Quincey Forder wrote:

And what about a swarmoid? how do you destroy the Swarmoid morph of a ennemy?

At its most basic, there are two efficient ways to destroy any swarm (nano, morph or otherwise). The best thing to remember is that a swarm is effectively a small army. Trying to attack any individual component is useless, thanks to the element of attrition. Instead, you want to either try and take it out en masse utilizing distributed force (explosions, sprays and the like) or disrupt its communications abilities (EMP being the most effective way).

And then there's always a really strong vacuum cleaner. -karma

Even worse for the nanites, they have a much greater surface area compared to their volume than larger structures. The smaller you are, the more risky sticky things are (just look at how insects both fall prey to and use various forms of adhesives). Breaking a sticky molecule requires work not too far below the strength of a nanomanipulator - and in a slime there will always be another one to take its place. Filling air with glue spray is of course a tad annoying for macroscopic people too. But it works great for surfaces, as part of an armour and inside air refreshment systems. In fact, one could make surfaces that act like the mucus membranes in the nose: covered with nano-catching slime and cilia to slowly transport the mucus for recycling. Hmm, nanoprotective slime armor... "Yeah, it looks like snot. It feels like snot. It is disgusting as hell. But this protective suit has saved me several times when we have had outbreaks. When the swarm tries to eat your hab, you don't care about stains on the furniture. I just wish those jokers at ImmuniSys had not added the scent overlay to the suit: when in it, I can smell what it catches. Which is fine for nanoswarms - protean-making-proteans smell like salmon with iron - but you also smell what you touch. Are you aware of how *dirty* the floors here are? Not to mention the chairs..." - Computer Take-Mnuni, Isonautics Nanosecurity Division

Arenamontanus wrote:

Another mode of attack is to gum up moving parts with polymers or molecules with affinity for the surfaces. The right glue spray can be very bad for the nanites, and of course for larger systems like specks, gnatbots or swarmanoids. Just add a bit of surfactant and maybe something reactive that binds to nanotools that might free them, and watch how the nanoswarm turns into sludge.

When I was quite small, my grandmother used to take out hornets with a can of hairspray. I still recall her hosing them down with Aquanet White, watching them buzz around a bit, and then falling to the floor with a faint 'click!' They were then swept up and tossed outside. Just a thought for creative players out there.