February 05, 2008

What's in a name?

Thinking up names is Serious Business.

Domino: I need help thinking up names for the Adevari settlement.

Domino: because corada sounds like a beer.

Adhira: She needs a non-beer related name.

Morgenes: ok, how about: gihness

Adhira: Mor-gihness?

Domino: Grylsch.

Morgenes: or: buhdlyt

Vanth: Pahbzt

Shalooonsh: Grylsch...

Morgenes: yes please

Xygax: Lesgihness, Morbass, Blactan

Vanth: High Nakin.

Domino: Xyngling.

Adhira: Ohhh Xyngling!

Morgenes: emgeedee

Vanth: D'Osekis.

Xygax: Never order a black&tan in front of an Irishman, also, if you'll pardon the seeming non-sequitur.

Domino: You guys are hopeless.

Adhira: Call it Hope!

Xygax: Hefvisen

Adhira: Then it can be like a soap opera town.

Domino: that's actually the best idea I've heard so far. but doesn't really fit their history.

Vanth: make it a 2-word name, like Gol Krathu or Vrun Driath.

Adhira: I like the 2-word name idea.

Shalooonsh: Grylsch-Schlaggah

Adhira: Mor Gihness

Morgenes: Moor Gihness

Domino: Looon, you're my only hope. I need two-word names.

Shalooonsh: Serious about the Grylsch-Schlaggah... or Omi-Yullara

Morgenes: Beh Eer

Xygax: Yager.

Shalooonsh: Gol-Thryzdu

Shalooonsh: (if the thryzyn have anything to do with it)

Adhira: Vrun Hope.

Adhira: It's an elven settlement,

Adhira: Maybe your delves!

Adhira: Vrun Elan.

Vanth: Dar Hopa

Shalooonsh: DOH... Adevari, right! Ha!

Morgenes: Darth Chad

Shalooonsh: okay, let me grind something out, gimme a minute, in scene here

Adhira: Or just Elan.

Adhira: That's classy - it has Elan.

Vanth: Hopa Vari.

Shalooonsh: Abi'situn could work (Dusk of the Land)

Domino: We're probably going to do away or mostly away with the (edited out), though.

Vanth: Elan Vari.

Xygax: Beerbelly

Domino: I want something that sorta translates into "we're tough motherfuckers, and we've survived the worst, and this place is our rock to cling to."

Domino: So, uh, fit that into two words.

Morgenes: kehgger

Adhira: Jager Meister

Vanth: Deh Waryurz.

Morgenes: Kanking Heroes

Morgenes: Serenity

Vanth: Deh Ayteem.

Morgenes: Mehk Guyer

Tiernan: The Chad is Rad

Domino: Someone duct tape Morgenes.

Shalooonsh: Jee eye Joh

Vanth: Bee Esgee

Domino: Dude. Then I can have an NPC named Jinx.

Tiernan: Koh Brawr

Morgenes: Bee Esgee Ray Zoor

Morgenes: oh, I know, call it Chuck

Domino: Elan sounds like a possibility.

Morgenes: oooh, or Bob

Morgenes: Planet Bob

Vanth: Bayoh Bob.

Tiernan: What are we making up names for again?

Morgenes: Degobah

Vanth: the Adevari settlement.

Tiernan: Like NPC names or what?

Domino: It's in the northwest tablelands.

Domino: nah, the settlement itself.

Domino: The original name sounds like a beer.

Vanth: the settlement name itself, it was Coruna, then Corada, but they both sound too much like Corona.

Domino: Corona. I mean, Corada.

Morgenes: Coruscant

Tiernan: Whatever you do, avoid apostrophes

Morgenes: Adevaria

Tiernan: Nothing worse that trying to talk about M'Rhgf'hgashs'hgashd'-smith

Vanth: that sounds like an Iron Realms game.

Domino: Planned to avoid em, yeah. Thinking of going with a two-word name though.

Tiernan: Helm's Deep

Tiernan: Oh wait, LotR

Domino: Everyone will shorten it to one name anyway.

Vanth: Ade Lehmon.

Morgenes: use a name generator, there's plenty out htere

Domino: Are there any "allundean" words that translate to "refuge"

Shalooonsh: yes

Domino: yeah, and they all suck, but it's a possibility

Vanth: there's an allundean lexicon?

Tiernan: Milliways

Shalooonsh: not a whole lexicon, but I believe refuge/safety are covered in the Sun Runner docs, if not I'll configure something

Morgenes: http://nine.frenchboys.net/country.php

Domino: whoa, morgenes rocks.

Domino: Definitely staying away from 'B' names

Morgenes: Utul Marsunas

Morgenes: Iteos Ursor

Tiernan: Nydia

Relleu: that was a weird point in the conversation for me to log in... nine frenchboys.net... definitely staying away from B names!

Tiernan: I googled "latin refuge" and got this hit:

Tiernan: Nydia : NIH-de-yuh : latin "refuge"

Domino: Neat.

Adhira: Wai Tangi

Tiernan: The Chronicles of Nydia

Domino: Good point

Domino: But that would be kinda fun, roll up a scribe

Relleu: I knew a Nidia in school, and I had a Nithia as a student

Domino: Write 'the chronicles of Nydia' and stick it in a library.

Vanth: Ombaal is the (info edited out).

Domino: That's a neat one.

Vanth: and Sejah is (edited out).

Vanth: alternate spelling of Ombaal in same docs is Oombaal

Shalooonsh: in game it's typically Oombaal

Domino: Actually, access to the d-elf tribal documents would be a huge help in writing the Adevari docs, because I want to pull in flavor from all of them, as well as from some of the human tribes, to make up one comprehensive whole.

Domino: A huge mish-mash of previous arm culture, shaken and stirred.

Posted by Domino at February 5, 2008 02:15 PM
Comments

wonderful :)

Posted by: palomar at February 5, 2008 05:15 PM

no wonder you guys couldn't keep the six month deadline.

:X

Posted by: DANCE COMMANDER at February 6, 2008 09:01 AM

You know, there is actually nothing wrong with having cities named after nouns. Not every name in the game has to come from someone smashing their head on the keyboard a few times and then adding a few more vowels for good measure. Free Town, Malik's Stand, Black Wall, Rolling Dunes, etc. Hell, just pull up Google Maps and see all the town names that are named after things. You could also pay homage to the past and have New Allanak New Tuluk, simply Allanak. There is a China Maine, Ithaca New York, and a New York New York.

I am just saying, not every single name in the game has to come from a random word generator.

Posted by: Rindan at February 7, 2008 03:14 PM

I agree with Rindan to a point. If you're going to have these odd names, have a definition behind most of them. Make that definition easily available to the PC populace unless there is a reason for it to have been forgotten.

Posted by: Dalmeth at February 14, 2008 04:13 PM

Just for the record, 99% of the names up there were a joke.

Right now, "Caruval" is the front-runner.

Posted by: Domino at February 27, 2008 11:07 AM