The Team Covenant scum tokens are some of my favorite tokens for X-Wing. They are larger than the standard tokens, which helps their visibility. They are easy to see on the table. They are intricate, but subtly so. Well crafted and distinctive, they are an excellent addition to the game. I personally use them over the FFG 1 ^st party prize tokens.

But the Scum tokens hold a secret. The symbols around the perimeter of the token aren't meaningless decoration. It's Mando'a. This is the language of the Mandalorians. A warrior people, their most iconic warrior was Boba Fett, the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. A people that brought the Republic to its knees multiple times, they are rightly feared. Their language is almost warlike itself, with slashes and angles and the letter 'e' is just straight up a dagger. Here is the alphabet:

The Team Covenant Scum token set comes with three token types. It's a beautiful set and works well for the game. It comes with three main tokens. The Target Lock set, the Evade token, and the Focus token.

First, we shall take the evade token. Deciphering the text required magnification due to reading alien script. Such magnification resulted in slightly blurry pictures, so forgive the fuzziness. A warrior must know when to stay on the defensive. Only when protected from danger can a warrior muster the resources to launch a devastating attack on the enemy. Only a fool discounts protection entirely as an army solely focused on offense would quickly be wiped out.

Any attempt and understanding this text is made easy when it is noted that this is repeated three times around the edge of the tokens. Transcoding the text from the Mando'a alphabet provides use with this:

“ Verd ori'shya beskar'gam. ”

And here we discover our next hurdle. The text isn't simply English transcoded in the Mandalorian alphabet, but actual Mandalorian. However, Mando'a is not a full and complete language, but language fragments. As such, it's not possible to be fluent in the language. So, this text has to come from somewhere. A bit of searching and we find a translation:

“ A warrior is more than his armor.”

An appropriate sentiment for a warrior. Armor preserves the warrior but that act does not, itself, win a battle. A soldier's actions are what sway the course of events, armor merely ensures that such actions are not cut short. So too with the Evade token. The token does nothing to destroy enemy ships unless you are Kir Kanos, but no one loves him . An Evade token preserves an asset so that it may itself deal damage or otherwise sway the battle.

The next token is the Focus token. The most versatile token in the arsenal, it may be use to assist in attack or defense, but only once. Further, it is ephemeral, vanishing at the end of the round whether used or not. Settle down, Kyle Katarn, we know your ship is special and we are all very impressed, but we need you to stuff it .

Sorry it's off-kilter. One might call it 'Cockeyed'

We find no repetitive text here. The entire token is a single line of text. Further, we continue to run into the problem that the alphabet is more subtle than the manufacture of the token allows, so detail is lost. After much painstaking work, I was able to transcode the text to the following:

“ Kom'rk tsad droten troch nyn ures adenn. Dha Werda Verda a'den tratu.”

This passage is found in the Mandalorian Battle Hymn 'Dha Werda Verda.' A rousing battle song first appears in the game 'Star Wars: Republic Commando' as 'Rage of the Shadow Warriors.' The text translates to:

“ The gauntlet of Mandalore strikes without mercy.

We are the rage of The Warriors of the Shadow”

This quote is quite apt for the Focus token. The first line easily explores the dichotomy of the Focus token as an offensive or defensive tool. A gauntlet is an armored glove. It is principally designed to protect the critical limbs of the wearer. But they are also brutally effective to increase the damage from a strike. Rage is often an emotion of laser focus, either in defense or offense, and this too is reflected in the focus token. Quite the appropriate quote. Here's a link to the song itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSe4oXluWrc

Which brings us to the Target Lock token. A warrior people would gravitate to offense in many cases. Being able to destroy one's enemies is the key to war and knowing when to be aggressive can be the difference between victory and defeat. Here is a closeup of the token pair:

Note that the text is the same on both of the Target Locks, making the translation job easier. The problem with this set is that the text is so tiny that the text is even more difficult to decipher. The text is repeated twice. Knowing that the previous two tokens were pulled from existing sources made the transcoding easier. I was able to isolate a couple words, then I went searching Mandalorian phrases for that text. Finally, I verified the remaining words against the phrases. Through this dual directional work, I was able to transcode the text to the following:

“ Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur.”

This was by far the most difficult of the transcodings due to the diminutiveness of the text. Still, once I was on the right track it was not difficult to translate the phrase:

“ Today is a good day for someone else to die.”

An eminently appropriate phrase for the Mandalorians and for the Target Lock token. Used exclusively for offense, because no one uses the R7 Astromech anyway , this token is designed to ensure that the target is destroyed. This action can either be used directly to increase damage from an attack by rerolling, by allowing the ship to launch a more devastating attack with ordnance, or both. A brutally direct phrase for a single-minded action.

Conclusion:

The Team Covenant guys are awesome. Their tokens are excellent. They have put much attention to detail in the tokens, with each set matching the flavor and themes of the faction it is designed for. Adding Mandalorian phrases to the tokens didn't take much effort on their part but such small details enhance the product immeasurably.

Edit: I am hesitant to link directly to a product. These can be found in the Squad Token section on the teamcovenant.com store.

All that coolness, and no link to buy them.

All that coolness, and no link to buy them.

I didn't want to link directly to a product on the FFG official forums. Just go to teamcovenant.com and look in the Shop for Squad tokens.

Thanks for your translation efforts! That is a very cool bit of extra fluff on the tokens, and I might just go out and buy some

Ship tokens, now with more Karen Traviss.

As cool as this this, it also reminds me intensely of LotF's Special Snowflake Army.

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Thanks for your translation efforts! That is a very cool bit of extra fluff on the tokens, and I might just go out and buy some

They really are worth it. It's nice to add a bit of flair to the table and it supports a good group of guys.

How cool is that!

This makes me wonder if they would be able to do custom ones....something with the unit motto's I was part of

Very nice tokens. Might have to head on over and have a nose

This makes me wonder if they would be able to do custom ones....something with the unit motto's I was part of

They might be able to work with you, especially if it's going to be for a group order instead of a one-off. They are good guys.

I've got my eye on a whole lot of Team Covenant tokens and templates- as soon as I have the disposable cash for it.

We will see if I get around to doing the same analysis of the Imperial or Rebel tokens. They too have secrets.