My current board game project has existed for the past couple years under the title The Grand Expedition. It was the best I could think of when I started, and while I didn't love it at first it kind of grew on me over time. Or at least I got used to it being the title, and in my mind it fit.
As long as I was getting zero attention that was fine. But then I submitted the game to a design competition, and one of the comments that I got was that this title conjured up very different images in that judge's mind than what the game actually turned out to be. And when I started asking around, other people gave me the same response. I got things like "exploring forests and mountains," "exploring Africa or Australia," and "something something colonization." What I didn't get was "competing to be the most famous explorer in a D&D-style fantasy world and encountering the various creatures, sentient and otherwise, that live there," which would have been the correct answer.
So I guess it's time to change it. I need a title that gives the correct impression of what this game is about, or at least closer to it than what I have now, and that isn't already taken. And preferably one that is appealing to my hypothetical audience. Here are the best ones that I've come up with, and which are still available according to BoardGameGeek:
- Beyond the Borderlands
- The Fantastic Wilds
- Maps & Monsters
- To the Farthest Reaches
Generally, any title that starts with "the" gives me the impression to relate to something real or historic. So not only "The Grand Expedition", but also "The Fantastic Wilds" rather sound like a djungle exploration to me than a D&D style something.
ReplyDeleteMaps and Monsters does lead me to D&D style, but it's also highly boring and would not catch my attention.
If it's a fantasy world you are offering in your game, why not chose a fantastic title? Does your fantastic world have an (invented) name? If so, I would use that. Or maybe make one up? Something in the style of "Eakloven", "Covert Worlds", "Sapphire Yonder" - whatever fits your world.
I appreciate the thought. I'm not such a fan of the fantasy names though, if it's not a setting I already like. If I see a game with Mystara or Discworld in the title I will probably give it a look. On the other hand, "World of Jdnok'sicnons" is unlikely to get my attentionby title alone.
DeleteBeyond the Borderlands of those listed, IMO.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the subject (DnDish adventures) be sure to check RPGGeek as well as other RPG sites out there. The name Beyond the Borderlands has already been used for an RPG supplement.
ReplyDeleteGreatest Adventurer Wins
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly got potential. Thinking about how to make it clear that "fantasy" and "exploration" are main themes... I suppose Fantastic Explorers would be too on-the-nose?
ReplyDeleteIt's a bit tough to come up with a title without knowing more about your game. I used to be a headline writer, but that's something I would come up with after reading the full story. "...competing to be the most famous explorer in a D&D-style fantasy world and encountering the various creatures, sentient and otherwise, that live there" gives a little bit of background, but since you had varying answers from people suggesting Africa/Australia and colonization, I would need to know some details like how exactly the player interacts with other creatures during gameplay. Otherwise, I can't understand why they are getting those kinds of vibes from your game and how it relates to their perception, and I can't vote on or suggest an appropriate name.
ReplyDeleteThe quotes about other people's impressions of the game were based on the title alone, without knowing anything about the content itself. So the problem that I'm running into is this disconnect between what people expect just based on the title, and what's actually in the game. What I want is that someone can just read the title and, at the very least, have a pretty good chance of thinking "this is a game about exploring a fantasy world."
DeleteVagabond of Wonders
ReplyDelete