Armitage Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 Back in 1984, Adventurer's Club #3 ran a contest asking readers to submit names for the upcoming Hero System fantasy game. "Fantasy Hero" was just a working title. The only limit was that they didn't want any "Blank & Blank" names. Apparently, they didn't like any of the submitted titles. What could the name have been? At the time, the superhero game was "Champions", the modern spy game was "Espionage", and the pulp game was "Justice, Inc.", so maybe something equally short and evocative. "Quest" Maybe something that invokes the genre and long-forgotten eras. "Undreamed Ages", inspired by Robert E. Howard's "there was an age undreamed of". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndianaJoe3 Posted May 27, 2014 Report Share Posted May 27, 2014 "Dungeon Hero" seemed pretty popular in the recent discussion thread, but it's possible that there was another product by that name already. I'm going to call it Arthur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkonduty Posted May 28, 2014 Report Share Posted May 28, 2014 I like both Quest and Undreamed Ages. I think what it is called will depend on what is included in the product. If it's setting neutral then a generic name like Quest (Adventure Quest. HERO Quest. Dungeon Quest. World of War Quest. The Hero's Journey.) I do like Undreamed Ages. It's quite evocative. But I think that if one is going to go that route (evoking that is) one needs to put a bit more setting in the book. Not a fully fleshed out setting but something that can be built on and that has a specific style and feel to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCloud2k2 Posted May 28, 2014 Report Share Posted May 28, 2014 LEGENDS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo54 Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yeah something like Pathfinder...which implies exploring unknown and interesting places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba smith Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 quest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 Questfinder? Legend Quest? Mythic legends? Legendary Legends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted May 30, 2014 Report Share Posted May 30, 2014 HeroQuest! Wait, that's taken ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhd Posted May 31, 2014 Report Share Posted May 31, 2014 It's said that there are just three hard problems in computer science: naming things, cache invalidation and off by one errors. It seems the same is true in RPG marketing, too. But honestly, HERO might not be at its utmost peak, but it's still a bit of a brand. Deviating from this would probably just ruin things. Never mind that pretty much anything mentioned here sounds remarkably similar to preexisting RPGs (probably even when the initial call for names was made). You might as well go for an alliterative conjunctive title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 I like the idea of using "Champions" in everything to tie all the games together and refer people to the flagship and still most familiar and famous title. Fantasy Champions, Star Champions, Dark Champions, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkonduty Posted June 2, 2014 Report Share Posted June 2, 2014 Champions of Fantasy. Champions of Myth and Magic. Champions of Might and Magic (for a touch of that alliteration.) Dungeon Champions. Questing Champions. Dragon Slaying Champions of Dungeons! Sorry, too much caffeine this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Baker Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Champions of Fantasy. Champions of Myth and Magic. Champions of Might and Magic (for a touch of that alliteration.) Dungeon Champions. Questing Champions. Dragon Slaying Champions of Dungeons! Sorry, too much caffeine this morning. Caffeine is the Breakfast of Champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja-Bear Posted June 4, 2014 Report Share Posted June 4, 2014 Swords and spells? I usually refer to my fantasy as dungeon hero but that is do to the play style is D&Dish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCloud2k2 Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I think White Wolf Games would take exception to Sword and Sorcery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhd Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 I think White Wolf Games would take exception to Sword and Sorcery Pre-existing generic name, not used for product identity, defunct property. If it would be that easy, Michael Moorcock could sue, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCloud2k2 Posted June 6, 2014 Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 Just because they can't do anything about it doesn't mean they won't take exception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armitage Posted June 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2014 The original contest in AC #3 said "Please, no 'Blank & Blank' type names, they've been horribly overused." I think the word "and" in place of an ampersand counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostDancer Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 "Undreamed Ages" is good, though I prefer "Undreamt Ages." I proposed a campaign called "Dark Age Champions." Mythic Champions. Legendary Champions. Ancient Champions. Epic Champions. Champions of Yore. Champions of the Magi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCloud2k2 Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 When I listed LEGENDS I was aiming at a one-word name that would equal CHAMPIONS. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostDancer Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 When I listed LEGENDS I was aiming at a one-word name that would equal CHAMPIONS. *shrug* Good point. Christopher Taylor's idea in post #10 is interesting, too. Champions of Legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roter Baron Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Champions is Superheroes. Don't drag it into other genres especially since I always thought that FH is kinda generic in its approach and not just for playing ultra-heroes who take the lunch-money from dragons on their way to "Evil Dragon School". I like LEGENDS but there is a game called Legend by Mongoose. Quest is alos kinda taken. Waht about going "foreign"? In Germany a lot of games (even games that originate in Germany) have English names, for instance Dungeonslayers, Arcane Codex, Freelancers, Private Eye, Space Gothic etc. Why not go for a German name (50+ Mio people in the USA have German roots). German is not to outlandish (being ... well, of Germanic language roots), not to hard to pronounce correctly and would give the whole line a distinctive flair - maybe you culd even create a "generic" German fantasy setting for it (worked out great for WHFRP - but I would use a more medieval setting). Here my two Pfennige: 1) Main Book: LEGENDEN (Legends), HELDEN (HEROES), Auf ins Abenteuer! (Forward to Adventure!) 2) Monster Handbook: Monster & Ungeheuer (Monsters & Abnominations), FEINDE (Foes) 3) Grimoire: ZAUBEREI (Sorcery) 4) Setting: Die Welt der Grauen Berge (The World of Grey Mountains) Just to give the discussion a new spin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueCloud2k2 Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Japanese is sexier, IMHO. Legends: Densetsu or Rejenzu Ogres and Demons: Oni to Akuma Places and Perils: Basho ya ribēsu or Shīn to ribēsu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narf the Mouse Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Champions of Might and Magic There's a "Might and Magic" computer game series. Strategy games, RPGs, and at least one multiplayer game. The company itself went defunct, but last I heard, the IP had been picked up by someone else. Also, name confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Champion is kind of a generic term for any heroic figure fighting for other people - a hero in other words. And it has instant name recognition. If the line had always been "x Champions" instead of "x hero" I think it might have helped sales, and still could. Its not like the content of the book isn't immediately obvious from the cover and the subtitle. Champions: Super Hero Role Playing (with superheroes blasing up the scenery). Fantasy Champions: Fantasy Role Playing (with a picture of people fighting a dragon). Pulp Champions: Adventures in the pulp era (guy in a fedora with a pistol), etc. That way products such as Golden Age and Dark Champions are just part of a whole pattern rather than simply subsets of one genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie.Winters Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 There's a "Might and Magic" computer game series. Strategy games, RPGs, and at least one multiplayer game. The company itself went defunct, but last I heard, the IP had been picked up by someone else. Also, name confusion. A European company has the name and created a board game based on the computer game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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