge of its terms and conventions come from taking Spanish in high school, and a more general interest in Rome and Carthage and that time period in general. I just thought I would offer up the meanings for these names for the people who were curious, but not curious enough to look on Wikipedia.

Terminus- end point of something, like a road, also refers to a border, for the same reason. It could be abstracted somewhat to mean simply 'the end', which is probably why the word terminate has this as a root.

Keeping with the boundary meaning, this could actually be a really cool name, especially if used in a battle cry along the lines of "I am the end of the line!" or "I am Terminus, none may pass!"

Scipio- This doesn't actually mean anything, it was the name of a number of Romans, most notably Scipio Africanus, likely the most famous Roman who lived during the time of the Republic. He was known for beating Hannibal Barca at his own game. During the Second Punic War, Hannibal marched his army around Italy, keeping the legions isolated enough that they couldn't stand against his forces. Instead of fighting near Rome, Scipio built an army of his own and sailed for Carthage, forcing Hanibal to follow, where he was beaten in the field. Another Scipio, Scipio Africanus the Younger, was the leader of the Third Punic War, in which Carthage was burned to the ground, her citizens were massacred or taken as slaves, and the ground was salted so nothing would ever grow there again. There wasn't any real reason for this, Carthage wasn't much of a threat anymore, the war only happened because the Romans f***ing hated Carthage.

While the most flavorful and historical, I think this name is the least appropriate, because of the vast gulf of time that separates this faction from Roman history. Then again, if they remember Rome or Latin at all, then Scipio is probably one of the three names they are most likely to know, the other two being Gaius and Augustus Caesar.

Dominus- literally owner or master. As time went on, it became more of a title, as in, the title for the emperor. Apparently, this term is the origin of the word in various languages that mean 'sir', as the term became more of an honorific than referencing anything specific.

I don't really have much of an opinion on the name Dominus, it seems like the weakest of the bunch, simply because it could go in so many different directions.

Invictus- unconquered, but more in the sense of invincible. Interestingly, the official sun god of the empire was called the Unconquered Sun (Sol Invictus), so the term actually has shades of omnipotent within it's meaning.

Going a little off the rails here and using some inductive reasoning, it isn't hard to suppose that when the word invictus was used to describe something, they were ascribing to it the permanence of the gods themselves. Which I think sounds very appropriate for a robot that dug itself out of a mountain of ash and built an army of followers by repairing his fellows.

Because Czar is what the Russians called their emperors. Tsar and Czar are different language words for the same title. Though your question is valid, why isn't Caesar an option? Possibly the devs were thinking more Roman Republic and less Roman Empire?