Is this world viable?

[Window Bar]

Keep working on the story. If there is some detail of science that doesn't quite wash, that can be dealt with later. (Or never. Scientifically, the structure of Niven's "Ringworld" never did make a lot of sense, but the story was top notch.)

 

[Nik]

IIRC, Robber Crabs, the ones that clamber up coconut palms, are half-way to book-lungs from gills. Give their kin ample time, space, some mutations and more oxygen, plus a whiff of artistic license...

Of course, if you've already gene-eered lots of big bugs, like hypothetically breeding dogs from natural toy-poodle size into wolves and ponies or, um, eohippus unto 'shire', then you're half way there...

Can you make your exchange 'tac-nuke plus bio-war' rather than a full-out MAD exchange ?? That leaves you with hot-spots, but not a 'global Chernobyl' and nuclear winter situation. IIRC, MAD would have a very, very long toxic tail...

 

[ventanamist]

Thanks folks. Yes it was 'tac-nuke plus bio-war' and other stuff. Waged by stable culture with little experience of war but capable of extreme ruthless violence if absolutely necessary.

I think I've decided on scorpions to be my main protagonists. Any creature that looks after its young without eating them must already be pretty bright, and they were pretty big in the distant past. I am impressed by the cockroach but it just doesn't have the same charisma. Possibly ants or wasps with some sort of telepathy to create a hive-mind. I have already used giant centipedes and crabs elsewhere. This scenario is only one or two chapters of the story.

 

[dreamhunter]

What weapons would you use against these bugs? Which ones would be the most dangerous and why? Is there any other stuff you might find in such a world?

To kill an insect, think Insecticide. Other than that, I guess you could also use another carnivorous insect, i.e. its natural predator.