Favorite nusance creature

[ElliottWJames]

Based upon my experiences living up here in the Great White North I'd suggest something like Box Elder Bugs. OK, so the mosquito is Minnesota's state bird, but you can keep them out of the house. The Box Elder Bug is something else.

For those not familiar with these critters insects about 2cm long in the body colored black and dull red. With their six legs making them about 4cm overall. Do not bite but seem to get everwhere. What is more the ships cat will not eat them - even when told "Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle" when ever one appears.

Great for getting into the air-filter system and ruining the crews lives for days on end.

 

[Tanuki]

Originally posted by Elliott James:
Based upon my experiences living up here in the Great White North I'd suggest something like Box Elder Bugs. OK, so the mosquito is Minnesota's state bird, but you can keep them out of the house. The Box Elder Bug is something else.

For those not familiar with these critters insects about 2cm long in the body colored black and dull red. With their six legs making them about 4cm overall. Do not bite but seem to get everwhere. What is more the ships cat will not eat them - even when told "Crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle" when ever one appears.

Great for getting into the air-filter system and ruining the crews lives for days on end.

4 cm?! That's 1.6 inches. If they're the same as the "box elder bugs" I'm familiar with I'd say they're closer to 1 cm.

More info, including the nuisance factor, at: http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/boxelder.html

 

[ElliottWJames]

4cm?! That's 1.6 inches. If they're the same as the "box elder bugs" I'm familiar with I'd say they're closer to 1 cm.

Ho hum, so much for trying to be internationalist and not measuring the damned things.

Yep the picture was one of the vermit!

Fortunately now that things are back to normal here - tempretures in the 'teens F and the first touch of snow they've hidden again.

 

[Tanuki]

Of course 2" box-elder bugs sound much more impressive. And swarms of harmless 6" bugs could really make some travellers nervous.

"Geez, lookit the size of that boar-cat. I think he's gonna charge. Elliott, hand me the shotgun!"

"Ermmm..."

"You mean you used ALL of our ammo shooting at those damn bugs? Hell. RUN!"

 

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

Originally posted by BigBadRon:
As far as nuisances go, I always liked Doyle's Eel from JTAS #15. It was a sort of woodworm that ate metal. Not the sort of thing you want on a starship!

Yah...those are nasty and hard to get rid of ....we called them "Space Herpes" (which if you've seen the BAD movie Icehunters (I believe that's the title) they had Space Herpes....looked and acted surprisingly like Doyle's Eels...I wonder where they got that idea

As for my vote for nuisance creature...one word: GROATS!

 

[trader jim]

Vargr Lice.....shudder, shudder,

Vargr fleas....shudder, shudder, shudder,!!!!

Vargr crabs.....AAAARRRRrrrrrggggggg

your ship infested with all of the above!!!!

NO NO NO NOOOOOOooooooo!!!!!! AAAaaaaRRRrrrrGGGGggg....EEEEEeeeeeKKKKKKkkkkk

 

[GBoyett]

Originally posted by Tanuki:
4 cm?! That's 1.6 inches. If they're the same as the "box elder bugs" I'm familiar with I'd say they're closer to 1 cm.

More info, including the nuisance factor, at: http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/boxelder.html

Looks like what we called Halloween Bugs, because of the color and they come out in October.

 

[trader jim]

trick or treat.....ouch...that hurt......******

 

[vegascat]

Suprising how long this one has lasted.

Binks are a good nusance creature to really mess with merchant types.

1 M high
50 Kg, Slightly chubby
+2 Str, Strong for their size
-2 Int, Bright enough to get into trouble.
Long fur, will shed into air ducts, elecrtical circuits, and fluid recycling systems.
Always travel in family groups, kids under foot.
Pays in mid grade gems for medium passage.
Very inquisitive, can't resist a button or dial.
Can not immigrate to the planet they purchased passage to.
Are considered a dangerous pest on several worlds, illegal to import.
Hunted by the Seanceants for seanceants Rights as cute examples of a saveable species.
They will hire mercenaries to free kidnapped or enslaved relatives, payment in high quality gems.

A small family group will make a 7 day jump quite interesting.

 

[trader jim]

did i miss something here??? what again is a bink??..where is it covered in "Canon"...or not.
who made it up???..sounds like a neat critter...

 

[vegascat]

They are a race I came up with to pester some players who needed some spice in their drab dreary lives. Worked much better than intended, got several games out of them.

By the time the players got rid of them, their ship was needing repairs costing more than it was worth, their cash was gone, Warrants for their arrest on three worlds, bounty hunter contracts on them from Hortalez rt Cie.

They did have the eternal friendship of the royal family of the Binks and were given title to a salt mine.

 

[trader jim]

Hey whos been tracking SAND around in this forum???

 

[lightsenshi]

Mosquitoes.

 

[trader jim]

heres a good question for this board.....which State OR country even......has the biggest nasty meanest hungryest baddess no good human chewing MOSQUITOES in the whole wide world!!!... and why??...any good stories to be used in Traveller??

is there anything GOOD concerning these BLOODSUCKERS??

Ouch Damnit!!!

 

[kafka47]

Northern Canada has the worst bugs, bar none. Not so much for toxicity or disease but their persistance. Because the worst plague when camping is the dual onslaught of Mosquotoes and Black Flies that are often complemented with Bees and Hornets.

Onto the related topic, surely the worst critters would be Virus-inflected cyborg nanobots? That the 3I was experimenting with in its Terraforming experiments, as bacteria was not having a sufficient yield...

 

[trader jim]

how about the flying "hopper" from Starship Troopers...now theres a real nusance!!!!

 

[Nurd_boy]

TRIBBLES.....

 

[trader jim]

yes nurd-boy...i think your right. as old as they are, Tribbles are still the best Nusance critters...how many Star Treck shows were they mentioned in??

 

[Nurd_boy]

Originally posted by trader jim:
yes nurd-boy...i think your right. as old as they are, Tribbles are still the best Nusance critters...how many Star Treck shows were they mentioned in??

I remember at least 2 classic trek episodes, at least one animated trek episode, at least one new generation episode (an enterprise crewperson had a duaghter, she had one, and left it stuck on picards back after giving him a hug at the end of the show (for saving her ofcourse)...and even DS9 (the image of Quark with one ONE his head...)and they where at least mentioned several times in DS9 also....

5-6 times i remember....gotta luv the little squeekers, soo soft, soo pure, soo much the innocient...

 

[trader jim]

i thinkthat everyone who joins the Traveller Forum should be given a free Tribble!!!....just think what the place would look like in just ONE
WEEK!!!!!