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Naming Your Character In RPGs?

Posted by simoniker on from the petie-our-nom-de-choice dept.

Thanks to InsertCredit for their feature discussing the player-inputted choice for character names in videogames. They discuss some of the joys of DIY character naming ("Some people will buy an RPG, only to name the characters after their favorite profane words"), as well some more unlikely pleasures ("I became obsessed with buying used Final Fantasy VI cartridges for 100 yen at a certain game shop in Akihabara, just to see what all the characters had been named.") Taking a lead from this distinctly unconventional article, what names have Slashdot Games readers entered for characters in their favorite RPGs, and why?

4 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Short Welsh Names by Y+Ddraig+Goch · · Score: 5, Interesting

    usually work the best for me. The Welsh alphabet uses the same 26 characters as english but the pronounciation and the dipthongs are more complex. Also all the dd's, ll's, and y's male the names properly fantasy like. However lately in games that I have several scenarios, I've taken to naming my characters after their class. It's easier to keep things straight.

    --
    Meddle thou not in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and with most anything.
  2. Big Numbered Scrabble Tiles by robbway · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've noticed that Star Trek and a lot of fantasy and sci-fi stories use names with a lot of the 5-thru-10 point scrabble tiles. X's (Xannix), Z's (Zai), and Q's (Qui Quon) are for aliens. K's (Krakus) and J's (Jaran) are for ethnic names. It's so formulamatic it's funny.

    Another convention is to use lots of vowels (Bea Ai), lots of consonants (Kwllk), or apostraphes (T'Den, Q'Sung).

    I invent names quickly with as little thought as possible, a lot of times following the sterotypes above. It's not great, but it works.

    It's probably cheaper to collect monickers in chat rooms than buying Final Fantasy cartridges, though.

  3. Take the easy way out by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just Google for "RPG Name Generator" and you'll be set. Yeah, it's the lazy way out but I'm tired of sitting at the computer trying to think of some creative name. Let the generator do it for me (it's often more creative than I ever could be with names) and let me get to playing. I do name the main character myself however. The only game I can think of that you were forced to be really creative was with the pen and paper RPG Paranoia. In fact, a while back I was talking with Greg Costikyan about it and we agreed it was one of the best features of the game.

  4. Best name generator around by farphel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The best one I've ever come across is fantasy name generator.