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The Name Thread

Started by O Senhor Leetz, November 09, 2011, 12:05:59 PM

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Kalontas

Avoiding using the common names will work only for the short time - because at some point you'd have to explain what the 'Aegantos' are. And you'd explain: they're giants, and the pre-conception comes back. If you're following greek mythological sources here, giants of Arga shouldn't be too different from standard fantasy Giants - both Jotunn (arguably a major basis for D&D giants) and Gigantes (the greek ones) were just big, brutish creatures hellbent on destruction of 'our' culture.
That guy who invents 1,000 campaign settings a second and never finishes a single one.

O Senhor Leetz

Quote from: Kalontas
Avoiding using the common names will work only for the short time - because at some point you'd have to explain what the 'Aegantos' are. And you'd explain: they're giants, and the pre-conception comes back. If you're following greek mythological sources here, giants of Arga shouldn't be too different from standard fantasy Giants - both Jotunn (arguably a major basis for D&D giants) and Gigantes (the greek ones) were just big, brutish creatures hellbent on destruction of 'our' culture.

that may be the case for the most part, but the aegantos aren't big (well, not THAT big), brutush creatures hellbent on destruction, which is what I want to avoid by not calling them "giants". Plus, using the word giant to describe something I don't want to call giant would be somewhat self-defeating, so I'm set on avoiding that.
Let's go teach these monkeys about evolution.
-Mark Wahlberg

Kalontas

Well, if your giants aren't like Gigantes, you may well avoid that name.
But then again I'm curious - if they're not all that big, and are unlike fantasy giants in culture, what made them giants to you before?
That guy who invents 1,000 campaign settings a second and never finishes a single one.

O Senhor Leetz

Quote from: Kalontas
Well, if your giants aren't like Gigantes, you may well avoid that name.
But then again I'm curious - if they're not all that big, and are unlike fantasy giants in culture, what made them giants to you before?

well, because despite the fact that they are very un-giant like in someways, they are, when everything is boiled down, giants. I could have called the Dura dwarves in Arga, but now, at least to me, despite the similarities, the Dura and dwarves are very different, the same could also go to the Anthos and humans, I think it gives a setting a good flavor.
Let's go teach these monkeys about evolution.
-Mark Wahlberg

Xathan

I like aegantos more than just calling them giants. Besides being better for the Greek theme of the setting (giants does not sound or feel Greek), it conjures up an image of a massive humanoid but gives an air of the old, a gravity to them that giants just lack. Same reason in Xeno fantaseum I'm going with nephilim for giants instead of just giants.

To answer your initial question, I'm all for renaming fantasy races so long as its done for a purpose other than just being different, and making the name conjure up nonstandard images as well as fit your setting better is something I can totally get behind.
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O Senhor Leetz

Quote from: Xathan Of Many Worlds
To answer your initial question, I'm all for renaming fantasy races so long as its done for a purpose other than just being different, and making the name conjure up nonstandard images as well as fit your setting better is something I can totally get behind.

I think you hit the nail on the head with that, couldn't agree more.
Let's go teach these monkeys about evolution.
-Mark Wahlberg

Superfluous Crow

#51
I feel like your variant names lean a little too close to the word they are derived from e.g. ae-g[ i ]ant-os. Same for dragons (sorry). If you want to separate them from the source material you should go all the way.
Aegans, Aegeans, Aegerans, Aegi or some variant there of might work better, I think?
The renaming should work well enough for giants as they aren't that iconic, but I'm more worried about the dragons. I fear Arga player will resort to calling them dragons in almost no time unless you make it very, very clear that this is an entirely different kind of critter.
Some renamings might work well enough for dragons though, since there are names that are already associated with them: linnorms, wyverns, wyrms and some others I'm sure. But none of them sounds especially greek (well, "wyvern" could work, but they are already part of the Arga bestiary).
Currently...
Writing: Broken Verge v. 207
Reading: the Black Sea: a History by Charles King
Watching: Farscape and Arrested Development

O Senhor Leetz

Quote from: Superfluous Crow
I feel like your variant names lean a little too close to the word they are derived from e.g. ae-g[ i ]ant-os. Same for dragons (sorry). If you want to separate them from the source material you should go all the way.

Well, the thing is that I do want them to sound similair enough to not require lots of work to remember and to disengage a reader, but still different enough to not immediately think of the normal trope of giant or dragon. does that make sense?
Let's go teach these monkeys about evolution.
-Mark Wahlberg

Kalontas

Quote from: SeƱor LeetzWell, the thing is that I do want them to sound similair enough to not require lots of work to remember and to disengage a reader, but still different enough to not immediately think of the normal trope of giant or dragon. does that make sense?

It makes sense, but I don't think that is really possible... I mean, once someone gets "ah, it's a Giant", he already recalls a certain image in his head, and IMO, names can't change that. If someone wants to know how are they not stereotypical Giants, he will read a few paragraphs on them. Just the name can't convey everything (unless you name it something like "Lizardfolk" which is the worst species name in D&D IMHO).
That guy who invents 1,000 campaign settings a second and never finishes a single one.

Superfluous Crow

I agree with Kalontas. If you have a [normal name] <-> [Arga name] association, the idea of an [Arga name] will also be directly associated with the attributes of the [normal name].
(hmm, we could do math on this)
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Writing: Broken Verge v. 207
Reading: the Black Sea: a History by Charles King
Watching: Farscape and Arrested Development

Kindling

My setting needs a proper name, as its current title, Demon-Haunted, was only ever intended as a placeholder. Two ideas, but I'd also welcome any other suggestions.
1) Dark Silver. This was the name of the very first setting I posted here on the CBG, many years (yes, years) ago. As such it doesn't relate too much to the setting directly, I just think it's a cool name.
2) Blood of the North. The majority of the setting consists of the wild regions to the north of civilised lands. Blood is shed. Pretty obvious, really.
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Kalontas

Blood of the North sounds a little OTT, IMO. If you don't mind that, sure, but keep it in mind.
That guy who invents 1,000 campaign settings a second and never finishes a single one.

Superfluous Crow

I have always "enjoyed" the visual of red blood on pure white snow, which seems to go hand in hand with your blood of the north idea. Crimson Snow?
Currently...
Writing: Broken Verge v. 207
Reading: the Black Sea: a History by Charles King
Watching: Farscape and Arrested Development

O Senhor Leetz

Quote from: Kindling
My setting needs a proper name, as its current title, Demon-Haunted, was only ever intended as a placeholder. Two ideas, but I'd also welcome any other suggestions.
1) Dark Silver. This was the name of the very first setting I posted here on the CBG, many years (yes, years) ago. As such it doesn't relate too much to the setting directly, I just think it's a cool name.
2) Blood of the North. The majority of the setting consists of the wild regions to the north of civilised lands. Blood is shed. Pretty obvious, really.


What about a one word setting like Dark or Haunted. Dark Silver is cool though, what about Dark Red? I actually like the ring to that...
Let's go teach these monkeys about evolution.
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Kindling

I actually quite like Dark Red, there's something very blunt about it, which I think suits. I may go with that, unless someone wants to suggest anything better?
all hail the reapers of hope