How do you normally come up with character names?

[Vlajdermen]

Do you name them after people you know in real life? Are you a faggot that names them after other fictional characters or celebrities? Do you try to be funny? Or do you just spit out random bullshit?

I mostly just use the nicknames of people I know or used to know (dumb nicknames are customary in Dalmatian villages) or I just pick out the names of one of my own characters (I'm a neckbeard amateur writer). The most I've ever done to try to be funny was naming an ogre character in Arcanum "Shrek" and the insectoid in Grimrock "Erdoğan", which was really more out of a lack of imagination.

 

[laclongquan]

Some group of characters that have relations to each other. From a manga, or a novel series. Or even other games.

Real people? Are you kidding or delusional enough to know enough about them to command them in a game?

Mind you, that's only if they have interesting enough portraits to kindle my interest (ingame or mod).

In a game with multiple recruits, say UFO Aftershock or UFOET where I can not mod faces in, I normally dont bother.

 

[kain30]

I look around in my room, i pick 3 random objects and put together the firts syllables of them

 

[Jokzore]

Naming my character used to be the hardest part of creation for me. Sometimes I'd spend 2 hours just staring at the screen thinking of names. Now that I grew older and care less i have it down to somewhat of a formula:

My main character is named after myself because I'm a narcissistic cunt.

If I get to name the rest of the party, they're named after friends.

If it's a game where I can make alts like an MMO or Dark Souls I name them after character from classic RPGs because I'm not creative.

 

[Ovg]

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/


I usually name my characters with old names, zoroastrian orks, breton elfs and scottish gaelic halflings. Paladins get renaissance Italian names. I like to have an inuit hunter or a ranger. Druids are all native american (sadl and unoriginal).

 

[Herald of Durance]

I have trouble to come up with fitting names, so instead I just go with something generic like Jack, The Dude, Magic Guy, etc. If it's party based I just name the characters after their class.

 

[nobre]

Works of fiction, preferably non-fantasy novels.

 

[Lazing Dirk]

I look around in my room, i pick 3 random objects and put together the firts syllables of them

And thus Dildormoun was born.

 

[Kalin]

I mostly name them after Codexers.

 

[Falksi]

I name them after favourite characters of old E.g. I always play any action-RPG as "Tyris Flare" of the Golden Axe series, and have her les-out with any slags availble.

 

[Tigranes]

Philosophers, painters, composers, serial killers, second-rate military commanders, colonial adventurers, there are plenty of groups to be found.

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[racofer]

I mostly name them after Codexers.

Same.

 

[Blaine]

If it's a serious name, intended for a character in one of the still stupendously rare cRPG that are worth playing (for example), then I'll choose a name that seems to fit the setting/character using the most appropriate method available. It might be some name generator I dig up with a bit of my own input hammered into the output, I might try to miracle it up from the ether, I might look into historically appropriate given names and surnames, I might try to mine history, religious texts, or mythology, etc.

My favorite self-made name that I came up with completely on my own, just trying to fit sounds and syllables together, was "Kedesh" for an Arab character. I Googled it of course, and appropriately, it turned out to be a real place in Israel. I've read the entire Bible multiple times through, although it's been many years, so there's a small possibility that it came from deep in my memory and that I'm still a completely unoriginal faggot after all, just like all of you.

If it's a goofs gaffes and belly laughs character, these days I pretty much always go for a MST3K Space Mutiny variant of my own making. For example, one of my recent characters was named Krak Smashrok.

Also, this topic is bad and gay.

 

[catfood]

I mostly name them after Codexers.

Have you ever named a character after me?

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

With difficulty, I suck at making up names. So I just use a generator or input some random bullshit. Naming characters after friends/celebs/other fictional chars seems even more stupid than just sitting on the keyboard.

 

[Mikeal]

I stole names from Tolkien.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[King Crispy]

For the rare times I have a creative block I'll just roll my face on the keyboard a couple of times and see what comes up.

 

[Micormic]

I always name characters after myself.


If it's a game like IWD or Wasteland 2 where I need to make multiple characters I name them after people I know. Usually my brother or sister, my wife or one of my friends.

 

[JarlFrank]

I usually make a full-female party of characters, unless the portrait selection is too limited then I also add some dudes.

Names are based on goddesses for the female chars, and historical persons for the male chars.

So a female fighter would be Inanna, Ishtar, or Freyja
Magic-user or cleric Athena, Aphrodite, Minerva
Ranger or rogue Artemis, Skadi
etc

For dudes it would be:
Fighter is Arminius, Achilles, Herkules
Magic-user or cleric is Augustinus, Nostradamus
Thief is Garrett

That always ends me up with a party of characters who have cool names that fit into pretty much any setting, be it fantasy or historical or even scifi.

 

[eggdogg]

If its a party then I name them after the members of Iron Maiden.

 

[undecaf]

Random letter combinations that sound somewhat fitting and consistent with the games setting, but one character is always called Schlee, party or solo.

 

[Suicidal]

If it's a dungeon crawler with minimal story I usually name them after memes or gay wrestlers or something stupid like that.
If it's a storyfag game with lots of talking I like to name them after characters from other games/stories and then roleplay in a way how those characters would react to events in this game.

 

[Mustawd]

I used mostly a nickname of mine or names that sounded Fantasyish. This was before I knew you could randomly generate fantasy names on the internet (or b4 they even had that I think).

Sometimes it worked ok. I used Ulrin across many games and some MMOs.

Sometimes it didn’t. I used Aslore in DAoC until my fren pointed out I basically called him “Ass-lore”.

Luckily, I was only level 3 or 4 in DAoC, so I just deleted him.