Archive for July, 2006
Monday, July 31st, 2006
Conventions and Gaming
Since GenCon is fast approaching, I’ve started gearing up for the convention gaming there. Convention gaming is its own animal, with its own rules and concepts.
What constitutes a good convention game?
1. Convention games, with certain exceptions, are one-shots. Stories are self-contained, and characters tend to be written with quick, easy-to-grasp character hooks. If you’re a […]
No Comments » - Posted in Conventions by gm
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006
Review - First Name Reverse Dictionary - Navarro
Given Names Listed By Meaning (McFarland, 1993)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0899507484/sr=8-1/qid=1153208744/ref=sr_1_1/104-7854325-2171141?ie=UTF8
This book caters to my obsession. I am hung up on names. I probably spend too much time on them. This book makes that a less-trying effort, by listing names in alphabetical order by meaning. I’ve spent a lot of time with this simple book, and I’ve certainly […]
No Comments » - Posted in Naming, Reviews by gm
Friday, July 14th, 2006
Onomancy, Part 3
We’ve discussed why I like the idea of episode titles, and what they’re useful for. Now let’s get down to the basics.
What makes an evocative word? An evocative word is a word that creates a vivid image or a feeling in the subject. All words create something, but some words do it better than others. […]
No Comments » - Posted in Naming by gm
Tuesday, July 11th, 2006
Onomancy, Part 2
If you liked the idea of the evocative words, let me give you a further seed with the idea.
Do the titles first.
Yes, I really mean it. Sit down and dream up interesting titles. If you have ideas for the flow of the game, you can pick some words that pertain to it to put in […]
No Comments » - Posted in Naming by gm
Sunday, July 9th, 2006
Onomancy: The Magic of Names
I’m a fanatic about names. My players can tell you, I’d sooner fudge an NPC that give a stupid name. Names have power. Names provide us with a preconceived image of what they’re attached to. Accordingly, I agonize over them.
It strikes me as odd that with my obsession, I’ve never spent time considering the names […]
