"I had this great name for my sci-fi commies..." Topic

Yes, I've forgotten it. The perfect name I knew I would never forget.

I've got two "communist" armies. One is Neo-Soviet, that's easy, that's done.

The "other" faction is from a "workers' paradise" world that is run-down and forced to make ends meet by providing mercenary forces to the highest bidder. Their vehicles are often scavenged from wrecked or abandoned vehicles. Everyone wears drab brown uniforms.

Now they need a name. (And this time, I will write it down!)

Suggestions?

The Rusty Kellies, aka the Keligrad Salvage Workers Protection Collective External Services Unit.

After a line in one of Ken MacLeod's novels – two mercenaries pinned down behind a car, missiles flying overhead, and the new kid finally asks the important question: "Hey, why do they call us Kelly Girls?"

Just call'm REDS !

People's Christian Communist Universal Communes United.

No long meaningless sanitized boring propaganda names. A proper merc army needs a simple and catchy title to sell itself and reflect how badass it is. How about The War Pigs or Red Scorpions (like the Dolph Lundgren Russian Rambo flick).

Cuba ?? :)

Rust Brigade?

Ron

'Peoples' Liquidation Army' is already taken.

Red Dogs given by others and adopted eventually by them.

People's United Program To Enforce Natural Togetherness (PUPTENT)

On a more serious note, Consolidation of People's Militias (COP) aka "Brownies"

If one faction are 'Neo Soviets', why not 'Paleo Soviet'.

After all, one day they may achieve true socialism.
(Or at least that explains why they are taking money in the mean time.)

"The Real Neo Soviets"

Red Brigade or something simple.
28mm is correct, a merc group should have something simple.

Lenins legion
Moscow militia
Rogatka rogues
Pripyat Paramilitary
Kharkiv Korps

Ho Chi Men?
Bob

People's Liberation Army has a nice, catchy ring to it.

Socialist Workers' Strikeforce (and a catchy acronym)?

Many others I can't post here, since I'd be doghoused for 6+ months, so will send a private PM message on those.

Keligrad

I wonder how you would say Keliworld or Leninworld in Russian?

(playing with Google translate)

Leninmir?
Leninplaneta?
Sistemalenin?

"Smash for Cash"

"Will commit uncivil acts for vodka"

Proletariat Protectors or PP for short. "We'd rather waste enemies of the motherland than Vodka."

Planetary Liberation Army seems like an obvious choice (and play on existing forces)

Politkorrektnost' Politsii?

Moonsheviks.

Trying to think of a good space-pun on "Internationale".

Are they actually Russians? Otherwise, Russian sounding names would be silly.

I'm leaning towards Rusty Dogs as the nickname, and The Collective or The Commonality or something along those lines…

Dogs are good. Mao had a flair for overly dramatic flowery language and used to call us the "Running Dogs of Western Imperialism."

He also came up with the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," which was his purge of progressive chinese scholars and academics to "re-educate" them and rid them of corrupting western "bourgeoisie" influences.

So along these lines how about the "Vigilant Watch Dogs of the Proletariat"?

Ironically the word "Mao" in chinese literally means "cat." But that's more Deng's preference in light of his famous quote.

Bolshevistas (Gives a Leninist era and/or Latin American flavor.)
And from above: Leninistas

Red Guard / Red Guards

People's Revolutionary Committee (PoRCers)

Worker's Revolutionary Committee (WoRCers)

People's Interstellar Guard

Aka

Pigs

Trotsky's Tourists.

The Commonwealth.

Seriously, it encapsulates such an organization and it's aims – all things held in common by the citizenry involved. It implies a co-operative nature and structure as well.

Not a suggestion but related:

I once ran a short space-battles campaign where the players named their factions: the Space Romans, Carthaginian Cosmonauts and the Astrogoths respectively

Putinites

SONS OF MARX

Marx Brothers?

Proletariate InterStellorale

Mercenaries but Soviet-based?

Popski's Peoples' Off-World Proletariat Army

Stellar Socialists' Security Brigada

Menshavik's Maruders

Radetski's Roughnecks-"Bugs, Kommissar!! Millions of 'em!!"

Long Range Wealth Redistribution Group-"We Share All That You Have."

Snape's Snaypers

Kommissariate InterSellorale

Deep Purple Dark Druzhina Dragoons

Kommissar Kosmo and Her Lost Planet Proletariate Desantniki.

Running Dog Lackey Horde-Busters.

Master-Chief Kommissar SpartaBorg-we just send him…

The "other" faction is from a "workers' paradise" world that is run-down and forced to make ends meet by providing mercenary forces to the highest bidder. Their vehicles are often scavenged from wrecked or abandoned vehicles.

Kansas?

:-D

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I'll be here all week, try the prime rib, it's delicious!

:-)

I'm leaning towards Rusty Dogs as the nickname, and The Collective or The Commonality or something along those lines…

Those sound promising but maybe the communist angle isn't even needed in that case. It really depends on how the government is structured. Is it closer to Somalia with warlord's running the show? (I like Rusty Dog's but that sounds more gang-like and less communist). Of is there really a powerful central government which has imposed some sort of ideology on the body politic? And does it really operate based on that ideology?

For example, China, nominally communist, is a weird mix of socialism and capitalistic oligarchy with one party rule that operates as a kleptocracy.

And then there's the propaganda angle. It might be a poverty stricken hell but called The Free Worker's Republic.

Back to less propaganda and more simplicity:

The Scavenger Dogs of War.

The War Hounds of Egalitarianism.

The Red Dogs of Fortune.