I've been writing several homebrew systems all with the same base mechanics (all using a dice pool system I designed called PiPs). I however really need to finally decide on which one to move forward with.
Because to a large degree people will base these solely on the name alone I think the best place to start is with names. Which one of these sounds the most interesting?
>Blorg's Ultimate Survival Climax >The Practitioner's Handbook >Benjamin Moore's Field Guide to Primitives >Beneath the Wall
Asher Rodriguez
>Blorg's Ultimate Survival Climax The climax part makes it sound like an anime or some japanese thing.
>The Practitioner's Handbook >Benjamin Moore's Field Guide to Primitives No wrong with these, but they don't really scream "rpg" to me.
>Beneath the Wall There's an OSR style game called Beyond the Wall so the two could be confused or it may even be initially interpreted as a clone.
Nolan Adams
Came here for games about pigeons, was disappointed.
> Why not 'Pigeons in Pigeon Space'?
Gabriel Turner
>not "Pigeons in Peril"
One job, man
William Rogers
>>The Practitioner's Handbook >>Benjamin Moore's Field Guide to Primitives
These sound like splatbooks. Rather than seeming like a game name, they seem to refer to elements of one.
Benjamin Moore's is also a long as name.
Maybe just The Practitioners?
Jason Harris
Dexpends on a couple things, honestly. Are you planning on keeping the same engine for each game? Are these just going to be systems you and some friends might play? The name should reflect the game. If the game itself has whimsical elements, or a lighthearted feel to it, go with something like Practitioner''s Handbook or Field Guide. No one will expect that to be super-cereal, I'm. But if you are planning on public release, you may want something a bit more refined, in terms of names. But what the he'll do I know? I'm just a random dude in Ohio.
Kayden Flores
"Practitioner's Handbook" shortens naturally to "PHB", which will lump your game into dindy
Isaiah Green
>The climax part makes it sound like an anime or some japanese thing. It's based on Japanese gameshows, so you'd be right.
>No wrong with these, but they don't really scream "rpg" to me.
Makes sense. What in your mind makes a game sound like an RPG?
>There's an OSR style game called Beyond the Wall so the two could be confused or it may even be initially interpreted as a clone.
Thank you, I did not know this.
A Field Guide to Primitives may also work, I see what you mean by it being a long name. I think brings up a fair point on the easy shortening.
Adam King
I'll give some brief genre elements of each game:
>Blorg's Ultimate Survival Climax Japanese Gameshow, Sci-fi, Comedy >The Practitioner's Handbook Dark Fantasy, Body Horror, Horror, Intrigue >Benjamin Moore's Field Guide to Primitives Alternate History, Colonialism, Fantasy >Beneath the Wall Alternate History, Low Fantasy, American Civil War
Levi Davis
Unfortunately no, pigeons aren't very adventurous creatures.
Carson Bell
Then "Blorg's Ultimate Survival Climax" is actually a great name if that's what you are going for!
I'm afraid I agree with in that they sound much more like splatbooks for an existing game. "Field Guide" sounds like a bestiary and "Handbook" is used in so many titles for class handbooks and the like. In hindsight the names make sense considering the genres of the games, but the names still need adjustment.
I agree that "The Practitioners" or even just "Practitioners" sounds better and I think it even sounds a little more menacing and dark without the "handbook" part.
"Primitives" honestly sounds like a monster class so maybe "Benjamin Moore's Guide to Colonialism" would sound better? Maybe a bit comedic, but it gives a better idea of what the game's about I think.
Daniel Sanders
Yeah, nothing about 'The Practitioner's Handbook' really brings those elements to mind. It sounds like some sort of D&D alchemy splatbook, at best. Maybe 'The Books of Viscera'? 'The Flesh-weaver's Companion'? Although those emphasize the body-horror elements much more... Benjamin Moore's Field Guide to Primitives does indeed scream old-timey racism, so good job there.
>Beneath the Wall >Alternate History, Low Fantasy, American Civil War Wait. Wasn't there a series of threads on this a year or so ago? Giant inexplicable wall across the Midwest, occasional monsters crawling over it, low-powered alchemy- and ritual-based magic?
Brandon Price
Benjamin Moore's Fiels Guide to Primitives, but only because colonialism is interesting as fuck and hardly ever done right
Angel Evans
PiP's brew?
Robert Ortiz
Yeah that was me. The wall one
Christian Hill
The field guide to primitives is a game based around colonial era racism.
>Spain/Portugal never split and exists as the Iberian empire >England and Iberia are the main competitors during the colonial age >Europe killed all their magic with cultural advancement, but foreigners still have magical traditions >Colonization is driven by the need to garner indigenous individuals who can use magic >All characters are British/Iberian/Lesser European nobles and rich with their groups of magic using servants >Magic in large comes from lack of being civilized, the more primal the person the more primal the magic. >Europeans entierly can not use magic, not known for sure why but it is known that outside of extremely rare cases it is not a skill that can be taught. >System has "designing spells", the more powerful the spells the less civilized the servant is >Designing a spell and designing a servant is entirely intertwined, with personality traits being generated from how you design them (along with random traits rolled during purchase) >Example is a servant who can "raise the dead" (consider powerful life manipulation) is required to be a cannibal. He needs to consume flesh regularly to keep his powers. You as his master have to support this. >Servants all have both morale and fear, a measure over how well you can control them. If either gets to low they may make an attempt on your life. Considering you can't do magic it may be dangerous. >Your character may be highly competent, but because of their natural raising in a "civilized" culture can simply not do magic
For example you could be a foppish British man with an Aboriginal Australian shaman and a Hindi priest.
An example in fiction would be Moby Dick with Ahab and Queequeg. A vengeful captain with his tribesman shaman.
The rules book is narrated from the perspective of a British man, and thus fluff descriptions are rife with racism inherent to the time. Along with a lot of foppish chortling.
Ethan Kelly
How can colonialism be sustained in the face of magical opposition? Lots of guns?
Parker Sanchez
Just post your pdfs already If you post now, I will consider testplay online right this moment.
Luke Moore
just the idea of all the triggered feminists makes me wet.
Eli Evans
Guns, and the face in most cases indigenous people are not united. Many are willing to sell out enemies to colonial powers. Colonists will come with themselves, guns, and already garnered magical individuals from other previous endeavors. However in a few points natives have staved off control, the best example of his is the multiple failed conquests of the Incans.
Ryan Hall
As I said, I am trying to see which one I should move forward with. Any of these are far from done. The most finished, the practitioner's handbook is 3/4 done. Beneath the wall comes in second at half done. The other two less so (FGtP is the newest one).
I mean I will be coming to Veeky Forums for play testing once I decide on one to move forward with.
Michael Williams
PiPs is a good name in my opinion.
Carson Flores
Bump
Dylan Morales
Not with that attitude they aren't.
Ethan Lopez
Have you ever see a pigeon? They're generally scardey cats.
Carter Powell
Funny that. Most, if not all pigeons i see are birds
