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Untitled Document
Roleplaying Tips Weekly E-Zine Issue #73
6 Ways You Can Use Names To Enhance Your Campaign,
Part II
Contents:
This Week's Tips Summarized
6 Ways You Can Use Names To Enhance Your Campaign,
Part II
- Use A Naming Theme For Groups Of NPCs
- Re-Use Names
- Base Names On Interesting Attributes
- Use Names To Add Humour To Your Campaign
- Use Anagrams For Clues & Puzzles
- Sources Of Names
Readers' Tips Summarized
- A Newbie GM's Story
- Re-Use Monsters
- Speed Up Combat With A Stopwatch
- Tip For Finding New Players: The RPGA
Return to Contents
A Brief Word From Johnn
Early Issue
As promised, this week's issue is a couple of days early due to a weekend commitment.
Issue #74 will appear in your Inbox a week from Monday.
I'll also be a little delayed in responding to your emails-- but don't let that
stop you from sending your tips in and sharing! :)
DMG Is A Great Book
I've been re-reading the D&D 3rd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, and I must say
it's got a lot of great GMing info in it--even for non-D&D GMs. Next time you're
in your local game store, flip through the table of contents and then skim any
sections that catch your eye (I recommend chapters 1, 4, 5, & 6). You'll pick
up a tip or two, or at least be reminded of a technique you might have been neglecting.
Warm regards,
Johnn Four johnn@roleplayingtips.com
Return to Contents
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Return to Contents
6 Ways You Can Use Names To Enhance Your Campaign,
Part II
[Tips #1 - 6 can be found in Issue
#72]
- Use A Naming Theme For Groups Of NPCs
For special groups of NPCs, pick a naming theme to make your game more interesting.
For example, in the movie "Reservoir Dogs", the main characters were given
names based on a colour theme: "Mr. Black", "Mr. Pink", and so on.
A naming theme is great because it gives you an instant set of clues to work
with. Your players will be immensely satisfied when they figure out that there
is a theme, and they'll enjoy keeping an eye out for future names that match
it.
Once the code is cracked, you then have the option of throwing in some red
herrings--NPCs whose names correspond to the theme but aren't actually members
of the group.
Themed names are especially effective for villains and their flunkies. The
theme will act like a hook for the players to latch onto and make the bad
guys more vivid in their imaginations.
Brian, a tips reader, suggested using a naming theme for a single individual
as a way to make your games more interesting. In the movie "The Saint", for
example, the main character uses a different alias for each mission--each
name based on a Roman Catholic saint. You could use the same technique to
single out a special NPC in your campaign.
Examples of naming themes:
- Types of snakes
- Types of bones
- Plant types
- Exotic weapon types
- Car makes and models
- Famous people (in our world or in your game world)
Return to Contents
- Re-Use Names
There are several possibilities when you consider re-using names. Many campaigns
and genres tend to follow the convention of creating a unique name for everything
in the world: people, places, and things. Often, this helps the players leave
the real world and immerse themselves in the gaming world.
However, consider re-using names for specific effects:
- Tie names to game world history (see Tip #4, Issue #73)
- As a reward (commoners name their children after heroic PCs)
- As a penalty (commoners name their dogs after evil PCs)
- Story hooks (for example, an evil NPC shares the same name as a PC)
- To distinguish a society (one society uses a pool of common names while
all the others tend towards unique names)
Return to Contents
- Base Names On Interesting Attributes
Depending on your campaign's style, consider basing some names on an interesting
attribute of the person, place, or thing. This can help create instant story
hooks (the Golden Glow Forest, City of Lost Treasures), and NPC hooks (Bogdar
the Undefeated, Nathan Demonfriend).
Often, these types of names stand out more clearly in players' minds, which
can help with planting clues, making your stories and NPCs interesting, and
creating a fun atmosphere.
Here are a few items for you to use as an ideas checklist:
- Single word names (One-eye, Sniper)
- Multi-word names
- Subtle or obvious name? (Do you need to meet them/see it/go there first
to understand why?)
- Self-picked or assigned? (Self picked names are usually positive while
assigned are often derogatory.)
I think basing one's name on an attribute or hook would also be a good way
to build a reputation, especially in societies without mass media.
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- Use Names To Add Humour To Your Campaign
Many books and movies use funny characters to help relieve tension. You can
do the same thing by creating NPCs with humorous names and personalities.
When you want to lighten the mood, give these minor NPCs a brief cameo appearance
and then move on.
You can also use humorous names to further vilify the bad guys. A funny name
will give the PCs something to mock and scorn. It works for professional wrestling--it
can work in your campaign too.
A subscriber, Spikie, sent in these two names, which illustrate this tip well.
He has a local, evil mage called Reigna Terror, and a brutish city guard named
Emince Pain. :)
Return to Contents
- Use Anagrams For Clues & Puzzles
Following the same vein as Tip #7, you can use anagrams of names as clues
and puzzles in your campaign. For example, perhaps the villain uses anagram
aliases to disguise himself?
The North American TV show "Lone Gunmen" has a rogue character who uses anagrams
of the name "Lee Harvey Oswald" as aliases. The main characters discover these
aliases in email addresses, signed guestbooks, invoices, and so on, which
act as clues during episodes to make them aware of her presence.
I recently read an interesting book about alchemy. Many alchemists during
the Middle Ages created many experimental chemistry "recipes" in an effort
to turn lead into gold. They protected their recipes from rival alchemists
by writing their work in code and masking critical parts in obscure, mystical
passages of gibberish.
You could have your NPCs employ the same technique using names and anagrams.
Secret communications could be signed with anagrams. Or, references to important
things in scrolls, books, databases, and emails could be made in anagrams.
Another neat anagram use, as submitted by Brian D., is to take the theme or
symbolic nature of a character and make their name an anagram of that. For
example, in Brian's Vampire: the Masquerade game, he was playing a Tremere
(mysterious, treacherous), used the theme "trickery", and turned it into the
name "Kirt Recy". Many players will thrive on using this as a basis for PCs
names, or discovering this hidden message in NPC names.
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- Sources Of Names
- Phone books (rip pages out of old ones, or find ones from small communities
for portability)
- Atlases
- Ingredients labels on food products
- Dictionary (pick a word and scramble the letters)
- Baby name books (many are categorized by ethnicity/language, popularity,
occupation/activity, emotion, and gender; and many have explanations of the
meaning and/or history of the name too)
- http://spitfire.ausys.se/johan/names/default.htm
- a good online generator: male, female, fantasy, sci-fi, orc
- http://spitfire.ausys.se/johan/workshop/
- has links to name software
- The Everchanging Book of Names (highly recommended)
- Excellent group of names links
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Tips Request For Issue #75: "Plot Twists"
In issue #69, Max B. treated us to some great plot twist tips. He discussed how
GMs could take standard old stories and twist them around to surprise the players
and keep stories interesting.
I think that this topic deserves its very own issue. So, do you have any tips,
tricks or techniques for twisting plots and for making "old stories" new again?
Send your tips to: johnn@roleplayingtips.com
Thanks! :)
Return to Contents
Readers' Tips Of The Week:
- A Newbie GM's Story
From: Mark S.
[Johnn: I particularly like the way Mark gets into a player's shoes and develops
a campaign from there (see end of second paragraph). Good advice for new and
experienced GMs.]
Hi There,
I've been roleplaying for about two years now, and for the last month and
a half I have been running my first game as a GM. I hope to help other newbies
by telling them what steps I made.
I've previously written some short stories and published them on my web site.
I had an idea for a new story about three months ago and decided that I wanted
my friends not just to read the story, but to live it as well, so I stepped
up to the GMs chair. I sat down and considered what I would want from the
game if I was a player. I would want my character to have a past, a position
in society, a goal to strive for and an adventure that is bigger than myself,
with danger, courage and romance in a world that feels real.
I set the scene for everyone, telling them who they would be working for and
asked for them to submit backgrounds. I gave them the chance to create a home
village, or city and to choose a position to hold within the house they were
working for. I created the background for the house and decided on each NPC's
interests. I created a city with many different aspects and a kingdom with
different counties and cities, including the characters homes, each with its
own trade modifiers. I've written letters and created parchments with prophecies
which have left the party pondering what is going to happen. I've also allowed
trade and negotiations to be roleplayed rather than dice rolled so that players
feel integrated with the story.
The backgrounds submitted by the players were key tools in guiding the main
plot of the story. Out of six sessions so far, four have been mainly character
plot lines leading into the main plot.
The players have enjoyed the game so far. Three characters have died already,
so the players have a sense of mortality and consider their chances and tactics
first rather than charging head on.
- Re-Use Monsters
From: Todd R.
For GMs who feel downtrodden when their monsters are mercilessly slaughtered,
try this tip:
Often, PCs knock out monsters without actually killing them, and undead scavengers
may come along soon thereafter to "finish the job". In doing so, some of these
undead creatures make spawns of themselves, creating a creature even more
dangerous than the original.
Return to Contents
- Speed Up Combat With A Stopwatch
From: Michael F.
Use a stopwatch, one with a really loud 'tick' if possible, to time the round
a player gets to make a decision in. Every two or three rounds, shorten this
time by a few seconds. Or, if they fail to hit, cut their time in half.
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