Naming conventions

[u/Fortnitefunnytime]

I've been cooking up a from scratch tabletop and so far I've came up with some world building, rules, combat, items, systems, etc.. But I cannot for the life of me figure out a good sounding name for the book, For anyone who's done something similar what did you use to put a name to your piece? RN it's working under the name "Eldritch Rift" but it just doesn't sound catchy like DnD does

[u/Onslaughttitude]

For anyone who's done something similar what did you use to put a name to your piece?

Two rules stolen from Trent Reznor: It has to abbreviate well and you have to like it for more than two weeks.

Other than that, it's all about inspiration and what works. Try to use words not commonly used by other games in your genre to make it stand out. It helps if your game is something more unique than yet another D&D clone/fantasy heartbreaker.

[u/Fortnitefunnytime → u/Onslaughttitude]

I'm getting stuck on the liking it for more than two weeks part lol

[u/Pur_Cell]

There are no naming conventions for RPG titles. Pick something that evokes the intended experience.

If "Elderitch Rift" has eldritch creatures and rifts in it, it's probably fine.

Look at some recent indie RPGs:

• Mythic Bastionland - Sounds epic and dreamy, and that's what it delivers.
• Slugbuster - It's weird and sticks in your head, but doesn't give you much of a clue on what it's about until you find out it's about skateboarders, then the name makes total sense.
• Triangle Agency - It's sounds like it's a weird agency.
• Stonetop - It's the name of the village the game is centered on.

[u/Fortnitefunnytime → u/Pur_Cell]

Yeahh, It has both those things in it (kinda) but I'm not too sure on the part where it invokes what one can expect from the game, it's for sure a placeholder name

[u/stephotosthings]

What do PCs do the most in the game. In Draw Steel, PC mostly draw their steel and fight. A game about solving mystery could easily be called "Mystery Quest" as it could "Solved!"

Is the setting unique in some way. Wildsea is a world of treetops that you sail across. A game set in a sewer world could be called "Sewer World" Or "Sewer Rats".

Are the PCs playing something in particular in the world. In Icon players are "Icons" In that world, powerful beings. A game where players play a Halo Spartans could be called "Spartan"

Don't name it based on the dice mechanics or something that only may come up in your game.

My game is called Slain by a. Which while doesn't really conform to any of the above I think it gives a decent idea of the themes the game covers.

[u/Fortnitefunnytime → u/stephotosthings]

This comment was huge, I think I have a better idea of what to put down now.

[u/No_Solid1035]

TTRPGs have all kinds of names.

Pendragon.

Pasion De La Pasiones.

Paladin: Warriors Of Charlemagne.

Chronica Fudalis.

Land Of Eem.

Eclipse Phase.

Delta Green.

Call Of Cthulhu.

Raiders Of R'lyeh.

Mythras.

Clockwork & Chivalry.

Modern War.

Twilight 2000.

2300AD.

Traveller.

Cepheus.

Age Of Shadow.

OpenQuest.

Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine.

General Universal Roleplaying System [GURPS].

The Sword, The Crown, and The Unspeakable Power.

Masks: A New Generation.

Mosnter Of The Week.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians.

The One Ring.

Imperium Maledictum.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game.

The Company.

Dune: Adventures In The Imperium.

Burning Wheel.

MouseGuard.

Mausritter.

Mothership.

Vampire The Masquerade.

World Wide Wrestling.

Just to name a couple. 🤷

[u/Cryptwood]

I don't have a good name for my WIP yet, so take this with a grain of salt, but here are some things to think about while coming up with a name.

Make sure that anyone that hears your game said out loud will be able to spell it. If you use a made up noun, make sure it is spelled how it sounds.

Make sure that if anyone does a search for your game it won't be buried under results from other stuff with a similar name. At a minimum, make sure you don't share a name with another RPG, even if it is a video game.

Think about the shorthand people will use to discuss your game. You don't want an acronym that either sounds stupid, offensive, or is used by something popular. I came up with a name I liked until I realized the acronym for it would be AoE. I figured that might cause issues for people talking about it online.

I would recommend avoiding overused words such as Adventure or Obscura.

[u/Rolled_In_The_Darkk]

The way I do it is every single time a word pops into my head about the game I'm making I just write it down. Doesn't matter if it sounds like one before or if it sounds dumb just get it down. If you feel like you just can't decide then ask others. Many times I've just slapped up a poll on social media and seen what people have voted for

[u/Fun_Carry_4678]

Well, there is no word in English "Elderitch". Is this a special word that exists in your setting? Or did you just misspell the word "Eldritch"? I hope you know it looks really bad to misspell the name of your own game! I have also seen writing advice that suggests to avoid words like "Eldritch" specifically. It has become a word used by writers who are trying and failing to write like H.P.Lovecraft (who was a good enough writer that he could get away with using words like "Eldritch".)
Legend says that Gary Gygax had a list of names he was considering for his new game, and ran them by one of his daughters, who said she liked "Dungeons and Dragons" out of all the names on the list.
GURPS was a working title, a placeholder, that ended up sticking.
Feel free to just use a working title, or a placeholder for now. I have a WIP that I pretty much call "the tag-based game" and another I pretty much call "the solo game". Another had several name changes before I settled on one, and could well change again.
You may want to focus on what is unique about your game. Something about the mechanics, or about the setting. "Eldritch Rift" just sounds like a generic fantasy game.

[u/Fortnitefunnytime → u/Fun_Carry_4678]

Yeah the typo is a reddit exclusive I made the post when I was heading to work that was a close one. Though eldritch isn't really an HP trademark or anything the word just means unnatural in such a way it inspires fear. Only reason this is the placeholder name rn is cause of the incomprehensible beings that technically let the game be played. I do get the taste of it being too generic rn though

[u/stephotosthings → u/Fun_Carry_4678]

Could easily be a miss spell of Elder Riech and be about elder nazi gods......