From: morrow@thorogood.rutgers.edu (John Morrow)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Names of non-players / monsters / towns
Date: 10 Nov 92 01:59:59 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

bkoike@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Bryce Koike) writes:

>	I hate programs.  Most of the names they generate end up
>being fairly useless to me.  I tend to prefer making up my own.

This is because many of the programs are very primitive and ignore several
things that make words sound pleasing.  In particular, most fail to take 
into account stress patterns, voicing, and what sounds can aesthetically
follow others.  Taking even one of these things into account can increase
the number of "useful" words by several fold.  If anyone is interested
in this subject, let me know.  All I can say is read a good intro to 
linguistics before starting if you can.

>>2) try baby name books-available in libraries and bookstores near you!
>>   again mutations are always possible.

>	Great idea.  I personally use the back of my Random House
>dictionary because it has basically the same thing in the back of
>it!

Actually, don't pick ANY baby name book.  Look into ones like the following:

Sue Browder, _The New Age Baby Name Book_, 1987, Warner Books, New York,
  ISBN: 0-446-32004-8 (my copy was $4.95)
  
   or

Connie Lockhart Ellefson, _The Melting Pot Book of Baby Names_, 1990, 
  Betterway Publications, Virginia, ISBN: 1-55870-178-8 (my copy was $8.95)

The first book is a "rack size" paperback while the second is "trade
size".  Don't laugh off the first book.  The names are sufficiently
"spacy" for use in a space or fantasy role-playing game (although most
kids would rather not wear one of these names).  The second book 
conveniently divides all the names into just about every ethnic group
you would ever want for those more "realistic" games.  What about family
names?  Look into:

Elsdon C. Smith, _The New Dictionary of American Family Names_, 1988,
  Gramercy Publishing Company, New York, ISBN: 0-517-66954-4 
  (this book was available via Crown Books discount book catalog)

This book is over 550 pages long an chock full of names from almost all
ethnic groups.  Now, for a truly specialized book...

Suppose you are running a game set in either historical or modern Japan
and you want a good source of names.  Get:

P. G. O'Neill, _Japanese Names:  A Comprehensive Index by Characters and 
  Readings_, 1989, Weatherhill, New York & Tokyo, ISBN: 0-8348-0225-2
  (my copy cost $22.50 - but I also have an interest in Japan in general...)

Finally, I would add in:

Stephen Friar, _A Dictionary of Heraldry_, 1987, Harmony Books, New York, 
  ISBN:  0-517-56665-6 (often found in discount piles, etc.)

This book is full of lists of heraldic names for everything which could be
incorporated into names.

>	I find it useful to read examples of one language or another
>and take parts of words I like and stick 'em together.  (Frank
>Herbert's Dune is an excellent example of made-up words being used
>to create a very specific feel.  On the other hand, so's the
>"cyberlingo" [eeyargh] that's getting thrown around these days)

Dune's words were not so much "made up" as "coaxed out of" Arabic, the
"made up" works in "A Clockwork Orange" are based on Russian, and the
"made up" words of Tolkien and the Klingon of Star Trek are the
products of trained linguists.  While all this looks easy, it is
very difficult to do this convincingly over the long haul...

Anyway, I hope some of this info is helpful...

John Morrow
morrow@remus.rutgers.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc