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Treasure Tables is dedicated to game masters, offering GMing advice and ideas since 2005. I'm Martin Ralya, and I've been GMing since 1989 and writing for the RPG industry since 2004.
The Power of Names: Choosing Good Ones
Wed. February 28, 2007
When you’re choosing a name for an NPC, place, sinister ritual or sci-fi gadget, if you nail it on the first try, you usually know it — “That’s the perfect name!”
But what about when you’re naming an important campaign element and you’re not sure it’s the best choice? Here are five ways to make sure you picked a good name.
1. Run it through the mockery filter, just in case. First, rule out the possibility that you picked a problematic name like Dildon, Englebert or Choadar.
2. Say it five times out loud. Important names are going to be repeated often — see if the name can handle it. Just don’t say it too many times: any word will sound silly if you repeat it over and over.
3. Does it sound as cool as it looks? Chances are, you’ll be seeing the name a lot in print, while your players will most often be hearing (and saying) it out loud. Some names work well one way, but not the other.
4. Watch for clichés. Anti-paladin named Darkfyre Synystrus? Square-jawed action hero named Lance Fury? Those are exaggerations, but — especially when you’re pressed for time — it can be easy to fall back on names like these. (And in some genres, like four-color supers, that might be just fine.)
5. Who else has it? This is most important in modern and historical games, where you’re generally using real names. If you name a female NPC Britney, the comparisons are going to be inevitable — and the same is true if your uber-wizard is called Gandalf, of course.
As with any game prep, you can take choosing perfect names too far. Don’t worry about it so much that you wind up paralyzed, unable to pick a name at all. Just give it a bit of additional consideration, and then move on — that extra couple of minutes will pay off.
More posts about: NPCs, Prep, Worldbuilding
Comments
12 Responses to “The Power of Names: Choosing Good Ones”
In addition, try to create only one NPC whose name starts with a particular letter of the alphabet.
Thus only one name that starts with “A” only one that starts with “B” and so on.
(Obviously, don’t name each NPC the party runs into in alphabetical order: the last guy was Dan so this guy is Earl.)
In my experience, this method helps players remember NPC names.
It is not always possbile, like once you have more than 26 NPCs, but it helps. As long as you don’t tell the players that you are doing it they don’t seem to notice.
Is it easy to spell? Because nothing breaks the drama of introducing His Uberness like a name that needs to be spelled out eight times…
In that vein, are you dipping deeply into the stereotypical fantasy alphabet? Superfluous apostrophes, hyphens, titles, etc are the typical offenders here.
Telas
Along Teals’ lines. Does it even matter how it’s spelled as long as players say it correctly?
Nothing drives me crazy like players asking, upon hearing me give the name of an NPC, how it’s spelled.
As long as it helps you pronounce it approximately the same way I just did, it’s spelled any frickin’ way you want to.
(Especially if it’s a name in some odd language which I know how to transcribe and you don’t and thus in which a “correct” spelling would only mislead you anyway.)
Assuming you’re not writing an in-character letter or something. Which, usually, you aren’t.
in my D&D games, i don’t care how players spell names, as long as they can read them back. english didn’t have standardized spelling until the 19th century, why should Common?
(Kafear) In addition, try to create only one NPC whose name starts with a particular letter of the alphabet.
That’s a great tip, and one I’ve never heard before — thanks, Kafear!
As for spelling, that can be a tough one. Some GMs — and some players — really like it when names are spelled properly; others couldn’t care less.
One good solution is to just give your players a list of NPC names. Much like doing the mapping yourself, that removes a lot of the pain-in-the-ass factor — on both sides of the screen.
One of the most useful tips I read somewhere for obtaining a list of names for NPCs (at least in a modern or near future setting), was to pick a movie and look up the crew credits at IMDb. Using the cast would yield too many well known names, but most people have never heard of the guy that was the gaffer.
I once staffed the New Orleans Police Department with the crew from Pink Floyd The Wall.
I had a GM who prided himself on making NPCs with pretentious, hard to spell names… just for the joy of spelling it out to us dummies.
Another thing to watch out for: rhymes. I made up an Egyptian NPC called Marak for a Werewolf game… only to run into a new PC named Tariq! The “Marak and Tariq” chants dominated the session.
For what it’s worth, I do a lot of game stuff online, so spelling eventually matters.
Telas, Picker of Nits
Another thing to avoid the the word “the”
In my experience, the PC’s will cahallenge anything followed by the “the”. Tim the Brave will constantly be forced to lead in situatiuons where bravery is deemed needed. THe first time he fails a fear check, or is in the slightest way unbrave, the name will be mocked.
THanks Telas for reminding me of this one
“In addition, try to create only one NPC whose name starts with a particular letter of the alphabet.”
I’d recommend sound instead of letter. You really shouldn’t throw out “Barak” because “Bennett” was already used. OTOH, you want variety in the sounds. A good way to ensure that is to vary that inital letter. And of course, don’t have 4 brothers that all start with the same letter, only varying the vowel–unless you want to emphasis something about the personality of the parents that named them.
How about joining in 2 existing famous names that sound good?
I myself have created a name which I really fancy: Galahad(from the Arthurian Tales) + Legolas(the famous elf) = GALAHAS(my elf ranger)
Ok, many say I just changed the D for S..but whatever! Galahas sounds good and different! at least not cheesy! huahuha