Well, Mike pointed out to me in PMs that there are about 52000 instances of "Mage Blade" on the web, most dealing with roleplaying in some way or another. While I knew when I chose the name that it wasn't 100% original, I didn't know it was that widely used.

So now I'm left with a dilemma: Do I keep the name despite the wide usage on the net, or do I try to find a new name which fits the game as well as Mage Blade did?

I'd like your opinions on this, and from those who believe they understand the premise (despite my inability to aptly phrase it) suggestions on alternate names, should I decide to change it.

Thanks.

Hi Lance,

Debates about game names haven't been common on the Forge, and given the few examples, I think I know why. Basically, when asking this question, the designer is saying "Think for me," and that's an impossible thing to do. I could suggest names that I would like if I were writing a game like yours ... I could suggest names that work for me for the game I think (but do not know) you are creating ... but I can' t suggest a name that does work for you for the game that you really are creating. All I can do is free-associate and you would have to do the "gee is that any good" assessment anyway.

So therefore, I'm afraid, this task is yours. Your game, your vision, your name.

Best,
Ron

P.S. Yeah, OK, I know, Dav got "Violence Future" via Forge discussion. So this post isn't intended to shut this thread or Lance's question down. If anyone wants to launch into naming Lance's game, go for it.

How about Dragon-Lance?

Hey,

You know, it strikes me that people might interpret my post as a Moderator statement when it wasn't. Plus it was nothing but a downer.

Lance pointed out to me, rightly, that Penny Dreadful also got its (excellent) name from discussion, so basically, I was being the Bad Old Man in the Corner, just grumblin' and mumblin'.

Mage Blade? New name? Big ol' discussion, go.

Best,
Ron

I like the name Mage Blade.

But from what I've seen, it ain't a good title for Lance's game.

I'm of the mind set that a name should be informative, evocative or (best of worlds) BOTH. See this thread for details.

So right, Mage Blade. Mages with Blades. Or some kind of crazy magic uber-weapon. Big anime fight scenes. Huge monsters. Little spiky-haired dudes with huge swords a'choppin'.

Or not.

I don't think it's a big deal that your game has the same name as another. Just make sure it's the right name.

I love working on names, personally, and can crank out a hundred an hour once I get going. A real-world suggestion: invest in a thesaurus. And not any wimp-ass "dictionary-style" thesaurus. What, can't do two lookups (word -> number -> list) to find what you want? What are you, some kinda intellectual midget? Hell no, you're not! You want Roget's, International, Big Goddamn Thesaurus with TWO thumb-indexes. No creative person who uses words should be without this baby.

So, the way I think of it is colored by my not really getting the mechanics--they look D&Dish, and my eyes glaze over. But it's cool to get to the brass tacks of Western magic and go for elements, and cooler still to have mages that are not skinny, pasty-faced, wasted little critters who fall over if you give them a stern look. No, these guys can whoop ass with the best of 'em. So really, Mage Blade is pretty good. But it doesn't say anything much about the quality of the magic (your sourcing of it, incidentally, is remarkably like the Asian notions of qi, but I digress).

I immediately thought of a forge because, well, duh, and the alchemists were also into the elements and they had forges and--ha-ha! Crucibles. Now, you use your Crucible to transform the elements one into another, and it also implies something that tests and strengthens a person. So there's one nice word. What about the butt-kicking bit?

Mage Crucible. Hm. Crucible Quarrel! Nope. Crucible & Quarterstaff! Hee hee hee. The Sword's Crucible. Well, passable fantasy story title, but I dunno about your game. Blade and Crucible. Well, there we have the "blah & blah" pattern, but it's not "Environment & Monster" at least.

Oooh, I just happened upon a big huge list of armor synonyms. Crucible Aegis has a nice ring all right. Doesn't make much sense, mind, but it sounds cool. Wow, how about that, apparently "bilbo" is a word for some kind of sword. Sabre Crucible! Now we're into Final Fantasy territory again.

Well, there you go. Maybe you'll like one of those, but my main point is to show what fun it is to just walk around a thesaurus. Let the riffing continue!

--JB

Jared Sorensen wrote: I like the name Mage Blade.

But from what I've seen, it ain't a good title for Lance's game.

I'm of the mind set that a name should be informative, evocative or (best of worlds) BOTH. See this thread for details.

So right, Mage Blade. Mages with Blades. Or some kind of crazy magic uber-weapon. Big anime fight scenes. Huge monsters. Little spiky-haired dudes with huge swords a'choppin'.

J B Bell wrote: Well, there we have the "blah & blah" pattern, but it's not "Environment & Monster" at least.

I'm probably going to get laughed off of here, but I was thinking about wizards, and the fact that their main weapon lies within themselves, and the idea of power coming from some sort of Zen peace that allows you to lash out with perfect balance, and the name came to me:

The Sword Within.

I dunno. I like it.

Unfortunately a lot of cool terms have become so overused that they are now plagued by a sense of "Kewlness". So you can't use storm or dragon or many other terms without having that problem. And the more outlandish you get, the more you get that effect as well. So watch out with JB's thesaurus. You might end up with The Thamturge's Claymore. Which just sounds overwrought. Mage Blade was simple.

The other side of the coin is too cliche. Wizard Sword, frex. Or Spell Warriors. Something like Magic Warriors. is just too plain and obvious. Also, do not be tempted to use a name from the setting. Nothing worse than another Swords of Kalindar. Also, I'd avoid a word amalgam or new version of a word, unless it was a really good one. So no Arcanewar or Arcania.

So I'm coming up with more don'ts than do's. Hmm....makes it really hard. Mana Warriors? No, that falls into at least three of my own listed traps. Spellslayers? Yick. Battlemagic? Magic Battle? Mana War? Spellfight? Nah.

Conquering Spell?

I give up.

Mike

Clinton R Nixon wrote: The Sword Within.

Clinton R Nixon wrote: I'm probably going to get laughed off of here, but I was thinking about wizards, and the fact that their main weapon lies within themselves, and the idea of power coming from some sort of Zen peace that allows you to lash out with perfect balance, and the name came to me:

The Sword Within.

I dunno. I like it.

I like it too. But it screams for a very focused game which concentrates on on the nature of Mages as warriors and that the source of their power comes from within. Combined with that well used cliche about double edged swords, "The Sword Within" would really have some serious potential as a gripping central feature to a game.

Valamir wrote: But it screams for a very focused game which concentrates on on the nature of Mages as warriors and that the source of their power comes from within. Combined with that well used cliche about double edged swords, "The Sword Within" would really have some serious potential as a gripping central feature to a game.

I would suggest the best name of them all:

ELDRITCH ASS KICKING

But of course, it's already taken.

http://www.mysticages.com/eak

Witchblade: not only a comic book, but now also a syndicated TV show

The Sword Within: Just for the record, I hate it. (But it wouldn't stop me from playing it, and I'm outvoted so far).

How about:

Prime Sphere (looking for a phrase from within your system write-up)

Old Schools (referring, of course, to the venerable academies from which mages learn their craft)(1)

Arms and Aether (but you use "void" instead of aether) or Aether and Steel

Sorceror and Sword? uh, Magebabe? Animannaiacs? Cast-or-foil? Spellchucker? A Swing and a Myth? This is hard...

(1) I like this one. Of course, I don't consider "old school" derogatory, which might put me in the minority here.

- Walt

Mike Holmes wrote: Mana War?

Hi Lance,

Ummm...well I can't really offer too much advice except a variationon what J B Bell said...

"A real-world suggestion: invest in a thesaurus. And not any wimp-ass "dictionary-style" thesaurus. What, can't do two lookups (word -> number -> list) to find what you want? What are you, some kinda intellectual midget? Hell no, you're not! You want Roget's, International, Big Goddamn Thesaurus with TWO thumb-indexes. No creative person who uses words should be without this baby."

'Roget's' is certainly an invaluable resource but what lead you to Mage Blade?

When I'm trying to find new words I start with the dictionary, find the core meaning of your words. Often that is enough to inspire me by giving me sense of the core meaning.

I hope you find what you're looking for, here are just few words on teh theme of mage, magic, blade and swordsman I've found:

Mage - occult, thaumaturgist, Glamor, shamanism, mysticism, sorcery, cabalistic, phylacteric, incantatory and conjure.

Blade - arms, sword, brand, steel, cold steel, cold iron, dudgeon (?), sabruer, lancer, champion, crusader.

Or (and this just occurred to me) what about stepping outside the egnlish language:

Vae victus
cuirassier
ultima ratio regnum
guerre a mort
diablierie
agnus Dei
ecstatica
deus ex machina
(these are all real words!)

Anywho, just wanted to help.
Brian.

I did a refined search of "mage blade" limiting it to exact phrase, and then actually perused the 200 or so results. It turns out that all results either refer to an item in a game (One game mentioned very often was Shadowrun) a mistake (as in a list with entries like "Storm Mage, Blade Master) etc. The only consistent reference which did not refer to a specific item or was a mistake was to a British RP group consisting of about 6-7 people. I e-mailed the group and asked about use of the name...

I'm happy to say that Mage Blade is here to stay, and that Mage Blade is interested in playing the game of the same name once it is fully fleshed out. Yay.

Kick Ass. Mage Blade is a fun name.