Names for Story Games
November 19, 2015 3:06 PM Subscribe
272 pages of names[PDF] suitable for almost any improvised game or story: names for biker gangs and surf guitar bands, names for gnolls and gun molls, names for Swedish smugglers and names for Shetland Islanders, names for Miskatonic students and names for people who are almost, but not quite, British. All names arranged in twenty-item tables for D20 convenience.
The Story Games Names Project was produced as a group effort by the Story-Games forum. There's a free app version of the book available for Android.
The Story Games Names Project was produced as a group effort by the Story-Games forum. There's a free app version of the book available for Android.
Yay!
posted by anotherpanacea at 3:41 PM on November 19, 2015
posted by anotherpanacea at 3:41 PM on November 19, 2015
The Martian names are ungraspable by human minds, it seems.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:53 PM on November 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:53 PM on November 19, 2015 [2 favorites]
Would you prefer the Tlingit names on page 243 which are ungraspable by the editors?
posted by Diagonalize at 4:00 PM on November 19, 2015
posted by Diagonalize at 4:00 PM on November 19, 2015
Oh, this is magnificent! Best of the RPG web!
posted by prismatic7 at 4:11 PM on November 19, 2015
posted by prismatic7 at 4:11 PM on November 19, 2015
Page 258... "Ways Owlbears Spend an Evening"
I love this.
posted by jason_steakums at 4:56 PM on November 19, 2015
I love this.
posted by jason_steakums at 4:56 PM on November 19, 2015
This is awesome. I love it.
posted by not that girl at 6:02 PM on November 19, 2015
posted by not that girl at 6:02 PM on November 19, 2015
Okay, I lost it at "Debian." Well played.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:22 PM on November 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:22 PM on November 19, 2015 [1 favorite]
Installed the app. The best kind of app, helpful and a fun time waster.
posted by AugustWest at 11:05 PM on November 19, 2015
posted by AugustWest at 11:05 PM on November 19, 2015
This is probably awesome, but blocked at work. Favorited! Thanks!
posted by Harald74 at 12:32 AM on November 20, 2015
posted by Harald74 at 12:32 AM on November 20, 2015
You can also purchase the book at cost from Lulu.
This was a fun crowdsourced project - I set up the format, got a bunch of contributors, and Tom Sawyered some folks into doing art and layout. Originally it was a fundraiser for the Carter Center, which is why there are weird ads throughout.
posted by jmstar at 5:12 AM on November 20, 2015 [7 favorites]
This was a fun crowdsourced project - I set up the format, got a bunch of contributors, and Tom Sawyered some folks into doing art and layout. Originally it was a fundraiser for the Carter Center, which is why there are weird ads throughout.
posted by jmstar at 5:12 AM on November 20, 2015 [7 favorites]
I will use the hell out of this list. Too often I find myself stuck on naming the random NPC the players are talking to, leading to one memorable moment when the players asked the name of the noble giving the quest hook, and I said "Oh, crap...ton! Crapton Fusille!"
posted by Gelatin at 5:33 AM on November 20, 2015
posted by Gelatin at 5:33 AM on November 20, 2015
They are also available as individual files, in .pdf and .txt, which is how I use them.
posted by jmstar at 5:39 AM on November 20, 2015
posted by jmstar at 5:39 AM on November 20, 2015
Big, fat thank you from my Shadowrunners for this.
posted by butterstick at 11:32 AM on November 20, 2015
posted by butterstick at 11:32 AM on November 20, 2015
Would be interesting to see a version with connotation & contextual tags. ie
<name type="Given">
<text>Gunnar</text>
<gender>Male</gender>
<culture>Norse</culture>
<period>Archaic</period>
<roles>
<role>Warrior</role>
<role>Companion</role>
</roles>
<connotations>
<connotation>Active</connotation>
<connotation>Strong</connotation>
<connotation>Brave</connotation>
<connotation>Friendly</connotation>
</connotations>
<AllyChance>65</AllyChance>
</name>
<name type="Given">
<text>Eustace</text>
<gender>Male</gender>
<culture>English</culture>
<period>Archaic</period>
<roles>
<role>Civilian</role>
<role>Nemesis</role>
<role>Antagonist</role>
</roles>
<connotations>
<connotation>Passive</connotation>
<connotation>Weak</connotation>
<connotation>Coward</connotation>
<connotation>Antagonistic</connotation>
</connotations>
<AllyChance>10</AllyChance>
</name>
...but I can see that being controversially culturally normative. That said, it would also give anyone using this for game dev or whatevs the power to selectively invert or ignore various cultural context categories at a whim, which could also be cool.
posted by Ryvar at 3:26 PM on November 21, 2015
<name type="Given">
<text>Gunnar</text>
<gender>Male</gender>
<culture>Norse</culture>
<period>Archaic</period>
<roles>
<role>Warrior</role>
<role>Companion</role>
</roles>
<connotations>
<connotation>Active</connotation>
<connotation>Strong</connotation>
<connotation>Brave</connotation>
<connotation>Friendly</connotation>
</connotations>
<AllyChance>65</AllyChance>
</name>
<name type="Given">
<text>Eustace</text>
<gender>Male</gender>
<culture>English</culture>
<period>Archaic</period>
<roles>
<role>Civilian</role>
<role>Nemesis</role>
<role>Antagonist</role>
</roles>
<connotations>
<connotation>Passive</connotation>
<connotation>Weak</connotation>
<connotation>Coward</connotation>
<connotation>Antagonistic</connotation>
</connotations>
<AllyChance>10</AllyChance>
</name>
...but I can see that being controversially culturally normative. That said, it would also give anyone using this for game dev or whatevs the power to selectively invert or ignore various cultural context categories at a whim, which could also be cool.
posted by Ryvar at 3:26 PM on November 21, 2015
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posted by Iridic at 3:09 PM on November 19, 2015 [4 favorites]