Need Help with a Title

[Foltor]

I've been doodling around with a system and setting on and off for a few years, and it's coming along pretty well.  I've got a draft of the manual, done some preliminary playtesting with good response, and could probably put down the Power 19 (I just dicovered them today).

The thing is I've got no title.

I wanted to call it Elements after the core mechanic, but my colleagues complained that it sounded too generic or too like a clothing brand, so I've just been marking it as WT (Working Title), hoping to do a massive Find/Replace whenever I have a decent idea.

I don't suppose I can just ask for suggestions without going into some detail about the game, but what are some techniques or resources you can recommend to help me come up with a title that doesn't suck?

[Double King]

Titling is a branding issue.  As such, it should be integral to the product in a way that it suggests more about a product than reams of marketing drivel.  This is also why logos and wordmarks are important considerations.  A title that is artificially attached to your project is no better than "Working Title".

Some ways to go about developing your title... find other products that are similar and what devices and color they rely on.  How you and your audience differs from those products can help steer you into new territory.  It might also help to list the five or ten things that your game does or what experiences and settings are produced in play.  Movies, novels and a thesaurus can be your friend.

When in doubt, tie that bow on when the rest of the package is wrapped.  Bon champs.

[SpoDaddy]

Think about the setting and what you ideally want the players to enjoy about the game.  Or think about a major setting hook that has a cool-sounding name and name the game after it.  It's ok for a title to be cryptic as long as it sounds cool and fits the game.  Most people make assumptions about games based on their titles.  If I heard that there was an RPG called Elements I'd assume the game revolved around magic derived from Earth, Water, Fire, and Air.  That sounds like a generic fantasy game to me.  Give us the basic gist of the setting and maybe we can help you find a better title.

[GregStolze]

Yeah, titles are a bitch.  I think the title "Unknown Armies" sandbagged UA a little bit, evocative though it is, because it doesn't tell you much about what the game is or does.  Look at the two historical 800 pound gorillas (or, the 800 and 1600 pound gorillas) "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Vampire: the Masquerade."  They're both evocative, specific, and the games deliver.  You go in a dungeon and fight dragons.  You're a vampire who hides behind a mask (of humanity) and there's a colon to show how literary the whole exercise is.

That's why I called REIGN... um... what I did.  Does right what it says on the package, and what it says sounds like fun.

-G.

[SpoDaddy]

Yeah, titles are a bitch.  I think the title "Unknown Armies" sandbagged UA a little bit, evocative though it is, because it doesn't tell you much about what the game is or does. 

The title "Unknown Armies" is what originally made me pull the book off the shelf at a FLGS back in 2003.  It's one of my all-time favorite RPG's, but if it was called "Conspiracy Paradox Magik" or something like that I probably wouldn't have ever checked it out.  While I do think the title "Unknown Armies" was probably too vague for some prospective buyers, it was also perfect for gamers like myself that wanted something interesting and original.  Something ominous without angst or cheese.  The titles of the White Wolf games screamed "angsty goth bullshit" to me and I ran for the hills so perhaps I'm not the best measure of what the average consumer wants.  I love UA because it deals with power, consequences, and human frailty.  Lots of other games claim to deal with those things but never get past the power part.  I'm having that problem right now with the game I'm working on (I want to draw players that are interested in playing flawed human beings that have resorted to murder in the past but truly want redemption.  I'm afraid I'm going to draw players that want to play serial killers instead).   

Look at the two historical 800 pound gorillas (or, the 800 and 1600 pound gorillas) "Dungeons and Dragons" and "Vampire: the Masquerade."  They're both evocative, specific, and the games deliver.  You go in a dungeon and fight dragons.  You're a vampire who hides behind a mask (of humanity) and there's a colon to show how literary the whole exercise is.

There are times when direct marketing is the best approach and those two games are great examples of it.  I think if you're designing a straightforward game a straightforward title is best.  I don't think Unknown Armies is a narrow enough game to merit that sort of title but I'd love to hear what some of the alternate names you had bouncing around were.

That's why I called REIGN... um... what I did.  Does right what it says on the package, and what it says sounds like fun.

-G.

I haven't gotten the chance to check out REIGN yet (I loved Godlike and the first printing of Wild Talents so I'm sure I'll get around to picking it up sooner or later).  I love game mechanics that are fun and uniquely useful at the same time, which is why I've always been into your twists on established game mechanics (percentile systems with UA and dice pools with ORE).  I've always wanted to pick your brain about interesting new things to do with a die step system.