I've decided to try my hand at indie game publishing.  My first offering is a tactical war game called Formika.  The game will contain a board, cards, dice, tokens; everything you would expect to find in a product on a hobby shop's shelves.

The game will feature several armies of alien ants which wage constant war for their colonies on the planet Formika in order to capture "gene pools" which is the primordial soup they absorb to evolve and expand their empires.  To help me decide which armies to focus on for an initial release, I'm doing a poll to see which are the most popular.  Even if you're not really in to board games, I'd appreciate feedback on the army ideas via comments and a quick vote in my poll.

Depending on final costs, the first release of the game may include between two and four armies.

Atta
Based on leafcutter ants, this army is the most technologically gifted and socially cohesive army.  They march into battle displaying their army standards via holographic pennants over their heads and brandishing beam weaponry.  Thematically they're almost robotic, with smooth and futuristic curves as well as vehicles and tools which interface directly with their bodies.  Mechanically, they are infantry specialists that prefer fighting in wide open spaces to make use of their war machines, generally faring poorly in enclosed terrain.  Their specialty is fortifying key locations on the battlefield to aid in area defense.

Einherjar
These especially aggressive ants take a page from the slave-raiding genus polyergus.  The most mobile of all armies, Einherjar have mastered the unique art of biological gate creation, allowing them to essentially deep strike into enemy territory and fade before a proper defense can be mounted.  They possess an over-the-top viking motif, and specialize in skirmish tactics.  They work very well at attacking on multiple fronts at once, harassing an enemy and then disengaging while carrying off workers to serve as gene pool harvesters.  Unfortunately, they have become so specialized in fighting that they are unable to function well without slaves.  Unless their player is willing to make the precision strikes necessary to carry back enemy workers, these normally-fierce warriors will find themselves starving for genetic material later in the game.

Marabunta
Based on army ants, Marabunta are highly mobile jungle fighters.  Fusing concepts of tribal warriors with a touch of modern military, Marabunta carry weapons consisting of gigantic blades which mimic their own brutally powerful mandibles.  Gameplay-wise, they're adept in infantry and using difficult terrain to their advantage as they swarm forward to attack.  They focus in building a frenzied momentum with constant aggression, but quickly lose their fighting spirit if forced into a defensive position.  Unlike other species in the game, Marabunta don't have a castle (ant hill) to call their own; instead they form a living fortress around their queen, relying on their numbers as well as personal strength to keep her safe.

Mortemedi
Inspired by both the so-called "dracula ants" of the adetomyrma genus and the parasitic fungus cordyceps, Mortemedi fulfills the theme of an undead army.  Mortemedi ants have had their body and minds taken over by a fungus which reanimates corpses and converts them into more subjects for their queen.  Mushrooms and spores sprout from eyes and joints, obviously marking the new recruits.  Mortemedi have the ability to convert terrain into mushroom forests and use them to resurrect fallen allies.  They are a diverse army, with fighters and workers taken from many other species, but find it difficult to excel in one area over another due to the hodge-podge of different ants in their ranks.


Soleno
The red fire ants of the world are represented by the diesel-stained Soleno.  Obsessed with a myriad of biological venoms, acids, toxic mists, and other chemicals, the Soleno are an army thematically steeped in the trappings of WWI era trench warfare.  Their pressurized cauldrons can spray corrosive blasts which tear through defensive fortifications and turn terrain cover into flaming puddles of organic soup.  When pressed, they'll even pump the vile concoction through their own bodies to temporarily enhance themselves (side effects may include cancerous mutation and high yield explosions).  Units include flamethrowing mad scientists and Jack Jumper ants on rocket-fueled pogo sticks.