I think the harlots have had a good run, but it may be time for them to retire, and for us to seek some new user titles.
Unfortunately, my conversations on that topic have typically gone as follows:
[ic=A typical sequence of events]
The CBG masses: We need some new titles!
Sparkletwist: Any suggestions?
*sounds of crickets chirping, tumbleweed rolling, fingers being shoved up noses, and other such non-answering-sounds*
[/ic]
So, CBG, what say you? Please post your suggestions here! Both general theme suggestions and specific lists are welcome.
I posted ideas here back in September: http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,209358.0.html
Warhammer ideas and below them--> suggested Cadaverous Earth Titles.
[ic]As for titles:
Warhammer 40K titles?
Arbitrator ranks:
Trooper
Enforcer
Regulator
Investigator
Arbitrator
Proctor
Marshal
Lord Marshal
Assassin Ranks
Sell-steel
Shadesman
Nighthawk
Secluse
Assassin
Freeblade
Assassin At Marque
Assassin Palatine
Cleric Ranks
Novice
Initiate
Priest
Preacher
Cleric
Confessor
Bishop
Hierophant
Imperial Psykers
Sanctionite
Neonate
Aspirant
Savant Militant
Savant Warrant
Lieutenant Savant
Savant Adjunct
Preceptor-Savant
-
Cadaverous Earth
Cestoid
Anthrophagoi
Mindgrub
Zerda
Ghilian
Lillix
Geist
Zherer
Bloodletter, The[/ic]
Did we ever do celestial bodies, e.g. planets, nebulas, galaxies, etc.?
Oh i know! use the titles of Bill Peet books! wingdingdilly, smokey, cowardly clyde, huge harold, and so on!
Phoenix idea is pretty good. Perhaps we could add to that, there were a few good ones in LD's post. Mix and match and you get some really cool things.
How many titles are there, anyways?
Hmm.
Fantasy settings.
Ridiculous weaponry. (ranks from nunchaku to dire flail)
as above... but magic! (dire flail of dire dirges)
Classic D&D artifacts (I want to be the Deck of Many Things!)
Pulp novel titles.
Star Wars characters.
Tropes! This could be fun as well as a constant reminder of the pitfalls of our trade.
Randomly concocted vaguely latin-sounding schools of magic.
Cabbage brands.
Plagues.
D&D creatures. (from Dire Badger to Ancient Dragon)
Quote from: Superfluous Crow
[...]
Plagues.
[...]
Sparkbot generated "Diseases" for a topic. If we ever go with that, I demand that new users be called Mumps and the highest title be The Black Death.
Actors who have played Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, Dr. Who, Julius Caesar or Jesus over the decades.
It occurred to me that the Caste System I am using in Cad Goleor (modeled off of the Brehon Laws pretty directly) allows for an appropriate scale. From highest to lowest:
High King
King
Druid
Fliath
Aes Dana
Aire
Céile
Saer-fuidír
Daer-fuidír
I like Crows idea of tropes.
I like the ideas of actors that have played certain roles and classic D&D Artifacts.
I'm not much for the actor idea (sorry). Seems a bit opaque and unrelated to the site.
(the last argument might fall a bit short considering our current harlot titles :p )
Let's just call everybody after different species of turtles. Or cabbages. Though on second thought, there probably is not too many cabbage species.
I'll be sad to see the end of the harlot era, but it's easier to cope with now that I'm no longer a Haughty Courtesan. I already said my most important farewells when I outgrew that rank.
QuoteRandomly concocted vaguely latin-sounding schools of magic.
This is my favorite. I vote that we do this one, but that we're careful to make sure the ranks, when translated, describe the most prosaic styles of magic possible.
Quote from: Luminous Crayon
I'll be sad to see the end of the harlot era, but it's easier to cope with now that I'm no longer a Haughty Courtesan. I already said my most important farewells when I outgrew that rank.
QuoteRandomly concocted vaguely latin-sounding schools of magic.
This is my favorite. I vote that we do this one, but that we're careful to make sure the ranks, when translated, describe the most prosaic styles of magic possible.
I am sick of being a Cheap Trollop :P.
I also support the ida of latin-sounding schools of magic!
I like the AD&D artifacts.
In order of increasing prestige:
thymomancer
oecomancer
xanthomancer
sinistrimancer
vesicamancer
cephalomancer
nutrimancer
tympanimancer
bathymancer
zymomancer
ceteramancer
We could throw some theurges and magi in for good measure to make the titles a bit more heterogenous.
AD&D artifacts sound good to me. Deck of Many Things, Staff of the Magi, The Hand of Vecna, Axe of the Dwarvish Lords....
Quote from: Superfluous Crow
We could throw some theurges and magi in for good measure to make the titles a bit more heterogenous.
Yeah, that's an excellent improvement.
Quote from: Kalontas
Let's just call everybody after different species of turtles. Or cabbages. Though on second thought, there probably is not too many cabbage species.
Actually, there are. Crucifers include brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, mustards and cresses, just to name the most common. Quality cabbages could easily cover the spread even narrowing it down to the genus Brassiceae! (Hell, most of the ones I mentioned are actually the same species. . .)
Quote from: KalontasLet's just call everybody after different species of turtles. Or cabbages. Though on second thought, there probably is not too many cabbage species.
You'd be surprised. Cabbages are one of the many cultivars of the species
Brassica oleracea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea). Other cultivars include kale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale), collard greens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens), Chinese broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai-lan), cauliflower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower), Romanesco broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli), broccoflower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoflower), cabbage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage), Brussels sprouts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout), kohlrabi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi), and broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli). People often use dogs as a good example of genetic diversity within a species, but I think
B. oleracea cultivars have breeds of dogs beat by a mile.
There are several closely related species (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_U) in the genus
Brassica as well.
Quote from: limetomYou'd be surprised. Cabbages are one of the many cultivars of the species Brassica oleracea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_oleracea). Other cultivars include kale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale), collard greens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens), Chinese broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai-lan), cauliflower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower), Romanesco broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesco_broccoli), broccoflower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoflower), cabbage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage), Brussels sprouts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout), kohlrabi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi), and broccoli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli). People often use dogs as a good example of genetic diversity within a species, but I think B. oleracea cultivars have breeds of dogs beat by a mile.
There are several closely related species (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_U) in the genus Brassica as well.
Okay, there's a lot of cabbages out there, I get it.
(who'd have expected so many cabbage scholars on a RPG site... *grumble*)
Haha!
I like most of Crow's ideas. The schools of magic and plagues ones especially.
Cabbage's funny, but seems somewhat ''used''. I think we need something new, a spark!
cranberry sauce
giblet gravy
mashed potatos
cornbread stuffing
turkey (dark meat)
turkey (white meat)
pumpkin pie
Jack Frost
Old Man Winter
Snow Miser
Heat Miser
Grinch
Frosty
Rudolf
Mrs. Clause
Santa Clause
I like the planetary bodies idea and the Cadaverous Earth titles. Could the use of a hierarchy from someone's setting possibly also serve the purpose of getting more people to read them?
Alternate Cadaverous Earth titles:
Zombie
Mori
Geist
Haunt
Ghul
Bricoleur
Eidolon
Shade
Revenant
or
Piranha-Rat
Marrowmoth
Fleshtree
Leechkin
Waxborn
Thanatosphinx
Warworm
Banehulk
Gorgefly
EDIT: Or Clockwork Jungle titles (have we had these before?)?
Cog
Tahr Hunter
Gheen Hemomancer
Rogue Iskite
Umbril Telavai
Fleshless Legionnaire
Abomination
Aras Tay
Elder Wyrm
I like the Clockwork Jungle suggestions.
I don't quite get why Gorgefly would be the top CE level? I thought a Banehulk was more frightening? Or are the titles not in any particular order?
Quote from: Superfluous CrowI'm not much for the actor idea (sorry). Seems a bit opaque and unrelated to the site.
(the last argument might fall a bit short considering our current harlot titles :p )
Those aren't related to the site, just its members. :P
Quote from: Light DragonI don't quite get why Gorgefly would be the top CE level?
Gorgeflies are the giant fly-winged, putrefying insect-angel monstrosities that dire maggots turn into. You're probably thinking of measily little
goreflies, the symbionts of sand-rays.
Ah, that is indeed what I was thinking.
Quote from: Superfluous Crow
I'm not much for the actor idea (sorry). Seems a bit opaque and unrelated to the site.
(the last argument might fall a bit short considering our current harlot titles :p )
I don't necessarily think that the actor idea fits well with the site. Now,
fantasy movie titles (or book titles) could be a different matter.
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Superfluous Crow
I'm not much for the actor idea (sorry). Seems a bit opaque and unrelated to the site.
(the last argument might fall a bit short considering our current harlot titles :p )
I don't necessarily think that the actor idea fits well with the site. Now, fantasy movie titles (or book titles) could be a different matter.
Then I suppose the DnD movie would be the lowest rank.
Quote from: Kalontas
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Superfluous Crow
I'm not much for the actor idea (sorry). Seems a bit opaque and unrelated to the site.
(the last argument might fall a bit short considering our current harlot titles :p )
I don't necessarily think that the actor idea fits well with the site. Now, fantasy movie titles (or book titles) could be a different matter.
Then I suppose the DnD movie would be the lowest rank.
Nah - there are certainly many worse. Actually, it could be interesting to go against the usual pattern and instead make that the highest rank and work our way down through the really, truly *bad* ones until we get down to "Krull" for a new user's first post. . .
We could also make the worst movies the highest ranks.
I support the movies idea, but only if we include some of the better/worse Kung-Fu movies as well.
Quote from: Snargash Moonclaw
the really, truly *bad* ones until we get down to "Krull"
I cannot accurately express in words the amount of negative shits that the Krull movie gives
I don't think the movies idea would work because people would spend all their time complaining if their favorite movie was a lower rank or some movie they love to hate was a higher rank or blah blah blah other things I don't feel like dealing with. :D
Military ranks with "of Pants" or "of Trousers" following them.
Quote from: Ninja Dovahk!!n
Military ranks with "of Pants" or "of Trousers" following them.
This man has my support.
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Ninja Dovahk!!n
Military ranks with "of Pants" or "of Trousers" following them.
This man has my support.
Bonus points if they're somewhat obscure and/or archaic ranks such as Field-Cornet or Colour Sergeant.
Quote from: Kindling
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Ninja Dovahk!!n
Military ranks with "of Pants" or "of Trousers" following them.
This man has my support.
Bonus points if they're somewhat obscure and/or archaic ranks such as Field-Cornet or Colour Sergeant.
Field-Marshall of Jean Shorts.
How about sea life. The lowest rank could be barnacle. The highest could be "Zaratan," which is the name of that island-that's-actually-a-turtle from the arabian nights. That's more turtle than any other proposal posted so far, and I say this confidently despite not having read this thread.
Pro:
- everyone likes sea life
- features turtles (!)
- features big turtles (!!!)
- barnacles are inherently funny
Con:
- somebody might hate the ocean, I don't know
- ???
In conclusion, sea life.
If we go with sea life Cthulhu MUST be the final rank.
Quote from: Steerpike
If we go with sea life Cthulhu MUST be the final rank.
Haha, of course Steerpike would want this.
I would be willing to compromise with "Kraken."
EDIT: How about mythical sea-life?
Mermaid
Siren
Nereid
Kappa
Cecaelia
Grindylow
Sea Serpent
Kraken
Leviathan
Mr. I-will-suck-your-life-out-through-the-butthole is stronger than a siren? :D
Sounds pretty scary to me.
But maybe the order needs work :P.
Quote from: Kalontas
Mr. I-will-suck-your-life-out-through-the-butthole is stronger than a siren? :D
I'm pretty sure I would be more afraid of someone who could suck my life essence out of my ass then some girl who can convince me to drown myself because she is a really good singer. At least with the second one I would die enjoying myself.
The 12 Olympians!
Demeter
Hephaestus
Aphrodite
Ares
Athena
Hermes
Artemis
Apollo
Dionysus
Poseidon
Hera
Zeus
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Kalontas
Mr. I-will-suck-your-life-out-through-the-butthole is stronger than a siren? :D
I'm pretty sure I would be more afraid of someone who could suck my life essence out of my ass then some girl who can convince me to drown myself because she is a really good singer. At least with the second one I would die enjoying myself.
Stimulation of the posterior can be pleasurable...
Throw in a Selkie for good measure, and I'll support the vote the mythical sea-life.
Quote from: CoyoteCamouflage
Throw in a Selkie for good measure, and I'll support the vote the mythical sea-life.
Transforming into a Seal is kinda lame.
Quote from: Elemental_Elf
Quote from: CoyoteCamouflage
Throw in a Selkie for good measure, and I'll support the vote the mythical sea-life.
Transforming into a Seal is kinda lame.
But transforming into Seal is super-awesome. Because than Heidi Klum is your wife.
I modified Steerpike's list, because he had some things that were freshwater, and thus not Sea Life!
Mermaid (Merman? Merperson? Merindividual?)
Hippocampus
Selkie
Siren
Sea Serpent
Kraken
Leviathan
Jormungandr (not sure on this one, since it's Unique, not a kind)
Zaratan
The Zaratan may not be the biggest, but it's a nice analogy for world-building or something blah blah turtle is best.
No one wants to see or be a Merman. #lamestmonsterever
Quote from: Polycarp
I modified Steerpike's list, because he had some things that were freshwater, and thus not Sea Life!
Mermaid (Merman? Merperson? Merindividual?)
Hippocampus
Selkie
Siren
Sea Serpent
Kraken
Leviathan
Jormungandr (not sure on this one, since it's Unique, not a kind)
Zaratan
The Zaratan may not be the biggest, but it's a nice analogy for world-building or something blah blah turtle is best.
Let's not forget the homegrown awesomeness (in no particular order, save that the last 2 aren't really sea life and the one before them is technically more magically animated than alive):
Sea Worg
Koefhonar
Stormwyrm
Iid-Horror
Gnomish Ship-Breaker
Blackwater
(See http://www.thecbg.org/index.php/topic,46911.msg46911.html#msg46911 - I can't find the contest results here, and it doesn't look like the E-zine issue ever got published - Spring 08 is the only one I can find reference to anywhere. Believe it or not, you can still download that one from (!!!) http://www.fantaseum.com/zines.html (!!!))
Quote from: Elemental_Elf
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Kalontas
Mr. I-will-suck-your-life-out-through-the-butthole is stronger than a siren? :D
I'm pretty sure I would be more afraid of someone who could suck my life essence out of my ass then some girl who can convince me to drown myself because she is a really good singer. At least with the second one I would die enjoying myself.
Stimulation of the posterior can be pleasurable...
That's a different list.
*heh*
I would enjoy being a Gnomish Ship Breaker!
There's another fight waiting to happen. Who is greater the giant turtle or Cthulu?
As these are titles for everyone, including people who aren't at all familiar with what members here have done, my preference is for those that are fairly well known, or at least searchable.
That said, it also doesn't matter terribly either way. I don't think anyone will be truly miffed if we pick one group of titles and not another. Perhaps it would be more productive to simply vote on an idea, or ask Nomadic or Sparkle or someone else to pick one, rather than brainstorming further.
Still, I'd much rather prefer CBG-specific titles to generic titles. I still vote for Steerpike's monsters.
The old titles that Ishmayl used were pretty obscure references themselves, so the obscurity of CE or another setting shouldn't matter. :D
I don't actually remember any other titles... we've had these ones for a long time, haven't we?
Half a year or so, I think. Picking the titles was the reward for the On Dwarves... contest.
In that case, let sparketwist pick, being the winner of the Comment constest and all.
She's the one that picked the prostitutes. She's just weird like that.
well, to the victors go the spoils! Plus, I'm curious to see how she can top prostitutes.
Maybe we should do another contest and the winner picks? That could even be started on a cycle of every four to six months. We'd have contests sometimes and keep the titles fresh. Just a thought.
My one regret is that I was never a sly pimp.
Quote from: Señor Leetz
I'm curious to see how she can top prostitutes.
I really think you should rephrase that. I mean, I'd like to watch too but I wouldn't go saying so where she can read it! Oh, wait, damn. . .
Just throwing some more possibilities out there:
[ic]
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Towel
Deep Thought
Infinite Improbability Drive
Babel Fish
Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster
Marvin the Paranoid Android
Total Perspective Vortex
Digital Watch
or
Zaphod Beeblebrox
Arthur Dent
Ford Prefect
Trillian
Slartibartfast
Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz
Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
Haggunenon
[/ic]
Not totally confident on the order these are presented in. Tried to organize by "importance" or "usefulness."
Why don't we use important people/places/things from CBG members settings?
Supreme Overlord, it might be time for an executive decision on this one... or maybe a contest to decide a new titler?
Contest ideas:
- Best unusual cosmology
- Best micro-fiction set in someone else's setting
- Best character for someone else's setting
- Best creature for someone else's setting
- Best new region/dungeon/location in someone else's setting
Just my 2cp. It doesn't look like consensus is going to organically cohere.
Quote from: Steerpike
Supreme Overlord, it might be time for an executive decision on this one... or maybe a contest to decide a new titler?
Contest ideas:
- Best unusual cosmology
- Best micro-fiction set in someone else's setting
- Best character for someone else's setting
- Best creature for someone else's setting
- Best new region/dungeon/location in someone else's setting
Just my 2cp. It doesn't look like consensus is going to organically cohere.
I like all of these ideas. How about we do, say, best new creature for someone else's setting and get this going?!
I also support all those contest ideas.
I like my idea :) Also a contest is always fun.
I like your idea too Sarisa - though in fact, there are already some proposed titles a couple of pages back that do use creatures and whatnot from forum settings.
I second Omega's contest idea. Nomadic, opinions?
I think that had already been suggested, too. It seems to be the beest way to solve this particular problem around here.
The reason that has not been done in the past is because it's hard to rank them from least to greatest. (And putting elements from Setting A at a higher rank than elements from Setting B might be construed as favoritism, or as making value judgments about those settings' relative worth or something.)
That's the reasoning that has been used in the past, at any rate, but I don't think anyone's raised the issue in a long, long time, so it might be worthwhile to reexamine it.
Quote from: Luminous Crayon
The reason that has not been done in the past is because it's hard to rank them from least to greatest. (And putting elements from Setting A at a higher rank than elements from Setting B might be construed as favoritism, or as making value judgments about those settings' relative worth or something.)
That's the reasoning that has been used in the past, at any rate, but I don't think anyone's raised the issue in a long, long time, so it might be worthwhile to reexamine it.
I think they're talking about running a contest and the winner gets to pick the new titles. I'm fine with this. I actually like the idea of a contest that requires you to create something for someone else's setting.
So what's it gonna be, boss?
Quote from: Nerevarine D!
So what's it gonna be, boss?
Pick your poison. Though if you're concerned you won't be able to decide on one my personal favorite would be the "Best creature for someone else's setting" contest so go with that one if you want. I'll stand by the results of any contest you all endorse for user titles.
Should we have a poll for this or just say here?
Having a poll to decide a contest to pick new user titles seems excessively bureaucratic to me. I second Nomadic's preference for a "best creature in someone else's setting" contest. Any objections?
None. Begin the Competition!!!